new direction at rnr property archive news rally 2013 spring...

Issue 76Winter 2012/2013

New Direction at RNR Property

Archive News

Rally 2013

Spring Away Day

Where are they now?

The journal of the Russell Newbery Engine Owners & Enthusiasts Club

New Direction at RNR Property

Archive News

Rally 2013

Spring Away Day

Where are they now?

www.rnregister.org.uk

2 RNR Newsletter : Winter 2012/2013

CONTENTSFront cover: Almost a white out at Whittington, January2013 [Rob Davies]Back cover: Four seasons of 2012 at Hatton Locks.Hopefully in 2013 the summer season will be the longest! [Andrew Laycock]

3 CHAIRMAN’S CHAT FROM THE EDITOR News of Allister

4 MEMBERSHIPAdmin Office Shut

SPRING AWAY DAY TO COVENTRY

5 STANLEY WHITELEYObituary by Rob Davies

6 BOATS FOR SALE At Ashwood Marina

7 ARCHIVE UPDATE No.1 Work so far on this mammoth project

8 A FULL DOCUMENT TRAILThe result of archive work so far

10 RN PETROL ENGINE

11 DON’T FORGET THE DIVERPart 2 of Norman Woolley’s story

NEW RN UMBRELLA MERCHANDISE

12 RALLY NEWS 2013

13 RNR PROPERTY REPORTBy the new Directors

A RARE RN - PARAFFIN FUELLED!

14 POYNTON REBUILD Part 2Ray Gibbs completes the story so far

15 RN BLOG blah blah blah WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

News of Keith LucasUnless otherwise noted, Copyright © Russell Newbery Register, 2013

Next editionAll contributions for the Spring 2013edition will be gratefully received. Donot worry about format — in true RN

fashion the editorial team can cope with[almost] anything!

Copy deadline is 16th March 2013

WHO’S WHO

RUSSELL NEWBERY REGISTER LTD

President: Dr Ian McKim ThompsonVice Presidents: Lady Carol Stamp, Mrs Susan Gibbs,David Thirlby, David Kay Phillips, Allister Denyer, GrahamPearsonWeb site: www.rnregister.org.ukThe Russell Newbery Register is a non profit distributingcompany limited by guarantee.Founded: 1994 Registered in England No: 346943Officers:Chairman: Norman C Mitchellt: 01452 415420 [email protected]: Kevin McNiffm: 07866 424988 [email protected] (membership, finance): Rob Davies55 Noddington Lane, Whittington, Lichfield, Staffs. WS149PAt/f: 01543 432079 m: 07801 [email protected] Editor: Kevin McNiff [email protected] Production: Andrew Laycock m: 07870 294580Administration (merchandise): Neil MasonHillcrest, Chapel Lane, Westhumble, Surrey. RH5 6AHt: 01306 889073 [email protected] Organiser: Kevin McNiff [email protected]: Andrew Laycock [email protected]

RUSSELL NEWBERY REGISTER PROPERTY LTD

A non profit distributing company limited by guaranteeFounded 2004 Registered in England No: 5316384Directors: Bob Ainsworth, Rob Davies, Dave Martin, Bob Scott.

Corporate Member

RN DIESEL ENGINE COMPANYProprietors: Dave Bixter (m:07812 039110) Deborah Bixter (m: 07966 403132)Showroom: RN House, The Locks, Hillmorton, Rugby,Warwickshire, CV21 4PP t:01788 578661Engineering workshop: 4 Oak House, Royal Oak Way North,Royal Oak Industrial Estate, Daventry NN11 8PQ t: 01327700023

Email: [email protected] site: www.russellnewbery.com

Field Engineers: Ian Crompton m: 07831 841108 Richard Milligan m:07973 826260

Stop Press2013 Rally Entry Form included with this edition

April “Away Day” with Ian McKim Thompson toCoventry

Details inside!

3RNR Newsletter : Winter 2012/2013

From The Editor

Chairman’s ChatWhat a wet year! It is strange to see the Severn over thewhole of Alney Island again here in Gloucester, still if theflood plains weren’t here to take the surplus we would allbe considerably worse off, after all we get the waters thatused to affect all the upstream towns on Severn and Avon!

Since my last ramblings I have spent much of my timeaway from my boat, not really the most suitable boatingweather. We missed the “Do” at Alvecote due to a previous-ly arranged engagement, so we spent the weekend inBournemouth. We did return to Alvecote in December toattend a meeting of Russell Newbery Register Property Ltdwhere it was agreed to change the Directors to enablenegotiations with David and Deborah the owners of the RNDiesel Engine Co to be concluded to the mutual satisfac-tion of all concerned.

Over the run up to Christmas I have taken on a new roll,that of Father Christmas, on the “King Arthur” the museumtrip boat here at the Gloucester Waterways Museum.Three quarter hour trips each with a precarious landing ofreindeer and sleigh on the upper deck and an interviewwith each child on board has given me a whole new outlookon Christmas gifts! A study of the various toy supplier websites and those into electronic games has helped me tounderstand and identify what these children would like fora present. The most challenging being for a fourteen yearold lad who asked for ‘World Peace’, something I couldonly caution would be a little out of my scope. Thankgoodness Christmas only comes once a year; I found itexhausting but also rewarding!

