David Owen's 2010: An Engine Odyssey

Part II: The Continent

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 The end of Part I of David and Celia’s overseas trip saw them leaving London on the Eurostar at the start of September and heading for Paris. David takes up the story:
 

What a great idea to link the UK with mainland Europe via a rail tunnel under the Channel! Not the only way to get to France, but one of the most hassle-free. It is expensive (about A$100 each way) and not very exciting; there is not much to see out of the window, but the benefits are there. Book your seats, bowl up at London’s St. Pancras Station, board the fast train, and two hours later you are stepping off at the Gare du Nord Station not far from the centre of Paris.

We catch a taxi from the station to the delightful, little hotel we booked over the Internet. It turned out to be far more delightful on the computer than it was at number 10, boulevarde Voltaire! Still, it was not too expensive and if we ignored the restrictions of the one person lift, the smell of cigarette smoke, the fire risk, the noise at all hours from other rowdy guests and the 2€ per 30 minutes of Wi-fi with its 1 metre range, then it wasn’t too bad. Anyway, we were here to enjoy ourselves in Paris, and we did.

All the usual must-see attractions are readily accessed from either the underground Metro, or the ubiquitous Red Bus. The Eiffel tower, Les Invalides, the Pompidou Centre, Notre Dame, a boat trip on the Seine, the list of wonderful things to see and do in Paris is amazing. We walked endlessly, we visited some of the best food markets, we ate wonderful food and drank excellent wine, but one can only do this for so long before the urge to see and discuss interesting model engines with like-minded friends becomes too much!

Leaving the hotel early one morning, we caught a taxi to an outer suburb to pick up our brand-new Citroen C4 Picasso. This is not the first Picasso we have had, but I think it is a wonderfully thought-out vehicle, with tons of space for three adult travelers and their luggage, plenty of small compartments for papers, cameras, glasses etc and very comfortable seats surrounded by masses of airbags for safety. The Citroen’s superb, 1.6 litre turbo diesel returned an average 5.7 l/100km over our 5200km journey at speeds ranging from 30km/hr through small villages to 140 plus on many motorways. I could not have wished for a more enjoyable vehicle in every way.

Following Brian Cox’s excellent directions, we drove south from Paris to the beautiful Loire Valley. Here we were warmly welcomed by Brian and his lovely partner, Dolores. We had never met them before, but after many years of correspondence we felt like old friends. Brian was born in England and spent his early years there. But a chance trip to France as a young lad instilled in him a love for that country and he determined to live there one day. He has now done so for over 20 years. Being in France has given him a wonderful opportunity to study and buy some very fine and often rare French engines.

Invited to stay for a few days, Celia and I were shown just a little of the marvelous Loire region and visited the famous chateaux of Amboise and Chenonceau. We also met some wonderful local people, including Jacques, a neighbour of Brian’s who lives on a small farm set against what was once the bank of the Loire River. Jacques’ house and farm buildings are fine representatives of the troglodyte style (cave dwelling). It was fascinating to enter these rooms, dug well into the cliff face, some containing shelter for animals, others being used as workshops and wine cellars. Then, laden with produce and samples from Jacques’ cellar, we returned to enjoy a sumptuous meal prepared for us all by Dolores. Of course, the table-talk always turned to engines and, leaving Celia to practice her French with Dolores, Brian and I would go to look at some fine examples.

I have always been fascinated by French engines, most combining as they do an elegant lightness of form with undeniable style. This was an opportunity for me to see and handle them, many of which I had only ever seen photos. Ouragon, Delmo, Micron, Maraget, Allouchery, Vega, Stab, Bosmorin, R.E.A. and others, virtually none ever seen back home in Australia. Brian has also built some engines and showed me his latest, an Atom Minor, which he wanted to run on glow. We did run it in his driveway and he rushed off to send the evidence to Ron’s MEN and you have no doubt seen it in a recent issue.

