THAT'S HOW WE ROLL

It’s surprisingly tricky to pilot a steamroller, top speed 4mph, and looking after one takes real commitment. Piers Ward drives his late grandpa’s

I can't imagine that many people think of Wing Commander Andy Green - you know, the fastest man on Earth, Thrust SSC driver - as they're piloting a steamroller at its top speed of 4mph. But that's exactly the thought that pops into my head as I try to stop this 97-year-old road roller from hitting either the kerb to the left or the oncoming cars to the right.

Green often spoke about having to invent a new type of steering when he was driving Thrust in order to keep the rear-wheel-steer machine stable. It was all about double-input steering and I swear I'm now doing the same thing, using a combination of short, sharp movements combined with larger sweeping arm twirls to keep us on the straight and narrow.

It's like Top Gun meets Thomas the Tank Engine. Or that's how it feels in my head.

Martin Sleaford, the roller's custodian, pretends to ignore me and has another look at the fire to make sure that we have enough heat to keep us going.

Welcome, then, to the world of the steamroller. It's certainly a unique place. While the world rushes headlong into electrification, there's a parallel world of coal and steam, where people like Martin are dedicating most of their spare time to keeping this heritage industry going.

The numbers are hard to come by, but if a single steam railway line in Swanage is worth about £14 million to the local economy, it gives an indication of what the industry in total is worth. Plus, without getting too misty-eyed, it's genuinely part of our make-up in this country.

This particular machine was owned by Lincolnshire County Council originally and was used to keep the local roads in decent condition up until the late 1950s. Imagine that: jet engines were screaming overhead at 1450mph, yet Bob from number 43 was still flattening the Tarmac in a machine powered by coal.