Cape Vintage Engine & Machinery Society Newsletter
April
2001
PARAFFINALIA
No 9
Hello
All!
Saying of the
month:This comes from the Operator's Manual for a Crossley VO engine:
"The Attendant should take a pride in his work and see
that both the engine and the engine-room are kept perfectly clean and tidy.
The engine should especially be kept free from dust and grit. An engine
which is kept clean is usually well cared for throughout, and is likely to
give complete satisfaction. A dirty and neglected engine may be expected
to have a shorter life, and the wearing parts will invariably require to
be renewed sooner than usual. The attendant should make himself fully acquainted
with the working of every part of the engine, and make any adjustments
as soon as they may appear necessary." Food for thought!
NEWS:
Crossley HD10 in Caledon. I spoke to Harvey
Metcalf at the SARDA show, about a large engine he and his cousins
own at a mill in Caledon. It seemed a good idea to go and see it, and see
what would be involved in getting it going. He said he would arrange something,
and in the meantime, Yuri Peila mentioned that there was
somebody called Hermann Geldenhuys who was tentatively
doing some work on a biggish engine in Caledon. Putting two and two together,
I contacted Harvey, who set up a meeting to coincide with a Crankhandle
run to Caledon. They arranged to have the dog which has been guarding the
engine and the cars of the panelbeaters next door locked up, and we were
able to have a look at a real 'Sleeping Beauty'. It is a Crossley HD10,
Serial No 114265, 40 BHP, at 310 RPM. We have still to find out exactly
its date of manufacture, but Geoff Challinor at the Anson
Museum in Poynton, near Manchester where the engine was made, has been asked
to look into its history. Hermann has already removed and cleaned up the
oilers, and name-plates, has disconnected the big-eng and found that
the crank turns freely, and has freed off the piston. One problem is
that the building is damp as a result of the yard having been filled in
and a drainage trench will have to be dug, a pipe laid and covered over.
As this will be to the best advantage of the buildings themselves, it is
hoped that it will be tackled soon. Further, it does not appear to be a
complicated restoration, and after cleaning up, it may turn out to be one
of those best 'left in its working clothes'. Hermann has been appointed
coordinator for the project, and is vuur en vlam to get going.
Good Luck! In the bar of the Parklands Hotel opposite, we met other members
of the Crankhandle Club, and they are keen to be at the Winter Warm-up as
well as the Early Ford Club. In fact some of them are members of both clubs.
We look forward to seeing them there. Particularly keen were Lyn
Ward who was at Mostert's Mill and SARDA with his Chev lorry, and
Malcolm Vismer, who was at SARDA with his lemon-yellow
Citroen Coupe. Tizzie from Caledon Museum was also there,
Hermann has already restored a Fairbanks Morse Y (like Piet Bliksem's and
Julian Melck's) in cooperation with Tizzie and the Museum.
Australian
News: We recently received a letter from Russell Timms,
who is restoring the two Clayton & Shuttleworth Trusty's that their
family own (That's half the known examples in the world, apart from ours
and the other 'Oz' one at the Gunnedah Museum!). He sent us some very interesting
and useful drawings to help with the restoration of our one. He casually
added a photograph of two of the three Crossley
slide valve engines he's doing at the same time. The engines date from 1889,
and one consisted of only two parts when they got it, the block and the
nameplate! He's machined a whole crankshaft for it out of a solid billet
of steel, taking a week to do it!
His brother Wayne Timms sent in a letter in return for some photocopies I sent him, concerning his Grob engine which is featured in the 'Engines Down Under' video, by Tim Macaire and Patrick Knight. The Grob is built to the style also used in the Capitaine engine, and he casually states that they have three of them also, two singles and a twin cylinder. For those of you who haven't heard of these makes, don't despair, they are as rare as chicken's-teeth! These Timms' are something else!
Watching the action of the valve gear, and the hit & miss governing of these engines is mesmerising.
