THE haze of steam and smoke, traffic inching along the by-pass - it's that time of year again when tens of thousands pour into the Great Dorset Steam Fair site at Tarrant Hinton.

A sunny morning ensured a happy crowd on the first day when the 37th annual event was fully open to the public on August 31.

A by-gone world is evoked every year with old-fashioned helter-skelter rides, fairground organs, country crafts and just about everything that can be powered by steam is.

There are at least two gypsies of the name of Lee telling fortunes and the smell of candy floss competes with those from the burger and hotdog outlets.

But that shouldn't blind people to the fact that the organisation is a highly professional tour-de-force with all mod-cons laid on.

Jimmy Johnson had brought his beloved engine all the way from York - not to mention his family and Jack Russell-cross Suzie, who is so into it that she snacks on coal.

"There're lots of minerals in coal," said Jimmy, who has closed the family engineering firm for a week to come to Dorset.

He spent nine months and £20,000 doing up his Fowler and proudly showed off 52 handmade bolts covered in 23.5 carat gold leaf.

His daughter-in-law Jackie and her children Danny, eight, and Jade, four, were all busy polishing the family pride and joy - The Wanderer.

"We love it - the atmosphere," she said.

"Everybody's friendly, everybody gets along."

Nurse Barbara and carpenter Jan Feldmann have been coming over to the show from their home near Bremen, north Germany, for the last ten years.

"We come to meet many people from all over the world with the same interests," Barbara said.

"It's fantastic to see all the showman's engines, the steam lorries.

"We sit between them on a chair and drink beer and listen to the sound of old fairground organs."

Insp Tim Lumley said: "Things are running smoothly at the moment.

"We will respond to things and deal with them quickly but it remains a family event."

First published: September 1, 2005