Roy B

Hello folks, Great news regarding F.1’s at Bristol, and a provisional Knockhill date. This week we pay a visit to Gordon Smith’s (a.k.a the Halifax Hurricane), and son Eliot’s hometown of Halifax and have a look around inside the Town Hall. First though it’s back to Birmingham for the 2019 Gala night pit scene. Following Colin’s tragic accident I have been in touch with his brother Gary a couple of times within the past few weeks. He stressed that Colin would have wanted everyone to carry on as normal, and not to let time stand still. It is not easy to do this though as we have lost a true and loyal friend to the oval racing family whose contribution to the sport was unmatched. I was not sure how people would react to the pit pics going on, but after speaking to Gary I do feel encouraged. If anyone is unhappy about them being uploaded just let me know and I’ll take them off. I really hope that these won’t be the last pics from Wheels. I always enjoy going there and would really miss the place. The pits for this meeting were as full as I’ve seen them. 53 & 445 who were amongst the last to arrive had to park up right down the bottom of the top pit road! I took this in 2017 and it made its debut at this meeting: We now head off to the West Yorkshire town of Halifax for a look around the grade ll listed Town Hall. It is a building of immense architectural significance and has been voted one of the top ten Town Halls in the country. It was designed by Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament which it was said he used as practice and perfected his craft at Halifax. 24,000 tons of local stone from Ringby Quarry were used, and the final cost for the site, building and furnishing amounted to £54,487.6s.7d. It was built to be the most grand and significant building in the town reflecting the affluence of 19th century Halifax. 358 trains brought 70,000 people to a two day session of openings and visits during the 3rd and 4th August 1863. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII performed the official opening ceremony. The weather did its best to put a dampener on proceedings quite literally. The Halifax Courier reported that,” the rain descended in torrents, ceaselessly, pitilessly. It would be impossible to calculate the amount of real misery experienced here”. The building externally has a wealth of ornate stonework and carving. The tower and spire are decorated from the top to its base. Four 7 foot high angels stand at each corner of the spire. The main hall downstairs is named after Queen Victoria. The ceiling has twelve panels of stained glass, and the floor is stone with coloured marble. The local area has links with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, now called the Yorkshire Regiment. The Books of Remembrance for the First and Second World Wars are displayed here. A page is turned every day. The grand staircase is lit from a large and spectacular dome made of blue glass and gold star sections. The clock and bells were installed in 1862. The great bell weighs almost 80 cwt/4064kg, around the weight of four small cars. A vintage lift is still in existence with the scissor type folding doors. It is very unusual as it has two doors set at right angles to one another. Owing to the layout of the building it was impossible to provide access to the lift on the same side at each floor level. The Upper Victoria Hall is decorated with mirrors to give the impression of a larger area. Elaborate plasterwork around the hall depicts industry. The most stunning room is the Council Chamber. It was originally the Magistrates’ Court. However, in 1903 it was altered to assume its present role. The full stained glass ceiling shows the earliest version of the Halifax Coat of Arms. Dark mahogany panelling surrounds the room. The Mayor’s Parlour came into being in 1901 after major alterations to this part of the building. It has a magnificent plaster ceiling. The furniture and fireplace are of light and medium oak. The room contains some special pieces that have been gifted to the Council over the years. The carpet was manufactured by John Crossley & Sons of Dean Clough. Starting in the early 1800’s they became the greatest carpet making business in the world. They also had the largest carpet mill in the world which stretched for an unbroken half mile, employing over 5,000 people. In 1982 the whole lot closed but thankfully the huge complex of buildings survives. Various uses have been found for the 20 acre site such as business, theatres, music and a hotel. With the loss of Crossley’s it symbolised the drastic decline of industry in the place famously known as “the town of 100 trades”. The Town Hall basement at the time of opening housed the entire police force of 35 people and the cells. They are still recognisable today with bolts, heavy ironwork and spyholes. During WWII it was used as the Air Raid Patrol Control Room. It is now used as store rooms and strong rooms. Public access is not permitted to this area. If you’ve a couple of hours to spare it’s well worth a visit. Next week: A visit to the 2020 Team Mitchell Racing Open Day. We’ll follow this with, “they were built in Montreal, but crashed and written off in the UK”. Join me as we go off the beaten track to see what we can find of this aviation accident.

