VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2 MARCH-APRIL 2008

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

BRBC Update ..................................10 Executive Meeting Minutes ..............2 Fort Langley Run...............................7 Garage Tour...................................... 8 Happy 70th Birthday, E83W ............3 Jaguar-Land Rover Deal ...................6 My First MG ......................................6 OECC AGM Nanaimo........................7 Positive Earth ....................................9 Tramcars in Birmingham..................4 VCB AGM Meeting Minutes..............2 Welcome to OECC...........................10

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tue., May 6, 7:00: Meeting at Richmond Frame & Alignment, 7960 River Road, Richmond

Sat., May 17: VanDusen ABFM; Post-ABFM event TBA on May 6

Tue., June 3, 7:00: Meeting at Roma Hall, 940 Ewen Avenue, New West

Fri., June 27, 9:00: BRBC ferries to Swartz Bay; PM: Comox pig roast

Sat., June 28: AGM in Nanaimo (p. 7) Sun., June 29: VCB meets BRBC for

lunch or picnic (details by June 3)

EDITOR’S BIT

Join me in a big “THANKS!” to the Roundabout Contributors Honour Roll of 2007: Fred Ben-nett, Steve Blake, Joe Carroll, John Chapman, Fred Cirillo, Steve Diggins, Les Foster, Bill Grant, Carl Knorr, Alan Miles, Ken Miles, Pat Miles, Win Muehling, Dennis Nelson, Walter Reynolds, Mike Smith, Pat Sparks, Chris Walker, Karen Whitworth, and Roy Wilkins. Without them we would-n’t have had a Roundabout!

My Thames pickup has strut its hour upon the stage and it was, indeed, full of sound and fury. A Vancouver, B.C. sound production company, DBC Sound Inc., approached the Vancouver Coast Branch of the Old English Car Club of B.C. with hope of finding a Ford E493A Prefect whose sounds they could record for use in a motion picture. An email containing the request from Jeff Davis of DBC Sound was read out at our Feb-ruary 2008 meeting and as the only Ford sidevalve owner present, I agreed to contact Jeff.

I learned that the movie in question, “The Stone of Destiny,” already shot on location in Glasgow and London, appar-ently featured the main characters us-ing a Prefect throughout the film. Al-though we do have an E493A in the Branch, the owner, Elliot Sclater, was away on vacation and time was of the essence. I explained to Jeff that I owned an English Ford pickup truck (my 1951 E83W steel box pickup) which used the same engine and gearbox as a Prefect and was generally similar in construction. I did caution him that it was probably a bit louder than the car due to its short exhaust system and lack of interior upholstery! “OK!” said Jeff and a recording date set for Febru-ary 13th, a day forecast to be sunny.

Meanwhile my excitement was build-ing! I recalled reading something about a famous Scottish stone with a Ford connection in the Ford Sidevalve Own-ers Club magazine, Sidevalve News, a while back. My first step was to use my computer to search the comprehensive

index to the magazine. After only a modicum of eyestrain I found what I was looking for: “The Tak-ing of the Stone of Destiny (How small Fords played their part”) in the October

2004 Pre War Register by Yvon Pre-cieux. This excellent narrative tells the true story of the Stone of Destiny or The Stone of Scone. The subject of many legends, the stone was definitely the sacred seat upon which Scottish kings sat for their coronations and its removal to Westminster Abbey as a prize of war by the English King Ed-ward I in 1296 was a sore point for the Scots for centuries. The Stone of Des-tiny’s liberation by four Scottish uni-versity students driving two 8 H.P. Ford cars on Christmas Day, 1950, and its harrowing repatriation to Scotland has, itself, become modern legend. Yvon identified the two vehicles used to execute the raid and transport the al-most 400 pound stone as a Ford 7Y (about 1938) and a newer E04A Anglia. Having not seen the film footage, I can-not say definitely that the 7Y and the Anglia are being represented by an E493A in the movie but this is what I’ve been led to believe.

Seeking more information I went to the Internet where the ‘Playbackonline’ website told me that the movie stars Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, Human Trafficking), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings), Kate Mara (Shooter) and Charlie Cox (Stardust) in Rob Merilees’ Infinity Features production directed by Charles Martin Smith. Co-production in the U.K. was by Mob Films of London. The budget was put at 13 million dollars, none of which, sadly, trickled down to me. Post-production (this is where my Thames comes in) included DBC Sound here in Vancou-

ver, B.C. The film may premiere at Cannes in May, 2008, and appear in theatres after that. It will be the duty of all red-blooded Sidevalvers to see (and hear) it!

