Last Updated: 17/01/2012 14:17:26
‘Tis the season for planned inactivity – TR wise anyway. By the time this edition slithers over your thresholds, East Saxons will have enjoyed seasonal nibbles at the Three Compasses, and their Dinner and Dance at Rochford. Not much in the way of organised driving though. Chris Russell is currently wearing an inane grin, it’s not wind though. I mentioned in the last report that his car was in for “preventative surgery” – well it is back and his licence looks to be in peril judging by his apparent enjoyment of the TR’s “mid –range” pull! Another car currently receiving attention from a local specialist is the TR4A of Leda Legg. She is carrying on with the schedule of work planned before Allan sadly passed away and, I think, thoroughly enjoying the process and anticipating driving the car as it must have been when they bought it many years ago. Having “broken the ice” a while back when attending our Sunday lunch, new member Gordon Welch chose the coldest evening in a long while to bring his TR3 out to one of our meetings after twenty odd years of inactivity. The car has only one seat and Gordon currently drives it on aero screens with no carpets, hood or side-screens. Myself, I would have chosen a slightly shorter first trial than Bishops Stortford to West Hanningfield but hey, I’ve only owned a TR for twenty years. He must have returned home o.k. as I’ve had an e-mail from him since. More recently, 27th November to be precise, myself, Veronica, Denis Parsons and Ian Freeman from East Saxons along with Peter Dadson from Abbott and Stour, attended the TRR AGM at Gaydon with representatives from many other groups. Attendance, I think, was slightly down on last year despite the unseasonably kind weather conditions. There seems an underlying criticism though, from some quarters, of those who do not utilise TRs for the journey, but using one vehicle to bring five attendees on a two and a half hour journey is, I think, sensible. Business matters were despatched with some efficiency, the only real surprise being the resignation of Steve Redway, our editor, which leaves the committee with the unenviable task of finding a replacement capable of maintaining Steve’s high standards. Of specific interest to East Saxons is our upcoming AGM being held on Thursday 5th March at the Farmhouse Inn, Monk Street, Thaxted. I should like to invite all members, particularly new ones, along for what is usually a very pleasant evening giving you the opportunity to have a say in how the Group is being run. To see what is being planned for 2012, have a look at our website (www.eastsaxons.com) and finally, I would like to wish all Register members including those at Didcot a very special new year.
Like tortoises and hedgehogs, TR life seems to be heading for hibernation although I must say the recent “Indian Summer” has slowed down the slow down. Along with the Tydemans from Abbott & Stour, Veronica and I made the most of the unexpectedly warm weather on Sunday 2nd October and drove up to Snetterton to watch Team “All Triumph” managed by John Davies, and Celia Steven’s “Motley Crew” take part in the 4 hour British Motor Heritage relay race. There was a full supporting program of racing but sadly a dearth of TRs; one notable exception being Neil Revington’s TR5. Both teams were up against some seriously quick opposition but they finished. With such diverse machinery as Jag D Type Replicas, 4.9 litre TVRs and 1275 cc Midgets, a complicated handicap system was in operation so we left without hearing the final result. The following weekend, 32 East Saxons donned their Sunday best to gather at Coggeshall for a Sunday lunch. It was particularly good to see Dorothy Walker who had been unwell since spending some of our weekend away at Bradford on Avon. It is amazing how much enjoyment a group of people can derive from overeating and over talking! This sociable event also provided the opportunity for Gordon Welch and Linda Rose to pay us their first visit. Gordon owns a TR3 that he has owned from almost new – it has been off the road for about twenty years but has actually been for its first M.O.T for ages. It is not fully “operational” just yet as it has only one seat. Gordon has a very low membership number having been one of the very earliest register members now living in our area. Hopefully we will be seeing more of them in the future. A car that has been missing from activities lately is the TR4A of Chris (Breeze Breaker) Russell – no breakdown or blow-up, he is having some preventative surgery performed on the power plant and transmission. We won’t see him for dust on our trips to France. Following Colin Collingwood’s payout for his stolen Stag, he has re-invested in a very nice looking 2500S saloon, which apart from running out of petrol, completed the journey from Newbury to Essex without missing a beat. Having been with Colin to view the car the week previously, I was taken back to the seventies when I owned a Dolomite Sprint in the same elegant Carmine colour; the interior, albeit a bit smaller was the same tan colour also. Happy memories. There’s just about a month to go to the holiday of over indulgence and we should by now have arranged our nibbles night, probably the 15th December at the Compasses; but check just to make sure. One thing already set in stone is our “Christmas” Dinner and Dance this year, or rather, next year: it is on 14th January, you should by now have all purchased your tickets. Keep in touch at www.eastsaxons.com
A couple of days before leaving for the IWE, I replaced the shoes in the rear brakes on the TR6. I was sure they were adjusted correctly and all seemed fine until stopping for lunch en route to Harrogate. The smell that greeted me was not that of a tasty food but of burning paint. The newly applied silver paint on one drum was now bubbly gold. Long story short, after replacing a wheel cylinder with help from John Andrews, not much improvement was evident. I slackened the shoes off which did not much affect braking but rendered the normally marginal hand brake now a totally pointless accessory. Someone later suggested that my problem could lie in one of the flexible pipes. These were thought to be acting as one way valves thereby preventing the fluid (and the brakes) to return. Once replaced, (with help from Richard stone) hey presto, no more dragging brakes and after they were adjusted correctly, I had a decent hand-brake too. In between problem and resolution, along with the other 28 East Saxons, I really enjoyed the IWE despite a somewhat poor trade showing. The venue was, I think, even better than Malvern although for us, it is difficult to plot a route avoiding a long thrash up the A 1 without adding substantially to the distance covered. Once again this year, we attended the Helmingham Hall Show and shared a stand with Essex, Wensum and Abbott & Stour. As always, there were hundreds of individually shown cars but our combined efforts ensured we had the best representation. The following week (14th August) was our annual barbecue at the Thaxted Windmill and as usual the weather was great; one year it is bound to let us down. The mill is still without its sails, one of which smashed through the first floor walkway a while back - repairs are planned for next year. Needless to say, with such an old structure, repair and refurbishment are expensive, so many thanks to all who donated enabling me to hand over £60 to the conservators. Once again, on 29th August the four Groups got together at the Lavenham Rare Breeds show where according to my count we had about fifty cars; a great turnout in a very picturesque setting. Our season of regular events started to draw to a close with our Autumn weekend away – this year to Bradford-on-Avon chosen mainly for its proximity to Bath but without doubt a worthy destination in its own right. Nineteen East Saxons plus our friends Andrew and Sarah Breakwell from Wye Dean Group made up our party. Obviously Bath was a major destination and the city’s traffic meant “Park and Ride” was utilised by most. The TRs came into their own for runs to the picture-book-pretty Castle Combe, NT Dyrham Park and the NT village of Lacock with its fascinating Abbey, and some went further afield, like Bristol to see Brunel’s S.S. Gt Britain. Before the next edition, like most groups I suspect, a goodly number of our members will have enjoyed the Goodwood Revival, but further forward we are planning to have a Sunday lunch sometime in October and then in November we have the Classic Car Show at the NEC and later in the month, the Register AGM at Gaydon on the 27th. Keep in touch via www.eastsaxons.com
