The organisers of the 3rd Morton Steam & Vintage Weekend on 21-22 June must have thought “Oh no, not again” as Saturday dawned wet and carried on in the same vein for much of the day. However, Sunday was a different outlook with a decidingly brisk and blustery wind blowing the clouds through quickly, leaving a warm and fine day for the public to come out and support this fledgling event. As usual, the event was raising money for the Lincs. & Notts. Air Ambulance who benefited from a total of £752.37 raised in 2007.

With 2008 being a Leap year, event dates have shifted slightly this year and Morton had the benefit of not clashing with the nearby Swaton event. However, the commercial vehicles obviously had somewhere else to go as they were fewer in number than in 2007. Stationary engines also seemed a little thinner on the ground but tractors and miniature steam were very well represented.

With three model stalls and a number of junk stalls to browse, we managed to find a couple of bargains with a small Clifford rotorvator joining the horticultural collection for a relatively modest amount of money. With its folding handlebars and compact dimensions, this machine is ideal to join our smallest Barford Atom, Munrotiller or Atco mower in the back of the Citroen for weekend rallies or even mid-week commercial shows.

The stationary engine line-up was perhaps the most utilitarian we’ve seen this year with examples of Lister, Villiers, Wolseley, Crossley, Ruston & Hornsby, plus the slightly rarer Bentall Pioneer and Wilton machines. With 3 Lister Ds, 2 Wolseley WDIIs, 2 Wolseley WD8s & 3 Ruston Hornsby PBs amongst the line-up, we’ll have to see what we can bring that’s a little different next year.

The commercial line-up included the original condition Albion Chieftain breakdown recovery lorry and the Esso Scammell Highwayman, which is undergoing restoration, and the Morris and Leyland FG trucks stood side-by-side for comparison. The Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade stood their Landrover appliance over the weekend but the most unusual truck was a Trojan, which could be found over near the classic cars.

Hall and Hall proudly displayed both their classic racecar transporters this year, but both would have benefited from being made more of a feature of rather than tucked away behind the marquees. These are both superb vehicles with a proud British heritage, especially in Bourne with its connections to Raymond Mays and motorsport. Across the way a selection of miniature steam were on static display with a few giving rides for children around the ring.

Sadly, the gale force winds meant one or two of the traders could not risk damage to their stalls and packed up early, and one modeller’s caravan awning collapsed overnight, damaging and scattering their display across the field. However, the craft and model marquees stayed firm and were well populated with various displays and craft stalls during the day and Grumpy Old Men performed on Saturday evening for exhibitors and friends staying on site.