BILL SCURLOCK STANDS ALONGSIDE THE REMAINS OF THE FODEN SPEED SIX WAGON
Hello,
I’m Bill Scurlock from Taunton, Somerset down in the West Country of the UK
In 1988, there was the now famous ‘Kings sale’ of a collection of Foden steam wagons, diesel lorries and old contracting equipment at Bishops Lydeard, Nr Taunton. Bishops Lydeard is the home of the West Somerset Railway. If I remember correctly, during 1987 there was an article in one of the truck magazines showing these steam wagons ‘at rest in the bushes’. Thinking perhaps the engines would now be moved to safety I decided to go in and film them myself just for the sake of local history.
Rather than move them to safety, Mr King decided, much to everyone’s surprise, to auction off this collection of old and forgotten about machinery. I filmed the display of vehicles at the auction and the steam section of the sale. The late Ted Pike, an ex-kings employee, very kindly priced up the entire days sale for me as the various items were sold.
I then went to film the restoration of the first Foden wagon sold, MB 9404 ‘Superior’ right up to the time it first ran and moved under it’s own steam. I finished this piece of the film of the engine, now in the ownership of Mr Russell Cook, looking at it’s very best at a show in Wolverhampton in 2007.
The 25th anniversary of this famous sale is now approaching in 2013, and I thought that it would be a good idea to launch a video of the ‘bushes’ scenes, the auction and the restoration of Superior.
I want to make this film something very special and historical. Therefore I am appealing to the people that purchased vehicles at this sale, to forward on any material, either video or photographic, showing the restoration of their vehicle. It doesn’t matter if it steam, diesel, lorry or tractor, as long as it shows the restoration of it as I want to show the items in a ‘then and now’ condition.
You will more than welcome to narrate your own piece of film or photographs during the editing process or we will do it for you from your script.
Now the negative side.
For copyright issues, I cannot show or use photographs, video or film images without the full written permission of the person or copyright owner who took those film/s or photograph/s etc. For editing reasons, I would like if possible, to have a copy of your project on a finalized DVD or CD. Please do not send originals-just in case!
If you forward any materials for inclusion please make sure that the permissions come with it or it cannot be used and please note that this film will be sold on the open market I hope to make this a two DVD set including a reproduction of the sale catalogue showing all items priced as sold at the sale. There will also be a downloadable version of the DVD and catalogue for sale worldwide.
The film will be launched at the 2013 Langport Steam Rally or Somerset Steam Spectacular as it’s now known, by the auctioneers (fingers crossed) at that famous sale, Mr Tim Evans and John Partridge
Hopefully many of the vehicles from that famous sale will be on parade there for filming to be added to the second DVD in the set. There will be a cinema on site showing the film/s over the weekend.
P.S.
By the way, that is me standing at the side of the Foden speed six at the top of the page. I am 25 years older now, fatter, my hair has gone grey, my teeth have fallen out, I’ve got two new knees and I take Viagra, mainly to stop me from rolling out of bed!!
My contact and email address for the Kings project is bill@kings-steam-sale-1988.co.uk
Hope to hear from you soon
Regards
Bill Scurlock
