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Blaker Engineering Workshop Manager Simon Rawlins has brought a 106-year-old Aveling & Porter steam roller back to life following a four-year restoration project undertaken in his spare time. The story of Aveling & Porter eight-ton steam roller No. 9074 has now been featured in Vintage Spirit magazine, in an article written by Simon’s friend and long-standing Blaker Engineering customer Richard Peskett.
Simon bought the roller in June 2022 knowing that there was plenty of work ahead. Built by Aveling & Porter at its Rochester works, it was dispatched on 7 February 1920 to Edison Plant Ltd, where it became No. 288 in the company’s fleet. It later worked for Devon County Council as fleet No. 151 before eventually passing into preservation.
This was very much a hands-on restoration rather than, as Richard describes it, a ‘cheque book’ project. Simon carried out the work in his own time, with friends also contributing their skills and expertise along the way.
The restoration included extensive cleaning and painting, new firebox stays and boiler tubes, a new smokebox and the manufacture of a new tender. Fortunately, much of the original machinery, including the pistons, cylinders, bearings and gears, was found to be in good working order.
Richard’s research into the history of No. 9074 has also uncovered some fascinating details about the people who originally built it. Records held by Lincolnshire Archives even identify two of the Aveling & Porter employees involved in its construction in 1920.
Following boiler testing in 2026, Simon reached an important milestone in June when No. 9074 joined a few other steam engines for a road run, travelling under its own steam for the first time in many years.
It’s a fantastic achievement and one that reflects Simon’s experience, skill and enthusiasm for engineering well beyond his working day at Blaker.
The full story of the restoration and history of Aveling & Porter No. 9074 can be read in Richard Peskett’s feature for Vintage Spirit magazine.