Rolling down to the Pub - LMM Drives Episode 39 - Aveling Steam Roller!

Hello everyone,
Today LMM drives makes a long overdue return - and this time Lawrie brings some Road Steam to the channel, so sit down and enjoy the in-depth look at an Aveling Steam Roller.
A massive thank you to the Engines owner for inviting us along to take it out - it's a super bit of kit!
A video featuring:
Lawrie - Presenter - overjoyed to be back out on Road Steam,
Matt - Cameraman - enjoying his first time behind a Roller
00:00 Intro,
00:34 History and walk around
11:29 Preparation
28:24 The controls
30:45 What's A Steam Roller like to drive?
50:13 Outro,
A video edited by Lawrie, Grade by Matt.
Want more info on us and the stuff in The Shed, or want to get in contact? Check out our Website!
lawriesmechanicalmarvels.com/
Fancy supporting us on Patreon and receiving extra bits of LMM? Have a look at our Patreon here:
/ lawriesmechanicalmarvels
Get more of what we're up to with Instagram! - / lawries_mechanical_mar...
Want to some LMM Merch? Check out our teespring store!
teespring.com/en-GB/stores/la...
Chat with us and other like minded people on our discord - / discord
Follow us for video alerts and other updates on Facebook - / lawriesmechanicalmarvels

[@bentullett6068]

Someone at the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster owns a steam road roller and if we require any surfaces rolling flat and level he will actually use it for that use. Not many years ago they re did the car park and carriage at Kidderminster and instead of hiring in a big diesel roller they used the steam one.

[@JintySteam1]

Ooooh nice, I've had the privilege of driving an Aveling myself, its nice to see a steam roller featured on the channel. :) And taking a steam roller to the pub? A very Fred Dibnah thing to do. ;)

[@adambirchall70]

Another brilliant show!!

[@deansiracusa3966]

I’m an American and also a big fan of the late, great Fred Dibnah! This was an excellent episode and homage to him!

[@gflo2781]

@@deansiracusa3966 Was thinking the exact same!

[@gs425]

Wow. When you showed us the smokebox at 5:05 we saw the secret other Lawrie!!!

[@bentullett6068]

I have seen Lawrie"s brother at a show and he is pretty much identical with exactly the same hair and beard.

[@jacehackworth6413]

He's the understudy.

[@DaimosZ]

"Railways are no good. Tear em up! Turn em into roads! Pull em' up! Turn em into roads!"

[@boydthepinkengine2007]

George

[@BustingSomeBuffers]

@@boydthepinkengine2007 George

[@unconventionalideas5683]

I thought it looked like George the Steamroller.

[@boydthepinkengine2007]

@@unconventionalideas5683 it does

[@keithv708]

Yes it does

[@KristijanH]

I love how at 5:06 he's just casually talking to us while being 15m away not even facing the camera😂

[@phil69881]

My only interaction with a working steam roller was in a parade 9 years ago. I was part of a marching band playing in the parade, which the roller would lead for the 4 miles into the village, for the fete. The owner hadn't had it long and his mate was helping him, until he took an unfortunate tumble off the footplate and broke his arm. Knowing "a bit" about steam locomotives and boiler management, I offered my services and so I ended up on a beautiful, lined umber, 8 ton Fowler for the parade. Best decision ever! (*and the unfortunate bloke was fine, apart from his arm)

[@Daisysdomain]

My only time (so far) of driving road steam was a gift for my 18th birthday, I got to drive Western Star around part of Cumbria. I had never driven anything in my life at that point and finding that the traction engine had 27 turns from lock to lock with 8 turns of slack was a daunting experience but one I will never forget. Since that day I have always said that if I had the money I would have a road engine, ideally a Foden Steam Lorry.

[@DOCTORDROTT]

Love it, did that on a 1920 Aveling Porter, and I had a go on my mate Fed Dibnahs roller in 1997

[@finlaylavery8408]

When I saw the thumbnail I really, really hoped it was gonna be Fred Dibnah's old steam roller! Ah well, still the best way to travel to the pub. How long before you start steeplejacking or bringing down old factory chimneys...

