June 17th and 18th this year was the weekend chosen by Amberley museum to stage its annual mid summer steam show, this event has been going for a number of years and has steadily increased in size. It has undoubtedly taken over the june spot from Parham steam rally now that that event is no more. The weather could not have better, and under blazing sunshine and cloudless blue skies 17 full sized engines and several minitures had gathered in the museum grounds.
Amberley, as I am sure that most people are aware, is a large industrial museum located in a disused chalk pit and has lots of space for the engines to move about in, in fact, unlike a lot of other events, the organisers encourage the steam engines to do so. There is quite a network of hard roads in the area and the engines create much interest from the visitors as they pass by.
Of the other points of note are the engine hauled rides using a period Tasker trailer and a weighbridge where owners can find out exactly how much their machines weigh and whether that “under 10 tons” plate is correct or just for the benefit of the local authorities!
Overall, the Amberley mid summer steam show was an enjoyable day out with many attractions other than steam engines to look at, the museum itself is well worth a visit and I am sure that most people could find something to interest them.