Shropshire Star

Steam engine tour to celebrate Morris Lubricants' big birthday

Shrewsbury firm Morris Lubricants is gearing up for its big 150th anniversary celebrations next year by embarking on a project to build a 1926 steam traction engine and then take it on tour.

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The Talisman at this year's Shrewsbury Steam Rally – despite appearances, it was just a shell, and the rebuilding project will not be completed until July next year.

The firm is teaming up with Alex Sharphouse, from Cumbria – both a friend of the firm and a customer – to build a Fowler B6 Big Lion Locomotive Talisman engine.

Once completed, it will go on a "Talisman Tour" of Britain, starting at Bouth in Cumbria on September 1, 2019. Travelling about 40 miles a day, its trip will take in Leeds, Manchester, Buxton, Nottingham, and Birmingham, before arrival at Shrewsbury at the end of the month.

During the journey Talisman will be making various visits and one of the crew, Jack Dibnah, son of famous steeplejack Fred Dibnah, has been asked to take down a chimney in Stockport in honour of his father.

On arrival in Shrewsbury Talisman will then be the star of the show as the company celebrates its 150th birthday.

An official launch of the project is at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham, from November 9 to 11.

Andrew Simms of Morris's said: "We are inviting everyone to come and meet the team behind the project and explain it in person."

Alex Sharphouse had a dream of owning a Talisman, the original of which was built in 1926. Eventually his wife Charlotte suggested that he build his own, a comment which sparked his imagination.

He found out that John Fowler & Co (Leeds) Ltd, one of the leading manufacturers of steam traction engines throughout the 1800s and 1900s, was up for sale, and he bought the company.

This meant he acquired all the original drawings for all the steam traction engines and fortuitously the drawings for his dream engine, the Talisman.

He and a small team have set out building an engine, using parts built from scratch, and also some original parts which were discovered in Dorset. The engine is expected to be finished towards the end of July 2019, meaning it will be brand new at the start of the Talisman Tour.