Eddison Roller No 411

Above : The Roller No 411 (FX 9640) is in the foreground of this photograph taken in the late 1950's (??) in Eddison's Dorchester yard.

Below : The Roller in December 2017 - back in Dorset !

Below : A video clip of roller in action Saturday 9th December 2017 - (open in new window)

20171209_150058.mp4

Above : Registration Book from 1947 - 1963 (Eddison's head office moved to Grantham, Lincolnshire in that year) and it is presumed that all documents were re-issued and dealt with from this central office location.

Above : Aveling & Porter Ltd Build Sheet (10388)

(obtained from Lincoln Archives)

Works order raised 23rd August 1922

Delivery promised 21st September 1922

Left works : 27th September 1922

Customer : Eddison Steam Rolling Co Ltd (delivered by rail)

Two injectors fitted (no pump) as Eddison requirements.

Morrison Scarifier factory fitted

Roller Details :

Eddison (fleet) No 411 : Aveling & Porter "E" Type, (Maker's No 10388) single cylinder, piston valved, 10 ton Road Roller.

Manufactured and bought new by Eddisons in 1922, it was first registered FX 9640 on 3rd October 1922.

2 gears - 6 Horse Power. (4.47kW). Right hand drive, three point roller (ie one front roller & two rear).

It has two Penberthy steam injectors (as Eddison requirements when new), for boiler feed and water sprays rather than one injector and a pump as manufacturer's standard spec.

It is fitted with a Morrisons scarifier No 1968. (original as factory fitted) but the brass plate is a modern casting with the incorrect number on it.

Below : Manufacturer's Plate & Eddison Plant Ltd plate (c1947) when Grantham became Head Office.

Presume it originally had a Dorchester plate ? Lower RHS : Rear of Eddison plate showing Aveling & Porter "Owners" ???

Historic photographs of Roller No 411 :

Above : The Roller No 411 having just left the Dorchester yard with the house van and water bowser in tow. (c 1950's ??)

(these three photographs from Eddison's centenary book "Century of Service" by R A Whitehead (pub 1969) - page 17.

Dates & photographer unknown at present - not acknowledged in the book.

< Embedded photograph from "Getty Images"

This appears to be a photograph taken at the same time as the one above. It is different (ie children's arm positions & steam etc) and the water bowser is not in view. Much clearer shot in colour (note roller is green - Eddison head office moved to Grantham in 1947 and colours changed after that date ?

Below : Roller No 411's driver Mr Tom House and with his wife in the house van

Right :

Mr Tom House and his wife in their living van (from "Steam in the Village" by R A Whitehead p76 pub 1977)

The above book mentions a contemporary of his - the splendidly named Charles Theophilus Joyce who worked for Eddisons from 1905 to 1955 and then part time until 1958. He had retired to the Chard area by the date of the book in 1977.

From the article in the RRA (see below), it appears that Tom House joined Eddisons in 1942 after he had been invalided out of the Dorsetshire regiment during WW2. It is presumed that he retired in the mid 1960's.

He is buried in Fordington churchyard (on the Kings Road side) but unfortunately there are no dates on his gravestone.

Below : An article from the Road Roller Association "Rolling" Magazine (Spring 2003 - Issue 113, pages 3-10). This gives some fascinating insights about Tom House's times with Eddison. The article was written by Alan Porter who was the editor of the magazine at this time. We have extracted the text from the article - there are various photos of Eddison rollers but none of our roller unfortunately.

Above : Two photographs (* amongst Roller 411 papers) with a comment "parked in Dorchester" - date unknown.

Above : A photograph (*) with annotation on back "Eddison yard 2nd August 1956"

Note Roller 411 Reg (FX 9640) is the nearest roller.

Above : A photograph (*) was annotation on back " Eddison yard 11th July 1959"

Above: A photograph (*) was annotation on back " Eddison yard 16th July 1959"

The photograph dates above are only a few days apart and seem transposed as the roller is on the low loader perhaps being taken to its last job on the Honiton bypass ? Interesting to see that even in 1959 Eddison's phone number was Dorchester 57 !! (unless they had not updated the signwriting !)