Online Manuals:
Paul Evans, of www.semidiesel.com,
based in/on the Isle of Man, picked up my e-mail address from one of these
Paraffinalias on the web, probably in Veteranfarmer.com, and asked whether
we didn't need any workshop manuals for our old engines. He offers the service
free, and if he has the manual you need, it only costs you the time it takes
on the telephone line to download it. This is a truly magnanimous gesture,
and he has had thousands of visits to his site, quite a few from South Africa,
and even was able to help the Chilean Navy with a manual! He is disappointed
in the lack of response from people nearby (U.K.), who are too complacent
to send him copies of their manuals, so that he can put them on the web,
and so share them with the rest of the world. I have a number of manuals,
and I borrowed a lot more from Flip Viljoen and Philip
Gray-Taylor, and I've beem copying them and sending them as fast
as I can, and my request is that you do the same, having first checked with
him what he has and hasn't got them already. The copies can be sent surface,
it doesn't matter how long they take, only that they are on the way. Remember,
a bit of effort from you, and the whole of the rest of the world can benefit!
If you want a manual from him, and the download time is too long, he will
send, at a reasonable price, a CD ROM with all the manuals which he
has done to date:
This is what the CD looks like, well presented. Paul actually owns engines like that!
Steam Train Trip:
Dylan Knott sent an e-mail last week about four steam train trips
over the Easter week-end. We took up the offer and had a wonderful ride
from Somerset West station, over Sir Lowry's Pass to Steenbras, where the
engine, a 19D dating from 1948, changed ends, and pulled
us backwards down the pass again. There were plenty of opportunities for
photography, both on the way, and at the top, where we were able to get out
and mill around. Elgin Publicity Association members were waiting for the
train at the top, and handed out apples and brochures. Refreshments, including
substantial rolls, muffins and cakes, as well as cooldrinks and beers, chips
acd sweets, were available on the train from people walking up and down
serving them. There were people looking after our cars parked at the station
while we were away, and there was even a Piper at the station to give us
a Right Royal send-off. Altogether a memorable occasion, and well worth
the R75 it cost. There is a plan to hold another one on the 3rd
June, going further, as far as Elgin Station, right past our farm.
Please let me know if you are interested in coming along, maybe we can get
a group together?
This is
an advertisement for the same locomotive from a contemporary diary I have.
Threshing
Day Video: Nico Lubbe took a video of the Threshing
Day which was held last year on the 9th December, at their family farm De
Hangen, near Clanwilliam, which some members were lucky enough to attend.
The video is 3 hours long, and starts with the older members of that community
discussing and showing how harvesting was done, first with sickles, then
with scythes (much faster) and then with binders (faster still). All that
took place before the threshing day itself. The video carries on with the
day itself, with Nico's brother in law, Gerrit van Wyk explianing
the procedures of loading the sheaves on the wagons, tying them down, bringing
them in (at crack of dawn, so that with the dampness, less grain would be
lost from the ears), building the stacks, then threshing with horses, donkeys
and mules (not cattle!) on the floor, and being ready to winnow in the afternoon
when the wind came up, measuring and bagging the grain and carrying the
sacks. He boasted of his grandfather being able to carry three bags at a
time, one under each arm and one on his back, at 203lb each, that's a tall
order (story?!) The video continues with viewing a range of animal-drawn
ploughs and old tractors (Simon de Jongh gives an informed
commentary) which were on display, a smithy had been set up and there is
a demonstration by the old smith who's deep in his eighties, and then the
theshing begins, first with the Ransomes, and then with the McCormick blikbak.
I must admit it brought a lump to my throat at the end when it is suggested
that Simon bring his brother next time, as Piet
de Jongh was tragically killed in a road accident last week. The
video is available direct from Nico Lubbe, by ringing him on (021) 913 1380.
He is asking R75 for the video, which is well worth it! Please support him,
as he went to a lot of trouble and expense along with his brothers
Dick and Alwyn, to lay the day on and
record it.
