Social Scene Report - TR Action Issue 286
We had our 25th Celebration in August – hopefully, see an account of this in a separate article.
The September meeting at the Amber Hotel was blessed with two 'fresh' TR6s – Alan Jones in his emerald green, and Michael Miller in his white. Maurice Poole's very nice Stag also put in an appearance; the car park of the Amber is becoming something of a classic car showground at times.
September's Sunday run, organised by Barry and Hazel Cockayne, which followed a theme of tracking the route of the Chesterfield Canal, had nine TRs and a modern mini. We drove off into the deepest darkest parts of North Nottinghamshire and stopped for lunch at the Waterfront Inn, located at a canal basin at the canal's junction with the River Trent.
The wonderfully sunny day gave an opportunity for a coffee stop at the Greendale Oak on the return trip.
October's run, the last of the season, organised by Ian and Ryan Walker, took a route into the Derbyshire Peak District – most occupants of the twelve cars were necessarily well-wrapped against the early season chill. Welcome to Mick & Irma Miller and their dog in their TR6. Another two TR's joined us at the end of the run when we stopped for lunch at the Wheatsheaf in Baslow. The run took in a few very narrow Derbyshire lanes with lots of tight bends – particularly taxing for John 's E-Type with its luscious long bonnet. The planned route was somewhat disrupted by a cycle race, but good tour discipline – (i.e. always keep the car behind in view, or else wait), kept the group intact - more or less.
Our two stalwarts, Alan Wilkinson and Dave Burgess, who tackled the 'Run to the Nordkap in Norway, are full of tales of 'daring do' and applied ingenuity. Dave Burgess took his TR6 but in protest at all the 'clog' it has been receiving (see TR Action 283), the layshaft of his gearbox gave up the ghost just outside Oslo, so he had to complete the major part of the journey in second and fourth gear . Alan Wilkinson took his magnificent project, the BMW diesel conversion TR6, but suffered a blockage in his fuel line, cured by by-passing the blockage with a length of plastic tube poked into his fuel tank via the filler cap and connected directly onto his pump until such time as they could get to a garage airline to blow the blockage clear. He also had a problem when the larger than normal bell-housing managed to scoop up gravel from the compacted-shale road they were taking, which then jammed his flywheel. Such problems make an adventure; solving them is what makes for a memorable adventure!