The actual sound recording session was both fun and interesting. Appropri-ately the sound technician, Pat Haskill from DBC, showed up driving an older Ford Probe. Pat followed my Thames

pickup from my home in Tsawwassen, B.C. (a southern suburb of Vancouver) down the hill to the flat Fraser River delta lands of the Ladner area. We drove a few miles out into the farm

area and found a little-used road. The equipment was simple: a portable re-corder and a large, muffled, micro-phone. At Pat’s direction I made many

(Continued on page 3)

… a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

W. Shakespeare, Macbeth

Sound and Fury Les Foster

PAGE 2 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

Vancouver Coast Branch Annual General Meeting Minutes – March 4, 2008

Despite the fact that it was hard for the Chair to get the

attention of members, as 20% can't hear and 45% don’t listen, we nevertheless persevered with our annual AGM. Several issues coming out of the Executive Meeting were dealt with. Firstly, plans for the November Branch event were discussed. Agreement was almost unanimous for planning to not cross the border on this run for the next three years, due to the Peace Arch expansion project, which will pressure all cross-ings. Volunteers for the organizing committee are Steve Hutchens, Bence McIntyre, Italo Cirrilo, and Bart Shaw.

Steve Diggins volunteered to organize the OECC-BCTR Challenge.

The Christmas party was discussed, with options ranging from Carol Ships to the Sullivan Hall. Italo will check out what would be available in the small room at Roma Hall for $25 and $35 dinners.

Sunday July 20th event at the HMCS Discovery with a guest club was explained. All day event, BBQ available, so bring hot dogs for lunch and steaks for dinner. Free-form tim-ing is expected. A croquet tournament is planned. OECC pays for the parking and the BBQ facility. The first guest club will be the BCTR, followed in the next year by the MOG. No liq-uor on the premises, unless you are buying it from their bar.

The treasurer presented the financial results for the year. The club is carrying a “good float.” Lorna Hoare moved that the report be accepted, David Ballantine seconded, and the motion was carried.

Lorna Hoare moved that we make a donation to the Bri-

tannia Shipyard, in thanks for their great hospitality during the Valentine’s Day drive, Elaine seconded, all agreed, and Lorna will deliver a $50 donation.

The “new members” kit was explained, and the first one was handed out, and the other four were to be mailed.

As is the tradition, the entire elected Executive stepped down in hopes that someone would replace them. As often happens, this was a faint hope. Showing that they must get along, each of the Executives agreed to stand for election again, and no one even tried to get in the way.

Elected by acclimation: Ken Miles: Chair Steve Hutchens: Vice Chair Dennis Nelson: Secretary-Registrar Elaine Lafontaine: Treasurer And for the non-elected positions, we continue with: Steve Diggins: Meeting and Events Coordinator Steve Hutchens: Newsletter Editor Richard Taylor: Newsletter Distribution Mike Smith: Phone Committee Fred Bennett: ICBC/Aircare Liason David Ballantine: Goodwill & Welfare Past-Chair: Bart Shaw

And with the closing of the meeting, a picture was taken of the renewed Executive group, some members updated their roster information, others paid their dues, and a few glasses were raised. See the photo of the new Executive on page 10.

Dennis Nelson Secretary-Registrar OECC Vancouver Coast Branch

Executive Meeting Minutes – February 19, 2008

Treasurer’s report: the general opin-

ion of the group was that the club is in very good financial shape. A short dis-cussion of Ladner to Bellingham old expenses led to resolution. It was asked that the fiscal year be moved from No-vember to November to a year which follows the normal annual calendar. Steve Diggin’s moved that the treas-urer’s report be accepted, and Fred Bennett seconded. There was unani-mous agreement.

The budget for the next year was discussed and the general summary was that we have a significant float so that, over the next four years, we might plan to spend a little more than the dues bring in and still maintain the desired level of cushion. Some very in-teresting club events were discussed with a few remaining alive. One major addition to the club’s plans for 2008 is an event at HMCS Discovery in Stanley Park on Sunday, July 20th, with the objective of inviting a second car club each year (the selection on rotation),

and also inviting all English pre-war car owners.

The welcoming of new members was discussed and a procedure has been developed. Information from member-ship applications will be sent the Editor who will make name tags and add the information to a “Welcome to OECC” column in the Roundabout. Welcome packets will be developed and brought to the next meeting to be given to the new members. The packets will in-clude:

• A welcome letter from our chairper-son

• A Welcome to OECC brochure from the Society with info on all branches

• Membership cards • Name tags • OECC window decals (inside and

out) • Discount cards • A recent OECC Society roster • Meetings information • A recent Roundabout If the new member isn’t at that

meeting, the packet will be mailed. The phone list and process was dis-

cussed, and a revision to the applica-tion form was agreed to. The revised

application would include tick boxes to indicate whether the person prefers contact , the words “Do you wish to be phoned directly [ ] or emailed [ ] regard-ing information as to where the next meeting is and when upcoming events are happening.” would be added to the form. How we get an update on current member’s desires was not discussed, but could be handled partially at the general meeting.

Ladner to Bellingham 2008 (?) will have volunteers for a committee solic-ited at the AGM. Volunteers for the OECC – BC Triumph Challenge event will also be solicited. Christmas party will be discussed at the AGM, with ideas ranging from a carol ship to Roma Hall (upper rooms).

