By Charlie Fenton
Britain’s youngest steam engineer has spent two years and thousands of pounds restoring a 10-ton century-old steamroller.
Cameron Stephenson, 26, has dedicated hundreds of hours to cleaning up the 1928 Marshall S-Type Steamroller since 2023 in his workshop, Clarington Forge, in Ince, Greater Manchester.
The 18-foot-long vehicle was built for Formby District Council, Lancs, and was used to lay road by tamping down fresh asphalt.
Cameron says it was also commandeered to be used at the region’s airfields during World War II.
Following the war, it was bought by a man called Joseph Entwistle, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, who drove it alongside his son David as a hobby until it needed remedial work in the late 1960s.
But just as the work began Joseph passed away and the restoration ceased – it was later left in a yard, covered with a tarpaulin until Cameron bought it in 2022 and began work a year later.
Cameron, who started his business C.J.S Heritage Engineering when he was 17-years-old, said: “It is a beautiful machine, very much a novelty piece.
“It has a rich history and I’m glad to be keeping it alive.
“I started off cleaning off the over 60 years of dirt, dust, rust from it before building and replacing parts in-house.
“There was some boiler work that needed doing and a couple of values, and bearings that needed replacing but most of it was in good nick for instance the gears were mostly fine.
“I’ve spent tens of thousands on the project but it has been worth it – I’m very proud of the outcome.”
The whacky restorer also says he is the youngest of only 10 remaining heritage engineers across the country, too.
Cameron is currently painting the last few parts of the roller, alongside his partner Hannah Walsh, 26, including the boiler and rooftop.
He says he expects the project to be fully finished in May later this year just in time to take it to steam rally events.
