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Weekly News April 7, 2014Description
Anglo-American Tour, 1954: In the years following World War II, the British Travel Service was active in promoting travel to the British Isles (now more frequently called the U.K.). Through the Veteran Motor Car Club of Great Britain, a two- or three-week tour was planned around England, Scotland, and possibly Wales, with lots of publicity before, during, and after the tour. The idea was that 10 of the finest and most representative American cars would be invited to join 10 of the finest British (and possibly European) cars, and competition with a points system would determine which team eventually prevailed. The carefully selected American cars with two people per car would have all expenses paid, including cars and people, on the Cunard Line in both directions. My recollection is that cars had to be made prior to 1915 in order to be considered.
In those days, travel to Europe by steamship outpaced air travel, probably 8 to 1. Most of the transatlantic service was to and from Southampton, but Cunard had two small first-class ships, the Media and the Parthia, that plied the ocean between New York and Liverpool, and on these ships accommodations were arranged. I probably saw an itinerary of the tour, but I don’t recall its details. It followed a clockwise direction, going north from Liverpool and into western Scotland, skirted the Highlands, then southward closer to the North Sea Coast, across southern England from east to west, and then back to Liverpool. What an ambitious but wonderful tour for very early cars!
Austin Clark, Sam Baily, and others prominent in the hobby in the U.S. were asked to find and invite the 10 appropriate American cars. Baily, of Philadelphia, thought there should definitely be one Stanley steamer, and he knew of my father’s recently restored 1908 Model H-5, Gentleman’s Speedy Roadster. My dad was invited to enter that car. When he declined, Sam said “Would Tom do it with the H-5?” I’m not sure my dad was enthusiastic about the idea, but he didn’t say “no.” Earle Eckel knew of the tour and said if I could do it, he would accompany me as the mechanic. I couldn’t have had a better offer, but I was 30 years old and had just started a travel agency in Wilmington a few years before. Good business judgment made me decline. As it turned out, Mrs. Eckel had a severe stroke before the tour started, and Earle could not have gone, either.
Baily still wanted a Gentleman’s Speedy Roadster. Paul J. Tusek, a postmaster in Ohio, had bought one from the James Melton collection, so he was invited and soon accepted. Since the car’s owner knew little about steamers, Edwin A. Battison of Windsor, Vermont, a Stanley man of long standing, was invited to go as Tusek’s mechanic. This should have been a good team, but the two did not get along well. When trouble with the car occurred, Battison knew how to fix it, but Tusek wanted to handle things himself, and overall the Stanley did not perform well, pulling down the overall score for the American team. A few days into the tour, driver and mechanic were not speaking to each other. They did win a hill climb in northeast England and got good publicity for that. Even though one problem followed another, so far as I know the Stanley completed the demanding tour around the U.K. I never heard which team actually won the Anglo-American of 1954. Two years later, Paul Tusek and his wife attended our Steam Car Tour at Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, and drove to Auburn Heights and return with the H-5.
George M. Hughes Jr. bought the car from Paul Tusek, probably in the mid-1960s. He restored it and drove it on several steam car tours between 1968 and 1973. It was used very seldom after that and finally found a new owner in Bill Schwoebel in 2011 or 2012. Still having a very respectable appearance, it is undergoing major mechanical work and should be on the road again in 2014.
About two years after the 1954 Anglo-American Tour, British owners were invited to bring 10 cars to the U.S. for a similar tour, sponsored by the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, then headquartered in Boston. This time, participants had to pay their own way, and American news agencies were not as anxious to give the tour much publicity. No steam cars participated.
Work Report: On Tuesday, April 1, 18 volunteers, including two new ones, were on hand, as follows: Jerry Novak (in charge), Bob Jordan, Bill Schwoebel, Ted Kamen, Steve Bryce, Richard Bernard, Dave Leon, Gary Green, Ken Ricketts, Mac Taylor, Dennis Dragon, Brent McDougall, Mark Russell, Tim Ward, Greg Landrey, Tom Marshall, and two new recruits Jeff Kennard and John Smoyer. Mike Ramsey was also a guest.
Auburn Valley track work continued with leveling, tamping and tie replacement. On the Model 607, a review was made to see what small details still need to be finished up. Steve Bryce had conducted a firing-up demonstration with this car on 3/28, and a foreign object was discovered in the burner (we believe it is the “leg” that held the vaporizer away from the grate). The burner will have to be dropped, at least part-way, to remove this object. A new copper gasket is also required behind the burner branch forks. The cleaning of painted surfaces on the Model 750 was inspected, and the right rear tire, flat again, was dismantled for correction.
On the Model 740, the superheater connections were checked again for leaks, and the burner is ready for installation. Jeff Kennard offered to rebuild the exhaust line from engine to condenser and took the end flanges with him, awaiting the new flexible stainless tubing for completion. The charging cables for the Rauch & Lang electric were lengthened to allow for a more suitable location of the car in the museum. The fluid level in all batteries was checked. Our volunteers dedicated to improving the Lionel layout worked on refinements; their good work really shows.
On Wednesday, April 2, the Model K was fired up and tested by driving it around the driveway several times. The new burner seems to work well. The next time, with some fresh fuel possibly without ethanol, the car will be tested on the road. It was relocated to its proper place in the museum. Outdoor track work on the A.V.R.R. continued.
On Thursday, April 3, 10 volunteers answered the call: Bill Schwoebel (in charge), Steve Bryce, Jerry Lucas, Gerhard Maute, Eugene Maute, Tom Marshall, Paul Kratunis, Bob Jordan, Ted Kamen, and Jeff Kennard. The heavy box containing four burner grates destined for California was loaded by “come-along” on the state’s pick-up truck for delivery to the shipping terminal. Another pallet was dismantled to save the 2 x 4s.
On the Model 750, the right rear tire was reassembled with a NOS inner tube, it was mounted on the car, and all seems well. On the Model 740, one end of the exhaust line was repaired and returned, and the new flexible tubing was promised for Friday. The burner and all connections are in place and hooked up. Rebuilding of the right front Gabriel snubber was begun. The Model K was briefly checked out after its trial run the day before.
On Friday, April 4, the shop and garage were cleaned, and the doors removed from the railroad tunnel.
Saturday, April 5, was a big and very successful work day at Auburn Heights. With at least six volunteers, track work continued on the Auburn Valley, and the “diesel” with its four cars made several successful trips around the loop with no problems. Our new “Green Team,” headed by Rich Gregg, turned out about 10 volunteers who pruned, raked, trimmed, and hauled away much of winter’s unattractive residue, and the grounds have a decidedly improved appearance. We await our two Easter Egg Hunts on 4/12 and 4/19, both of which are SOLD OUT!