In attendance: Ken Miles, Fred Ben-nett, Bart Shaw, Michael Smith, Elaine, Lafontaine, Steve Diggins, and Dennis Nelson. Missing due to injury, Steve Hutchens. With seven members present, there were usually six conver-sations underway.

Dennis Nelson Secretary-Registrar OECC Vancouver Coast Branch

PAGE 3 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

passes up and down the road making as much and as varied noise as possi-

ble. The idea was to collect a wide vari-ety of sound samples for their lab to work with. To this end I shifted up and down, made slow and ‘high’ (remember this is an E83W) speed runs, reversing, starting, stopping, idling and so on. You’ll never be as aware of background

noises as you will if you are out with a soundman! Pat was constantly bemoan-ing high flying jets, honking geese, or the wind singing in the power lines that invaded his earphones but were completely unnoticed by me. After a couple of hours of this furious activity, Pat climbed into the Thames’ tiny cab and assumed the semi-fetal position dictated by the lack of a passenger foot-well in order to record the sounds from an occupant’s standpoint. I must say that he was brave and did not exhibit any of the usual fear that many people, raised in a world of safety belts and airbags, often show when riding in old vehicles. He was quite enthusiastic about the sounds he captured- “as loud as outside”, he said. A fitting descrip-tion of the decibel levels of an E83W interior! The next step was to return home to record a bit of door closing, gear shift action, starting and of course, the distinctive “neep, neep” of the Clearhooter horn.

The hobby of old vehicles has the ability to take you many places and connect you with many things that you might otherwise never experience. Some people call our cars and trucks “time machines”. In this case I’ve been hurled back through 1950, to 1296 and beyond!

I look forward to the movie’s debut and I’ve promised my wife that I will make every effort not to jump up in the theatre and scream, “Listen, that’s my truck!!”

(Continued from page 1)

Happy 70th Birthday, E83W Les Foster

March 22nd, 1938, saw the introduc-tion of the Ford Model E83W truck. The longest-produced of the famous “small Fords” and the only civilian model made throughout the Second World War, the last E83W rolled out of Dagenham in September, 1957.

Ford was just introducing a new coding system when the E83W was coming out and its model designation translated thus:

· “E” England · “8” 1938 · “3” 10 h.p. engine · “W” forward control The E83W was sold under the

name “Fordson” until 1952 in Britain when the “Thames” name was bor-rowed from the export models which had already been using that moniker for a number of years.

The E83W was a purpose-built commercial vehicle designed for maximum carrying capacity within the smallest dimensions and with the best possible economy of operation. Its offset drivetrain made no conces-sion for a passenger but greatly in-creased interior load space and gave a shorter overall length for big city ma-neuvering. Being designed as it was in the mid 1930s, it shared many of the then-current Ford design and styling

themes. The grill is a clone of the 1937 U.S. Ford trucks and the door window and beltline treatment was pure 1935 Ford car. Underneath, the E83W has been described as a “study in classic Fordisms” and any enthusiast of early domestic Fords will recognize the

transverse springs, radius rods and me-chanical brakes common to the make. Although a new and distinct design

with characteristics tailored to the Brit-ish needs, the E83W dipped heavily into existing parts bins and it uses a surprising number of parts from its bigger American cousins as well as its British siblings.

The E83W was an immediate success but production had barely gotten un-derway when war broke out. The truck’s war record was quite impressive with service as ambulances, crew buses, fire vehicles, and the ubiquitous canteen vans that aided Blitz survivors or fortified aircrews and dockers in those bleak years.

After the war was won, the peace had to be paid for. The E83W went abroad as the “Thames” to earn cash for the “Export or Die” campaign. In Canada and the U.S. the Thames ½ Ton sold from 1948 through 1953. Other E83Ws went all over the world and, of course, many continued to be sold in Britain. Total production was 188,577 over nineteen years.

It is now seventy years since the first of these little trucks was built and fifty-five years since the last one was sold in Canada. Probably only a few hundred survive but each one that does is a direct link to history in a tumultu-ous century. Happy Birthday, Mr. Fordson!

PAGE 4 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

Tramcars in Birmingham Walter Reynolds

WOW. What a nostalgia rush at the January meeting seeing the Birmingham tramcars outside the Austin fac-tory in Steve Diggins’ movies. While I don’t have many rec-ollections of the Austin factory itself, I have a few fond memories of “riding the rails” on the tramcars. Though I know it was nothing personal, the trams were taken out of service shortly after I started riding on them.

Birmingham Tram at Pebble Mill Road in 1951

I have an interest in public transit, especially British and specifically that of Birmingham and the surrounding areas. I even have a small Dinky and Corgi bus collection:

Clockwise from top: Wolverhamp-ton 1930 Guy, London 1910 Tram, B’ham 1968 Mertobus, B’ham 1931 AEC, B’ham 1920 AEC Open Top, 1959 Midland Red M1 Motorway bus, three West Bromwich buses

from 1930s

Of course, there are several London Transport types in the collection and one London tramcar (above), which, ig-noring its red and cream livery, could be an example of one of the tramcars seen in the Austin movie.