[@peterflitcroft9756]

Fred’s roller is currently awaiting repairs.

[@samuelwright4172]

Finally some road steam! wanting to see Lmm do this for ages. great idea with the pub btw- I think the roller would steam well on light ale!

[@MattChiversWorkshop]

Oh yes now we are talking Lawrie! What a beauty! There is definitely something fascinatingly hypnotising watching traction engines tick over! And your right, they suit green, or my other favourite, black! All the best, Matt

[@mark25964]

I remember seeing them working on the roads in the 60s when I was very young I loved watching them,all the parts moving were really hypnotic.

[@andrewentwistle515]

Wow what an interesting video from Lawrie & Matt. It is great to see Lawrie driving such a fantastic Steam Roller. I bet that Matt had a great time producing great Camera Work and spending a lot of time sitting down on the job. I look forward to seeing what Lawrie comes up with next.

[@William-209]

good to see the shomans old shead is still in use after we moved out

[@TheCornishSniper]

the best video ive ever watched thanks to the owner and thanks lawrie for making this masterpiece for us really enjoyed it

[@ECNRTube]

Ever since I first found the various Fred Dibnah videos on youtube, I've been fascinated by steam rollers and traction engines. All the more fitting too that you take this one to a pub, as Fred Dibnah would do the same thing.

[@lmm]

It's the correct thing to do

[@richardjones5255]

I had the pleasure of watching many steam machines at work during the fifties, a few road rollers and some agricultural engines. A pair of ploughing machines put to alternative use dredging a pond to remove the silt from the silt trap that possibly formed one third or more of the lake they were cleaning. One engine, I think they were Fowler Big Lion agricultural engines each side of the lake, pulled a plough, or sledge-scraper back and forth across the lake, dragging the silt up onto the bank before moving a few feet along and repeating the process. It was great to see you enjoying your road trip, but you did not have the full road trip kit in tow. A caravan and work truck with various tools, perhaps even a tar boiler, tagged on behind. My memory gets a bit hazy on the exact makeup, it was a long time ago.

[@RoyCousins]

Lovely piece of kit! ♥️ It's steam - It's alive!!

[@RenaissanceEarCandy]

Pause at 42:33 . A steamroller, a sleepy village, green fields, a church and a windmill. That's just God-tier picture postcard material. I mean, I'm a photographer (most of the time), and it doesn't get much better than this. I wish I'd been there to get that shot.

[@garryhammond7616]

Such a pleasure to get insight into what it is like to own, run and maintain a road roller. Kudos to the owner for allowing you to bring this to us. One of your very best Lawrie!

[@lmm]

Thank you very much!

[@mykeready3742]

We use to own A&P 11670. A 1926 6 ton piston valve compound roller. They are a lot of work. Now we only have our Burrell traction engine 3882. That we have own for over 50 yrs.

[@lmm]

That's amazing to have had it for so long!

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

I was a little lad in the early 70's. I never saw any steam rollers earning their money but the diesel versions looked very similar.

[@bentullett6068]

Quite a few of the early diesel/petrol rollers survived and can mostly be found at cricket pitches rolling the cricket squares.

[@Duececoupe]

Love it! I think that I'll stick to my steam locomotives.... Might be somewhat of a hassle, taking a steam locomotive to the pub though....need to work on that one! 🤨🤔 🤜🏻🤛🏻🍻

[@lmm]

Just needs a new branch constructing!

[@zeppo7238]

Wonderful to see road steam in action

[@QALibrary]

The pub is only 5 minutes walk up the road - takes 10 hours via steam roller

[@joshiasbaja3934]

😂

[@leondown6869]

The journey is the destination.

[@lexworx7267]

just seen its bournemouth corp roller ... my home town !

[@robsharps6590]

Ooo. Wonder if that ever worked with my wallis and steevens steam roller. My roller was owned by loaders of Bournemouth and has always worked in and around Bournemouth untill the 1950's. Quite possible they met I'm sure... 🤔

[@sentinelboy8827]

More than likely as loaders did maintenance work on the corporation fleet. The plate on the side come out the back of one of their sheds. when the last owner brought the engine, one of family presented to him. They must have taken it off before it left the corporation.

