Micheal Patterson

Michael Patterson has been around steam most of his life. He and his father have had a five inch gauge railway lay out in their garden for many years. He has been a member of the Vale of Aylesbury model railway club operating steam engines on their five and seven and quarter inch layout, giving rides to the public.

Among his engineering credits are

•  Restoration of a 1930 Barford and Perkins motor roller
•  2 year overhaul of a Coventry simplex found in a hedge where it had sat for forty years
•  Retubing the boiler of the 1891 locomotive Swanscombe which he maintains and runs on behalf of its owner
• construction from scrap steel of a road trailer to transport exhibitsto steam events
•  rebuild of 5 inch gauge sweet pea locomotive, currently under-going boiler re-tubing
• ongoing overhaul of his own Sentinel locomotive which was built in 1945 for Tottenham Gas Works and worked regularly unti officially withdrawn in 1968. Although small and rather slow, its haulage capacity on level track is in excess of 600tons.

He is currently undertaking a diploma in engineering, whilst working for a company building bespoke high-performance cars. In addition to his hands on work, his paid employment and his studies, he is also a Director of Quainton Railway Society which is the organisation that runsthe very successful Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

This combination of hands-on enthusiasm and involvement in running the business is very rare. A very worthy Young Preservationist of the Year.