It was a delightful visit for us and we both thanked Brian and Dolores profusely. Then we headed south again towards Bordeaux, some 600km away. Here we were to catch up with old friends, Ken and Anne Croft. They have moved recently from the very conservative Yarm in the north of England to a small French town an hour or so out of Bordeaux. Ken is one of the original Motor Boys and was certainly the most prolific engine builder amongst us. Many of his engines have been featured in MEN and as well as building replicas and restoring historic originals, Ken delighted in flying his engines and was a well-known participant at many vintage events in the UK.

Though we had corresponded, I first met Ken face-to-face at the 2005 US SAM Champs, which were held in Nevada that year. We were delighted to stay with the Crofts at Yarm in 2008 and so we were both looking most forward to seeing them again in their new French location and finding out how they managed to take such a brave step. It did turn out that they had really enjoyed coming to France on holidays over a number of years. The prospect of better weather may have been a factor in their move, but I think Ken and Anne just felt like a change of lifestyle at this time in their lives and thought, why not! Anyway, again we were invited to stay with them in their new location and it gave Celia and me a unique opportunity to experience French rural life.

The Crofts live up a dusty country lane in the midst of a farming community. This is not Paris, but it is far better in my opinion. This is a wine-growing region and the locals are left-leaning, which means they tend to be supportive of others, rather than interested primarily in money and prestige. Celia and I were privileged to be invited to an evening dinner and dance, held at the Marie (the civic hall) in a nearby village. Nothing formal, a few glasses of strong aperitif in the courtyard to start and then inside to long tables and food prepared and served by the friendly farmers’ wives (ie. the friendly wives of farmers!). The excellent local rosé flowed freely and we were still dancing at 1.30am! Now we were starting to understand why Ken and Anne made such a move.

We visited some of Ken’s new friends, who made us feel very welcome too, and we went to the Saturday markets in town. We walked along country lanes and picked ripe figs off trees, eating them then and there. The hunting season opened one day and we were woken by gunfire that morning. Ken’s fibre-optic comms cable took a direct hit and wiped his phone and internet out for a few days; a temporary inconvenience, soon forgotten! Eventually it was time to move on. Ken and Anne gave us a wonderful time and we truly look forward to seeing them again.

Now we drove east across France towards St. Emillion and Lyons, then south to see the incredible Millau bridge, or le Viaduc de Millau. This beautiful, cable-stayed bridge is 2.5km long and carries the A75 autoroute (motorway) across the valley of the river Tarn. Some of the towers are 340m high and the roadway itself is 270m above the valley floor. Google it and see for yourself. Having crossed, we turned off the autoroute and back-tracked some 40 km under the bridge and through the town of Millau itself. Then we re-joined the A75 and drove south towards Montpellier and Provence, before turning east along the coast road towards Cannes. We were heading for a small town just outside Grasse, the perfumery centre of France. Here we were following up an invitation from Stephen and Jenny Winkworth to visit on our way to Italy.

Again, I had only known Stephen through email correspondence following some engine work undertaken for him. As those who read Sticks and Tissue will know, Stephen is a most unusual modeler, preferring smallish aircraft which he can carry in their individual wooden cases. Stephen took me flying at one of his local fields and I must say I was a little taken aback at the roughish dirt-track entry and the small size of the available area. But this is a consequence of living in mountainous country and well-compensated by the beauty of the surrounding locale. One evening we drove around a mountainous road to a superb restaurant in the small village of Gourdon, perched atop a craggy outcrop some 2000m above the coastal plain. I held Celia’s attention away from the perilous drop lest she should realize just how high and steep it really was.

The following day we went to another flying field; this time a little more inviting than the last. There Stephen introduced me to a remarkable engine builder, Jean-Pierre Marie, who specialises in building copies of earlier French engines. His workmanship is absolutely flawless. The back of his car contained some of his oldtimer models, including a very nice Micron powered HV450. Most were powered with examples of engines he has built. It was too windy for flying, but we did see some engines running, in particular a superb 20cc inline twin, which ran very smoothly and with considerable power.

Once again it was time to move on, and thanking Stephen and Jenny for their generous hospitality, we left early one morning to drive straight to Pisa in Italy. Here we were to pick up our son, David, at the airport, who had flown that morning from London. With impeccable timing, we arrived just as he was picking up his luggage. So, now the three of us were in Italy and it was with great relief that we discovered David had quite a good grasp of Italian.