On 26th December we visited friends in Stoke Bruerne andwhilst there saw an old pal, David Blagrove. He along withthe Friends of the Canal Museum, is looking forward to theRNR Rally at Stoke Bruerne in June. I get the feeling it willbe a splendid event coming just a week before the StokeBruerne Canal Gala Weekend and three weeks before theBraunston Historic Narrowboat Rally.

Now I need to settle down to getting those odd jobs doneon the boat and all the other jobs I have to complete.

A happy, prosperous and rewarding New Year to you allwith enjoyable boating where ever you are. I look forwardto seeing you all in Stoke Bruerne in June.

Welcome to the first of this year’s Newslettersand a special welcome to new members whohave joined us in the past weeks.

The last 12 months have made British weatherrecord history and many of our members canrelate personally to having been involved orwitnessed some of the extremes! Let’s hope that2013 will bring a more decent road for us all.

The downturn in the boating industry overallwas evident to anyone who boated last year.Whether recession, weather or the Olympics isstill out with the jury but there are signs that

the hire industry is reporting better bookingsahead of the new season.

For some of our readers, the annual rally andnewly established autumn gathering are afocus for things ‘RN’ but there are still many ofyou who prefer to plough your own furrow whileenjoying your boating and engine. We wouldlike to hear from anyone with a story to tell soplease send any contributions to me at thecontact address on the inside page.

News of AllisterAs many of you know, Allister is now living in Canada. Hewas back over here in the Summer to sort his affairs outand it was good to see him at the Rally. Having completedhis mission over here, he returned to Canada in theAutumn. I had a phone call from him just before Christmasand he sounded very pleased with life and he is enjoyinghis new environment, despite some harsh weather nowand again. He has purchased a smallholding of 60 acres

and is working for a company that makes diesel enginedpressure washers. He sent his good wishes to all andwould be delighted to receive an email from you, just to sayhello to him. His address is: [email protected]


As at our financial year end, 30 November, we had 242members, an increase of 7 on the previous year. Muchslower growth, but growth nevertheless. A very warmwelcome to:

Gill New, Edenbridge NB Cymbelstern

Ashwood Canal Boat Sales, Ashwood Marina, KingswinfordTel: 01384 295535mob: 07702 190850 email: [email protected]

Our first member for 2013:Ian Vale, Mostyn new DM 2 to be fitted into a Dave Bixterbuilt boat

N.B. A member’s suggestion has prompted me to put acopy of the hard copy membership application form ontothe website to replace the current single sheet. The newform prints up into an A5 size 4 page ‘leaflet’ incorporatingthe application form. (Basically it is two sided A4 folded)This provides some background information about the

Register and is a useful ‘handout’ to potential members.There are a number of non Register RNs out there so weare asking you to print a copy or two to have with you whenyou are boating to hand out if and when the opportunityarises. We have the benefit of a 240+ field (well canal)sales force, not only to promote the Register, but the RNmarque. Bear in mind that engine ownership is not a pre-requisite; we are an RN enthusiasts club also. We wish youevery success!

PS - Travelling ManIt is that time of year again when Helen and I have to go‘down under’ to visit our daughter and family in NewZealand. Consequently, the Admin Office will be closedfrom 29 January until 5 March.

Membership Matters

The first event last April was a great success and the timingin April appears to be popular. I thought that I would let youhave my preliminary plans for our next event which will beheld on either Thursday 4th April or Thursday 25th April2013 in Coventry.

We will meet at Hawkesbury junction (Sutton Stop) at 10a.m. where the Coventry canal meets the start of theNorthern Oxford canal in the Alderman's Green district ofCoventry (CV6) and there is an official car park (P). We willthen travel to the city centre by bus (bring your bus pass ifheld) to the superb City of Coventry Transport Museum,Millennium Place, Hales Street, CV1 1JD, adjacent to thecity bus station. The museum has excellent catering withan extensive and superb collection and free admission. At2 p.m. we will walk the short distance to the beautifullyrestored Georgian Coventry city canal basin in LeicesterRow and then at 3 p.m. embark on the Coventriannarrowboat trip vessel which seats 24 or 39 standing andreturn along the length of the Coventry canal town arm(beautifully restored and maintained) for the 5 miles toHawkesbury - approximate return time 5.00 p.m. There willbe a charge for the boat trip which, depending on numbers,will probably work out at £15 per head. The boat has a barand hot and cold beverages. I am still in negotiation withthe Coventrian skipper over a final price and arrangementsincluding dates - hence the 4th or 25th April.

The Coventry arm and basin are well worth a visit and thisis an excellent way of seeing this lesser explored navigation.

