For those interested in the spectacle of steam and vintage machinery, this year's 153rd annual Northern A&P Show in Rangiora is gearing up to be a hotspot for traction engines and vintage tractors, cars and trucks.
Organiser and avid steam enthusiast Cody Winter says the vintage machinery display at the show on Saturday, October 24, is all about remembering days of old and enjoying the spectacle of steam, while watching over 100-year-old traction engine-powered threshers and balers in action, alongside 10 traction engines dating from last century, and over 40 vintage tractors.
“It’s a great opportunity for collectors and owners to bring their tractors and vintage machinery along to show off and have some fun at the same time,” says Cody.
“This year we are celebrating the Hart-Parr and Oliver vintage tractors, and we will have a big gathering of these two rare models of tractors in New Zealand.
“They are two and four-cylinder tractors manufactured over 100 years ago, and 10 of the rare Hart-Parrs are specially attending the show from all over Canterbury. Plus we will have every model of the Oliver tractors on show as well.”
The Winter family of Waimakariri are bringing their working traction engines to the show along with a historic threshing machine, which will be in operation on the day threshing oats.
There will also be a vintage chaff cutter kindly on loan from the Warren Family of Rolleston, which will also be run by a traction engine, and a working stationary baler.
Cody says it is a big undertaking, but he and all the people helping out in the Vintage Machinery display do it for the love of steam and old tractors, as they love sharing them with the community.
“We love supporting all the local shows, and it is great to see all the over 100-year-old traction engines and vintage tractors working and on display.
“We will also have vintage trucks like the Internationals on display, at what is always a popular part of our local A&P show.”
He says they always get a good turnout of spectators marvelling at the old vehicles, and this year with the threshing mill and chaff cutters in operation it will be a visual spectacle for all attending the show.
“Dad bought the 1902 vintage Ransome thresher when he was 24, and it has had a varied history working on farms all over Canterbury.
He kept it going, and recently we all pitched in and tidied it up. It will be fun bringing it along to its first public show since 2006.”
It will be threshing oats at the show, supplied by friends, and the Warren and Winter families.
“We’ve all been out over the past weekends doing all the stooking of the sheaves, getting them ready for the show, so it's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but it will look good on the day,” he says.