GLEAMING rows of show engines, thick clouds of smoke and the sound of fairground organs heralded the start of the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

Tens of thousands of people headed to the village of Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford Forum, where the event is held over five days.

Brass hubcaps were glinting in the sun as steam enthusiasts, including 13-year-old Oliver Jacobs, polished their prize engines.

“I’m working on two show engines, Endeavour and Obsession,” Oliver said.

“I love everything about the fair – getting dirty and driving the engines around the arena. My dad, my brother Isaac and I have done seven shows so far this season, but this one’s the best.”

Centre stage of the 600-acre showground were the heavy haulage lorries and locomotives, which paraded around the arena with steam tractors, rollers and cars. Not to be outshone were the locomotives’ miniature counterparts.

Gareth Parry, from Portland, was displaying his Burrell replica.

He said: “It’s a full-scale replica of a full-size engine, which I rebuilt five years ago. Everything works the same and we even run the same boiler pressure as well. It’s a lot of fun the steam fair, getting dirty and playing with steam. The atmosphere is great and there’s so much for everybody to see.”

Meanwhile, in arena two, visitors gathered to gawp at stunt riders showing off their skills on quad bikes and in monster trucks. First to perform was the Kangaroo Kid, from Australia, who entertained the crowds with jumps and roll cage stunts.

Nearby, others enjoyed the traditional steam-fuelled funfair made up of carousels, swing rides and a Ferris wheel.

Exhibitor Sandy Pavel stepped back in time with a reproduction showman’s wagon.

“This is where the fairground workers would be based in the days of steam-powered funfairs,” she explained.

“I've been coming to the Great Dorset Steam Fair with my father for over 30 years, so everyone here is like one big family to me now.

“I’ve always had an interest in steam; I grew up on the smell of it. It’s great these shows are still running as they give so much to the next generation.”

Alongside the frivolity of the fairground, a more sombre display could be seen with replica trenches from World War One still in place from last year’s show.

The installation coincides with the four-year centenary of the 1914-1918 conflict. Stan Bartle, from Hull, brought another relic from the era to exhibit – an original mechanical field ambulance.

He said: “This was used for the first time in 1914 to help carry the wounded and dead from the front line and transport ammunition and supplies.

“I’ve had it for over 30 years and rode it at the fair for the first time last year. It was horrendously muddy and this was one of the few vehicles that could get through the mud."

The fair, now in its 47th year, attracts up to 200,000 visitors and over 200 tonnes of coal is burned by engines over the course of the event. The weather outlook for the remainder of the fair is dry with cloudy and sunny spells.