[@eze8970]

Thanks Lawrie! Great to see this out on the road! 🙏🙏

[@nualanet]

Love these old rollers! I’ve been aboard a Buffalo-Springfield. Fascinating machines.

[@vladabocanek3703]

Like Fred Dibnah... What a beauty!

[@propergander1162]

Avelling traction engines used to pull highwayman's huts and were a big feature on infrastructure projects . Later forming with barford and marketing several machines from graders to tractors before caterpillar and komatsu were spawn . Even today the ADT dump trucks and large excavators owe their DNA to avelling barford .

[@lmm]

I didn't realise that

[@anumeon]

That steamroller makes me think of Allo´Allo´... The episode with the steamengine parade. :) Beautiful machine that

[@siraff4461]

You lucky, lucky boy. That thing is a work of accidental beauty. There is something very special about how machinery like that used to be made. Watching that crank glide around so smoothly while under so much stress is just magical. There used to be a couple around here when I was a kid - one green, one red. We used to see them about quite often over teh summer months and the Weston steam show used to have a load there. Its a shame so few are left because they really are a sight to see when one is out and driving.

[@lmm]

Not as lucky as the owner! It's an amazing bit of kit!

[@alistairwhite2906]

Have spent many fun hours playing with a sister engine to this one, 11798, which survives in Melbourne, Australia. The sounds in this video bring back so many memories of prepping the roller before a long day of running around the carpark at the Yarra Valley Railway, or trundling down the main street of Healesville.

[@lmm]

Oh really? I can imagine it's deeply unpleasant in the heat of your summers!

[@alistairwhite2906]

@@lmm It's not too bad on a roller, plenty of airflow. I've spent a day firing a Victorian Railways K class steam loco on a 36'C day with 80% humidity. That nearly killed me. Very, very hard work on that day, you almost couldn't drink water fast enough to keep up with the amount you were sweating. On really hot days in summer, steam is banned due to the risk of fires starting.

[@charliecroker7380]

Being Kentish built (like me), is why it has the "Rampant Horse" and "Invicta" on the front.

[@cr4mbot]

Few years ago I had the privilege of driving a Marshall and just the other week was on a Fowler!

[@SteamboatWilley]

I've driven the Fowler at Summerlee, which was great fun. Lathalmond bus museum has a Marshall roller, but it's a non-runner, which is a shame because it's a beautiful machine.

[@germantanker131johnny2]

Beautiful little steam roller!

[@pamelawhitfield4570]

Watching it tick over reminds of a ploughing engine in action - poetry in motion... 😊

[@julianmorris9560]

Brilliant!!

[@lmm]

Was a super day that!

[@thequarryhunslet7110]

It was nice meeting you at the Alan Keef 50th anniversary open day. I own a Wilesco steam roller btw.

[@jonesthesteam]

Looks Great! I was steering one last Saturday. It was amazing!

[@uriasvonmeyenburg2739]

Finally a steam roller! And a piston valve one at that ;-) What a nice video! As the owner of an F-Type I might be a little biased :-D

[@JintySteam1]

Interesting isn't it how they made steam roller's look nice with beautiful paintwork but today a road roller is pained yellow and just looks industrial.

[@bentullett6068]

According to the recent inside the factory programme at JCB, yellow or other bright colours are chosen for safety reasons as some people can't see a giant lump of metal making a loud noise heading towards them.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@bentullett6068 Allegedly something like 40 or 50 years ago, Vienna's mayor decided that trams were no longer allowed to have full advertising liveries, instead the front and back needed to remain red and white, for otherwise people might not notice it was a tram. Apparently some people claimed sodium street lights made trams with a rather psychedelic Ford advertisement invisible at night. Yeah, right. 35 metres long, at least 3 m tall and over 2m wide, invisible. There was never any official law to that effect, just a communication to the municipial tram company, which is still obeyed to this day (although I'm not sure anyone there still knows the story why the rule was imposed, if that's even true).

[@wilkybarkid]

Had one of these driving through Chelmsford about a week ago, and you could easily retrace its route as it left marks on the road for miles 😆

[@lmm]

😂 😂 Oh dear!