To register your interest in this event, please contact Ian assoon as possible:

Tel: 01384 294131; 07971 291296Email [via Betty Dobbs [email protected]]

The Next RNR Spring “Away Day”

Meet James Brindley at Coventry Basin.[© Copyright Bill Sibley, reused under Creative Commons

Licence]


It is with regret that I report the passing of Stanley Whiteley,who worked in the Drawing Office at the Altrincham Worksfrom 1941 until its move to Dagenham in 1949. It is verylikely that many of the drawings that Kevin & Trish havestarted to catalogue at Daventry will be Stanley’s handiwork.[See below, Ed.]

If you were in attendance on 5 April 2003 (that is nearly 10years ago!) to witness the unveiling of the commemorativeplaque that we placed on the old Altrincham Works, you will,no doubt, recall Stanley at the evening dinner, regaling uswith his memories of his time with RN. Earlier, during the‘tour’ of the Works (the main workshop layout has more orless remained unaltered), Stanley produced some of thedrawings that he had been involved in producing, includingthe E6. Very quickly a group had gathered rounddiscussing them with Stanley.

Just prior to the event I received a letter from him, here aresome extracts:

Thank you for sending me regularly the Newsletter, I reallydo appreciate this and, having worked in the Drawing Office,am reminded and recall many of the engines designed andproduced. When I worked there I had never heard of theengine called the ‘Husky’, this must have been conceivedat Dagenham. I remember after the War quite a fewsectional arrangement drawings were made for the H1 (thisbecame the Husky, see note below) horizontal enginebeing a simple Hopper cooled engine with a pulley for beltdrive but no details were made of the crankcase etc – thesewere proposed future projects. The H4 was different, thiswas detailed and made. S Wilde and I worked on it.Welding was becoming more popular so it was decided tomake the crankcase all welded. This then was made from

a 10” diameter tube with all pads welded on. The cylinderswere water cooled and bolted on and I remember the conrods were made at Dagenham (milled for the solid) for theprototype. The engine was tested but somehow thecompression ratio was too high (about 19:1) I think and ithad to be started from another engine (belt to flywheel) nodoubt with today’s fuels it could have been O.K. However,it was relegated to the balcony above the Workshop. (thiswas where the patterns were made) Possibly no orderswere forthcoming so that is the last I knew about it. Sad!

He concludes by saying how much he had enjoyed seeingRNs at the previous year’s Rally at Anderton.

Note: The July 17 1953 edition of ‘The Engineer’ reported:‘After a period of development which has occupied fouryears, during which a number of prototypes haveundergone field trials under arduous service conditions,Russell Newbery and Co. Ltd., Dagenham, has introduceda new diesel engine. This is a single cylinder unit and isdesigned to meet all the requirements for a small primemover, for contractors’ plant, agricultural machinery anddiesel-electric sets.’

This was the ‘Husky’ which had a vertical cylinder providing5 – 8 h.p.

Obituary: Stanley Whiteley

One of Stanley’s drawings clearly showing his initials as drawn [and traced] in 1947. As the archives are documented,many more of his work will be catalogued for posterity.


For SaleDOROTHY LOUISA. £35,000.

Fifty six foot traditional style narrowboat built byColecraft in 1986. Hull and engine survey available. Hullblacked May 2011. BSC to 2016.

Exterior: Front locker, self draining well deck, hardwoodfront doors with leaded quarter windows, anodisedwindows, steel cabin side doors and roof hatches, rearsteel doors with sliding hatch, rear deck.

Saloon: Fixed settee converts to double bed withstorage, cupboard with television and radio. Displaycabinet. Solid fuel stove. Drop leaf table.

Galley: Fitted cupboards, stainless steel sink anddrainer, Moffat four burner cooker with oven and hob, Electrolux refrigerator. Melomine work surface.

Bathroom: Seperate cabin with hip bath, shower over. Mansfield pump-out toilet. Hand wash basin.

Bedroom: Double bed with storage under. Wardrobe and storage cupboards. Airing cupboard.

Engine Room: DM2 with PRM gearbox.

Boatmans Cabin: Fitted with traditional fold down bed. All usual fittings.

Services: Water - 250 gallon tank. Gas - cylinders stored in steel front locker. Electricity - 12 volt systems throughout.240 volt landline or Victron 2500 Combi. Inverter/Charger, to sockets. Heating - Squirrel solid fuel stove in front cabin,boatmans stove in rear cabin. Alde central heating to radiators.

BADGER. £35,000.

Designed for the real enthusiast who wants thetraditional narrowboat but with today’s modern touches,Badger’s 58’ hull was built by Canal Transport Servicesin 1974. BSC 2016. Last Docked, Checked andBlacked: November 2011.

Engine: DM2 built 1978 and reconditioned Winter2011/12, only run 5 hours since.

All new; 12v electrics throughout; Honda Generator.

Heating and Cooking: Brand new AX multi fuel stove is located in the front living area and a new traditional style stoveis located in the Boatman’s Cabin. Cooking is provided by a brand new full sized Arc gas cooker with 4 burner hob andcombi grill and oven. Hot water is provided by a Morso gas geyser.