Continuing with the railway theme this week we’ll have a look at two places within a short distance of each other, but both with a different story to tell about their railway past. First though it’s back to Taunton for the F2 British Championship weekend. F2 British at Taunton – Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd June A truly impressive 66 car entry for this two day event. Saturday saw the qualifying heats for the following day’s big race. Each driver raced in three of the eight heats. The meeting saw the customary long distance travellers out in force at this Smeatharpe venue, which provides the absolute best of hard surface F2 racing anywhere bar none. Two from Ireland, five Scots, and the first appearance at the track for Charlie Guinchard (183), who along with Jon Palmer (24) can be relied upon to entertain. The wait for a west country winner of the title has been a long one. It’s been thirteen years since Tim Farrell won it at Bristol. Some of the contenders were Matt Stoneman (127) who is one of the quickest around here, Steven Gilbert (542) who had a solid performance in the corresponding race four years ago, and Justin Fisher (315) who did finish fourth in that event. Throw in the aforementioned Mr. Palmer with his brand new WRC car, and Ben Borthwick (418) who had his first Final win the previous week at St.Day and the odds were looking good. Saturday: Ht.1: The first victory of the night to Guinchy. He was into the lead very quickly from his yellow grade position and drove away from the field. The blue tops had a rather unsatisfactory start which req’d a full restart. Fellow yellow top Ryan Sheahan (325) came in 2nd, with defending champion Chris Burgoyne (647) from the very back the first red home in 3rd. Ht.2: The clash of bumpers echoed around at the start of this one. Steven Gilbert (542) in his new car debuted the previous week, was flying through the field. Up to 5th after a handful of laps when a caution flew for a pile up which saw Jamie Avery’s (126) car leap frog on top of Andy Walker (328). At the restart Kelvyn Marshall (101) passed Gilbert and headed for the front. The race ended with a win for the 101 car, followed by 542, and Andrew Palmer (606). All three appeared reluctant to mix it with each other for fear of losing qualifying points. Ht.3: Sheahan, the second placed man from Ht.1 went one better in this to claim the victory with six to go. Marshall finished in 2nd after sending Luke Wrench (560) towards the fence. Smeatharpe specialist Wrench eventually coming in 5th. Third went to Sam Weston (468). Ht.4: Another yellow top victory. Jack Cave (801) this time. James Riggall (527), and Gordon Moodie (7) got within striking distance near the end but the 801 car held on. One-time British Champion Craig Wallace (16) had a heavy hit into the back straight wall after getting turned across the front of fellow Scot Euan Millar (629). Ht.5: Win number two for the rapid 183 machine. Mike Priddle (14) had led until the three quarter distance when Guinchy arrived on the scene to shove him out wide. Gilbert, and Bradley McKinstry (NI747) were close behind but not near enough to dislodge the 183 car. Ht.6: Jack Prosser (844) brought out the caution in this at halfway. He suffered his second heavy hit of the night when he was rattled around the plating at full speed, leaving him with a bent car. Adam Rubery (700), who had won the British on its previous staging here four years earlier quickly relieved leader Paul Rice (890) to hit the front. Mayhem ensued behind as Riggall ran wide, Moodie and Ben Borthwick (418) got involved in a scrap, and Steven Burgoyne (674) was turned across early leader Rice and into the home straight wall. To cap this Marshall then ended up getting shot across the track and into the infield marker tyres. By this time Riggall had rejoined a lap down behind Rubery which gave the 700 car a cushion between himself and 2nd place finisher Moodie. 606 came home 3rd. Ht.7: Aaron Vaight (184) took Joe Marquand (689) into the turn four wall at the start of this one. They remained locked together for the whole race smoking the tyres trying to disentangle. Gilbert made early progress through the field once again but was passed by Wrench at half way. Priddle and Matt Linfield (464) were the lead duo. 560 used the bumper to demote 464 but only came upon token resistance from the 14 machine as he went into the lead followed by Gilbert, and eventual 3rd place man Linfield. Wallace and McKinstry lost valuable points after tangling together on the back straight and spinning out of top six places. Ht.8: The last qualifying race of the night. It was that man again in the 183 machine who took his third victory of the meeting. An incredible performance to take a hat trick and pole position for the main event. Riggall, Moodie and Chris Burgoyne delayed each other as they battled their way through allowing the 183 car to build another winning margin. In the eventual sort out 7 & 527 finished 2nd & 3rd. Sunday: The weather took a turn for the worst on this second day. A recurring theme for the F2 and Saloon championship races through the season. Heavy rain came down just prior to the contenders leaving the pits. A hurried change of tyres and set ups ensued. Unfortunately it also led to the grand parade being cancelled. The rain stopped briefly as the grid formed up. 183 & 542 on the front row with 7 & 560 on row two. At the drop of the green the rain started again and continued throughout the race. Wet track expert Gilbert went into the lead with Wrench into 2nd. Moodie ran Guinchard wide with Chris Burgoyne and Marshall up into 5th and 6th. A few cars were spinning and crashing in this first lap sort out. At the start of the second lap Guinchard cannoned Moodie into some parked cars in turn 1 but ran wide himself. The 7 car repaid the hit on the following lap and retired to the infield. However, it was’nt over for the recovering Guinchy as he got involved with Tommy Farrell on the back straight which ended up with 667 in the wall and retirement for both. After a caution period Gilbert led from Wrench, Burgoyne, and Marshall with Borthwick up to 6th from a 14th place grid start. In search of grip Burgoyne took an outside line bouncing along the wall but picked up some damage in the process. A thrilling few side-by-side laps followed as Wrench ran on the inside of the 647 machine with neither man getting ahead of the other for long. Borthwick was the man on the move though and he arrived on the scene to demote Wrench down to 4th and continue the side-by-side running with Burgoyne. At half distance he cleared the 647 car and set off after Gilbert the leader. He caught him with around seven to go and nosed ahead. Gilbert tried to push him wide but to no avail. 418 started to pull away but unbeknown to him his right wheel guard had become detached which means a technical disqualification. Race control became aware of it with two to go, but waited another lap to verify it. Therefore as Borthwick came round to receive the chequered flag he was shown the tech dq flag instead. Gilbert was shown the chequered as he crossed the line in 2nd place. It was a gut wrenching way for Borthwick to lose out, as he was easily the quickest on track and had fought through the field magnificently. To his great credit he accepted the situation and said afterwards, “It’s just one of those things, I suppose you’ve just got to keep smiling. It is what it is.” It was’nt the way Gilbert wanted to win it either. “I had nothing for him. I don’t want to win like that but the rules are the rules and I have. I’ll take it any way I can get it”. The top six after Borthwick’s dq were: 542, 647, 101, 560, 468 and 801. A full three heat meeting followed. Ht’s going to James Rogers (544), Adam Rubery (700), and Paul Rice (890). The Consi had only just started when there was a major coming together on the back straight between three cars. One of which half rolled and ended up sandwiched with another perched on top. An entertaining challenge to disentangle them followed. Jon Palmer (24) took the win at the restart. Final time saw a captivating battle for the minor places between Palmer, Moodie, Marshall, Borthwick and Ben Lockwood (618) with bumpers flying in from all parties. Luke Wrench had broken clear early on and took the win, with Moodie escaping the bumper blows to finish 3rd behind Dale Moon (302). Jack Cave (801) won the GN to complete yet another tremendous weekend at this circuit just inside the Devon border. Now, who has