[@paulshirley6383]

Rolling down to the Pub - LMM Drives Episode Lawrie's Mechanic love louis shirley

[@EntraVenuS]

My late father took our Fowler steam roller to bits to renevate it in 1969 and for many years it remained in peices until 2009 when we finally got round to restoring it. It then took a further 3 years to get it up and running. I feel the same excitement for taking it out for a spin every time we do so. Have a look at our third steam test from 2012 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKmqfIStZ5ijrdU

[@George_Ren]

Such an honor to be let loose on a fantastic old girl like this.

[@stamrly418]

If you could bottle your enthusiasm you would make a fortune…. Then again sitting in a chair I am more than a bit envious… but am happy enough to enjoy your bubbling enthusiasm over the magnificent beast.

[@lmm]

Glad you enjoyed the adventure!

[@PBRJOHN684]

Following in the footsteps of Fred Dibnah ("Did ya like that?") and also the silver mini you were parked in front of outside the pub has a Swansea registration CV54 ***

[@mumboking]

Nice ending with the Mini Pointer Dart driving past. 👍

[@microbusss]

Lawrie's gonna drive George to the pub!

[@kinitopet982]

Yes

[@richardsweeney197]

Two stories, though I am rather jealous. 1.) If you think this Machine is amazingly well beyond it's useful life. Please remember you are still using Roman roads and bridges in many parts of Europe. 2.) A friends grandfather had a Packard V-12 in the late 1930's. One night he came around a blind corner only to find his local municipality had been doing road work that day. In the dark he ran head long into the road roller. The Packard cracked the actual roller, and drove home under it's own power...

[@ianmcgee9945]

I own a 1937 Packard V-12 restoration project, and this story doesn't surprise me a bit. I think they must have been scrapping a battleship next door when the car was built. As per the workshop manual, to remove the radiator you need two guys and an engine hoist! Everything is just enormous. Sadly, my health won't permit me to restore it anymore so it's now for sale.

[@richardsweeney197]

@@ianmcgee9945 I'm sorry to hear that, I have a 1941 model 110 touring Sedan and a 1956 Patrician. I wish I had the money to get them on gge road again, but not at this time. I had a friend who sold Packard parts. He once told me the way to fix a V-12 was to place it on one side of a scale and stack $100.00 bills on the other side until they balanced... 😉

[@bill_]

If you have the money to get one, get one. That's the same think one guy said to us. Now it's the best decision we have made. We have other heritage vehicles and the steam engine doesn't rule our lives. She may do during rally season but not other tines. It's nice to steam on a cold morning or even just admire it in the garage and polish it.

[@lmm]

They're amazing things, I would dearly love one.

[@bill_]

@@lmm my advice is get one. But make sure you get the right one for you. I know that within the next few years you'll make the best decision you'll make. You'll get one. As long as if you have the money and space, you'll be all good. Loved the vid.

[@kerrstuartaxefireman]

Excellent video Lawrie, great to finally see some road steam! I had to laugh at 42:50 when you are saying how much fun you are having and how it is the greatest thing you've ever driven and then we can just about see Matt in the trailer behind you bored out of his mind 😂

[@lmm]

It's not as fun to be passenger!

[@jackiesymms8754]

Fantastic steam engine roller

[@crazyfvck]

Such a cool machine :)

[@TheCebulon]

Clearly green: British Racing Green :-)))

[@sampointau]

Cousin's up in Lincolnshire ended up with a few Australian army "Furphy" water trailers after WW1 and used them as auxiliary water tanks towed behind steam engines used for harvesting and threshing. They still had them working in the late 1960's when we visited from Australia. They also had one or two old artillery ammunition limbers that they carried wood and coal in with the Furphy towed on the limber pintle when travelling out to distant farm fields to work.

[@lmm]

I guess water availablity really was a massive limiting factor out there!