Brief History of Roller 411 :

Manufactured by Aveling & Porter of Rochester, Kent in 1922. (Model : E type & manufacturer No 10388) (see build sheet above) Left works : 27th September 1922
Purchased new by Eddison Steam Rolling Co Ltd of Dorchester, Dorset, given fleet No 411 and first registered FX 9640 on 3rd October 1922.
Canopies were fitted to Rollers by Eddison from c.1926.
Worked in various locations but it is not known when driver Tom House (who started with Eddisons in 1942) took on the roller or when he finished his career with Eddisons. (mid 1960's ?)
See photographs above taken in 1956 and 1959.
The Roller was listed as still working in May 1960 and its last contract is understood to have been on the Honiton bypass just over the Dorset border in east Devon. (see photograph below)
The Roller was sold by Eddison Ltd to Mr J H B Gundry Esq of Grange Farm, Broadhembury, Cullompton, Devon. The registration book (see above) shows him becoming the second owner on 21st September 1960. Mr Gundry was an early enthusiast and he acquired many pieces of equipment including "Semper Fidelis" [TA615] a 1913 Burrell traction engine for preservation. He thus saved the roller from being scrapped - the fate of the majority of these steam rollers. During August 1956, many rollers had been sent for scrap by rail on Lowmac wagons from Dorchester West station (?? seems strange as the Eddison yard siding was adjacent to the Dorchester south station). It is understood that the rollers had been pushed to the station and loaded by another roller in reverse.
It is understood that Mr Gundry had steamed the roller for a few years as the last road fund disk on the Roller is June 1963. It seems that it was then stored for some 50 years in a barn on his farm until his death in 2010 (?) when it was amongst many lots sold by Kivells at a sale on the farm on 6th November 2010. (see sale leaflet below). There are quite a few photographs of the roller at the sale (see below - section with coloured background).
It was purchased locally at the above sale. Later it was sold again and work to bring it back to steam was carried out in Bridport. A replacement canopy was also fitted and it was first steamed after 50 years in April 2014.
The Roller had "pride of place" in the Old Glory Marquee at the 2014/15 at Great Dorset Steam Fair. (see photo below). It is understood that it was also featured in the September issue of Vintage Spirit magazine (year ?? - article not seen as yet).
It was sold in 2016 and taken to Penzance in Cornwall.
In April 2017, it took part in the Trevithick Day in Camborne. It features during these times in the video below : 1.20-2.13; 6.37-6.57 & 17.16-18.00
Here's a link = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkPjQsK4j8k
It was sold to Mr Simon Crumbleholme of Warmwell, nr Dorchester, Dorset and brought back to Dorset on in December 2017.
It attended the 50th year of Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2018.

The Honiton Bypass which was opened in Summer 1966 (photo kindly supplied by Honiton Museum). Unfortunately, they do not hold any other material on the project apart from some photographs of more modern machinery. It is presumed that the Eddison Steam roller 411 was used in the preliminary stages of the contract (ie rolling sub bases / hardcore etc) or it could be that Eddison had made the decision to sale, dispose or scrap all their steam driven plant with the advent of smaller vibrating diesel powered rollers. The cost of servicing and maintaining such steam driven machinery must have sub economic for some while by the 1960's.

The Roller was sold by Eddison Ltd to Mr J H B Gundry Esq of Grange Farm, Broadhembury, Cullompton, Devon. The registration book (see above) shows him becoming the second owner on 21st September 1960. It is understood that Mr Gundry had steamed the roller for a few years as the last road fund disk on the Roller is June 1963.

It seems that it was then stored for some 50 years in a barn on his farm until his death in 2010 (?) when it was amongst many lots sold by Kivells at a sale on the farm on 6th November 2010. (see sale leaflet below). There are quite a few photographs of the roller at the sale (see below - section with coloured background).

Above : A rather battered Kivells Sale catalogue of 6th November 2010. The roller was lot 381. The "City of Wells" brass noted in the details above is not with the engine now and this name does not feature in any other records / photographs seen and thus is very unlikely to have been its name.

Below : All photographs below (with coloured background) have been uploaded from the internet "Steamscenes" which featured the sale of this Roller 411 at the Gundry Auction on 6th November 2010.

Above : This photograph was on the rear cover of "Rolling" magazine (Autumn 2023) - similar to the photographs taken at the auction above. We presume that this photo was taken by the late John Reeves.

We understand that the firebars shown did not belong to the roller. The firebars had been sent to Scotland with another roller in error but we understand were returned.

Below : These photographs were amongst the Roller's papers and date from April / May 2014 when it was restored in the Bridport area.

Several are annotated on the rear "1st steaming for 50 years"

Above : The Roller in the Old Glory Tent at Great Dorset Steam c.2015 : (via Facebook on internet photograph taken by Steven Cockram)

Photographs via Facebook

Roller with living van in Bridport c.2015

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