Interior: Lined throughout in reclaimed pine matchboard. Open plan galley, 5’6”, finished in brightly coloured pine andsage tiles. Units are off cream and offer plenty of storage as well as housing a 12v work top height fridge with goodsized freezer box. Bathroom featuring a hip bath with shower, hand wash basin and porta cassette toilet. Bedroomcomprises fixed double bed with brand new mattress.

Boatman’s cabin with all its original features and finish provides independent accommodation for guests, as well asthe stove being a great source of comforting warmth when cruising on a cold day. This area is also excellent for extrastorage.

External: Front bow locker housing propane gas cylinders and self draining well deck. Traditional stern deck.

For more details of these boatas, please contact Pam Latham, Ashwood Canal Boat Sales,0121 561 2800 or Sammy Rose on 07702 190850 or 01384 295535.

Offered in conjunction with Orion Narrowboats. http://www.ashwoodmarina.co.uk


The military say a volunteer is worth ten pressed men or women - so we did!

It is well known that much of the original paperwork did notsurvive the movements of Russell Newbery from location tolocation, owner to owner. What did is now all housed at theRN works in Daventry. As Dave Bixter mentioned in his lastblog, the only drawings needed by RNDE are those specificto the “D” series engines; the rest are purely historical. Thedrawing chests are stacked full of various sizes and, toquote Eric Morecambe, not necessarily in the right order!

The project was really a blank canvas. The first drawer weopened contained drawings with the numbers preceded withan ‘A’. Closer inspection revealed these are Assemblydrawings consisting of an engine and other items rangingfrom generating sets, compressed air pumps or waterpumps. The more powerful engines in the E and F serieshad a combination of generators and other equipmentdriven from the same output shaft. In one case, 2 E6engines were connected to a large generator!

Since October, we have visited the works most Thursdaysand Trish has entered data into a master spreadsheet listing2045 assemblies found to date. The number, descriptionand “used on” fields are recorded. Once documented thedrawings have been put into temporary folders [made oflining paper] to prevent them being scattered again in thedrawers!

Alongside this work, we have identified another series ofdrawings with the prefix ‘RN’. These are for specific partseither commonly used or for a specific contract. Again the‘used on’ field refers to a number prefixed ‘D’ just as on the‘A’ drawings. Neither of these drawing sets have anycustomer details bar one or two. The ‘RN’ drawings haveseveral books recording their details along with a contractand size column. The latter two were not always completedand several staff members were tasked with entering thedata, some neatly with a typewriter and others not so neatly,nay illegible at times, for an archivist not always aware ofengineering shorthand! Trish has used time away from theworks to enter the data and we will then identify them as thenext phase of the project. We know from the books therewere over 10,000 of these. [Whether they will all be atDaventry will eventually become clear!]

Also in the works are a number of folders containing“Erection Parts Lists”. These are the actual build drawings forthe contract number and show the customer name togetherwith the ‘Arrangement’ number or in other words the

Assembly Drawing. For such a close tolerance machine, theterm “General Arrangement” seems strange but for thoseused to engineering it is normal! These lists will form thenext phase of data entry; ‘A’ and ‘RN’ drawings can now bemarried to a customer name.

Yet another source of data is found in Kardex trays. Theseare the individual engine build records showing informationon Limits & Settings on one side and “Equipment Built In” onthe other. Finally the date built, tested and inspected providethe equivalent of a modern day Quality Assurance certificate!

There are many other drawings which will be fully identifiedand recorded, examples include ‘SK’ prefix and, of course,the actual specific and detailed engine drawings.

In addition to the formal drawings we have found severalbooks that contain engine number and customer detail butin most cases they are not complete.

Where does all this lead? At the end of the project, the firstever database will exist detailing information on as manyengines, assemblies, customers and hopefully enginenumbers produced. There have been enquiries over thepast months from owners of RN generator sets and seabased installations needing spares and Dave Bixter hadaccess to the original drawings and erection lists. In realitymost of the drawings are showing their age and the task ofdigitising them is the next major step in safeguarding theircontent. Mark Dixon has offered to visit the works to scopeout this phase as photography may be more cost effectivethan buying in a large bed scanner. Once saved on disk, theoriginals can be dispersed to museums or even owners. Themajority will probably be recycled.

For RN Diesel Engine Company, a full set of digitiseddrawings will exist so that production of new engines andparts can continue. The originals can be filed moreefficiently than at present.

How long? Well, Russell Newbery has been about since1909 so another couple of years will not seem too long! Wewill provide regular updates via this newsletter.

Dave and Nessa Martin have volunteered to help with theproject and if anyone else feels they can spare some time

“filling in” the gaps, please let us know.

An Update on the Archive Project

Trish at work on the drawings in the archive room at DaventryWorks

From one of the many books of numbers, the last known RNdrawing number 10,409 - they just have to found!!


From the Assembly Drawing on the left, the Erection Parts List top right and the individual engine build data belowright finally showing the engine serial number.

This may be the first time in the history of Russell Newbery that these drawings have appeared on the same page!