heard of Grotton then? A great name I’m sure you’ll agree. Let us head north to this area in the eastern part of Greater Manchester. Historically it was a rural hamlet close to the Lancashire boundary and part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Grotton Hall, a former manor house was the centre of affairs and there are a few 17th and 18th century buildings remaining. Grotton was involved in light industry including textile mills and a brickworks. All now long gone. A time of change however during the Industrial Revolution, and the building boom that occurred in the 1930’s. It has now reverted to a residential suburb of Oldham. Let’s go back to 1849 and the opening of the London and North Western Railway’s line which connected Oldham, Greenfield, and Delph to the main Huddersfield to Manchester line. Grotton was one of the nine stations on this route, and was listed as Grotton and Springhead. At its peak twenty-two trains a day stopped here besides freight and expresses passing through. The line became known as the, “Delph Donkey”. It was said that in the early days a donkey was used to pull the carriages. The route used part of the main Manchester to Huddersfield line so it is doubtful that horses or donkeys would have been permitted. It was a two carriage service pushed or pulled by a tank engine depending on direction of travel. The line closed to passengers in 1955, with freight continuing until 1963. The last stationmaster used to nip down to the Grotton for a quick pint between trains! Obviously there must have been a lot less traffic on the line towards the end. Heading east after leaving Grotton the line entered Lydgate tunnel. This was built in the mid 1800’s and is still completely intact. After lifting the track it was decided that it would be too costly to collapse or infill the tunnel as there was considerably more construction such as housing above it than when it was built. A planned maintenance programme with routine inspections has been implemented. The line continued to Delph with a twice daily stop at the newly opened Measurements Factory. The business was established by Alfred Hirst in 1884 as a watch manufacturer in Oldham. They produced timepieces, jewellery, and precision watchmaker’s tools. The First World War saw optical instruments, revolution counters and aircraft parts added to the list. They were tasked by the Ministry of Munitions to devise an alternative way of bomb drop. Pilots were dropping them by hand at this stage so they created the first ever bomb rack. After the war they moved into the new factory and by 1920 were turning out radio sets and counters/meters for the gas industry. WW2 saw further munitions and aircraft instrumentation work. The end came in the 1970’s however with the site demolished in the mid 1980’s. I was travelling to a Sheffield meeting earlier last year and thought I’d stop off to see what was left of the railway side of things. I also wanted to see how the access was to get into the tunnel at a future visit. A turning off the main road leads down Station Road to the site of the old goods shed. The station building is still there as a private residence and the platform edges are just about visible. The trackbed leading to the tunnel is very overgrown but mercifully free of litter and rubbish. The embankments are quite steep so any water collects at the bottom. This was the main obstacle as for about half its length it was like a swamp. At the tunnel entrance itself the ground is reasonably dry. Like a lot of disused tunnels the access to this one is gated and fenced off, and liberally painted with anti-climb paint. A very sticky treacly type substance. Occasionally at some locations you can get lucky and find these gates open but any return visit with old clothes is a necessity here. In the gallery pics is a map from the late 1800’s which shows the mills and goods shed. The photo of the train shows it heading east from Grotton to then eventually enter the tunnel and continue to Delph. We’ll continue our explore now with a short journey of around 7 miles to our next location of Godley, a suburb of Hyde, Greater Manchester. Although it’s the railway stuff we’re here for there is a neat bit of history I’d like to tell you about. In the early 1880’s a man by the name of John Broomer developed an early form of margarine called Butterine. It was a mixture of the local farm milk and imported olive oil. He set an establishment up in an old hat factory on the Mottram Road which he called the Olive Tree Margarine Works which was eventually taken over by Maypole Dairies in 1902. They added ice cream to the product listing. In 1925 along came the Unilever giant of Walls who took over adding their famous pork pies and sausages to the range. Nowadays all that’s left is a very small part of the factory which is occupied by Kerry Foods. The dairy having been demolished many years ago. Is’nt it amazing that wherever you go in this country there is always a great story to be found. Even the smallest of places have had an illustrious past. Many of the world’s first and greatest inventions were started in countless locations such as this throughout our wonderful island. Imagine being able to go back in time and seeing all this first hand as it was actually happening. Ok, back to the reason we’re here then. It’s a real good spot. In amongst woodland situated close to the A57 Mottram Road between Hyde and Hattersley is the site of Godley Junction marshalling yard and turntable. During the 1860’s the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed and became the second largest joint railway in the country. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS & LR) joined forces with the Great Northern Railway (GNR) to break the stranglehold on rail traffic held by the London and North Western Railway. It operated 143 miles of track in Cheshire and Lancashire. A decision was made to open a west to east link between Woodley and Godley Junction. This gave the MS & LR access to the Port of Liverpool without the need to go via Manchester. Godley then became the point where freight traffic from as far away as Merseyside met with traffic going to and from the Pennines. Two exchange sidings were laid either side of the station. Ours was known as Brookfold Sidings and also had a turntable installed. The station had four platforms. Two on the Manchester line and two for the CLC lines. (Have a look at the route map in the gallery as it is a bit confusing unless you know what’s what. I’ve arrowed the location of the turntable. It shows two stations at Godley Junction but it was on the one site.) The electrification of the Woodhead line in 1954 gave Godley a strategic importance as it was the point where steam, and then diesel on the CLC line met with the electric services. The primary use of the line we are looking at was to carry traffic from the Yorkshire coalfields to Fiddlers Ferry power station in Warrington. The turntable was used to exchange locomotives and became absolutely necessary after electrification. Class 76 electric loco’s would haul the train from the main line onto the CLC branch and uncouple. Originally a steam (and then diesel) loco would appear and take the train on for the remainder of the journey. The turntable was taken out of use in 1969, and by the late 70’s the sidings had become overgrown. After freight services over Woodhead, and the through route to Sheffield was closed in 1981 the line became redundant and the track was lifted in 1985. Access to the turntable site from the Godley end is restricted by the customary gated fence. However, there is a way around this via a field off Brookfold Lane and an easier to get through fence. I’ve marked this spot on the O.S map which shows the turntable as a black circle. Failing this there’s no problems coming in from the Hyde end of the disused line as it is an off-road cycle route. There is a definite atmosphere of the past here as it still has remnants on site. It’s a glorious place to spend an hour or two. Two fantastic pics in the gallery show it in use. Compare the two together and you’ll see how the area in the far distance on the colour photo has started to become built up. Nowadays it is virtually unrecognisable and it is hard to visualise a railway ever existed. Next week: Different car and driver combinations (incl. Lundy’s red one) from the pre meeting pit scene at the 2019 Gala Night meeting from B’Ham, plus we’ll have a look around a civic building where tradition and style still reign supreme.

