1970 saw the formation of the first area group in Northumberland, and soon after groups were formed in The Midlands, West Midlands Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. This was the beginning of a more rapid growth of the Club.
The club progressed through the early seventies and the newsletter style Vaporiser became a printed quarterly journal changing its name to Vaporising.
In 1977 the current club logo was designed and the title National Vintage Tractor & Engine Club adopted as we became the first national stationary engine club in the UK.
Today the club distributes around 5000 magazines quarterly to our membership around the world. We aim to provide a focus for people with a common interest in rescuing, repairing, restoring and exhibiting or even just watching tractors & engines in action. Local group meetings are a place where those with a shared interest can get together once a month. There you can get the latest news on forthcoming events and rallies.
Some problems are too big for any group to handle. Changes in legislation, Health and Safety requirements, European directives, are all negotiated by the National Executive so that individual enthusiasts can enjoy their hobby with the minimum of interference.
Founded over 40 years ago the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club is made up of a number of local groups. These provide a meeting point for enthusiasts interested in agricultural tractors, stationary engines and associated farm machinery. Do I need to own a tractor or stationary engine to join? No. Many members join without owning any equipment. Mind you, they often get tempted later on!
Members get involved for all sorts of reasons. Non - mechanics often find they have other abilities which the club needs.
Yes, and he would be most welcome. Sister, dad and mum are welcome as well, so club night can be a family night out. You may be interested to know that several young members feel that photographs of their restoration work helped them get the apprenticeship they wanted.
Take a few photographs along to the club meeting. Show them round and somebody will probably identify it for you. If they cannot you have either got a rarity... or some very poor photographs!
The quarterly club magazine which is posted out to all members and affiliated clubs. All are posted on the same day. Can members advertise in Vaporising? Yes, any group or National member can advertise sales or wants, or information sought, free of charge (up to 60 words). As a result the column is always a rich mixture of everything from a finished rally exhibit to vital spare parts.
Vaporising offers a wide range of articles and reports on events, whether they be rallies or ploughing matches. There is news of the latest tractor releases from the manufacturers of today, descriptions of vintage equipment, reports from other parts of the world, articles on restoration, notification of forthcoming sales and events, technical features, drawings and photographs.
Please click on the "Local Groups" menu above.
Group members elect a committee from the membership.
They vary, but usually there would be news of forthcoming rallies, and other invitations to the group, then a speaker probably with films or slides. Most clubs mix their programme with to include general speakers as well as the specialists. Probably the most popular part of the meeting is the break. Members then have a chance to chat to each other and comment on the latest news in Vaporising! So really, if I join a group, I get the benefits of joining both a local and a national club! That is true. No local club could produce a colour magazine for members. No nationally run club could be as friendly and flexible as a local group.
You can still join as a National member. Contact the (National) Membership Secretary. You will get Vaporising sent to you. Also the National Executive are keen to encourage the formation of new groups. Who knows, you could become one of the founders! What is the National Executive? The National Executive is the steering committee for the club, its meetings should be attended by representatives from the local groups and any interested NVTEC members. Vaporising is a good example of a benefit to all members that comes from the National Executive. Some of our greatest successes have come from resisting Government threats to our hobby. These threats have included :
Clubs of local enthusiasts with interests in the preservation and exhibiting of agricultural machinery and artefacts, who have their own independent club, which are run independently, are able to affiliate their group with the NVTEC. By affiliating with the NVTEC they get a quarterly copy of Vaporising sent to a club official. Affiliation allows the group access to the NVTEC safety policy and codes of practice.
An affiliated group means that the group is affiliated. Affiliation does not grant NVTEC membership to the individual members of the affiliated club but is a means of providing a link between like-minded enthusiasts and groups while the clubs remain fully independent.
The NTET is an affiliated group of the NVTEC
If your group would like more information on affiliating to the NVTEC please contact the membership secretary at [email protected]
You will not know until you try it, but out present members do. Why not contact your local group NOW!!!