I watched a number of Fred Dibnah youtubes here in the USA. Dibnah was a remarkable man, and he accumulated quite a collection. What Dibnah was trying to do was to capture some of the Victorian age of steam and related industry on what amounted to a "beer budget". He succeeded admirably. Dibnah, in passing, related some of his own personal information. Plainly, he put his interests or passions for steam power and machinery and old industry take precedence over much else in his life. Some would call him an eccentric, which- being a principal part of a steam engine's valve motion- is kind of a fitting pun and good description. My own guess is he had some sort of "issues"- speaking from my own perspective as someone who is likely "on the spectrum" (possibly Asbergers or autism). For some unknown reasons, people with autism or Asbergers seem to have an affinity for steam locomotives and trains and similar. Having a daughter, age 33, who is high functioning autistic, we have been around a lot of people with these sorts of disabilties and many are fascinated by steam locomotives and similar.
A lot of people who are "on the spectrum" are often somewhat self-absorbed or self centered and become obsessive about whatever they are interested in. Speaking from my own experience as someone who grew up as a very "different" kid and was attracted to steam power almost as soon as I could remember, around age 4.
Dibnah made good use of his eccentricity, doing more than just dreaming about steam power or collecting books or maker's name plates. He managed to do an incredible amount of work and accomplished so much given his modest circumstances. He apparently drove his neighbors and local government (council, I think) a bit nuts when he went so far as to sink a mine shaft on his property aside from all the old machinery and sheds he had there.
Dibnah was self educated, and he was also a skilled craftsman aside from knowing how to handle steam road engines and the like. I find myself thinking of Conrad Milster, the long-time chief engineer and "curator" of the Pratt Institute power plant in Brooklyn. Milster would have been happy to have lived in the Victorian age. He lived in a row house on the Pratt campus, never drove a car, and went so far as to cultivate and groom his whiskers into Victorian style. Milster existed happily in his life on the Pratt campus for many years and was a well-respected authority on steam power. Unfortunately, modern times caught up with Milster ahead of the grim reaper. The result was Milster was summarily booted out of his berth as chief engineer (after about 50 years) and booted out of his home on the campus. Dibnah developed cancer, and raced the grim reaper to complete his trip around England with his road engine and accomodation wagon. Dibnah, at least, did not face the crushing blows of being put out of his home and losing his steam plant and much else. Dibnah fought the cancer as best he could, and even had an audience with the Queen while on his tour with his steam road engine. While a death due to cancer is not anything I'd wish on anyone or want to imagine, Dibnah faced it with dignity and strength to the end. He met his end with his little empire intact.
While it will be a shame to see something like Dibnah's collection and his shop and property disposed of by pieces, at least Dibnah did not live to see that happen. At the same time, he leaves quite a legacy through the modern miracles of the internet and youtubes and similar. The similiarities between Dibnah and Milster are many, I think. Both were men whose lives have been dedicated to keeping the knowledge, skills, and similar associated with steam power alive, along with trying to preserves working chunks of steam power and related machinery. Both were men who could be said to be "born a hundred years or so too late.."
Dibnah, when he went to visit the Queen, appeared as a "proper gentleman" in his formal attire. I am sure that Dibnah was a gentle, kind hearted man, just had his focus consumed by steam power. Milster took the longing for the Victorian age to extremes. He and his late wife loved Gilbert & Sullivan musicals. On one occasion, years ago, my wife and I were at a steam power event as was Milster. Milster and his wife never had children. Someone attending the steam event had a couple of kids who were misbehaving, nothing too out of line, probably just whiny. Milster had enough of it, and he drew himself up and took the kids to task about their lack of manners in a way which had my wife and I turning around so we would not be seen stifling our laughter. He was expecting kids in the late 20th century to have Victorian manners, finishing his upbraiding of those kids with "Children should be seen and not heard", said with all seriousness and in a strict and somber tone.
Dibnah, I think, was more whimsical and probably went easier on kids, hoping some of them would become interested in the old ways and steam power. In some ways, Dibnah was more like Paddington the Bear, a kindly sort who would just as soon live a simple life and travel around with his road engine and van (or whatever that wagon with the cabin was called), or be left to "potter" in his yard and workshop. Dibnah has left quite a legacy, regardless of whether his life's work and accumulation is kept intact, sold off in pieces, or sent to the scrappers. We cannot control what happens to Dibnah's physical possessions unless someone came forward with a huge sum of money to buy it up and put it into some kind of trust. Dibnah, being a man of modest financial means, could not hope to do much from beyond his grave as far as preserving or saving his collections and real property. Those are the realities. We must be glad that we can at least watch the late Fred Dibnah on youtubes when he was at his best. As I said, he was likely an eccentric, speaking from my own persepctive (being something of an eccentric and likely someone "on the spectrum"). He was a lovable and approachable man from what I've seen on the youtubes, and aside from his domestic travails, I think he was well appreciated far and wide.
