Issue 83 Autumn 2014 The journal of the Russell Newbery Engine Owners & Enthusiasts Club David Kay Phillips 1936 - 2014 www.rnregister.org.uk WHO’S WHO CONTENTS Front cover: DM2 and David Phillips [Rob Davies, Bob May] Back cover: Autumn colour at Cropredy [Kevin McNiff] 3 CHAIRMAN’S CHAT FROM THE EDITOR RUSSELL NEWBERY REGISTER LTD 4 2015 RALLY The plans so far President: Dr Ian McKim Thompson Ladies Please? Vice Presidents: Lady Carol Stamp, Mrs Susan Gibbs, David Thirlby, Allister Denyer, Graham Pearson, Eleanor 5 YOW CAM SPAKE BLACK COUNTRY Phillips Web site: www.rnregister.org.uk MEMBERSHIP MATTERS The Russell Newbery Register is a non profit distributing Property Update company limited by guarantee. Founded: 1994 Registered in England No: 346943 6 BOOM BANG BANG BANG BANG Officers: Lulu comes to NB Callisto! Chairman: Norman C Mitchell t: 01452 415420 [email protected] 8 REFLECTIONS ON DAVID Secretary: Kevin McNiff m: 07866 424988 [email protected] by Rob Davies Director: Jim Comerford m: 07787 591905 [email protected] 9 TRIBUTE TO DAVID Administration (membership, finance): Rob Davies By Ian McKim Thompson 55 Noddington Lane, Whittington, Lichfield, Staffs. WS14 9PA 10 AUTUMN GATHERING REPORT t/f: 01543 432079 m: 07801 842337 [email protected] THE RALLY OF ONE! Newsletter Editor: Kevin McNiff [email protected] Roger Fox explains Newsletter Production: Andrew Laycock m: 07870 294580 Administration (merchandise): Neil Mason 11 FOR SALE - ONE “CHP” UNIT Hillcrest, Chapel Lane, Westhumble, Surrey. RH5 6AH As New! By Steve Burt t: 01306 889073 [email protected] Rally Organisers: Bob Scott and Andrew Laycock 12 OH WOE - part 2 [email protected] Webmaster: Andrew Laycock [email protected] Monty Vann gets down and dirty 13 ROUTINE MAINTENANCE RUSSELL NEWBERY REGISTER PROPERTY LTD Back to the basics for us all! A non profit distributing company limited by guarantee 14 STRETCHING ANSTY ROSE Founded 2004 Registered in England No: 5316384 In time for the Rally, Liverpool and Lancaster by Brian Farrant Unless otherwise noted, Copyright © Russell Newbery Register, 2014 Rally 2015 RN DIESEL ENGINE COMPANY A Black Country Proprietors: Dave Bixter (m:07812 039110) Deborah Bixter (m: 07966 403132) Showroom: RN House, The Locks, Hillmorton, Rugby, “Bostin” event in Warwickshire, CV21 4PP t:01788 578661 Engineering workshop: 4 Oak House, Royal Oak Way North, Royal Oak Industrial Estate, Daventry NN11 8PQ t: 01327 July. See page 4. 700023 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.russellnewbery.com Field Engineers: Ian Crompton m: 07831 841108 Next edition Richard Milligan m: 07973 826260 All contributions for the Winter edition will be gratefully received. Do not worry about format — in true RN fashion the editorial team can cope with [almost] anything! Please supply photographs as separate JPEG or GIF files. Corporate Member Copy deadline is 10th January 2015 2 RNR Newsletter : Autumn 2014 Chairman’s Chat Since the last Newsletter the Register has lost a past Chairman, Director and RN Diesel Engine Co Ltd. owner David Kay Phillips who died over the August Bank Holiday weekend. His obituary is featured later in this issue. Many thanks to all who were able to attend his funeral, a moving and interesting send off for our good friend David. The Register arranged the annual RNR Gathering at the Stafford Boat Club on the Staffs and Worcester Canal in September. The venue turned out to be a splendid place for any organisation to organise an event, slipway, paint shed and a very well equipped club building complete with bar. The moorings were close to the club organisation, Trish for the “meal chits” and Neil Mason house and there was lots of room for double mooring. for his well organised harbour mastery. Before leaving we were able to benefit from their very reasonably priced fuel and other facilities. During the Now we are into winter, or nearly, so it is maintenance event Jim Comerford accepted our invitation to join the time for boats and engines for some of us. I will be back Board of the Register, his election to be confirmed at onto my boat soon for a quick trace of a minor oil leak, our next AGM. oil and filter change and clear the water tank in case of frosts and I expect you will all be considering similar We had one of the few 70ft moorings within the Club work. privately owned water space alongside the paint shop and able to get to the club almost as quickly as those Pauline and I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a on the other side of the cut. The whole weekend was a prosperous New Year with calm