While some of the place names I mention in this article may not mean anything to readers not familiar with Bir-mingham, they are included to provide a foundation for the parts that deal specifically with the Austin factory at Longbridge.

There is some disagreement regarding when the first

horsebus operated in Birmingham. According to the Dic-tionary of Birmingham, by Showell, the first bus service commenced in 1828, operated by a fishmonger named J. Doughty. It ran from the “White Horse” public house at Snow Hill to the “Sun” public house on the Bristol Road. However, another source states that the first bus to oper-ate in Birmingham was Mr. J. Smith’s horsebus which commenced in 1834 and worked between the “Swan” public house and the Bristol Road tollgate. The private bus opera-tors were responsible for the development of services until the late 1860’s.

Between 1860 and 1903 there was a lot to Birmingham’s public bus history, but I am going to skip that to deal spe-cifically with tramcar history.

The Birmingham Corporation Act of 1903 empowered the Corporation to operate tramways in addition to con-structing them (prior to 1903, the Corporation could only build them for lease to private tram operators). On Janu-ary 4, 1904, the Birmingham Corporation Tramways De-partment commenced operation of a service of tramcars (using an overhead electric system) from Steelhouse Lane to Aston Brook Street with twenty open-top bogie cars, five of which survived in a somewhat modernized form until 1949.

One of original batch of Birmingham trams in 1904

Birmingham Corporation operated a network of tram-ways in Birmingham from 1904 to 1953. It was the largest narrow gauge tramway network in the UK, built to a gauge of 3 foot 6 inch. The system was the fourth largest tramway network in the UK after London, Glasgow and Manchester. At its peak, there were a total of 843 trams in the fleet, with a maximum of 825 in service at any one time. There were 40 tram routes which consisted of 80½ miles (129.6 km) of tramway. 20 depots garaged the tram fleet.

Although the City had powers to operate motor omni-buses (as well as trams) from 1903, it did not do so until 1913. The first motor omnibus service was an extension of the tramway service from the Selly Oak tramway terminus to Rednal. Later a service, mainly for employees at the Austin factory and offices in Longbridge, was operated from Selly Oak to Rubery. World War 1 interfered with the progress of the motor omnibus expansion into the City’s

PAGE 5 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

routes due to existing buses being requisitioned by the War Office, to new bus production being diverted to the War effort and, later in the war, by petrol shortages. As such, the tram fleet sustained the majority of Birming-ham’s public transit needs until after the war. (The City owned a number of Tilling-Stevens motor omnibuses which were exempt from the War Office requisition and which were operated throughout the war, except for the period May to August 1917, when due to fuel shortages three of the eight routes they serviced were shut down.)

Bus and tram route extensions commenced shortly after the end of World War 1 and continued throughout the 1920’s. The most important extension was the projection in October 1923, of the Bristol Road tramway from Selly Oak to Northfield followed by a further extension to Longbridge in December, 1923, and then on to Rednal in April 1924.

Tram 623 at Longbridge, by the Austin factory. 1952.

Rednal is situated 8½ miles from the City centre at the foot of the Lickey Hills. These hills are a great playground for Birmingham people and the tramway itself gave a pic-turesque ride, passing for most of the way on sleeper track between dual carriageways on a tree-lined road. Birming-ham was the pioneer of this type of reserved tramway.

Birmingham trams en-route to Lickey Hills in 1951.

The Lickey Hills route is the part that I remember; often wondering how the tram got between the car lanes and also wondering how the trams didn’t hit each other as they passed.

On good weather bank holidays it was usually necessary to bring tramcars from all over the tram system to enable a 30 second service to be given to clear the crowds (beats Metro Vancouver transit all to heck, eh?)

A branch tram line was opened from Longbridge to Rubery on February 8, 1926.

Buses started being introduced in to the City’s transit

fleet following the end of World War 1. They operated on routes not serviced by tramways. Between 1929 and 1939 (the start of World War 2), post boxes were fitted to the rear of City buses and trams. They were emptied by Post Office employees at the various terminals.

Birmingham, being an industrial area, had its share of air raids during World War 2. When the tram lines were damaged by enemy bombing and tram services could not be diverted, buses were called in to operate shuttle ser-vices on each side of the damaged track until they were repaired.

Harborne Lane Depot during tram to bus conversion, 1952. Following World War II, the City increased its

buses conversion program. The buses came from the likes of AEC, Daimler,

Leyland and Metro-Cammell. The fleet of trams and trolley buses, therefore,

were slowly closed down.

The final tram route was closed July 4, 1953 and, though not realizing it at the time, I am grateful that I was able to ride on a vehicle that was soon to become obsolete.

Post script: In the 1990s, trams returned to Birmingham in the form of a commuter rail system called The Midland Metro. The system used, in part, abandoned railway lines. The Midland Metro is operated by Travel Metro which, in turn, is part of the UK Bus Division of the National Ex-press Group PLC. Travel Metro operates bus lines in Dun-dee, the West Midlands, London and Coventry. Gone though is the blue and cream Birmingham livery which has been replaced, alas, with the pink and silver livery shown below.