Their Merc, "Black Eagle" took the tender down.

Happy New Year folks. Many thanks Bas. Yes there will be a few truck pics later this winter. Here’s a couple to be going on with for you. A pal at work is part owner of a Standard 5 steam loco. It is based at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough. Back in October it made a trip down to the Swanage Railway to take part in a steam gala. S.A.Smith heavy haulage took it down overnight using their “Black Magic” Volvo and Nooteboom trailer. The loco had been in use that day and still had steam coming from the chimney as it travelled down the motorway!

Great stuff Bryan, especially with Derek and Bezz. Derek's views on the sport were spot on. The idea of interviewing ex drivers would be so good. You could start with Graham Blundell. He has some wonderful tales to tell.

Cheers Steve . I can imagine Crispen's reaction

This week: I hope you all had a good Christmas. Whose got loads of food left over? We’ll start off at Mildenhall with the National Championship for the Saloons combined with an F2 QR, and then a look around the Lakeland Motor Museum. The Mildenhall weekend over the 15th/16th June was one that many look forward to. Camping is encouraged on site and the bar is open on the Fri and Sat night. It certainly helps the long distance travellers. Graeme Shevill (661) was the defending champion having won it on the Cowdenbeath tarmac in ’18. A whole host of top names were on hand to make it a good prospect including Diggy Smith (116), Deane Mayes (730) and Michael Allard (349). Saturday: 37 cars in the pits to do battle in three of five qualifying heats. At this time of year the Saloons were in the midst of a busy period and numbers were a little on the low side. Six overseas contenders were in attendance. Four from NI, and two from the Netherlands. In addition to the aforementioned Shevill, regular shale man Barry Russell (600) had travelled from Scotland. Ht.1: Ryan Santry (389) took the win from his “B” grade start, followed over the line by Daniel Parker (306), and Tommy Barnes (26). Ht.2: Another victory from the yellow grade. Matt Fuller (270) this time. Early battles in this one included Simon Venni (570) being spun out by Kieran McIvor (811) on the pit bend, and 730 tangling with 349 on the back straight. “C” graded Austin Freestone (341) had led until the final bend when 270 dived inside to grab the lead. It was his first win in over a year. 2nd and 3rd places fell to 811 and 116. Diggy had retired from Ht.1 so needed a good finish. Ht.3: A pit bend pile up at the start delayed a handful inc.306. Maikel Maas (H390) led until a lap down car drove him into the home straight wall. Maas took another trip to the fence on the back straight soon after. Cole Atkins (399) and 600 took over at the front with 6 to go. After a caution for a stranded car Russell passed Atkins for the win, with 730 in 3rd. “I like the ups and downs of racing”, Russell said afterwards. He had gone through the fence, and then won the Final the next day at King’s Lynn a week earlier. Ht.4: With under 5 to go in this one Trent Arthurton (610) was fired up the wall on the turn two exit and left hanging off the fence which brought out the caution. Timmy Barnes (131) went on to win from Shane Emerson (888), and Tyler Bloomfield (502). Parker finished 4th after spinning Smith out. The Barnes’s team had performed an engine change on Timmy’s car without missing a race so his victory was a well deserved reward. However, he suffered a scare when he was initially excluded for failing post race checks, before being reinstated. Ht.5: The last heat of the night saw Barnes on a charge again getting inside Venni and Emerson for the lead only to spin out with Emerson on the last bend. Venni claimed the win with Parrin and Russell completing the podium. Russell’s race finishes during the evening had earned him pole for the main event the next day with Parker alongside and Emerson and Parrin behind. Barnes and Venni from row three would be a threat. Highest grid placed overseas driver was Kieran McIvor on row four . Sunday: The low entry of cars mean’t the last chance qualifier was not run and any non-qualifiers allowed to start from the very back. With two non-starters 35 cars took the start. At the drop of the green 306 drifted wide letting Emerson through into 2nd behind Russell. World Champ Max Stott (157) spun on the pits bend, whilst Shevill’s hopes of defending his title ended when he went around on the back straight. Meanwhile, Russell had opened up a gap but was soon amongst the backmarkers on such a small track. He dealt with the traffic well but by half distance Parker had started to reduce the gap. Towards the rear of the field Santry gave Darren Mansi (19) a close up look at the fence in retaliation for being taken out the night before. 5 to go. A duel between Russell and Parker was clearly how the race was panning out. 4 to go and 306 nosed inside 600 to take over at the front. Russell tried to stay with Parker but caught the spinning Santry car delaying himself momentarily. A last bender was still possible for 600 until a back marker spun in front of him on the last lap allowing Parker a clear run to the flag. Russell held on to 2nd, followed by, Venni, Emerson, Mayes and Barnes (131). Owing to a 23rd starting spot Diggy Smith could only manage a 7th by race end. Parker now needed to find room for a third gold stripe to go with his twin stripes for the W.O.Shale victory, and his red and yellow checks for the Euro Champion. The F2’s were taking part in a WCQR and had 47 cars in attendance. Long distance men at this one were Gordon Moodie (7) from Scotland, with Chris van der Elst (H103) and Sjoerd Kranenberg (H126) from the Netherlands. Saturday: Heat 1 went to: Ollie Skeels (124), and Liam Aspin (394) claimed his career first victory on his first appearance of the year in Ht.2. Consi to Dave Massey (977), and GN to Gary Leech (131), another maiden victory. Danny Ford (12) had crossed the line first but was disqualified for a loose wheel guard. The Final saw yellow flags almost immediately after five of the “A” grade piled in at the end of the home straight. 394 led them away on the restart. Suffering front suspension problems the 394 car was oversteering badly into the corners but Liam was keeping ahead of the following pack. Andrew Palmer (606) was flying however and took the lead at halfway. Aspin spun on the 13th lap handing 2nd place to Liam Bentham (488) who closed the gap slightly but this was owing to 606 pacing himself. Palmer was still the length of the straight clear at the chequered. 7 came home 3rd. Sunday: With 43 cars still present 124 continued his winning ways with another heat victory, and a first ever in the Consi for Bart Smeets (969), the Dutch driver who is exiled in England. Stefan Miller (88) claimed his maiden Final victory holding off the challenge from the star men. It was that man again in the GN as Skeels took his third victory of the weekend. Lakeland Motor Museum The museum has been located in Backbarrow, Cumbria since 2010. It was established in Grange-over-Sands in 1978 as part of the attractions at Holker Hall and moved to its current home after 30 years. The site it now occupies used to be the Reckitt’s Blue Dye works carton packaging sheds. Reckitt’s had to relocate here from their Kingston works in 1941 after bombing destroyed the packing dept. It employed around 50 women and 7 men filling cartons of various sizes with Ultramarine Blue powder for export around the world. It was used as a whitener to keep cotton fabric from yellowing. Other uses for the blue pigment were: paints and enamels, make up, textile printing, wallpaper printing, inks, and sugar refining. The actual blue pigment started in manufacture in some old cotton mill buildings nearby in 1890. Despatch was by road and rail to Liverpool and the export markets of Freetown and Lagos in Africa, and Madras, Bombay and Calcutta in India. The factory closed in 1982. My dad used to deliver fridges, freezers and cookers around the electrical retailers of Ulverston and Barrow during the early 70’s and during the school holidays I used to go with him. He drove either an old Leyland FG (threepenny bit cab) or a new Leyland Terrier when available. We used to stop for a break alongside the blue dye works and will always remember the blue powder covering all the trees and undergrowth. A tame Robin used to land on the arm of the mirror for feeding and it actually had a blue breast! Going off subject a bit we had to take the firms Land Rover to a breakdown on the M6 one Sat night. It was an old Commer which had a modified propshaft beam. The bracket holding the assy was continually cracking and had been welded up a few times. It had given up completely just south of Keele Services on the northbound side. The heavy stuff had gone on ahead to hook up and we were mainly rear gunners. The driver of the towing vehicle was known as 18”. He only had one and a half feet (the other half had been lost in a pit accident). The prop had been tied up with rope to the underside of the vehicle so all was set. We got going with us following. The traffic was very light at that time fortunately. After a short distance the rope broke and the prop dropped down. As it dug into the road surface it sent showers of sparks and shrapnel flying out of both sides. A very spectacular show. It lit up the night sky a treat. Before it stopped the prop had hooked one of the brake pipes and ripped the lot out. They were a tangled mass wrapped around it. After re securing it all with a couple of chains the rest of the journey went off relatively smoothly. I had a Saturday job in the yard fuelling up the vehicles from 45 gallon drums with a hand pump, and also topping the rads up. A brook ran alongside the yard and I used a watering can on a rope which I had to throw into the water and haul it back. The filler necks were beneath the windscreens in those days so I had to stand on the bumper to reach it. Returning to Backbarrow now. The production of iron in this area was a very important part of its history. The first furnace in the north of England was built there in 1710. One of its most famous sons, John Wilkinson, built the world’s first iron barge and could be considered the father of all modern shipping. He invented a lead pipe drawing machine and a cannon barrel boring mill. These and other inventions changed the world we live in today. There were two gunpowder works. These provided over a third of the powder used in the Napoleonic wars. A fascinating history for a rural backwater. Back to the present day. The museum houses a collection of classic cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedal cars, and an exhibition dedicated to the land and water speed records of Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald. Next week: Taunton for the F2 British Championship, and we go off the beaten track to have a look at a couple of disused railway locations.