From Pisa we drove to our first booked farm-stay, or agriturismo as the Italians call it. Not so long ago, the Italian government decided to encourage farmers with suitable properties to turn them into a sort of agricultural B&B. There may have been some financial assistance, but the end result has been that tourists such as ourselves are the beneficiaries of this hospitality, whilst at the same time farming communities and local towns have benefited as a result of increased tourist visits.

Anyway, our first agriturismo was in Tuscany, near the ancient city of Firenze (Florence). We stayed for three days, visiting the city and exploring the beautiful Tuscan countryside. From there we drove south to our next agriturismo near Trevi, an ancient fortified hill town in Umbria. Meeting up with my sister and her husband, we again looked around Umbria, visiting the lovely university city of Perugia, the beautiful historic hill town of Assisi, and the earth-quake stricken region of Spoleto with its massive hilltop Rocca (castle) Albornoziana, used until recent times as a jail. The climb to the castle is made very easy by what must be the longest escalator in the world.

It was from Trevi that I had intended to go on to Rome to catch up with my Catalan friend and remarkable engine collector from Barcelona, Jose Manuel Rojo. We were to meet with Ninetto Ridenti, reputed to have the finest collection of Italian engines. But Ninetto’s recent ill health and our difficulty with both Spanish and Italian conspired to throw a spanner in the works and so our meeting came to nothing. This was very disappointing, as Jose Manuel had come from Barcelona especially. However, we have promised to see him in Spain once again one day and I look forward to that. Barcelona is a beautiful city, enhanced by the remarkable architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Jose Manuel’s collection is all carefully catalogued and arranged in labelled boxes and his website is a must see, if you have not already done so.

Leaving Umbria, we drove east straight across Italy through some of the most picturesque scenery to the city of Civitanova, in the Marche region on the Adriatic coast. Here we were to meet two men I had never met, but for whom I have the greatest respect. Emidio Gattafoni and Alessandro Ambrosi have made a series of replicas of famous early Italian model diesels, as well as producing incredibly detailed scale models of marine engines, farm tractors and early internal combustion engines. I have examples of all but one of their replica diesels and was delighted some years ago to exchange one of my GB 5cc diesels, about which they were most complimentary. On this visit, I was delighted to be presented with one of their replica Helium B-6 diesels, purely by chance the missing engine in my modest collection

Emidio met us just off the motorway ramp and led us to his very nice house, a little outside the main city area. Here we were treated to the most fantastic and enjoyable seafood luncheon I have ever experienced, prepared by his lovely wife. Alessandro and his wife joined us for lunch and for nearly three hours we sat around the lunch table and talked about our travels, all translation both ways being increasingly well handled by young David. I have no doubt that his elementary Italian language skills, learnt dealing with Italian staff in his London restaurant, improved out of sight throughout the long lunch!

Regrettably, we were only able to stay in Civitanova for one night, so following lunch we piled into the Citroen and visited the foundry responsible for the intricate sand castings which are a feature of their model work. Then it was a brief visit to the harbour to see the fishing fleet and a drive through the city itself, a centre of Italian shoe manufacturing. Then off with everyone for an excellent pizza at a nearby restaurant. Following a stay overnight in a very ordinary B&B with a remarkable spiral staircase that went nowhere, we then went to see Alessandro’s workshop, surprisingly located virtually in the middle of the city. Here I was treated to a display of all the past and current productions, some of which were started and run for my benefit. Words fail me to describe the workmanship and detail in these models. Although probably expensive, full casting sets and gears sets etc, along with detailed CAD drawings are available to those who have the experience and workshop equipment to finish one for themselves. Do have a look at Emidio and Alessandro's website to gain a better appreciation of their abilities and workmanship.