Birmingham’s privately-operated Midland Metro in 1999 livery

Sources • My memory • “British Bus Fleets, No.14, Birmingham City” by Ian Allan,

1967 • Internet, including Wikipedia.com

PAGE 6 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

MY FIRST MG Robin Yellowlees Western Classics, March 1993, Vol 2, Issue 2, p. 21

I was 22 when I was demobbed near the end of 1945 and it wasn't long be-fore I started thinking of a car (my first). Across the street from us lived Mr. Begg, partner in Begg Motors, the Chrysler-Plymouth dealer on Georgia Street, so I put a $100.00 deposit on a new l946 Plymouth 5 passenger coupe and became thirty-fifth on the waiting list. After waiting fruitlessly for six months, I received a call from Mr. Michelmore, sales manager at Oxford Motors (later

Plimley's) on Burrard Street, to say that the first shipment of Morris cars had arrived and that he was giving first refusal to customers who were Morris owners before the War. Mr. Begg was delighted to refund my de-posit and thus I became the owner of a new very black Series M Morris Ten Saloon, not a car to send my pulse soaring, but in 1946 a car, any car, was a prize and I was a very happy young man.

However, in 1946, MG introduced their first all-new post-war car, the 1 1/4 litre saloon. I read the Autocar road test and it sounded like a dream

car to me - it looked like one too! The following year I look a three month trip back to the UK and ordered a two- tone grey and green model to be picked up at the factory. One of the most exciting days of my life was the day the phone rang to say my car was ready at Cowley and that I would be met at the Oxford station and driven

to the factory to pick it up. There were two identical cars being worked on, mine with biscuit upholstery and the other, ordered by an Indian Prince, with green upholstery. My pulses were racing as the two young fellows were polishing my car with Opollo polish and a Nuffield technical fellow introduced himself and started ex-plaining all about the car to me.

Eventually it was all over and I got in and drove off with much waving and good wishes. I was completely on Cloud Nine and have never felt that high on any car since. Reality soon surfaced before reaching London,

however, as the car pulled back in a jerky fashion under acceleration, es-pecially climbing, caused I later dis-covered, by oiling of the plubs. But this flaw, which persisted as long as I owned the car, could never dampen my special pride of ownership of this car and I was hooked as an MG fan for life!

In September of that year, the MG and I traveled to Victoria where I de-cided to seek my future selling Eng-lish cars. The MG helped me to make friends and I soon joined the British Sports Touring Club. At that time, mine was the only MG of its kind un-til our firm ordered a maroon saloon in early 1950 which we eventually sold to a Mr. Morris on Salt Spring Island. From September 1949, I had joined Victoria Super Service and was very busy selling Morris and MG and a few Rileys as well.

My sale a manager, John Scruton, had ordered a green 1 1/4 litre tourer in 1949 and I fell for this model. I de-cided to sell the saloon and order a new YT for myself, which I ran for a year and which happily is a survivor and is cared for today by no less a per-sonage than your (and my) club Presi-dent, Wayne Watkins!

Somewhere on the Island there may be a 1 1/4 litre Saloon still hiding; I certainly hope so. I have never forgot-

Jaguar-Land Rover deal will be final within weeks By JOHN REVILL, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

Ford Motor’s sale of Jaguar and Land Rover is likely to be completed in a matter of weeks rather than days.

The deal to sell the British luxury brands to Indian industrial group Tata is thought likely to be completed by the end of March, a source familiar with the negotiations said on Friday.

The source told Automotive News Europe that Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford would continue to have a strong relationship after they were sold to Tata.

“This is not just an agreement for Ford to sell, but how they will work together in the future. Ford will be sup-plying things and Jaguar and Land Rover will be receiving things.”

In January, Ford chose Tata as its preferred bidder for the brands. Last

month, British trade union officials suggested Tata Motors likely would announce its purchase of Jaguar Land Rover on March 5 or 6.

Tata’s bid to buy Jaguar and Land Rover is not thought to be in danger. Ford and Tata are finalizing details such as the future supply of engines

and stampings for Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles from Ford component plants.

Ford also wants to ensure that sell-ing the brands does not generate nega-

tive publicity. The UK is its biggest Europe market and Jaguar and Land Rover employ 16,000 workers in the country.

A Ford spokesman said: “These are complex and detailed discussions and there is still some work before an agreement.”

“All partners are committed to en-suring that the final agreement is ro-bust and rigorous. We anticipate an agreement early this year,” the spokes-man said.

At the Geneva auto show, Ford of Europe Chairman Lewis Booth told ANE: “The talks are going well, but the deal won’t be completed this week. There are no major roadblocks.”

