Welcome
The roller of Leonidi is an Aveling & Porter steamroller made in 1914. Power 4
NPH model BTD. Restoration and Repair Consultant Derek Rayner C. Eng. M.I.
Mech.E. Vice President and Archivist of Road Roller Association U.K.
Greece is known worldwide for its ancient heritage. Wherever you look you will
see the remnants of the culture of our ancestors. For their maintenance there
are organized state services that take care of them. But for the real protection
against the antiquities, we must also keep our eyes open ... (click to continue)
The last interview of the last driver
Giannis Vamvakas in Aria, Nafplio.
The Leonidio Steam Roller Restoration Committee would like to thank Derek Rainer for his unwavering support.
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
Introduction
Greece
is
known
worldwide
for
its
ancient
heritage.
Wherever
you
look
you
will
see
the
remnants
of
the
culture
of
our
ancestors.
For
their
maintenance
there
are
organized
state
services
that
take
care
of
them.
But
for
real
protection
against
antiquities, we must also keep our eyes open.
But
beyond
the
ancestral
heritage
there
are
other
objects
that
we
must
take
care
of
and
not
let
them
be
destroyed.
Fortunately,
the
good
Greek
climate,
dry
and
arid,
has
kept
them
in
a
repairable
condition.
I
am
referring
to
the
objects
of
industrial
archeology,
which
may
not
be
burdened
by
the
thousands
of
years
of
ancient
finds,
but
they
are
important
monuments
of
human
intellect
and
ingenuity.
After
all,
if
one
thinks
about
the
impact
these
objects
had
on
the
progress
of
humanity, we should place them in museums.
Older
people
who
read
this
note
will
remember
that
in
the
old
days
they
worked
sun
by
sun.
There
was
no
free
time,
life
was
very
hard.
Today
we
take
the
life
we
take
for
granted.
People
when
they
reached
the
age
of
50
were
considered
old
and
indeed
they
were
such
by
a
lot
of
work.
The
Chicago
motto
of
8
hours
of
work,
8
hours
of
sleep
and
8
hours
of
free
time
could
never
have
been
realized
without
the
abundant
energy
that
began
with
the
discovery
of
heat
engines.
The
arts
and
letters
would
be
the
exclusive
prerogative
of
our
tyrants.
How
important
the
release
of
abundant
energy
was
can
also
be
seen
from
Lenin's
famous
equation
"socialism
=
electrification
+
soviet".
Lenin
was
right
without
a
lot
of
energy
there
is
no
free
creative
time.
But
you
will
tell
me
that
"but
Lenin's
system
collapsed"
Yes,
of
course,
because
he
forgot
to
put
democracy
in the word soviet.
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
All
this
introduction
was
not
made
to
remember
Lenin,
it
was
made
to
understand
that
if
the
discovery
of
the
Greek
inventor
Hero
of
Alexandria
(for
those
who
do
not
know
he
is
the
first
steam
engine
maker
in
the
world)
had
not
been
buried
by
the
social
upheavals
and
circumstances
of
the
century
he
lived
,
the
world
today
would
have
come
out
of
our
solar
system.
The rediscovery of steami s the first step in releasing energy.
It
is
the
machine
with
which
the
roads
that
connect
the
world
were
built,
the
steamships
that
connected
the
continents,
it
is
the
machine
that
rested
the
worker
of
the
olive
mill
who
turned
like
a
sack
the
mill
that
ground
the
olive
fruit.
Today,
although
heat
engines
are
now
internal
combustion
(cars,
airplanes,
etc.)
the
steam
in
its
modern
form
of
the
steam
turbine
is
the
dominant
way
of
generating
electricity.
That
is,
the
electricity
that
comes
to
our
house
(apart
from
the
hydroelectric
plants)
is
mainly
produced
by
steam
turbines
for
the
simple
reason
that
they
are
machines
with
very
high
efficiency. (We always talk about steam turbines, not reciprocating ones, with a piston like our steamroller.
Brief history
In
Leonidion
there
is
a
very
important
steam
roller
that
time
and
the
thieves
could
not
completely
destroy.
It
is
the
steam-
powered roller used in the construction of the historic road Plaka - Leonidi (one of the first asphalt roads).
This
roller
along
with
nine
others
was
ordered
by
the
Greek
Government
on
April
21,
1914
at
the
AVELING
&
PORTER
factory
in
Kent,
England.
So
far,
the
fate
of
the
remaining
9
is
unknown,
they
are
probably
rusting
somewhere
abandoned.
This
machine
is
an
8
ton
BTD
model.
This
makes
it
a
bit
unusual,
most
AVELING
&
PORTER
models
were
10
to
16
tons.