From the Assembly Drawing on the left, the Erection Parts List top right and the individual engine build data below

This may be the first time in the history of Russell Newbery that these drawings have appeared on the same page!


More Historical EnginesThis has been in my “to include” tray for some months, so as we are majoring on the past in this issue, its time for publication!

Before the First World War Russell Newbery Exhibited theirPetrol Engines at Agricultural Shows. This extract is from areport in The Engineer magazine dated 7 July 1911.

The Royal Agricultural Show 1911

Although the attendance at the Royal Show at Norwich showeda considerable falling off compared with that at Liverpool lastyear, the total for the week must be regarded as verysatisfactory when it is considered that Norwich is not sofavourably situated as the Lancashire seaport town either inregard to population or railway service. The total attendance atNorwich was 121,492 compared with 137,812 at Liverpool,88,396 at Gloucester, 213,867 at Newcastle, 122,006 at Lincolnand 11,143 at Derby.

Another firm of exhibitors of petrol and paraffin engines whichmade its first appearance at the Royal Show is Russell,Newbery and Co., Altrincham. Engines of four to 10 horse-power were shown on this stand. The 10 horse-power verticalpetrol engine has a single cylinder 5½in. Diameter by 7in.Stroke. It was shown driving direct a 5 kilowatt electricgenerator with remarkable steadiness. In this engine theinduction and exhaust valves are arranged at the side of thecylinder head and are superimposed. They are easy of access,and the induction valve is operated by a lever and tappets. Thecam shaft is driven by spur gearing from the crank case, and the

magneto and enclosed vertical governor are operated by spiralgears from the cam shaft. The governor is of the spring-loadedvertical type, adjustable while the engine is running. It acts onthe throttle valve. The magneto is of the high-tension varietywith variable timing. The crank shaft is provided with ringlubricators and the big ends are oiled by means of scoops whichdip into troughs. The gudgeon pin is secured by means of a pinand spring lock arrangement. Inspection doors are provided ontwo sides of the crank chamber. In a small agricultural enginemade by this firm a hit-and-miss governor controls the speed ofthe engine by means of a steel wedge, which automaticallykeeps the exhaust valve off its seat, and thus destroys thecompression pressure until the correct speed is attained. It iswell known that hit-and-miss governing is economical, and theholding open of the exhaust valve when running light tends tokeep the engine cool.

Occasionally odds and ends of Russell Newbery historycome together and neatly cross-reference. The extractabove, and the advertisement (left) also from 1911, arevery interesting as very little is known about the twentyyears prior to the diesel engines.

The engine pictured in the advertisement is one of their firsttype of petrol engines that were designed by WilliamNewbery. These engines were made in a range of sizes anpower outputs. A lone example found in the wilds of

Scotland had a 4⅛” bore and a 6” stoke. Thetwo petrol engines in the July Stationary Enginearticle are also of this type of engine.

There has been some speculation, that as otherpetrol/paraffin engines of the period had similardesign features and configuration, that RussellNewbery sold the manufacturing rights to othercompanies in the same way they did in lateryears with the diesel combustion chamber.This could be a fascinating piece ofinvestigation for somebody who is into early20th century stationary engines.

In the early 1920s a smaller more compact andprobably faster running range of engines weredeveloped by John Bradbury. Apart from apicture on the front cover of the August 1989Stationary Engine magazine, little is knownabout these Bradbury petrol engines that had avery short production life. By 1928 RussellNewbery were advertising garage batterycharging sets that were powered by J.A.P.Petrol engines.

The Russell Newbery company must havebeen successful during its early years tosurvive the economic troubles of the 1920s andto have enough investment capital to developtheir own high speed diesel engine, a projectthat would have required a considerable sum ofmoney.


Around two years ago I contributed an article entitled,“Don’t Forget the Diver” at the end of which I indicated therewere many other tales to tell about my diving experiences,so here we go once more.

I mentioned in that article about a dive I did in Corsica whenI was trapped 100 feet under water in the fuselage of thewreck of a world war two Flying Fortress, and alsomentioned I had latterly organised two expeditions for oursub aqua club to the Mediterranean, but omitted to mentionthe locations, which were to Calvi in Corsica and anotherto Alghero in Sardinia. The Corsican trip renewed mycontact with the Frenchman who owned the diving schoolthere in Calvi, located on the north west coast. It had takenme some two years of corresponding in French with theowner of the diving school, Henri Ribaldi, to arrange thistwo-week expedition; thank goodness I had assistance intranslating my letters into French from one of my clients,also a good friend, who was the Money Market Manager ofa French Bank in the City of London.