Note: The sale is now final. Learn more about Tata Motors at

tatamotors.com

HOW NOT TO MAKE MONEY: Buy Jaguar for $2.5 Billion (1989)

Buy Land Rover for $2.75 Billion (2000) Invest $10 Billion (est) in improvements

Sell Jag and L-R for $1.7 Billion (net after funding worker retirement plans)

Bottom Line: $13.55 Billion Loss (est)

PAGE 7 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

Sunday, April 13, was the 2008 running of the Fort Langley Run. Rain hampered participants en-route to Fort Langley, plus several drivers were delayed by two acci-dents on the No.1 freeway. All things to add spice to the event.

Twelve British cars were in the park-ing lot at the start and 23 people partici-pated, with 4 more arriving for lunch. Those participating besides Linda and I (Rover 2000) were Bence & Helen McIn-tyre (MG Midget), Ken & Pat Miles (Morgan DH Coupe), Alan & Mary Lou Miles and Abbey, the dog (Sunbeam Ra-

pier Convertible), Rick & Penny Free-stone with Gil Yarrow as passenger (Jaguar VDP), Gerry & John Chatterton (Mini), Dave & Chris Walker (Mini Countryman), David & Trevor Austin (MGB), Steve Diggins with Colin Crabbe as passenger (Austin Cambridge), Italo Cirillo (Vauxhall Victor) and Roy Wilkins (Austin Seven). Also along as guests from the LAMB group were John & Betty Walkdon (Rover P5).

For a change this year, participants were assigned one of two routes which meant that as they left the Fort parking lot they had to turn left or right. That is, the first car turned left, the next car turned right, the third car turned left and so on.

For the first 10 to 15 minutes the two routes were different, but then they con-verged on River Road with about 70% of the route being the same. What this did was to mix the cars up more than usual.

Regardless of the route assigned, all participants had to stop at the Fort Wine Company store for answers to two of the questions on the route sheet. There were 16 questions, all based on what people

saw as they drove. It didn't help that I put the wrong street number down for one of the questions on one of the routes. From the stories, participants on that route were firm believers in what Walter had written and searched out the an-swer, some ultimately getting lost in the process. Sorry.

David Austin and his son Trevor came up from Bellingham and made a valiant attempt to complete the route, no thanks to my street number error. For those who missed it, the item that was out of place

in the Fort Wine Company store's mar-tini display was the OECC logo.

Lunch was at the Fort Pub and what a noisy group we turned out to be. Even so, the banter was comforting and the food, when it arrived, was good.

RESULTS: Winners will be announced and trophies and prizes awarded at the May meeting by Steve Diggins as Linda and I will be away. As the Roundabout will be available before the May meeting, the winners will be published in the next issue of the Roundabout.

Steve Diggins and I are alternating as organizers of this event, so the 2009 Fort Langley Run will be Steve's responsibil-ity. As for this year, it was very pleasing to see so many cars and

Fort Langley Run 2008 Walter Reynolds

DR. CARL ADVISES Carl Knorr

If you are unfortunate enough to have a piece of broken key stuck in your ig-nition switch, try to get it out with a piece of wire, perhaps with a small hook bent on the end. If this doesn’t work, take the cylinder out and rap it hard on a piece of wood. This may loosen the remains of the key enough so that you can get it out with a pair of tweezers. If rapping the cylinder repeatedly does-n't remove the broken key, you can try as a des-perate measure and push the remains of the key back in a little which may dislodge it. Then rap it on the block of wood. It worked for me. If this doesn’t work, at least you have the cylinder out so you can take it to a locksmith.

OECC AGM June 28 Doug Bainbridge (cioecc@shaw.ca)

The Central Island Branch invites you to the OECC AGM on June 28 in Nanaimo.

Itinerary: 1:00 pm: Mini Monte Rally, (start from Hwy 19, Exit 21 - Northfield) 3:00-4:30 pm: AGM meeting 4:30-6:00 pm: Musical entertainment 6:00 pm: Banquet ($35/person, cheques to CIOECC, 2539 Nuttal Dr., Nanoose Bay, BC V9P 9B4 by May 28)

Accommodations: Best Western North-gate Inn (1-800-661-0061), 6450 Metral Dr., Nanaimo ; $104 (mention OECC)

Linda Reynolds photo

Linda Reynolds photo

Linda Reynolds photo

Chris Walker photo

Chris Walker photo

Chris Walker photo

Chris Walker photo

PAGE 8 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

VCB Garage Tour Walter Reynolds

On Sunday, March 19, 2008, the second annual

Vancouver Coast Branch Garage Tour occurred. This year, it didn't rain!

For 2008, we returned to Gerry Parkinson's house to see his new garage and then drove over to Steve and Liz Blake's house to see their car collection. Handily, both garages are within a few blocks of each other.

At Gerry's we were treated to a tour of his new garage, which wasn't there at 2007's tour, and were shown his framed-in carport which is his main garage, being at-tached to the house. It seems that Gerry and all of his sons have a car restoration job of some sort going on, possibly with Gerry as the main mechanic!

One son has a Land Rover which is being fitted with multi-national underpinnings (GM engine, Toyota tranny, etc.).

Gerry's faithful MG 1500 was there for us to see as was his new-last-year MGB GT.