[@gmctech]

@ 5:06 I see a glitch in the matrix! LoL

[@lmm]

Oh yeah

[@derekblake9385]

Great video buddy, really interesting

[@lmm]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@anythingvintage2952]

Good video mate, I’ve driven quiet a few different sorts of road steam vehicles but I think the best roller I’ve been in was an aveling porter of 1923, the very first steam engine I was in to was a aveling steam roller that was converted to traction engine

[@stevemellin5806]

A fantastic day. I would drive one . Thank you have a great weekend .

[@lmm]

They're amazing fun!

[@andysim232]

Love that these are road legal.

[@8213_productions]

reason why Aveling didn't stamp the actual weight was due to tax thats what i was told by a few owners

[@rudolphbondefangerer5513]

Perhaps not the world's most practical daily driver, but you don't have to think about speeding tickets.

[@GooseWaffe]

What a piece of art though, and an amazingly engineered piece of tech. I reckon you could talk about this for hours

[@lmm]

This was the greatly cut down version

[@GooseWaffe]

@@lmm i knew it! Haha

[@theshaddowaust]

I use to drive some of them from a club I was in, a good friend rebuilds steam equipment including ones like that too. Just my 2c The gear noise can be reduced by changing from oil to a solid lube, almost like tar. The only down side is cleaning it off you when it decides to throw some, but from the testing we had done we reduced the noise of the gears so much and made the gears last longer too. We also use the same solid lube on a 18" gauge steam rail loco cogs and have not looked back.

[@lmm]

Oh really? That's interesting!

[@travis5376]

Going full fred dibnah now! Now see if you can get it going faster than he did! Lol

[@Basset86Trains09]

I’m getting one of these to go to school.

[@siraff4461]

People back then didn't think of people driving it around in the future - very true. What they did think was that they were making something important and wanted to do it to the best of their abilities. That attitude is why you see so many 100+year old machines still in working condition. Yes heritage means they will continue for much longer to come but they had to make it to a decent age in the first place before heritage was a thing. It will be interesting to see how many modern machines will see a similar lifespan.

[@lmm]

I don't think they well. Overcomplicated, and when one part fails they all shut down.

[@solarusthelonghaulerrailfa3226]

So lawrie you going to the pub make shura that one is okay driving back 😁👍

[@GpunktHartman]

I enjoy that so much ... ...

[@lmm]

Thank you

[@HankyAttack]

Nice video, but you missed the most import step before lighting an engine, that being checking there was water in the boiler using the gauge cocks clearing both gauge glass checking they responded in a timely fashion equally and are at a safe level to be able to light. If this is not done the boiler could be damaged….

[@lmm]

As mentioned the owner had done some of the preparation. However most correct, I should have shown myself testing.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

They were still being used for road repairs in Sri Lanka, when I was there in 2001.

[@josephtdi8764]

Invicta is the Kent county symbol. It was built in Rochester (Kent) hence invicta

[@Cliffdog01]

Ah, that's why in the steam prep of trains you don't have to drain water out like Jay Leno does with his fleet of Steam Cars. The cars have piston valves and I'm guessing most of the industrial steam uses mostly slide valves.

[@johnlomas7398]

An interesting video. I was expecting to see a nice period tanker trailer when you first mentioned an additional water supply an IBC was a bit of a let down. Why are metal rollers permitted to be used, other than when at work, on roads while tracked vehicles for road use generally have to have rubber inserted treads? What was the object, apparently loose inside the front roller, that was tumbling around like something in a tumble drier?

[@sentinelboy8827]

Unfortunately period waters are out of my budget and are not greatly practical for modern use as you can't carry passengers/cameraman on plus they don't have anywhere for any other tools extra coal etc. So you end up towing a trailer as well so may as well have a water tank in the trailer and only tow one thing. As for the metal wheels they do not dig into the tarmac like tracks do when turning and in fact can be the complete opposite on some hills if you are unlucky and losses traction all together and slide. The item in the front rolls is a hessian sack, which is there to try and keep to centre of the front rolls a bit cleaner and encourage the mud and dirt to stay loose and easier to remove.

[@harrypenn611]

Brilliant you lad

[@lmm]

Thank you

[@propergander1162]

Fred Dibnah would be proud of this , great video 👍👍👍

[@lmm]

I like to think so, thanks!

