It was billed as a one-off tractor event celebrating 100 years of Ford, Fordson and New Holland tractors and the Big 100 certainly did not disappoint. A total of 862 tractors turned up at Nutts Corner on Saturday to join the anniversary celebrations organised by a small vintage tractor club from Broughshane in Co Antrim.

There are around 25 members in Braid Valley Vintage Enthusiasts Ltd who, for the past three years, have been organising the Big 100 event.

Although the show was open to all brands of tractors, it was the blue Fords that dominated the parking lot for as far as the eye could see.

There were also 250 lorries parked across the road in the truck park that had brought the tractors from all parts of Ireland to the show.

Every era of the Ford production line was represented at the huge event, with tractors ranging from the very early Fordson models right through to the latest modern New Holland counterparts. Derivatives from the mainstream brands, such as County models, were also present, adding to the spectacle.

With almost 900 tractors on site, the Big 100 is already being hailed as the biggest tractor gathering ever held in Northern Ireland.

Tractors began rolling on to the site on the Friday before the big day from as far away as Cork. Lorries travelled in convoy from various parts of Ireland meeting up to travel together to Nutts Corner.

One of the spectacles at the event, on top of the tractor pulling and the County tractor exhibition, was the attendance of 15 Ford 7810 Silver Jubilee tractors.

According to experts, there were only 150 of these special editions manufactured in 1989 to commemorate 25 years of Ford’s tractor factory at Basildon. This means that the Big 100 hosted a 10th of all the Jubilees ever built, which is another accomplishment for the organisers.

Bus loads of visitors also travelled up from the south, some spending quite a few hours in the coach after some very early starts.

John Kearns and his son Tadgh travelled up by bus from Tralee in Co Kerry, starting their journey at 3am and arriving on site at 10am.

John said: “It’s a really super show with an excellent variety of models on display. At home we have a beef farm and a plant hire business so tractors are very much part of our daily lives. We are really glad we made the effort to visit the Big 100.”

Brothers Tom and Gerard Dempsey left Rathangan in Co Kildare at 7.30am taking only two and a half hours to make the trek up north.

Tom said: “It’s been a fantastic show. We will probably never see the likes of this again with so many Ford and County tractors in the one place.

“Congratulations must go to the organisers of this event who obviously have put a great deal of effort into arranging this super tractor event.”

Making a tremendous effort to support the show was Ben and Brian Corcoran from Castledermot in Co Kildare who hauled 14 tractors north to the event on four lorries.

“We left home at midnight,” said Ben, “and arrived on site at 4am ready for unloading and a sleep.

“Being a Ford-dominated event we have seen some models here that we have not seen before so it has been well worth the effort coming here.

“There is also a huge exhibit of County tractors on site including three County 1884 models, the largest models in the range to be built.

“The entire show has been an eye-opener for all. Remember, if it’s not blue it just won’t do.”

Well-known tractor collector and businessman Michael Hoey also travelled to the show with some County models from his cherished collection and a Ford 550 digger.

He said: “It’s a great show. I’ve never seen so many blue tractors in the one place and am unlikely to see this again.

“The show is a real tribute to the organisers and I am very happy to have participated in it.”

The official launch of the Irish County Tractor Club was also held at the show. Club secretary Martin Everard said the County display consisted of the majority of County models in existence and that it was a great achievement to have them all on the one site.

“We are delighted to be here,” he said. “We have most of the County models ever built on display. It’s one of the best County displays ever staged.

“Having all these models together is a real achievement and special thanks must go to all the owners who brought their tractors to the event,” he said.

Tractor fans from Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, America and Britain also visited the show and enjoyed every second of the event.

An early-morning rain shower may have dampened the visitors’ clothes but not their passion as they examined every tractor up close and personal.

Sunshine did arrive in the afternoon along with hundreds more visitors, some of whom had been on the roads for hours.

And it seems tractors are not just for men, as many ladies spent the day with the big machines.

Hannah McConaghie from Glenarm was on site for most of the day posing with a nice Leyland tractor.

She said: “I enjoy driving tractors so coming here to see all these different models is a real unique opportunity.

“This is a one-off event and we will probably not see so many blue tractors in the one place for a long time.”

Also visiting the show was Scarva tractor fan Samantha Gillespie who was there bright and early to catch all the action.

John Crothers, chair of the Braid Valley Vintage Enthusiasts Ltd, said the event would not have been possible were it not for the help of the many volunteers that made it happen.

John said: “We are just a small club of around 25 members that wanted to recognise this 100 years anniversary in a special way.

“We have been planning this event for over three years and are very happy it has been such a success.

“The club wants to pay tribute to all the volunteers from Marie Curie that helped out with parking on Saturday and to all the tractor owners who brought vehicles to support our cause.

“Lorries loaded with tractors were arriving on site on Friday and throughout the night from as far away as Cork. They kept on coming even until lunchtime on Saturday.

“To have just under 900 tractors on site is a great achievement and one that will be hard to host again.

“Visitors are saying that they will never see such a gathering of blue Ford tractors in the one place ever again.

“We are still counting the money and will make an announcement on the funds raised in due course.

“In the meantime the club and I would like to thank everyone that supported us in any way,” said John.

There are a few other events being staged in the UK also to celebrate 100 years of Fordson, Ford and New Holland but it may be hard to stage anything like the impressive Big 100 event in Co Antrim.