Following Gerry's place, we drove a few minutes south-west to Steve and Liz Blake's house to view their nine vehicles. I didn't take a head count at Gerry's, but we were at 21 heads when we were at the Blake's. While we were there to see the classic British

vehicles in the stable, we also saw their Ferarri and, stealing the show to some extent, Steve's brand new MINI Cooper S Country-man. Even Bart was able to get into the Countryman.

Seven vehicles are able to be stored in the garage, with the Mor-gan over the Ferarri on a hoist. The 1930 MG M Type and the 1949 MG TC are stored safely at the rear of the garage. After the tour, most of the people went off to a local restaurant for lunch which, I believe was enjoyed by all (I couldn't attend due to prior commitments).

We've had two good garage tours in a row, both in Tsawwassen, so it's going to be interesting to see what organizer Steve Diggins comes up with next year.

The group at Blake’s

Rover 2000, Ford Prefect, MGB GT, and MGB at Blake's

Morgan DH Coupe and MG Midget at the Blake's

Blake's 1930 MG M-Type

Blake's 1949 MG TC

Blake's new Mini Countryman S

PAGE 9 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

While looking at a vintage Norton motorcycle at the OECC’s Restoration Fair in Saanich recently, I had a bit of an epiphany. There, stamped into a lovely little metal disc were the words, “Positive Earth.” What a won-derful ring those words have today! They suddenly seemed to embody not simply an electrical warning but the beginning of a new awareness for our hobby. In the face of what might be-come growing friction between lovers of automobile heritage and champi-ons of all things “environmentally sustainable,” a little sensitivity in our practices could go a long way to en-suring that our hobby itself is sus-tained. It’s really just common sense and responsible practice. With those thoughts in mind, Roundabout is launching the Positive Earth column to help our members be part of the solution not the problem. – Les Foster

The nature of our hobby is that we

often generate a certain amount of waste materials. Used oil, oil filters, and even empty oil containers are no longer accepted in the household gar-bage stream. Neither are paints, gasoline, and other chemicals and, of course, batteries and tires. There are many safer ways available nowadays to dispose of these items.

I suggest you make yourself a “Red Box,” my version of the familiar Blue

Box household recycling container. Into it you can place those nastier items that need special treatment. Right now, at least, you are going to have to take these accumulated prod-ucts to a local depot, transfer station, or participating retailer for safe dis-posal.

To acquaint yourself with the many and quite convenient disposal sites and what they will or won’t ac-cept, simply sit down at your com-puter or pickup your telephone. The first step could be to google “recycling in Metro Vancouver”. This will get you to the excellent website that lists what products each Trans-

fer Station or Landfill will take in. There are links to other valuable sites such as www.productcare.org which help you find convenient means of disposal for almost any-thing. Looking up local municipal websites or calling your local city hall is useful, too.

No computer? No problem, just telephone 604-RECYCLE (604-732-9253) for directions on where to take

your products. Many local depots and transfer stations accept almost eve-rything for free as do many retailers like Canadian Tire Stores and oth-ers. It’s a good idea to confirm indi-vidual recyclers before you set out.

Some very toxic items such as automotive paint and highly toxic chemicals are still difficult to recycle. A few municipalities have toxic waste collection days and some re-tailers of automotive paints and chemicals will accept small quanti-ties of left-over material. In some cases they may have to charge a nominal fee to cover their costs. Commercial disposal firms like Ne-walta and Safety-Kleen are available to dispose of larger amounts for a fee. This is a problem area at the mo-ment. Perhaps we could organize our own annual “Positive Earth Day” to gather up these toxic wastes and pay to have them safely picked up for disposal on a communal basis.

The BUD rule is applicable to many items:

Buy only what you need,

Use it all (or try to), Dispose safely of any leftovers!

Your ideas for Positive Earth are

invited. Call me at 604-943-4936 or email me at leswfoster@hotmail.com.

Les Foster

INFO SOURCES 604-RECYCLE (604-732-9253) productcare.org (information)

rcbc.bc.ca (information) newalta.com (commercial)

safety-kleen.com (commercial)

At the March 4 Branch meeting the Executive announced that the Ladner to Bellingham All British Run would be en-tirely in Canada from 2008 until at least 2010 due to conges-tion at the border. Vol-unteers for the 2008 committee are Bart Shaw, Steve Hutchens, Bence McIntyre, Italo Cirillo and Walter Rey-nolds.

The committee met March 31 and started the process to organize the event. The first item of business was to establish the name for the event. Discussion centered around commemorat-ing the historic London-Brighton. Hence, the committee rec-

ommended London to Brighton Commemorative Run. The pro-posal was approved at the April 1 meeting. The starting point, destination, route and other ancillary issues have yet to be

established, but regular updates will be provided at Branch meetings and in the Roundabout. If you have questions about the London-Brighton Commemora-tive Run or have sugges-tions, feel free to pass them to any member of

the committee. I am sure we will need additional volunteers to help with the actual event, so anyone wishing to help should feel free to let us know.

