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- Created on Thursday, 10 October 2024 20:44
- Written by Stephen Tickell
Lou Shorten weekend 5-6th October 2024
This was our last event of the year and was well attended as usual. On Saturday we assembled at John Shorten's for the usual buffet lunch and a talk by John Beesley about his experience with steam locomotives - his other hobby - and particularly boilers
John has been maintaining and driving engines on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway for many years, so has become all too familiar with stringent modern safety regulations and the costs of ensuring compliance. He brought along some examples of plates and rivets removed from failed boilers, which had appeared reasonably solid externally but on inspection were anything but (not unlike a Magnette sill !)
This was followed by the AGM, where Paul Batho stepped down as chairman after 6 years and was replaced by Stephen Tickell. John Harris retired from the committee after serving as secretary and also events coordinator for many years, as well as producing regular email newsletters
Anthony White used a drone to take this video which shows some of the Magnettes
During the traditional Saturday evening dinner we had a slideshow of Register archive photos, marking 50 years since it was officially established. Trophies judged during the year were presented, although not all the winners were present. Mike Laflin received the Pride of Ownership for his well-used supercharged Farina MkIV and Paul Batho was in a class of his own for the California Cup autotest trophy !
Having had around 100 WWII airfields, East Anglia still has a surprising concentration of air museums, each with their own eclectic mix of planes and artefacts. Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum near Bungay made an excellent venue to gather on Sunday, with 11 Magnettes and several other cars. There was still plenty to talk about as we explored the exhibits, before most people headed for home by mid-afternoon. Thanks to John and Cynthia for making all the arrangements for the weekend
text and photos by Stephen Tickell and Anthony White
