Tractor heritage, news and features

Welcome

I was sent the picture on this page the other day which reminded me of the fact we still have plenty to look forward to. Sent in by Stephen Robson at Chain Bridge Honey Farm, it depicts their little Caterpillar Twenty Two of 1935 and is made more interesting by the fact of having very wide tracks and a Leverton cab. Not only are there many other tractors to see at the farm, some of which have already been featured in this magazine, but also there are more in the pipeline, especially on the crawler front – hopefully more of that in the magazine later in the year.

Chain Bridge Honey Farm, based at Berwick upon Tweed, is holding an open day on 11 April. It will be their seventh spring warm-up and a chance to see some local vintage kit, including two very original Case tractors they are currently working on.
News also just in is that the 10th Northern Ireland farm toy and model show is set to take place on Good Friday, 2 April, at the Best Western Magherabouy House Hotel, Portrush. The organisers tell us that to celebrate this anniversary, a 1:32 scale model of a Massey Ferguson 375 two-wheel drive tractor has been commissioned, to be built by Dave Purdue of DBP models in Scotland.

Forty of these 1:32 scale models have been commissioned. Each will be individually numbered and a certificate of authenticity will be included in the specially commissioned display box, in which the tractor will be housed. It is a replica of a tractor originally supplied by John McElderry (M&T) Ltd of Ballymoney in 1988. The limited edition models will be available for purchase at the NI Farm Toy & Model Show, although more details are available at www.nationalminitrac.com

On the auction front, we have just heard also that a piece of Norfolk farming history, the first trailed combine harvester to be brought to the county in 1935, is going under the auctioneer's hammer on 16 March. It is just part of a vintage collection at a sale to be held by Brown & Co at Park Farm Kimberley, near Wymondham, so hopefully more of this next month.

This is just a few of the many events that are coming in as this issue of Tractor magazine goes to press, so please don’t forget to send in the details of any event you are planning, as we are only too pleased to at least include it in our events listing.

Editor, Tony Hoyland