The accommodation in which we were staying just outsidethe town of Calvi was along the lines of a ClubMediterranee set up, with individual huts for sleeping,communal washing facilities and a separate dining building,so after we had arrived I decided to go into Calvi to seeHenri Ribaldi to discuss our diving programme. BeingSeptember the nights were drawing in, so by the time Iwent to see him it was already getting dark. His abode wasin the form of a shack behind his diving shop, and when Iarrived he was reclining in large four-poster double bedcovered in a mosquito net. He was sitting up reading abook as I arrived, so we engaged in conversation, me in mybest schoolboy French, about the forthcoming divingarrangements during our stay. As the conversationcontinued, there was a stirring beneath the bed sheets nextto him, and a lovely Bridgette Bardot lady, not evenwearing chanel number 5 emerged from beneath thesheets obviously wondering what was going on. This wasto say the least somewhat unexpected, so I wondered whatto do, well wouldn’t you? I decided to keep talking, resultingin the lady deciding to snuggle down beneath the sheetsonce more. We subsequently finished our conversation,having agreed the arrangements for the following day, andI took my leave and returned to our accommodation. Ittranspired that Henri’s wife was away in Paris for a week,probably having a good time there, as was Henri in Calviwith his lady friend, who had many attributes, as weexperienced when she joined us during the first week of our

diving expedition. This lovely lady disappeared during thesecond week of our holiday when Henri’s wife returnedfrom Paris, vive la France!

During our holiday we were regularly diving to 100 feet, themaximum depth being about 130 feet in wonderfully clearwater accompanied by clear blue skies and sunshine. Oneday we had some French people diving with us, when onelady in their party panicked in the water and threw off herdiving kit, but hung onto her costume. We managed toretrieve everything except her weight belt, but amazinglywhen we hauled up the anchor to move to another location,there was the weight belt that had wrapped itself aroundthe anchor chain and slid down onto the anchor. One daywe dived on an underwater cliff face where langoustine hadtheir ‘homes’ in holes in the cliff, so at around 100 feetdown the sacks we had taken with us were filled with theselangoustine which we took back to our accommodation andhad them cooked by the chef; what a wonderful freshlycaught treat we enjoyed that evening!

Before the holiday my Father had told one of his city friendsabout our diving expedition to Corsica, his friend had beenin Calvi during the war to help the French resistance, andhis French colleague in the resistance, who had becomehis ‘blood brother’, ran a restaurant on the sea front. I wastold to make contact with him whilst in Calvi, which is whatI did. What an amazing reception I received when Imentioned to the restaurant owner of his ‘blood brother’back in London. He brought out all his war photographs,from which I fortunately recognised his wartime ‘bloodbrother’. The end result was he could not do enough for ourparty, arranging a superb meal at his very fine restaurant.There is much more to tell of our Corsican diving expedition,but I would like to mention an interesting thing I learnt fromour other diving holiday in Sardinia. We were diving inaround 75 feet of water off a headland called Capo Caccianot far from an old Roman Port of Porto Conte. We wereamazed to find several broken off bases of RomanAmphorae filled with stones lying at regular intervals alongthe sea floor. We were subsequently told that these wereplaced in racks inside Roman Galleys to act as ballast, soit would seem that during a storm, when the galleys wererunning for cover to Porto Conte, they were throwing theballast overboard to lighten their load. Many more divingstories to tell, perhaps at another time.

Don’t Forget the Diver Part 2Norman Woolley continues his underwater tales

NEW MERCHANDISE

RN golf umbrellas are now in stock!Price £11.60 + Postage & Packing.

They will be available at Rallies. I can send them but thepostage cost can be up to £10.00.

Contact Neil [email protected]

Tel: 01306 889073 or 07840 698452


The Annual RNR rally is now confirmed for June 6 -9 atStoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal and your entryform is enclosed with this newsletter. With the Natter &Noggin on Thursday evening now established as startingthe proceedings, this is included in the rally dates as well!

A full programme of events is planned and to help with yourchoice of workshops the summary is as follows:

Cylinder Heads. What rally would be complete withoutthis practical demonstration by Jamie Mason

Injector Setup. Chris May has acquired a setting uprig and will be demonstrating how this is done using RNinjectors.

Emergency First Aid. We plan to have a communityfirst responder or paramedic give a talk, with practical, onthis important topic, given we all may need to respond tosomeone in a remote location on the cut.

Gift Card Creation. How to make 3-dimensional cardsfor all occasions.

Turks Head Mats. Not just a piece of string at theend[!], but something that will be useful on the dining table!

Please Note:Some workshops will incur an additional cost to covermaterials and external presenters’ time and travel.

Andrew Laycock will once again provide a range of realales and wine for the bar sessions. A range of seminarstogether with entertainment will be finalised in the comingweeks. As breakfasts seem to be popular, we have spoken

to the landlord of the Boat Inn and they are definitely up forcatering for us.

We are always pleased to have volunteers to help with thebar, arranging the seating and tables and general cleaningup so please let us know when you arrive (or before).

Completed entry forms along with your cheque for £30should be sent to Neil Mason at the address shown on theform. Experience tells us to remind you to ensure the exactlength of your boat is stated and you tell us if you have anyspecial requirements especially Less Abled, First Timers ortowpath pet access.