and comfortable great success with lots of time for socialising; just the cruising in 2015. job to relax and unwind following a busy cruising Have a good road. season. A big thank you to Kevin and Rob for the From The Editor Welcome to the Autumn Edition, after Register. He was a true Gentle Gentleman another summer with decent and is remembered in this edition. As a weather[although August went a bit down mark of respect, I have omitted all the the tubes for a while!] “Eyecatcher” headlines from the front cover. Once again we have a good level of Our new Rally Organisers have set off at a contributions from members so I hope you pace and they report elsewhere in this find something of interest on those dark edition. evenings by the fire. Several items are being held over until the next edition, including As this is the last edition before year end, the Liverpool Link but still keep your don’t forget to check out the merchandise contributions coming in. available for that special gift for you or yours! I wish you all the compliments of the The passing of David Kay Phillips is time to Season and good boating in 2015. reflect on the amount of time, money, energy and commitment he put into RN Diesel Engine Co. Ltd and of course the Thanks to all who sent in replies to the quiz question in the last issue. It is of course the old diesel tank at Charity Dock on the Coventry Canal. We would welcome other quiz photos so please send them to the editor at the usual email address. RNR Newsletter : Autumn 2014 3 Rally 2015 ~ it is the Black Country in July First the important news, we have a rally date and venue relics and artefacts, plus parts of the photographic for 2015. The former is Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th July; collection, which the BCNS hold will be available for viewing. the latter is Titford Pump House, at the top of the Crow locks on the Titford Branch canal of the Birmingham Canal Post Rally Escorted BCN Cruise Navigations (BCN). So you can all start planning your cruising for next summer now! Following the rally we are arranging an escorted cruise around some the lesser frequented parts of the BCN. This Many thanks to those of you who wrote to us with will be along the lines of the BCNS Explorer cruises. Ian comments, suggestions and offers of help. We hope that McKim Thompson has agreed to arrange and lead this. the choice of date and venue please many of you. Sorry to The exact route is not yet finalised, but is very likely to those that it does not, certainly it is a case of “you can’t include visits to the northern outposts of the BCN at please everybody all of the time!”. Anglesey Basin (Chasewater) and Norton Canes. If possible we will also include a visit to Bradley workshops. As the venue is almost at the centre of the Black Country, The cruise will depart Titford on the Monday afternoon, and the whole rally will have a Black Country theme. We have will finish on Friday evening (with a meal for all participants). booked the famous Black Country Comedy duo Dandy as At this stage we would like a rough estimate of the number the main entertainment for Saturday night. Some regular of boats taking part, so if you are interested contact us RN Rally stalwarts will recall their previous appearances at ([email protected]). the rally - however this one is on home turf, so will be very apt. To help foreigners (that is those not from the Black Finally, any more suggestions for the rally, or offers of help Country) we will provide a translation service! [And see the will be most appreciated. We are also negotiating a beginning of a Learn to Speak Black Country series on the midlands venue for the 2015 Autumn Gathering, again next page]. more details in the next Newsletter. The Titford Pump House was restored from a near derelict state a few years ago. It is now the headquarters of the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS), who are our hosts for the rally. It is situated between the top lock of the Oldbury (or Crow) flight and the Tat Bank branch canal. The latter was built as a water supply feeder from Edgbaston (Rotton Park) Reservoir. It was made navigable for short distance, today about 400 yards are used as long term moorings. The main Titford Canal continues past the now derelict Langley Maltings to terminate at Titford Pools, about ¾mile away. The pools are in the shadow of the M5 motorway viaduct. The Titford Canal is the highest part of the BCN, at 511 ft above sea level. Consequently the need for the water supply and the pumps to recycle lockage water from the lower level.