TRW
and Telephone calls.
Last
Monday at the Museum was a bit strange. We were due to have a school
visit that didn't arrive, it rained all day and a couple of guys who
had visited us before, stayed almost all day talking bikes mostly
with Pete but they had a keen interest in the Austel. Number one off
the production, if you can call hand building a bike a production
line, and they had both had versions later than I was lead to
believe.
Number eleven may not be the number of the unfinished one.
They believe they had number twelve and that two more were completed
after that using Citroen 2CV engines and gearboxes with novel foot
operated rocker mechanism that got the gears in the right order.
There could be at least another two Austels out there making
fourteen. Other bits to note and this comes from Pete who used to
work for Wilkinson so I found a picture of a 1913 model for him to
look at.
Our conversation of the day was about a Norton Command Fire
appliance! One was built. It was a Commando powered outfit with fire
extinguishing facilities on the sidecar and room enough for an
assistant clad in fireproof overalls.
Pete
sent me these photos and some information as follows:
Mentioned
yesterday the Fire Engine was all a part of trying to make car racing
safer. Graviner already did some fire protection for vehicles as an
extension of the aircraft work the company had been doing since the
1930s. So we were chosen as part of a consortium together with Rubery
Owen and Shell. At that time Owen owned Norton and BRM.
I
went to Bourn in Lincolnshire to fit extinguishers to a BRM racing
car and the people at Norton at Wolverhampton set about building a
Commando Fire Engine that would be kitted out with Graviner
equipment. They welded a unique self designed sidecar to the Commando
frame.
Graviner
Fire engine 2 was taken at a Brands Hatch parade celebrating Lotus
winning the F1 World Championship.
TrackFireOutfit
I discovered by accident and looks to have been taken where it was
built but I couldn’t trace who had taken the picture. Third picture
taken at the parade shows man in asbestos suit on the back of the
bike. That’s me standing in the truck behind the driver. The two
girls at the back were wearing mini skirts and were shivering with
the cold.
I’ve
contacted Norton but they know nothing of the outfit and gave the
impression that they didn’t want to know. I’ve asked the Norton
Owners Club but no one has come forward as knowing anything about it.
So it seems to have vanished.
The
TRW that we have in the Museum with rear suspension has more of a
history than you think. The day started with Mick Duckworth of
Classic Bike fame enquiring about our TRW that has rear suspension.
I
didn't know it at the time but it was owned by a Submariner no less a
Captain. This was the link from Mick who wanted to know if this was
that bike. I now know that it is that bike and it was put together by
Peter Hayes. Later that day there is another call, this time from
David Hayes his son asking if we would like more information about
this bike. What a co-incidence that there ere two calls in one day
from different people about the same bike. I'm sure there is more to
know and at some point will be revealed.