You may also wish to know that the week following, theStoke Bruerne Gala is being held. If you wish to stay for this,it will help the organisers of this event if you let us know ifyou want to stay. [Wherever we are moored for our rally,we will be required to move to the “long pound” for thisevent.]

I hope to see you in June!

If you can not attend by boat, a list of B&B, camp site andholiday cottages to let is available from either myself or Rob.

Advance Notice of Autumn GatheringProvisional date for the third gathering in September is 7thor 14th subject to availability at The Samuel BarlowAlvecote.

Rally News 2013

Our RN Showroom and shop is now open. We have a range of RN Spares and service items available from stock together withengines on display and for Sale at Hillmorton.

Also at Hillmorton we are able to offer a full range of Boatyard Services including Engine servicing and repairs, Boat blacking@£7.00 /ft to Register members, Full boat repainting service, Boat building and repairs, Plumbing & electrics, Weld repairs.

GBBS Hillmorton Ltd. &Russell Newbery Marine Diesel Engines

01327 700023 / 01788 578 661 mobile 07812 039110www.russellnewbery.com email. [email protected]

RN branded engine gaugesnow available to Registermembers at special prices

Oil pressure £68.13Rev counter £170.10


There has recently been a significant change tomanagement of Russell Newbery Register Property Ltd(RNRP). This explains what's happened and why.

A brief history lesson is probably in order at this point.Around seven years ago about 60 RNR members investedtheir money by way of loans to buy the Royal Oak Worksat Daventry so that RN Diesels had a secure base as amanufacturing facility and a store for spares, drawings andpatterns. The initial agreement was for RN Diesels (RND)to use the factory rent-free for five years: this was thenextended by another two years.

The directors of RNRP were then asked by the investors tonegotiate a rent-paying tenancy agreement with the newowners of RND. They were unable to reach agreement.End of history lesson!

A number of investors felt that, primarily due to theeconomic climate, a further rent-free period should now benegotiated to help assure the future of the RN marque.

Consequently a Special General Meeting (SGM) wasconvened in December, attended by approaching 50% ofthe investors, to agree a way forward. The outcome wasthat the existing board members (Clive Henderson, SteveBurt, Jenny LeBlique) would stand down, and a new boardof Bob Scott (Lothlorien), Bob Ainsworth (Rosina) andDave Martin (Jaipur) would restart negotiations to reach asuitable tenancy agreement with RND.

The SGM was unanimous in its thanks to the existing boardfor the work they'd done over the last seven years guidingRND from Allister's shed to it's current facility.

Subsequent to that meeting, Rob Davies has been co-opted onto the RNRP board as Company Secretary.

We have now met with RND and agreed a new tenancyagreement for the factory. Instead of paying rent, RND willinvest £3000 per year into RNRP, plus £2000 per new RNengine sold, so providing funds to "buy out" existingmembers who might wish to redeem their loan. This initialdeal will last for two years. The objective is for RND toultimately own the factory premises, thus further helping tosupport the future of the RN marque.

We now have a good working relationship with Dave andDeborah Bixter at RND, and we feel we have reached adeal to the ongoing benefit of RNRP investors, the RNRmembership as a whole, and RND. Obviously an agendaitem for the AGM in June!

There may now be opportunities for new investors to joinRNRP, or for existing members to increase their holding.Not only does this support Russell Newbery, but is also areal estate investment. Please let Rob Davies or DaveMartin know if you want to be involved in this way. Wewould then try to broker a deal with someone who mightwish to give up their investment.

A final practical note: the SGM Minutes were sent out to allRNRP investors by email or post in mid-January. If youdidn't get them, please let me know [email protected] or 01270 812453 so we canamend our records.

RNR Property Company Report

Member Les Harrison, who recently joined the RN ‘family’has sent me details of his single cylinder paraffin engine. Itis numbered 559 and believed to have been built in 1909so it is a very early example. It is an ex generator engineand was a non runner when Les acquired it. He has hadthe magneto rewound and re-magnetised. Surprisingly, thetiming marks on the vernier coupling were stamped in the

wrong place. Following restoration it is running well and, asthe photos show, looks in prime condition.

Les would be pleased to hear from any members regardinghis engine, his email address is:[email protected]

A Rare RN


The cooling water ways in the heads were completelyfurred up, so this piston failure was probably the result ofrepeated overheating.

Meanwhile, I had been planning to build a secureworkshop/tractor shed to combat the pilfering which wehave been subjected to from time to time. This was theobvious home for the D2 and so the design was modifiedto include a runway beam to take a hoist, and the wholebuilding to be insulated to prevent condensation.

The workshop went up in late 2010 was insulated and linedover the winter. It then immediately got used to refurbishmy baler prior to the 2011 hay making season. So it wasnot till the summer of 2011 that the D2 got moved in andcompletely stripped down. Various additional problemssuch as worn out big end bearings were identified. Thisrebuild was obviously going to be more extensive (andexpensive) than I had bargained for.

The next spur to action was the Autumn rally at BarbyMoorings which Sue and I decided to attend. How could weshow our faces without having something to report!