I'll do them this week Will. Thanks for reminding me

For some reason all the apostrophes and underlines/dashes etc have disappeared from the text folks. I'll add them back in a.s.a.p

This week: A few pics from the H6 workshop, and then well have a walk up to the final resting place of WJ615, an English Electric Canberra. I had planned to put some pics on from Mildenhall and the Saloons National Championship this week, but Pascal Spigt has sent me the first set of pics from his workshop which I am sure youd rather see. The team decided to strip the car down after Kings Lynn. Although Pascal had a good weekend they were not happy overall with the car. Some damage to the block was discovered. This has been professionally repaired. The engine is a small block 440 Chevy. The sump guard has been removed and replaced with a chrome moly one. Also work on the suspension links and brackets. The car will receive a general cosmetic make over in the weeks to come. Pascal would like to thank the team who are: Mum and Dad, lost without them. Best brother crew chief. Marco master mechanic. Patrick ace mechanic #2. Sjoerd warehouse manager. Uncle Aad not a job too big for him. Desmond always there. Youri their youngster. Job crewing for 10 yrs. Dennis Jeroen Michel And his wife Nathalie, and children Mika and Senna. More updates to come from Pascal later in the off season. The story of Canberra WJ615 I am a time served aircraft fitter by trade, and one of my first tasks as an apprentice was working on Canberra wings for a few weeks. This was a refurb job and did not involve the aircraft in this article. The Tornado was just starting in production at that time so I was drafted into the assembly and test hangar and spent the next forty years involved with testing, engine running and flight line work. I never get that Monday morning feeling in this job. Theres loads of variation. Standing next to a jet on double engine runs up to max chat re-heat is a never to be forgotten experience. Kidney belts have to be worn as the vibration from the engine pulse reverberates through the body. Flightline work involved marshalling jets in and out of the bays.Theres nothing colder than a windswept airfield on a sub zero winters day. The only way to try and keep warm is to huddle around the exhaust pipe of the ground power unit but then you end up getting gassed with diesel fumes. However, you cant beat the blast of warm air from the jet pipe as it turns to taxi to the runway. The smell of burnt aviation fuel coming out of that pipe is something else. Perfume of the gods. Ive attached a video showing a lad marshalling jets for a charity event. It is quite amusing. When he crouches down its not for fun though, as the blast from the jet pipe will literally knock you off your feet. Hes in vest and shorts at the end, and it was absolutely freezing that day. Notice how he warms his hands as the last jet goes. https://youtu.be/Vz7FI_S0_NE Anyhow back to the Canberra. I was going up to Crimond one weekend and had heard about a Canberra that had crashed many years ago in the high ground close to the Braemar region of Aberdeenshire. With a decent weather forecast predicted I decided to have a look for it. The Canberra aircraft were developed by English Electric in the mid-to-late 1940s. It was classified as a first generation jet powered medium bomber. It was the RAFs first jet bomber for high altitude and speed. During the 50s it set world records for high altitude, and non-stop transatlantic flight. It had a lengthy service life, serving for more than 50 years. In June 2006 the RAF retired the last of its Canberras, 57 years after its first flight. WJ615, the one we are involved with is a B2 which was the initial bomber variant. It was operated by 35 (Madras Presidency) Squadron Royal Air Force. On the 22nd Nov 1956 the two man crew were detailed to fly a 3 hour night sortie. At 18:02 the aircraft took off from RAF Upwood (Cambridgeshire) and departed for Kinloss (Scotland). Weather conditions were good for the whole trip. At 19:00 the aircraft made radio contact with Kinloss and performed a normal visual circuit and runway overshoot. At 19:21 the aircraft climbed away from a height of 300ft. Kinloss Air Traffic Control passed two regional pressure readings and the Flying Officer replied, Thank You. Good Night. This was the last communication from the aircraft. It was seen to climb away for its return to RAF Upwood. At approx. 19:30 witnesses from near Braemar heard it pass at an unusually low altitude for that area. A witness saw the tail light and the outline as it headed south with the engines sounding normal and on a level course. A few minutes later the same witness saw a flash as it struck the hill. It was a clear night with just a few scattered clouds. Around thirty volunteers guided by the Police and the Queens gamekeepers, and two RAF Service Mountain Rescue Teams comprising of thirty two men and a helicopter were engaged in the search. At 08:40 on the 23rd November a search party were just approaching the wreckage when the helicopter also sighted it. Both crew members were killed in the impact. Officially the wreckage was recovered to RAF Edzell for accident investigation, component recovery and scrapping. However, substantial pieces of wreckage remain at the site. The Court of Inquiry was unable to determine the cause of the accident. So lets see what we can find. On the A93 between Braemar and Ballater is a turn off down a single track road to the Spittal of Glenmuick. At the end of this is a small car park next to the River Muick. If its between May and Sept do not leave your car door open as swarms of midges will get straight in to share the next journey with you. They are voracious nippers. With the river close by its the ideal environment for them. If youve been at Northampton when the corn flies are around youll know how itchy they make you feel. Well they are playing at it. These Scottish ones are the real deal. The wreck site is high in the Lochnager hills and makes for a long day walk in a superb location so an early start is the best option. The pics in the gallery show some of the scenery to be found. I left the car park under a black cloud of hungry midges, and didnt stop again until I was away from the river and on higher ground. It was a warm day with hardly a breath of air, and I soon noticed a few black flying dots on their approach so legged it before they hitched a ride. The route to the site is simply glorious with views as far as the eye can see. The summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Mor is where the aircraft came to grief. Wreckage is strewn around both sides of the mountain. I had chosen the side where some big pieces of wing remain. The rest is on the far side and at a lower altitude so would have meant descending and then climbing back up again. This was not really an option as the distance and time to get back to the finish was limited by daylight hours. Ill return another day to have a look at the far side from a different start point. It is mainly wing parts which remain at the point I visited and the aircraft number is still visible. It is a surreal sight to see the wreckage in such beautiful surroundings. One unexpected thing happened. I took my back pack off to have a bite to eat and when I opened it a load of midges flew out! They must have got in at the start. Fortunately there was a slight breeze at this height and as they cant handle that they soon dispersed. I had taken a direct route to the top via a steep climb up a gully. This would have been quite time consuming to go back down so opted for a longer but easier return route. This followed a stalkers path and went alongside the full length of Loch Muick. A truly stunning location. I got back to the car park around 12 hrs after setting off and hadnt seen one other human being all day. I did see six ptarmigan, a couple of sandpipers, a fleeting glimpse of a hare, and a fair few deer though. This short video shows the magnificence of the area: https://youtu.be/U5WIsGxZLsU Next week: Mildenhall for the Saloons National Champs, and a visit to a former Cumbrian dolly blue site that now houses a unique collection. Have a good Christmas folks.