London-Brighton Commemorative Run Update Walter Reynolds, Chair, 2008 London to Brighton Organizing Committee

www.lbvcr.com/ www.vccofgb.co.uk/lontobri/

AT THE WHEEL Chairperson: Ken Miles

kengmiles@shaw.ca - 604-576-8036 Vice-Chairperson: Steve Hutchens

sphutchens@yahoo.com - 360-733-3568 Treasurer: Elaine Lafontaine

Wolseley@lightspeed.ca - 604-591-3332 Membership renewals: #73-8190 King George Highway, Surrey, BC V3W 5B7

Secretary: Dennis Nelson dnelson@dccnet.com - 604-599-9032 New memberships and correspondence: 10932 Scarborough Drive, Delta, BC V4C 7X1

Good & Welfare: David Ballantine dballantine@shaw.ca - 604-980-4120

ICBC/AirCare Liaison: Fred Bennett 604-939-1773 / Fax 604-939-1753

Meetings & Events Coordinator: Steve Diggins - 604-294-6031

Phone Committee Chief: Michael Smith mlsnbarbara@shaw.ca - 604-936-8674

Roundabout Editor: Steve Hutchens sphutchens@yahoo.com - 360-733-3568 Newsletter articles, photos, and other content: 2090 N Shore Road, Bellingham, WA 98226-7864

Roundabout Printing & Distribution: Richard Taylor mikmaq@telus.net - 604-298-9346

PAGE 10 T H E R OUN DABOUT VO LUM E 13, NUMBER 2

AUTOJUMBLE English Cars & Parts For Sale and Wanted (more Autojumble ads

are at oecc.ca/vcb)

1958 MG Magnette MK III. A collection of parts with registra-tion. Find a donor Austin or Mor-ris Farina to make a car. FREE! Steve Diggins, 604-294-6031.

1958 Triumph TR3A. Looking for a good home for a low mileage

TR3A in good original condition. RHD. Nice driver. White with red interior. Extra set of wheels. This TR3 has been in our possession since the late 1960s. From 1974 to 1994 it was packed in grease and placed on wood blocks. My late husband shipped the car to Hong Kong in 1994, then to Van-couver in 1998. $15,000. Lucie Ingoldby, 604-921-7768. More

photos are on our website Auto-jumble. (3/26)

1962 Vauxhall FB Victor. For restoration. FREE! Rob Curring-ton, 604-532-0035.

1970 Triumph Stag. Manual transmission with overdrive (rare in North America). Original V8 in

pieces. Transmission and drive train out of car. Soft and hard tops. RHD, great 2+2 dark blue body. Stored dry. Manuals. $4,500, offers considered, or trade for what have you. Jurgen, 604-737-8065, jpeterat@hotmail.com.

1977 Jaguar XJ12L. Sil-ver/blue, VGC, Aircared, low mileage. Should easily qualify for collector plates. Selling due to limited parking. All reasonable offers considered. David at 778-737-2941 or degruber@hotmail.com. (3/4)

Engine parts for Austin-Healey 100-6. Block, crank, etc. Steve Diggins, 604-294-6031.

Brits ‘Round BC Update!

BRBC Grows: Over 30 cars will be our tour. At least 29 cars will be in Jasper, the furthest point. One couple is com-ing from the UK, using an MGB courtesy of CIB friends. Three VCB members are doing all of BRBC and several are doing parts of the tour.

Do Part of BRBC: Two loops are good for VCB members. A three-day option would be 6/27-6/29 and include lunch with the SIB in Victoria, the Pig Roast with the CVB Friday eve-ning in Comox, and the AGM with the CIB in Nanaimo. A two-day option would be 6/29-6/30. Meet us at Horseshoe Bay at 12:15 on 6/29, then tour to Lillooet for dinner at Dina’s Greek Restaurant Sunday evening. Return to Vancouver on Monday via Litton and the beautiful Fraser Canyon.

Lunch with BRBC: Meet us at Horseshoe Bay at 12:15 on 6/29 then tour north to a picnic or lunch near Squamish.

WELCOME TO OECC Stuart and Sharon Rodger Delta, BC 1980 MGB 604-591-2454 stuart_rodger@dccnet.com Ric MacDonald Vancouver, BC 604-439-7936 1965 Morgan 4/4 ricmacd@telus.net

2008 VCB Executive Row One: David Ballentine, Good & Welfare Row Two: Fred Bennett (ICBC/Aircare Liaison), Elaine La-fontaine (Treasurer), Ken Miles (Chairperson), Steve Diggins (Meetings and Events Coordinator) Row Three: Bart Shaw (Immediate Past Chairperson) and Dennis Nelson (Secretary) Missing: Mike Smith (Phone Committee Chief), Richard Tay-lor (Round-about Distribution), and Steve Hutchens (Vice Chairperson and Editor)

WEBSITE UPDATE: Our website (oecc.ca/vcb) evolves! A new menu links all OECC branch resources: read branch newsletters, access their autojumbles, find their events, all directly from our website. The Meetings & Events pages are current. Suggestions for improving the site are welcome!