An earlier invaluable telephone lecture by Allister Denyerhad alerted me to the intricacies of dismantling the timinggear and extracting the camshafts, which I managed withsome difficulty. It was not till the recent visit to Hillmorton,where a part assembled D2 was on show, that the pennydropped as why I had had such difficulty with this end of themachine: the pre-war D2 engines had a smaller chain casethan the current design and so all the clearances inside aretighter. I have already decided that the new duplex chainwill have a connecting link unlike its 'endless' original togive me a sporting chance of being able to re-assemble it.

I phoned the new owners of RN diesels to find out the costof a new piston and new sets of rings for both - £750including VAT. No point in getting these till I absolutely hadto then.

The re-build sequence has thus been determined bylimiting spending initially to those items which would openup new work fronts.

By the end of 2011 all the parts had been cleaned and thecastings painted inside and out.

In December the crankshaft was taken to OwsleburyCrankshaft Services in Winchester to have the big endjournals reground, and then onto John Kirkby re-metallingin Croydon to have the conrod bearings re-metalled.

Once this has been done the crankshaft could bereinstalled in the crankcase, this in turn allowed thecylinder block, camshafts, chain case, and fuel camshaftand governor to be reassembled before I needed to take adeep breath and buy the piston.

The condition of the cylinders was remarkably goodconsidering the piston failure, and only required honing.This was completed (also by OCS) in January.

A minor problem exists with the No 2 cylinder head: theexhaust valve is frozen in the valve guide. I have a nigglethat the guide may have been sliding in and out of thecylinder head for some time as it seemed to tap out rathereasily. At the moment this problem is parked till the rest ofthe engine is re-assembled.

For the future I am thinking about how I am going to startthe thing. Before going to the trouble of making one, hasanyone got a spare starting handle they would like to sell?This is not the chain driven marine type, but straight on thefront of the crankshaft. Call me on 01306 621440 if you do.

Long term it might be sensible to add a starter ring to theflywheel and go for electric starting.

Now that spring has arrived, I am afraid work on the D2 hascome to a halt in deference to the needs of the farm, so weare now hoping to finally get it running sometime next winter.

This may seem like a long term project, but a recent call toGeoff Chandler revealed that he has yet to start work onthe sister engine!

Poynton Cinema Rebuild Part 2Continuing the article by Ray Gibbs, part 1 is in the Spring 2012 Newsletter


Engine plant As you will read elsewhere the drawing roomis being used to progress the archiving and very worthwhileit is proving to be.

The castings have all been completed and we collectedthem between Christmas and new year. They are currentlybeing painted prior to machining. We have enough parts forfour more engines and hopefully we will receive someorders to justify the investment!.

An enthusiast has beenin touch with regards tospare parts for a singlecylinder D series (seephoto) looks as thoughit has been languishingunloved for a while buthopefully it can beresurrected. No detailsof where exactly it hasbeen beyond that it wasfound and is beingrefurbished in Malta! Ihad a full compliment offour cylinder headsfrom a DM4 four acomplete overhaul andrebuild. They are now

back in place andrunning again.

Boat yard Plentyof activity in thedry dock butnothing unusual,just boat blackingand painting.

The boat fromYelvertoft us leftfor it's home basebut unfortunately is trapped between a landslip and lockclosures at the top of Foxton and of course is now stuck inthe ice so no luck there then.

The hire boats were quiet at the end of the year with only afew hardy souls out at Christmas and New Year.

We have finished welding a new cabin over a former tugdeck and we are now well on with the fit out prior torepainting.

We did have to move a boat through the ice from WillowWren upto Hillmorton which was interesting the ice wasabout 1½" thick but the trip took only an extra 30 minutes.

RN Blog - blah blah blah

There are worse things I guess but you sometimes wonderwhen you're gasping up an endless mountain track andthen scared *+*+less on barrelling down at a ridiculousangle whilst avoiding rocks and crevasses.

Then there's the 4 hour watches in ' confused seas ' in themiddle of the Atlantic ocean for 6 nights knowing that thewaves are trying like hell to turn you and one helmingmistake gets the wind the wrong side of the main and willde-mast the boat. We got proof that it does happen whenhaving arrived in Lanzarote and partaking of the obligatoryG&T on deck, we were followed in by one catamarancompletely de-masted and a second with a makeshift rigand a busted Goose Neck.

The rewards though are things like the dolphins playinground the boat, turtles and pilot whales and the incrediblestarry night, there is no sky at night out on the ocean it's‘choc’ full of stars. Then there's the amazing sunsets as wellas looking out to sea from Madeira airport, which is built onstilts, and seeing nothing but the horizon and thinking "Icame over there in a 55 foot sail boat."

Happy Days!

[who also provided the photos]

Where are they now?When RNR members move away and sell their boats, it is good to keep in touch. Keith Lucas [ex nb Lincoln] recentlysent us an update on his extensive cruising around the world!

The single cylinder in Malta - aninteresting challenge.

A radical change of cabin profile for thisformer tug.

new direction at rnr property archive news rally 2013 spring...

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