Enthusiasts shrug off fears about rain as rally works up full head of steam

The 47th Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally took place on Saturday and Sunday, despite fears that weeks of rain would make the land too wet to cope with the heavy vehicles.

The Masham Steam Rally ran for the first time in 1965, and was founded as a fundraising venture for Masham’s Town Hall, which reaches its centenary next year.

The rally has run every year since at three different venues around Masham, and has grown to be the biggest event of its kind in the country.

Last year it moved to its current home on Leyburn Road.

T&R Theakston, which has sponsored the event since its inception, this year entered a scale model of a 1930s brewery dray wagon, complete with company livery and a special wooden cask made by cooper Jonathan Manby.

Executive director Simon Theakston said: “Like the Sheep Fair, the Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally is one of the highlights of Masham’s annual calendar of activities.

“It’s a great tourist attraction, an event for all the family, and people from far and wide come to it, year in, year out.”