New Members.(Remember,
membership involves opening and reading the newsletter only, no rules, no
subs!) Apart from those mentioned above Hermann Geldenhuys, Lyn
Ward , Malcolm Vismer, Tizzie, Nico Lubbe and Paul Evans,
we have another distant member, Brian Arton, who
has often written in to Veteran Farmer in connection with his grandfather,
Sir Thomas Smartt, the Smartt Syndicate, and in particular the Fowler ploughing
engines they had in the Britstown area. These Engines first broke 5000 acres
of virgin land, and then ploughed 4000 acres each year. He lives in
Australia (so I think he qualifies as our most distant member, but he's
often here!) and is researching the history of his grandfather, and the
Smartt Syndicate. If anybody has any information (Arthur Wilding
has a photograph of one of the Fowlers, and Brian has been able to
name some of the people in it) please contact me, or him direct at arton@bigfoot.com.
The man on the right is Mr Joe Mugglestone, author of the long letter which I have distributed to some of you, summing up his career as manager of the Smartt Syndicate over 41 years.
Two more members are Dave
Acker and Trevor Main. Dave collects Mercedes
Benz cars and has now many different models, and Trevor helps him mechanically.
Dave has given us a two cylinder Worthington steam pump, in return for cosmetically
doing up another one which he has, while Trevor worked at Ian Dickie, where
we get our Lister and Petter parts from now.
Tractor &
Engine Club I have been sent a number of forms to fill
in to record your treasures on a national level, sent out by the new umbrella
organisation SAVTEK (SA Veteran Tractor & Engine Clubs.) Please let
me know if you want one, and I'll send it on. This may well be a way of
preventing our heritage being exported, I don't know!
For Sale /
Available: Remember, Philip Gray-Taylor
has a good selection of engine transfers, as advertised in Stationary
Engine Magazine. He is still waiting for the new silver-leaf Lister decal,
for those really old Listers, and he can also supply stickers of
the official shape Ruston, in gold, in any length. They came out in 7",
and 9". He also has a locally developed type of flat-belt fastener which
you break off the length you need accorcing to the width of your belt, and
hammer it down on a flat surface, or squeeze it with a G-clamp. Ideal for
the rally-field! Contact him on (021) 5523247, or ptaylor@worldonline.co.za.
What's On:
Sunday 3rd June 2001. Steam Train Trip to Elgin from Somerset West to Elgin and back, see above.
Saturday 30th June 2001. 2nd (or is it really the 3rd?) Annual Winter Warm-Up at Arthur's place, Trade Winds, next to L'Ormarins in Groot Drakenstein, on the R45 between Simondium and Franschhoek. The Steam Train is definitely laid on, food will be organised by the Lions Club of de Grendel, members of the Early Ford Club, Classic Motorcycle Club and Crankhandle Club will be there. It is starting to look a whole lot more than last year's!
Friday 10th & Saturday 11th August, 2001. Groot Skou at Brandvlei Prison Farm. (Thursday 9th is a public holiday, Women's Day, so businesses might be happy to give the Friday off in lieu)
?? th September, 2001. Heidelberg Museum, Open Day, Please bring along something to make a noise, and show how things were done in the old days. Please support this, as Derick takes the trouble to come all the way to our shows!
?? th September, 2001. Caledon Lentefees. Hermann Geldenhuys and Tizzie have suggested that we go there and make some noise, in the vicinity of the Ransomes Portable and Threshing drum.
Friday 19th & Saturday 20th October, 2001 Villiersdorp Show. A special field has been set aside and will be planted, for harvesting in the old-fashioned way. The whole accent of the vintage section of this show will be on working exhibits.
Early November 2001 Bien Donne Show!
Please remember your name-tags, even if you are just coming along as a spectator!
Andy Selfe, Sec. (021)8592430 (home & manual fax) e-mail aselfe@mweb.co.za
Regards
Andy