According
to
the
Road
Roller
Association
of
England
it
is
the
fifth
machine
recorded
in
their
records.
I
mention
its
chassis
number
is
7512
and
the
Royalty
number
is
8260.
These
two
numbers
are
the
identity
elements
of
the
machine.
Any
reader
of
the
note
is
in
England
and
can
send
any
spare
part
will
offer
great
service.
Reconstructions
of
all
the
bronze
plates
and
their
marks
and
logos
have
already
been
ordered
at
its
factory
so
that
they
can
be
re-installed.
It
should
be
noted
that
the
originals
were
stolen
by
foreign
collectors.
Fortunately,
in
the
old
factory
there
are
the
matrices
of
these
boards
and
so
it
is
possible
to
make
genuine
ones
again.
According
to
the
testimony
of
Panagiotis
Androutsos,
this
roller
must
have
come
to
Plaka
in
1930
with
32.
It
was
brought
to
him
by
a
large
barge
which,
according
to
legend,
must
have
sunk
into
the
port
of
Plaka.
According
to
the
testimony
of
the
last
train
driver
of
Giannis
Vamvakas
from
Aria
Nafplio,
he
worked
until
the
declaration
of
the
Greek-Italian
war,
when
the
driver
was
recruited.
Also
with
the
testimony
of
the
same,
it
seems
that
there
were
plans
to
work
on
Leonidiou
Kosmas
road.
But
the
war
stopped
it
all.
The
construction
of
the
road
of
Plaka
-
Leonidi
lasted
a
long
time,
sometimes
due
to
lack
of
money,
sometimes
due
to
roller
damage,
but
also
due
to
the
old
technique
used.
Certainly
the
damage
he
would
present
would
be
difficult
to
repair
in
Leonidion.
But
the
technique
was
also
a
brake.
In
Leonidion
there
was
obviously
no
other
steam
crusher
to
produce
"garbili"
so
the
workers
and
mainly
female
workers
broke
the
stones
with
hammers
and
transported
the
produced
garbili with torches. So a 4.5 Km road took a long time. Giannis Vamvakas told us that they laid about 20 to 30 meters a day.
This
makes
it
clear
what
a
lack
of
energy
means,
and
how
important
it
is
to
honor
these
objects.
Within
this
mass
of
scrap
metal
is
the
mind
of
Hero
of
Alexandria,
Papin,
James
Watt,
Stephenson,
and
of
course
the
orphan
Tomas
Aveling,
whose ingenuity and creativity made him the largest roller coaster maker in the world.
This
machine
is
closely
connected
to
the
road
Plaka
-
Leonidi
and
is
part
of
a
brilliant
historical
period
of
Leonidi.
We
must
ensure
that
it
is
restored
to
its
original
form.
Of
course
I
wish
it
would
work
again,
if
we
were
in
England
it
would
be
easy
to
do
that
too.
Let
us
be
content
with
taking
on
the
external
form
again
and
decorating
a
suitable
space.
One
never
knows
what
the
future
holds,
one
day
a
school
of
engineering
can
be
created
by
the
University
of
Peloponnese
in
Leonidion
and
we
can see the students light the fire in its cauldron again.
FROM
APRIL
16,
2005
THE
STEAM
CYLINDER
IS
EXHIBITED
IN
THE
CITY
OF
LEONIDI.
Unfortunately,
then
and
today
the
Municipal Authority has not put the info label on it, but it exists in the office of the Mayor.
STEAM CYLINDER: "AI VRASIAI"
MANUFACTURING FACTORY: AVELING & PORTER KENT ROCHESTER ENGLAND
YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 1914
ORDER: GREEK GOVERNMENT
Horsepower: SINGLE CYLINDER STEAM MACHINE POWER 4 NPH
WEIGHT: 8 TONS
The
steam
cylinder
"Ai
Vrasiai"
was
used
to
build
the
road
that
connects
the
ancient
city
of
Vrasia,
today's
Plaka,
with
Leonidio,
as
the
modern
city
created
by
the
ancient
inhabitants
of
Prasia,
today's
Prastos,
was
named.
Today's
Leonidion,
which
used
to
be
the
winter
residence
of
the
Prastiotes,
became
their
permanent
residence
after
the
destruction
of
the
mountainous
Prastos
in
1826.
Since
then
the
city
of
Leonidio
has
developed
rapidly,
so
that
in
the
19th
and
early
20th
century
it
is
a
real
city.
in
the
Peloponnese.
The
Plaka
(Vrasion)
Leonidiou
road
that
started
in
1930
was
for
its
time
a
pioneering
project, which facilitated the trade of the area.