Leaving our friends in Civitanova, we drove up the Adriatic coast to our next agriturismo stay in the elegant northern Italian town of Treviso. From here we took a train the following morning across to Venezia (Venice). I’ll spare the superlatives here. Let’s just say Celia enjoyed Venezia more than I did and after a pleasant day we returned to Treviso for the night. It was raining now and we realised how little rain we had seen in the last several weeks! I had hoped to see Alberto Dall’Oglio in nearby Breganza, but although previously discussed, the celebrated engine man was not conducive to a visit at that time. So we continued north the following day, planning to see Lake Garda, a very beautiful part of Italy which had been commended to us. Unfortunately the rain followed and by the time we reached the lakeside visibility was down to about 100m, with rain and fog enveloping the boats moored just outside our hotel. So we made a mental note to return another day and decided to push on to Germany, where we had an invitation to meet Benno Schlosser.

We had intended to drive up through Switzerland, but our maps did not extend that far and with reluctance we programmed ‘Jane’ on the windscreen to get us to Knittlingen, some 800km away. After about 100km I noticed our compass tended to show us consistently heading due east, rather than north as I thought we should, to cross into Switzerland. Then we saw signs indicating that we were heading into Osterreich (Austria) and we soon crossed the border. ‘Jane’ was taking us the shortest route, via Innsbruck and Munich. After leaving Verona, we crossed the Alps over the Brenner Pass. The scenery was breathtaking as we passed through the Dolomites, with deep valleys flanked by snow-capped mountains and pretty little villages and towns, all as neat as a picture. That night we stayed near Innsbruck, in a Tyrolean lodge at Igls, a location famous as the site of the Winter Games. Then it was back in the car early next morning to drive into Bavaria and on past Munich to Knittlingen, near Pforzeim in Baden Baden, arriving in the early afternoon.

Having sold his renowned Schlosser engines to Australian byyers for many years, it was with great pleasure that I finally met Herr Benno Schlosser, his wife Hannah, his daughter and grandson, Ian. The latter two wonderful people had taken two days off work to meet us and to translate. This was so welcome, as neither David nor I could speak more than two words, and Celia struggled to recall her schoolgirl German.

With Ian doing his best to translate technical English and German both ways, Benno and I talked all afternoon, looking at photos revealing a dedicated free-flight competitor as well as an extremely competent engine manufacturer. Benno made his first production engines in 1952 and was engulfed in the DDR bloc. Finally, seizing the opportunity to leave before the wall closed in, he left East Germany with his family for the West, taking virtually only the clothes they stood up in. Up until that time, he was a prolific designer and producer, selling not only his Schlosser engines, but several other engines badge-engineered for larger distributors.

Now he had to re-establish himself in Knittlingen, slowly building a large manufacturing business specialising in medical equipment. Engine work continued at a lesser pace, but it was here that Benno started making his masterpiece 0.98cc twin ballrace diesel, following this up as time passed with the similar 0.50cc and 0.25cc engines for which he is now so well-known.

With retirement (he is 86 years old now) he made a clean break from Schlosser GmbH Medizintechnik and moved to a superbly equipped workshop under his house, continuing to make the three diesels mentioned above to this day. However, Benno now wants to really retire from his work and it is unlikely he will continue to make his wonderful engines for much longer. Hopefully, I placed an order for engines and spares, which he agreed to complete, and these were received not long after I returned to Australia. It was a great honour and pleasure for Celia and me to meet Herr Schlosser. He is very bright and seems in good health, so we can only thank him for his contribution to our hobby and hope that he will enjoy many remaining years with his family.

Having said our goodbyes, we drove down through the Baden Baden forest and crossed the border into France, passing Strasbourg and the Alsace region, then on through the Champagne region to Rambuillet, Versailles and finally on to the terrifying 6-lane Peripherique in Paris. There we said goodbye to our wonderful little Citroen and caught the Eurostar back to London. A few more days with our eldest son and then it was the long, painfully uncomfortable flight back to Australia. Our odyssey was over.

It was tiring, but always exciting and Celia and I are most grateful to all those wonderful people who went out of their way to make us feel so welcome and at home. It is those friends who make the trip the experience it is; not model engines, not nice cars, not ancient buildings and stunning scenery. Our thanks to them all, with the fervent hope that we may meet again one day.

David Owen, Wollongong
16th Dec 2010


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