Engine restorer hopes to keep 'dying' hobby alive

A vintage engines enthusiast is hoping to inspire young people to take up the "unique" hobby, which he believes may die off without a new generation of fans.

Lee Say, who keeps his collection of Lister engines at a barn on a farm near Sherburn in Elmet, obtained his first aged 11.

"It was a Lister D. They were relatively cheap back then, you could buy a fully restored one for about £30," the 34-year-old from Tadcaster says.

"I got my first one then and it basically snowballed from there."

Lee owns nine machines, ranging from the Lister H, which was made in 1915 and produces 1.5 horsepower, to the Lister R of 1922, which produces nine horsepower.

He has seven other Listers alongside the complete H to R collection.

The manufacturer "modified and updated" many other engines "as the technology moved on", he explains.

"My set has never been altered at all so they're basically as they left the factory from 1915 to 1922."

As well as their original condition, they are all mounted on original Lister trolleys.

"I like the restoration side, I like buying them as complete wrecks and ruins and restoring them," Lee says.

He adds it gives him a "getaway" from his job, as a sales manager for an agricultural machinery business.

"I can go in the shed and tinker with them, restore them."

He says his hobby has taught him "a lot" over the years, including skills such as cast iron welding, woodwork and pouring white metal bearings.

He now creates videos online about the engines, which are enjoyed by others who share his interest.

"It's a worldwide hobby," says Lee, who has taken his engines on tour to rallies including in Holland and France.

But he says the hobby is "dying" because it mainly interests "older people".

"The hobby needs youngsters to come into it to feed it, to keep it going."

Lee says his initial interest was sparked by the "mechanics side of things", but he soon became a true enthusiast, visiting other people's collections.

"I'm relatively small, I've only got 16, but a very good friend of mine has over 100," he says.

Lee believes, however, that he is the only collector to ever display a full set of nine Lister H to R engines at a rally.

That "logistical nightmare" took place at TractorFest 2024, at Newby Hall near Ripon.

"I had to take three days off work to move them all," he explains, saying he does plan to go to the 2026 event, but will not take the full set.

"I had to borrow a tractor from work, I had to borrow a trailer from a customer."

Lee says the endeavour is not quite as time-consuming for most collectors, and is encouraging others to give it a go.

"It is a relatively cheap and accessible hobby, it's just not very well known," he adds.

"I find it's a very friendly hobby."

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