The
Steam
Cylinder,
after
performing
its
work,
was
abandoned
wandering
in
various
parts
of
the
area,
constantly
looted
by
mainly
foreign
collectors.
In
2004
the
Municipality
of
Leonidio
took
over
under
his
protection.
With
the
help
of
the
commission he set up for his recovery and English technical consultant Derek Rayner, he took care of its maintenance.
Today,
April
16,
2005,
a
day
celebrated
by
the
patron
saint
Agios
Leonidis,
he
delivers
the
steam
cylinder
again
to
the
city
of
Leonidio,
an
undeniable
symbol
of
the
important
historical
course
of
the
city
in
the
commercial
and
social
life
of
the
Southern
Peloponnese
in
recent
years.
But
his
recovery
continues,
so
any
help,
especially
in
rare
parts,
is
welcome.
The
Mayor
of
Leonidio
Dimitrios
Tsigounis,
the
Deputy
Mayor
Elias
Manos
and
Manolis
Kattis,
Georgios
Kalatzis,
Nobert
Van
Lott,
Panagiotis Sarantaris, Filippos V. Bekyros and Derek Ray worked for the restoration of the steam cylinder.
Today
(2013)
Elias
Manos
and
Filippos
Bekyros
are
municipal
councilors
of
the
new
unified
Municipality
of
South
Kynouria and the Mayor is Giannis Marneris.
· STEAM ROLLER: "AI VRASIAI"
·
MANUFACTURING
FACTORY:
AVELING
& PORTER KENT ROCHESTER ENGLAND
· YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 1914
· ORDER: GREEK GOVERNMENT
·
Horsepower:
SINGLE
CYLINDER
STEAM
MACHINE 4 NPH
· WEIGHT: 8 TONS
The first publication in an English magazine
2003 on Steaming, before the restorations begin
The second issue of OLD GLORY magazine,
the publication was made with material from the restoration
EPATHLO magazine made the first Greek publication
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
Issue 47 2005
From Kent, England to Leonidio, Kynouria
By Manolis K. Papakonstantinou
Imagine
how
many
thousands
of
kilometers
England
is
from
our
country
and
think
how
long
it
takes
to
travel
this
distance
by
road.
You
start
with
sunshine
from
Greece
and
in
3
days
you
completely
change
the
scenery.
Cloudy
skies,
rain,
cold
-
the
sun
is
gone
-
normal
psychoplasm
that
is.
And
you
wonder:
Why
would
a
sensible
person
want
to
make
this
move
and
not
the
exact opposite? Who does not want to have sunshine most days of the year? Who prefers gray over colored?
The
answer
is
given
by
the
growing
number
of
British
retirees,
who
buy
houses
in
our
country
and
move
permanently
to
rejuvenate young and prosperous, to live truly as human beings.
We
met
one
of
these
English
retirees
in
Leonidio,
Kynouria.
A
very
hard-working
guy,
he
has
"thrown"
many
kilometers
and
has
stepped
on
thousands
of
roads.
Now
he
has
literally
stopped
at
Leonidio
and
is
not
shaking
a
rupee.
This
is
not
because
he has a serious health problem but because it is a museum now steam-powered roller, very rare and very remarkable.
The origin of ...
Steam
rollers
were
the
last
type
of
steam
engine
to
be
used
professionally
on
the
roads
before
handing
over
the
baton
to
diesel
engines.
It
was
the
tool
that
with
his
work
improved
the
trade
between
the
people
of
different
cities.
In
England
in
1910,
cars
began
to
become
increasingly
popular,
so
local
authorities
and
councils
had
to
build
new
roads
and
maintain
existing
ones.
Until
then,
the
vehicles
were
horse-drawn
carriages
and
some
steam-powered
cars,
which
had
a
low
speed
and
therefore
the
dust
they
lifted
was
small.
The
cars,
however,
were
relatively
twice
as
fast
and
their
owners,
mostly
high-class
people, pushed for better, tar-paved roads.
The
first
successful
roller
design
made
in
France
by
Le
moine
and
later
by
Gelleret,
was
a
rail
engine
adaptation.
In
England,
in
1850, the progressive Thomas Aveling
moved
his
business
from
Rukinge
to
Rochester,
Kent,
where
he
collaborated
with
Richard
Thomas
Porter
and
in
1862
became
"Aveling
and
Porter".
The
factory's
factory
was
located
on
the
south
bank
of
the
Medway
River
and
the
full
integration
took
place
in
1895.
The
emblem
of
the
company
was
the
abandoned
horse,
raised
on
its
hind
legs
with
the
word
"INVICTA"
below,
imprinted
in
brass
and
placed
on
the
front
of
the
machine
.
