MOTORISTS were greeted by the sight of two monster-sized machines rolling through Huddersfield.
Two huge vintage steam rollers passed through the town on their way to a two-day rally being held by Leeds and District Traction Engine Club at the National Coal Mining Museum at Overton, between Huddersfield and Wakefield.
One of the steam rollers was owned by Salendine Nook man Selwyn Copley.
The other was owned by Leeds and District Traction Engine Club president Derek Rayner, of Acomb near York.
Mr Copley, 65, set off for the rally from his home in Laund Road at 3pm on Friday.
Motorists on New Hey Road, Huddersfield ring road and Wakefield Road watched as his 12-tonne steam roller plodded past at its top speed of 3mph.
The steam roller was made in 1922 by Nottingham manufacturers Beorrell.
Mr Copley bought it four years ago, restored it and named it Ty-Pan, which means supreme ruler in Japanese.
The machine is now worth £40,000. Mr Copley said: "I have always been interested in steam engines so when it came my way I bought it.
"It is just a hobby, but I am really getting into the rallying game at the moment."
Compared to Ty-Pan, Derek Rayner's Aveling and Porter 1915 steam roller is something of a lightweight, weighing just 8 tonnes.
Before heading to the rally, Mr Rayner, 61, took a trip down memory lane and visited South Crosland, where he bought his machine 40 years ago.
The roller was the last one owned by rolling contractor Joshua Rodgers.
Mr Rayner and two friends, Lyndon Shearman and John Charlesworth bought the machine and renovated it.
All three were student mechanical engineers and they formed the White Rose Steam Traction Company, naming the roller White Rose.
Mr Rayner said: "We were all steam enthusiasts and interested in steam railways. But they are quite restrictive because you need track.
"We discovered a whole new ballgame of steam on the road.
"It was very nostalgic taking it back to South Crosland, especially since we saw Joshua's son Harry Rodgers and his family."