Duck - Nice one. Thanks for the identification. Have a look on Google Maps at Clint Lane, Bowes. It will come up as Barnard Castle but is closer to Bowes. At the Pennine Way (Bowes Loop) end there is a bungalow with yard attached and a few piles of gravel. The Google image was taken in 2009 so no sign of any vehicles then. The abandoned one was opp on the grass verge. Ozzy - Cheers mate, and don't crawl back under that rock

This week we start with Taunton, and then part two of the High Edge story. F2 Ben Fund & Saloons British at Taunton 18th/19th May Saturday: It’s always a great pleasure to visit this friendly little stadium at Smeatharpe, made even better as it is run by the Autospeed team with Crispin Rosevear at the helm. Crispin is a true fan at heart and as well as his promoting duties always finds time to write down the runners in each race from his position on the centre. He appreciates the drivers and is rewarded by good turnouts throughout the year. For the third year running this May Speed Weekend had a great line up of drivers, races and prizes. The glorious Ben Fund rosebowl trophy was up for grabs and a place in the National Series for the winner. The previous three victors in Luke Wrench, Gordon Moodie and Mark Gibbs saw the north west and Scotland take the laurels. Will it be the turn of the west country this time? Sunday also saw the Ray Tyldesley “641” Trophy raced for. This is always on the same day as the Ben Fund as Ray was the first winner of the rosebowl back in 1979 at Bradford. 53 cars were in attendance on the Saturday. The meeting began with the annual Ladies race for the Bill Batten Trophy with 11 cars taking part, and last year’s winner - Sarah Harley - successfully defending her victory. A three heat format then followed which saw Jon Palmer (24), Gordon Moodie (7) and Matt Stoneman (127) take the wins. A good drive from white top Andy Walker (328) saw him claim the Consolation. The Graders Award Trophy was up for grabs on the Final. David Hamer the official F2 grader had put up a host of bonus prizes for this one. A dramatic start saw Steven Burgoyne (674) tangle on the back straight with Joe Marquand (689). The 689 car’s front wheels being lifted off the ground and the car left perched on top of the fence with the cab facing skywards. A full restart saw the 7 car take an easy win followed home by Chris Rowe (76) and 127. Luke Wrench (560) took the GN. 42 Saloons were in attendance incl. 6 from Scotland, one from the north, and 18 East Anglians. The south west contingent completed the numbers. Cars were split into 5 groups and entered in three of five heats to determine grid positions for Sunday’s big race. Ht.1 saw Shane Emerson (888) take the win. Graeme Shevill (661) spun Daniel Parker (306) out in this one who then collected Diggy Smith (116) side on down the back straight. Ht.2 had Adam O’Dell (171) take the win. The biggest hit of the night in this as John Wagstaff (190) was cannoned into the fence by a train of cars led by Shane Emerson (888). Ht.3 was Jamie Sampson’s (149), and Ht.4 saw Scotsman Barry Russell (600) the victor. The last heat of the day went to Lee Sampson (148). This left Shevill on pole after a pair of second place finishes and a seventh. Sunday: The opening F2 heat was an all white/yellow top 19 car event. Lee Morgan (145) took the win. The 30 car Ben Fund race came next. All cars lined up in reverse national points order. James Rygor (783) on pole, with Paul Rice (890) joining him on the front row. 560, 127, and 7 started from the very back. At the drop of the green Justin Fisher (315) found himself facing the oncoming traffic on the home straight with Chris Burgoyne (647) also getting involved. As they tried to clear themselves 315 spun again and was hit square on by Bradley McKinstry (NI747), and then again by Lewis Geach (111) and Adam Rubery (700). Red flags and a full restart. 127 had made great strides through the pack on this opening lap and was already in the top 10. 8 cars less for the restart. Rygor held the lead at the drop of the green as the bumpers were piling in all around the circuit. That’s the beauty of this track. If you want to get ahead you have to get stuck in quick as the races are over in the blink of an eye. Moodie meanwhile was scything his way through and was 6th after only two laps. Rygor had built a good lead but at halfway succumbed to the Flying Fifer. The second half saw a few exchanges down the order with James Riggall (527) a retiree. Top 3 at the end were: 7, 560, and Kelvyn Marshall (101). Moodie had won it for a 5th time repeating his success from a decade earlier here at Smeatharpe. As is often the case once he gets in front there’s no catching him. “I just keep banging the laps in and keep it consistent. I just want to win everything so that there’s only four cars in the National Series”, he said afterwards. As we now know he need’nt have worried as he declined his place in the end. The Consolation followed with a lap one stoppage after two cars tangled together and were collected by the pack which saw Craig Wallace (16) diving skywards, and Becky Pearce (660) needing assistance. It looked like the roof was going to be cut off the 660 car to get her out but Becky was determined not to let that happen. After a lengthy delay she was extricated through the cab side. A thrilling restart saw bumpers going in galore and Ben Borthwick (418) emerge the victor. 560 won the “641” Ray Tyldesley Trophy Final with Ben Lockwood (618) in 2nd(whose father Dave would have raced with Ray) and 7 in 3rd. The GN went to 127 to complete a fine weekend for the 2’s. The Saloons began their second day with a last chance qualifier for the remaining six spots for their British. Paul Barnes (210) took his maiden win in this one. After a driver parade and introductions pole sitter Shevill led them away. He ran wide as the green dropped and Smith was through into the lead. No major incidents in this early stage but plenty of action. Diggy built himself an, “out of arms reach” gap. Tommy Barnes (26) was having fun barging his way through until his rad let go owing to the hits his front end was dishing out. A caution came with cars scattered and stranded across the track after an incident on the back straight. Smith had 3 lapped cars between him and 2nd placed Shevill at the restart. The race had settled down until 2 to go when the Irish Open Champ Adam O’Dell (171) took second place from Shevill. 661 came straight back and retook the place. However, a last bender from 171 removed him again and he spun it ending up an eventual 5th. Smith achieved the victory to win his second British Championship nearly a quarter of a century after his first! Top 3: 116, 171 and 600. The remaining races were an Allcomers won by Luke Dorling (120), and the Final which saw 428 win ahead of 116 and 661. Happenings from High Edge part two: Last week we concentrated on the immediate area around High Edge. We’ll have a look at where they moved all the munitions to this time. Before we head off let’s go to the disused Harpur Hill quarry and see, ”The Blue Lagoon”. The quarry has flooded since closure and a lake has formed. It is a natural lush blue colour and looks very inviting on a summers day. The sting in the tail quite literally is the reason why it is so attractive. It is a toxic soup caused by caustic chemicals in the stone. It’s ph level is only marginally lower than ammonia and bleach. In addition to this hazard are bits of cars and dead animal carcasses at the bottom. Children regularly go swimming in it and are told not to dunk their heads under, or of course swallow any water. The council have taken to dyeing it black to make it less appealing, but the natural blue colour returns within a couple of years. It was last dyed in 2018 so when I visited it was still black. As of yet there are no plans to drain and fill it in which I find puzzling. Ok then. Let’s head north. A couple of stops on the way. Up the M6 to junction 38 for Tebay. This stretch of motorway from J36 to J39 is a favourite of mine. Very picturesque through the Lune valley. We’ll stop for a brew in Kirkby Stephen and I’ll tell you a bit about the place. We’ll meet in Bryson’s Bakery and Coffee Shop. Everything is made on the premises and I can highly recommend the savoury cheese and onion barm (freshly baked and still warm) with black pepper and a bit of salad. Of course with lashings of salad cream(not that mayonnaise muck). Follow this with a huge slab of chocolate tiffin and you’re sorted. We’re in Sam Ostle country here. You will have passed Travellin’ Sam’s yard on the way in nr the active railway station, which is actually 30 mins walk from the centre . This is on the Settle to Carlisle line. There was another station nearer to the town which closed in 1962. That line ran from Darlington to Tebay. Stone age, and iron age settlements have been found on the high ground around the town. In the 10th century most of this area was settled by the Danes. The parish church is built of soft red sandstone and is known as the, ”Cathedral of the Dales”, owing to its size and elegance. The “Taggy” bell is still rung in the evening at 8 o’clock. The local saying is that if children are not home by 8 the “taggy” man will get them. Most of the town is a conservation area with 18th and 19th century buildings built on the sites of earlier thatched wattle and daub houses. At the entrance to the town there used to be a pig pool with a pond and grazing cattle. This became the tannery yard which discharged its waste into the open sewer. I bet that hummed in summer. Frank’s Bridge is a 17th century corpse lane bridge, and there are stones at the far end where the coffins could be rested on their way from the villages around. The bridge is haunted by “Jangling Anna” who was a prisoner in nearby Hartley castle. She escaped in chains by jumping into the River Eden but drowned. She is said to wait on the bridge jangling her chains! On a still night you can hear the clank, clank and rusty water appears sporadically!! There were four mills in and around the town during the 1700’s. Two corn mills, a fulling mill (a water wheel driven hammer for beating cloth into an even weave), and a carding mill (untangles, cleans and mixes fibres for the next process). There used to be a brewery and 17 pubs. Narrow entrances to the town and very narrow lanes were built to protect against invading Scots. A lot of history exists for a small place and this is only part of it. We’d better crack on. Let’s make tracks for our next stop. From here it’s along the trans-Pennine A66 to Bowes. This road has the worst safety record in the UK. I’ve travelled this route many times in the Aycliffe and Hartlepool days. A fair proportion of it was single carriageway, and Sunday evenings used to see a lot of hgv’s heading across. One memorable return trip from Aycliffe springs to mind along here. I had taken a girlfriend with me who was a wayward sort. Ahead was an artic. I had an old van at the time which needed a long run up to get past anything. The road ahead and behind was nice and quiet so I put my foot down to start the slow overtake. The ignition switch was to the left of the steering column. When we were halfway alongside my passenger decided she would turn the ignition off and put the keys down the front of her t-shirt! I could’nt risk bump starting it at that speed as the gearbox/clutch were a bit dodgy to say the least. Luckily no steering lock or power steering was fitted in those days either. Very fortunately there was a long layby on the opposite side of the road just handy for me to get stopped in. I was of course compelled to have a good old rummage around inside that t shirt for the keys. I made sure it took me a long time to find them! Great days. Part of the road is on the disused trackbed of the aforementioned Darlington to Tebay railway. At the highest point a sign indicates Stainmore Summit. This is a replica. The original is in the Darlington Railway Centre Museum. The line here had the distinction of being the highest in England. I’ve attached a wonderful video entitled, “Snowdrift at Bleath Gill”. You’ll see the original sign a couple of times in this. The film was made in 1955 and shows the determination to retrieve a loco that became literally frozen in. No leaves on the line nonsense for these lads, just hard graft and team spirit. Turning off the A66 at the Bowes junction finds us in the sleepy village. It was built around the medieval castle which stands on the site of a Roman fort. Bowes itself is mentioned as far back as 1148 so has plenty of history. More hauntings here as well. The 17th century pub has several ghosts, and played host to Charles Dickens on one of his tours. The railway crops up again as it served the village from 1861 until 1962. At some point in the future I’m going to dig deeper into this railway. There are some stunning viaducts still standing in the area we’ve travelled through. The castle was built in the late 1100’s to guard the strategic route known as the Stainmore Pass. It was a vital defence against a Scottish invasion which did occur in 1173-4. Bowes was besieged by King William of Scotland until Geoffrey, Archbishop of York’s army relieved the village. No further work was done to the castle after 1187 and the keep is the only part that still stands. Various changes of ownership occurred until the 17th century when it became redundant. Following the Civil War parts of it were dismantled and the stone re-used for other buildings. The castle at Brough, and Barnard Castle are more complete. Together with Bowes they formed a strong defence against invaders from the north. We are only a short drive from the village to our goal for the day – RAF Bowes Moor, a derelict site in open moorland. As we saw last week stockpiling of hundreds of tons of mustard gas and associated chemical weapons was not a safe option in sites such as Harpur Hill. A remote site such as this was needed and here stands the remains of the UK’s dedicated reserve depot for chemical agents. All the Llanberis and Harpur Hill stockpiles came here. I’ve gathered the following facts and figures for this RAF base from many resources online, but special thanks to crashed.out. The first delivery of mustard gas bombs started in Dec 1941. Ventilation was the obvious priority in storing these. In the beginning they were stored outside under tarpaulin sheets. However, the local sheep population decided the tarps looked good enough to eat. Not content with that they then started on the 65 pounders underneath, puncturing the thin shelled weapons much to their unfortunate demise! As WW2 progressed the facility was upgraded and sheep proofed. Many of the buildings are no longer visible. The ruins that remain today were grouped into six areas for specific sizes and types of weapon. Examples being: Aircraft mounted spray tanks (basically crop sprayers filled with mustard gas), and mustard gas bombs triggered with high explosives. Upwards of 17,000 tonnes were stored here. The corrosive nature of the contents were continually giving cause for concern. Within 6 – 8 weeks the shells start to leak and become very difficult to handle. Long term storage of ready-made munitions was not viable. Instead dotted around the UK were forward filling stations. The gas was stored in underground tanks with the bombs and spray tanks filled as req’d. Thankfully chemical weapons were not used in the European battlefields during WW2. Post war it all needed disposing of. RAF Bowes Moor became the central point for all the RAF’S stockpiles. In addition to the amount already stored here the inbound shipments were huge. In one month alone in 1945 2,500 tonnes were received. Initially incineration was the method used. Incendiary bombs doused in petrol were spread throughout the sheds of mustard gas and now Lewisite (affects the respiratory system and if exposed for a long period progresses eventually to death). The incendiaries were ignited with a few rounds of tracer ammo from a Sten gun. The resulting inferno and clouds of billowing black smoke would have given the good folks of Bowes a horrifying outlook. (There are some pics in the gallery of the disposal but the quality is not good as the photo’s become blurred with resizing) This method was only partially successful. Arsenic residue and unburnt mustard gas remained. By the end of 1945 the site was unable to cope with the sheer amount to incinerate. A decision was made to dump the weapons into Beaufort’s Dyke, a 300m deep trench in the sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Today, there is well over a million tonnes of munitions consisting of chemical, conventional and nuclear lying in that trench. A frightening thought. There are rumours of the storage here of the nerve agents Tabun and Sarin captured from Nazi Germany. These weapons were 1,000 times more deadly than mustard gas. As regards the site today there is still a probable chance of mustard gas and arsenic contamination. The massive amounts of storage and destruction that went on here make it a highly contaminated site. During the late 1990’s mustard gas shells were being found and people exposed to chemical agents. In 2007 the MOD carried out a survey of 46 former chemical weapons sites. Bowes Moor was one of 14 that req’d more detailed investigation. I have not been able to find any text on line relating to the full report. The probable reason why all the low lying structures have not been completely removed is that the ground is holding trapped contaminants. The mustard gas is denser than water and is not going to evaporate. The arsenic containing Lewisite residue is even worse. None of it is going to go away anytime soon. I had a good old mooch around the whole site and apart from a few lumps of metal lying around did’nt come across anything untoward. The only dodgy area was under an old pallet. It was surrounded by a broken down fence so I had to have a look. Underneath the pallet was a concrete lined shaft containing some murky liquid. The smell was not good so promptly replaced the pallet. A few areas were bare of vegetation, trees etc, and the lack of any living thing was very noticeable. Apart from one fly that is! It was sitting in a brick that had been damaged by some past event. Talking of bricks if there’s any brick spotters amongst you (yes, believe it or not I am serious, check out, “Old Bricks – history at your feet” ) I came across a rare pre 1962 Seghill. These were manufactured 70 miles away in the village of Seghill, nr Newcastle upon Tyne at the Hotspur works. The site was part of a colliery and the bricks were used in the village houses and the colliery itself. The colliery closed in 1962 but the brick works clung on until 1977. The Seghill name was not on any bricks manufactured after 1962 so I’ve left it there if anyone wants to add it to their collection! A side by side map/pic in the gallery shows the works in the late 1800’s complete with rail line, and the present day scene. You would never know it existed. After leaving the site I was walking along a very lonely road in the middle of beyond when an old pick up silently pulled up next to me. It appeared from nowhere. The passenger window was open and the driver leered across and said,”We’ve been watching you. What are you up to?” I thought if I give the wrong answer here I’ll be squealing like a pig, ”Deliverance” style by tea time. I told him my reason for being there and he dropped his suspicious manner. He was a decent bloke and he told me all about the trials and tribulations of farming. He actually rented the farm from the MOD as it was on part of the weapon site. He then got onto the ”Beast from the East” and told me all about the drivers who owing to the A66 being closed decided to go across country down the back lanes! His tractor was 24/7 towing people (or idiots as he called them ) out of deep drifts. We bid farewell, and I carried on and came to a dilapidated old garage with some Foden tippers parked up in various states of repair. There was one tractor unit dumped on the verge. It was too far gone to see the manufacturer. If anyone can identify it post it here. Well that’s the end of this journey folks. If you’ve got this far you’ve done well. Next week: Mildenhall for the Saloons National Championship, and bring your walking boots. We’re off to Bonnie Scotland. There’s something in them thar hills for us to see.

