Derg Valley Vintage Rally 2026

The 2026 Derg Valley Vintage rally was held at Castlederg on the 20th June in beautiful weather conditions and once again a great success.

This year with all the impressive shows of cars, tractors, engines and machinery, The annual dog show and live music went down very well and all for charity.

A number of special exhibits were on display. I put on a display to mark the centenary of the granting of the Ferguson Master Patent and enjoyed explaining why the Patent is so important to so many people.

2026 is also 95 years of the three point linkage in final form and the 1939 Ferguson System Demonstrator is a great way to show how by three points it changed world farming.

90 years of the Ferguson-Brown Type A and Ferguson Farm Machinery, the world's first production Ferguson System tractor and implements, launched on the 10th April, 1936

80 years since the introduction of the Ferguson TE20, the first tractor being built on the 6th July, 1946 and 70 years since the introduction of the Ferguson FE35, launched in October, 1956.

In the stationary engines a large number of Lister Type D engines could be seen. This year marks the centenary of their introduction. The first engine was assembled on the 26th October, 1926 and so many of these little green engines were used on the farms of Northern Ireland.

Stevan Patterson, Castlederg, County Tyrone