[@peterflitcroft9756]

Steam rollers are hard work. If you come down to the North Staffs and Cheshire Traction engine clubs steam party at Klondike Mill in October I can show you how much easier it is to drive a steam tractor. My Ruston Proctor SD puts a smile on everyone’s face who drives it.

[@the_retag]

How is a steam tractor different from a steam roller?

[@peterflitcroft9756]

@@the_retag A steam roller has rolls for rolling stone or tarmac. A steam tractor has wheels. Back in the day they manufactured convertibles which could be swapped from one to the other by changing rolls for wheels and vice versa.

[@lukemendel8197]

GEORGE THE STEAMROLLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@lmm]

Not quite

[@English_Nejsan]

I live right next to bursledon brickworks and sometimes the traction engine crews will go to the pub

[@lmm]

Great thing to see!

[@Arkay315]

Reminds me of a when a steamroller fought a little tank engine

[@lmm]

Oh in the Titfield thunderbolt?

[@Arkay315]

@@lmm no, in the railway series when George fought sir handle.

[@gerry343]

42:30 Thaxted- I thought so as soon as I saw the church and windmill.

[@paulbutterworthbillericay]

If someone chucked some tarmac ahead, you could roll out the potholes in Thaxted

[@fsj197811]

liquid steam, I love it!

[@lmm]

It's useful too!

[@recumbrider643]

Can you do a burnout with it? 😅 or how about making some yellow road pizza. There was this weird yellow car at the start of the video. 😂

[@carbidejones5076]

After all that .I would need a ride home.

[@bobbarker1593]

You need to move closer to the pub. 🤣

[@lmm]

It was an all day thing 😂

[@donaldvincent]

Driving a Steam Roller to the Pub! This has got to be the most manly thing ever done. I have a collection of small steam engines, Mamod and such, but this is my dream and my wife's nightmare.

[@lmm]

I do like a mamod, but I prefer my Wilesco. This was proper good fun though.

[@mario_master1]

would the set up/starting up be the same or similar on a traction engine compared to this or completely different?

[@bentullett6068]

Pretty much the same

[@timort2260]

Super neat. I driven one last year that got converted to a gas engine, got about 10 hours on it and only got it stuck a little bit. But to be honest these work pretty well. I was supposed to use it again but it got pushed off to next year. My grandfather has been using it since the 80's off and on. Also as cool as it would be to use one with the steam engine I rather not with a gas engine these rollers work harder than you.

[@lmm]

The joy is being under steam!

[@timort2260]

@@lmm I can imagine but I'd be lost on that thing. Unlike yourself you got some skill to run that.

[@samrock7632]

do you need to wear hearing protection? *_'I Said, Do You Need To Wear HEARING PROTECTION'?_* ..lol 📣

[@tomlivingstone7739]

I'd love to see you review a sentinel steam lorry!

[@lmm]

Me too!

[@heddjones889]

Glen, nice to see someone else motion is minging too

[@eifionjones559]

the way to go

[@lmm]

I thought so!

[@jimbarchuk]

Are you hunter, gatherer, or Diner? Skip the intro, lube and startup and go straight to the meat and potatoes: 30:45.

[@lmm]

I'm a driver.

[@heartland96a]

reminds me of Fred Dibnah , Great inventive person

[@patoverend7395]

quick question lawrie do you have the relevant licence qualifications for driving the various vehicles you have driven e.g. your fire engine hgv2, the bus again large pcv, and various others including the 10ton roller, just curious that's all, great video as always 👍

[@lmm]

I've got C, which allows Jupes. Buses older than 30 years old can be driven with a B license, And the roller was under instruction with L plates. Which were removed for drive pasts cause they look horrid.

[@Cezaelizabeth]

Steam roller requires Cat G (traction engines just need standard car licence)

[@conradharcourt8263]

Ah, the far reaching effects of the Local Government Act 1972: In the 60s as a boy I watched workmen from the local Borough Council resurfacing our road and finishing it using a steam roller they kept in their yard a few streets away. A couple of years later the County Council took over responsibility for maintaining the roads and they of course employed contractors with new kit - alas today of course the roads are no longer maintained anywhere in the UK!