Gallery news: Pascal Spigt(H6)our friend from the Netherlands is overhauling his car this winter. He's going to upload some pics of the progress so far. It'll be as and when work and time permit 👍

Looking forward to these

Yes, definitely

Off Season Gallery 2019/20 Hello folks, The decision to hold back the Off Season Gallery until now was out of respect to Colin North. He will forever be in our hearts. I would like to send many thanks to everyone for their kind words regarding the pit news/gallery this season. As previously there is a varied mix of things for us to have a look at this winter. To kick things off this first week we pay a visit to the Mendips Raceway for their Golden Anniversary meeting on Sunday 21st April, and then it’s the first in a two part look at the varied history of the area around Buxtons High Edge Raceway and beyond. Bristol – F2 WCQR & Gerry Dommett Memorial Trophy – Sun 21st April In scorching hot weather it was a very special day for the raceway above the Mendip Hills. The unique track with the infamous dip had its grand opening on Easter Sunday 1969. Over the 50 yrs the venue has seen many changes, not least drivers and car styles. A reprint of the opening meeting’s programme was included in that days programme which I thought was a nice touch. The Gerry Dommett Memorial Trophy was the top prize on offer for the F2’s. Gerry was the visionary who saw the track from an aeroplane and developed it to what it is today. He passed away in 1998 and this was the 20th running of the memorial trophy. 46 cars in attendance, and a good geographical spread for this QR, incl. five from Scotland. A decision was taken to run to a three heat format which was a bit risky, but turned out ok in the end with some up to the mark racing. Ht.1 saw Gordon Moodie (7) and Luke Wrench (560) just catch the flying white top of David Shearing (564). Ht.2 was a foregone conclusion with Chris Mikkula (522) starting from the “A” grade. Dan Kent (976), & Paul Moss (979), in a new car completed the podium. Ht.3 had Andrew Palmer (606) holding off Matt Stoneman (127) for the victory, with Steven Gilbert (542) in 3rd. The Consolation had a belter of a finish. Harley Cornock (517) led the whole race until the last bend, and then Philip Mann (53) went in with a big last bender which saw both end up in the fence. Paul Rice (890) was the grateful victor. The Final was under waved yellows early on after a back straight coming together between Liam Rowe (105) and 979 which saw them collected by a number of star men. A complete restart saw 564 again away to a flyer only for another caution with cars stranded in turns 3 and 4. The 7 car pulled onto the infield soon after the restart, and James Riggall (527) took the victory and the Gerry Dommett Trophy, closely followed by 127 and Ben Borthwick (418). 23 cars for the GN. 564 managed to remain clear of the clutches of 7 to take the win. Gordon was glad later in the season when a red roof adorned the 564 car. Happenings around High Edge Have you ever looked at the land behind the back straight at Buxton and been intrigued as to its former use? I have many times so decided a thorough investigation was required. Join me now as we explore the area around High Edge Raceway. It has seen lots of changes over the years. A map from the 1800’s shows many quarries in the area. An ancient burial mound containing human remains and Roman pottery etc. have been found on the site of the track. Within a couple of miles is the former location of RAF Harpur Hill. As the threat of war loomed over Europe in the late thirties, the Army, Navy, and Royal Air Force were looking for sites to store bombs, ammunition and weapons. Disused mines were the preferred option, and north of a line from the Bristol Channel to the Humber to increase the distance from the airfields of Germany. It soon became apparent that there was a shortage of mine sites so a different approach was required. The Frith site at Harpur Hill was chosen as a new design of bomb store. A series of reinforced concrete galleries covered over with 60 ft of top cover would give a similar protection as a tunnel deep underground. A quarry close by with a rail connection was an added bonus. There were large amounts of quarry spoil available for covering the galleries, and the construction site could easily be mistaken for quarry activity in aerial reconnaissance. Work commenced in 1938 with the RAF taking over in Dec 1939. It was one of the biggest ammo dumps in the country. Gas weapons (mustard gas) and V bombs were stored here amongst other things. A twin facility in Llanberis suffered a structural collapse in Jan 1942, and as a precaution against a similar failure Harpur Hill was closed in May 1942. A total of 24,000 tons of material was removed from the two sites. We’ll have a look where that lot went in part 2 next week. Harpur Hill was eventually reinforced and re-opened but the storage of sensitive explosives was not permitted. The site continued until 1960 and was then sold off to local businessmen and saw use as a mushroom farm, cold store, and a bonded warehouse. Behind turn’s 3 and 4 of the raceway, and beyond the speedway track is the Health and Safety Laboratory. They bought the site in 1924. At the present time they do testing and evaluation on a huge range of hazardous items. Fire, explosives, crash testing, hydrogen and alternative fuels, batteries and energy storage etc, etc. The list is endless. They basically have the largest and biggest of anything to do with safety testing. A railway line has been constructed, and they used to have some old London Underground trains that were used to reconstruct the 7/7 tube bombings. The wartime connection between RAF Harpur Hill and this site is difficult to clarify. The HSE site is also named Harpur Hill and some sources give the RAF site as having a location as far as the Frith, which is virtually where the track is located. Maps of the time do not show for obvious reasons any location. In the gallery I have included an aerial shot and recent OS map which clearly show the bunkers. These are the smaller ones which have seen use by the HSE since the munitions were moved out. They were linked by a railway to the main base which had some huge concrete galleries. No doubt you will have seen the two reinforced buildings at the track, one in the pits, and the other behind the main stand. These are definitely from the years we are looking at as well. I had a couple of hours to kill before the Thurs F2 meeting during WF week, so join me now for a walk around the area to see what’s left. Adjacent to the grass opposite the pit entrance is some high ground. Usually a few people sit up there during the meeting. I climbed past that to the highest point and came to two pill boxes that had been constructed half buried. These were for defence against the sites mentioned above. The furthest one is the easiest to get into but involves going around the end of a fence which is over the actual High Edge. A sheer drop of some 60ft (20m). One wrong move and it would be more than clean underpants req’d. There were rumours of machine gun emplacements on the top but nothing remains today. From the top of this hill the bunkers stand out really well. As I returned to the road a distant siren went off followed by a ground shaking bang from the HSE site. My next port of call was to have a look around the bunker site. Plenty of pics in the gallery. Managed to get access to a couple of the bunkers but most were breeze blocked up. Both contained rail lines, and one had a large round magnet above the rails. Stalactites/stalagmites from the concrete structures were much in evidence everywhere. These were formed from a compound called calthemite leaching out of the concrete. (I came across these again a few weeks later forming within a disused and long abandoned railway tunnel. We’ll have a look at that another week). Further into the site I came across some concrete cylinders that had been used for explosive testing and a disused control room. Suddenly a high vis appeared from a cabin in the distance. Was it game over already and a case of, “I’ll come quietly officer”? Thankfully not. He had come out to wave the red flag to signify an imminent explosion. A siren went off followed by another earth shaker of a bang. Superb stuff! All this part of the site seemed to be abandoned. I do enjoy a good nosey around derelict and disused places. I found a couple of gauges still in situ. One of which was a 0-160psi pressure gauge manufactured by Negretti and Zambra. The company was founded in 1850 and became royally appointed scientific instrument makers and opticians to Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and King Edward VII, the Royal Observatory and the British Admiralty. A great pedigree, but no more as from 1999 the company ceased. As I continued I got closer to the active part of the site . I decided to keep to the path that has been designated to walk through as cameras and surveillance are everywhere. After getting off their land I walked back along the trackbed of the long gone Cromford and High Peak railway. In 1800 the Peak Forest Canal was built to provide a route between Manchester and the East Midlands for the mineral, cotton and textile traffic. However, this involved a lengthy journey via the Trent and Mersey Canal. A new route for a canal to go “over the tops” was considered, but the financial outlay v return made this unfeasible. It would mean carrying a canal over 1000 ft and sustaining a water supply in the dry limestone uplands. A railway was the answer, and in 1832 this section was opened to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. In those early days horses and stationary steam engines were used before locomotives arrived on the scene. There were a dozen sidings around the Harpur Hill area serving the quarries and lime works. Unfortunately the canals were starting a decline at this time but the line held on owing to the increased demand for limestone from the quarries. In 1887 the London and North Western Railway took over the line. Three years later they obtained permission for a direct route to Buxton by building a new line from Harpur Hill. This sounded the death knell, and various sections of the old line began closing from as early as 1890 with all parts abandoned by 1967. I think you’ll agree a lot’s happened in this small area around the track. I could hear the F.2’s practicing from all parts of this look around. It really is that close. If anyone has further info regarding any of the above, or corrections please post it. Next week: The F2 Ben Fund and Saloons British Championship from Taunton, and in part two of the High Edge story we move further afield and have a look at a toxic pool, a castle and a remote land where every move is watched.

Cheers David 👍. It'll be all systems go on Sunday as i'm working a 4 night shift until then. We'll be starting off with a visit to the Mendips Raceway, Bristol for their 50th anniversary meeting, and then in the first of a two part story we'll have a look at the fascinating history of the land surrounding one of our racetracks. Back Sunday folks 👌

515 - Oil filter came loose in the GN. Engine all ok. A big, big thank you to Queen Jane and King Nic for your season long dedication to the results service. Back from Brum next week.

Update on 515 - Car all sorted. Ready for battle!

Update on 1 - Car all sorted. Ready to go!

Pit news after the Final: 1 - The team working feverishly on the back axle. 515 - Ditto, but on the front axle. 445 - Welding outside front bumper corner. 20 - The car copped for a lot of left side damage. Plenty of welding in op. H410 - Porta power on the rear axle.

Pit news after the Consi: 55 - A repeat of Stoke. Propshaft let go again. 276 - Loading up. Prop and links damaged. 24 - Rear outside bumper half bent back. 345 - Did'nt make the Consi. Nige and Jake working on the power steering. 93 - Front inside corner bent back. 211 - Propshaft to gearbox bearing gave up.

Pit news after Ht's 1 & 2: 25 - Suspect clutch release bearing. Clutch pedal stayed down upon entering the track. It's a machined part that fits this particular transmission only so no spare. 259 - Flat o/s front. 280 - Loading up. Starter or ring gear u/s. 12 - Panhard rod bent. 463 - As 12. 16 - Steering box change after ending up in the t2 fence. 342 - Steering box attachment bracket sheared. The box is located in the engine bay firewall area on this car, so the team have managed to get a trolley jack in the cab to support it whilst welding.

Pit news after the Final: 515 - Flat outside front. 217 - Lost power. Car would'nt fire up. 555 - Front outside hub snapped off. 175 - Flat outside front. 483 - Rear outside bumper corner bent in against the wheel. 16 - Trackrod broken. That's it for the last time from the Stoke pits folks. Back from Belle Vue.

Pit news after the Consi: 55 - Propshaft let go down the back straight with only a couple of laps to go. 220 - Carb trouble, and also not 100% confident the oil pipe is fully tight so loading up. 502 - No brakes. The cars previous owner on the spanners. 445 - Welding rear outside caliper mount. Update on 268: Electrical fault traced to the ignition switch. Unfortunately damage from the Consi is a bent front axle and shattered inside front disc. 348 - Loading up. Right side nerf rail and front bumper badly damaged.