The
abandoned
white
horse
was
the
emblem
used
by
the
Horsa
and
Hengist
brothers
on
their
battlefield
banner.
The
two
brothers
were
5th
century
warriors
who
invaded
Great
Britain
with
their
army
and
helped
in
its
conquest
by
the
native
Roman-British
and
Celtic
inhabitants.
The
name
Horsa
in
ancient
English
means
horse.
The
word
"INVICTA"
means
invincible
and
is
the
motto
that
still
characterizes
the
county
of
Kent,
since
the
time
of
the
brave
resistance
of
the
natives
against
the
invasion
of
William
the
Conqueror,
who
was
forced
to
surrender
and
move
to
London.
The
locals
thought
that
they
had
expelled
him
completely
from
England
and
took
out
this
saying,
which
is
still
used
today by a local group and a local radio station.
The arrival of ...
One
of
the
8,600
rollers
built
by
this
company,
is
located
in
Greece
and
specifically
in
Leonidio
Kynouria
since
1935.
It
was
commissioned
by
the
Greek
government
and
was
used
for
the
paving
of
the
road
Leonidio-Plaka
(the
port).
It
has
probably
been
used
in
other
cities
of
our
country,
maybe
even
in
Attica,
but
Leonidio
was
to
be
its
last
stop.
Year
of
construction:
1914.
Serial number (Builders No.): 8260. Single cylinder locomotive power 4 NPH. Weight: 8 tons.
It
also
refers
to
an
article
in
a
local
newspaper
of
1937
which
is
kept
by
the
Municipality
of
Leonidi
in
its
archive.
Its
last
operator
in
1939,
Mr.
Ioannis
Vamvakas.
A
resident
of
Aria,
Nafplio,
today
Mr.
Giannis,
born
in
1919,
tells
us
the
events:
I
remember
the
schooners
coming
to
the
port
of
Nafplio
and
unloading
the
goods.
Tsakonian
aubergines
and
other
things.
Then
they
would
load
what
they
needed
and
leave
again.
"I
remember
that
he
was
a
tourist
office
and
he
was
cutting
tickets
for
people
going
to
Leonidio."
Barba
Giannis
apparently
has
an
amazing
memory.
He
even
remembers
where
he
lived
...:
"I
lived
with
someone
named
Kardismenos
who
had
two
children.
John
and
Savvas.
I
got
up
at
dawn
because
it
worked
the
machine
wanted
pre-processing.
Water
in
the
boiler,
coal
until
it
raises
pressure
...
I
also
had
an
assistant
because
one
had
to
be
upstairs
to
handle
the
roller
and
another
downstairs
to
power
and
work
the
mixers.
Many
people
worked
at
that
time
in
the
construction
of
roads
and
even
women.
We
did
not
have
the
gravel
ready
like
today.
In
those
years,
the
stones
were
brought
untreated
from
the
quarry
and
the
workers
broke
them
on
the
spot
with
hammers
and
chisels
to
make
the
gravel
into
small
hills
and
to
be
pressed
by
the
roller.
"Every
2
to
3
hours,
depending
on
the
job,
we
had
to
fill
his
tank
with
water,
which
if
we
were
working
in
the
city,
we
would
draw
from
fire
hydrants,
and
if
we
were
laying
in
the
countryside,
we
would
get
it
from
wells and springs."
Hearing
these
words,
immediately
the
thought
goes
to
the
unemployment
that
plagues
the
world
today.
For
those
same
jobs,
40
and
50
people
were
needed
in
those
years,
while
today
only
4
to
5
...
And
Barba
Giannis
continues:
“I
stayed
there
for
a
year
and
we
built
the
road
from
Leonidio
to
Plaka,
the
port.
We
had
started
the
road
to
Elona
but
the
war
overtook
us
in
'40
and
they
took
me
to
the
Railway
Regiment
which
was
in
Ai-Giannis
Renti.
The
trains,
steam-powered
then,
had
two
pilots:
a
citizen
and
a
soldier
and
I
was
going
on
the
Athens-Thessaloniki
line
".
A
black-and-white
photo
on
the
wall
of
his
house
shows
him
with
the
assistant
pilot
on
another
steam-powered
roller,
probably
from
the
same
manufacturer
but
larger.
In
the
trunk
he
still
keeps the one-piece work uniform he wore on the roller.
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
Here is the steam cylinder of Leonidio
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
On 28/10/1940 the steam cylinder was left to rust
in a field and was in danger of being sold for
scrap metal. But the good climate of Leonidio
and the excellent quality of English iron did not leave
to dissolve the steam cylinder.
Before
After
The steam cylinder is exposed on the first bridge of Leonidio
Copyright Philip Bekyros member of R.R.A. 2011. All rights reserved
