Tethered car and hydro photo album

Although it is OTW's 20th birthday, our interest in boats, cars and engines now spans just on sixty years, starting with a flash steam hydro hanging in the local model shop. The proprietor agreed to pass it on, but a return to the shop to complete the exchange revealed a large gap where the shop used to be and the new inner relief road. Just a couple of years later it was a tethered car that became the focus of attention, when a customer walked in to Russ' model shop in Battersea to sell the remains of the car below. No call now said the shop owner, but gave him a whole £1.00. Looked interesting so £1.50 later and a three wheeled M&E Austin began the long road to where we are now.

Three ZN Wheels, axle ends sawn off, nothing inside and no rear axles or steering etc. So began a quest, to firstly find out what it was, and hopefully source enough original parts to restore it to what it might have been. Suffice to say, that took a loooong time as M&E Models was nothing but a memory and a name in adverts, but what was a speculative purchase it turned out to be, one of just three M&E Austin GPs known to exist.


On four (wrong wheels) at last 1968	How it should and does look 2018

These two motors were found in a biscuit tin underneath a sink when a house was being vacated. On the left is possibly the best known and most successful 15cc motor of the period, George Lines' Sparky engine. Much copied, this motor had 360 degree porting, rear rotary valve and variable compression via the screw down head. The flash steam twin had seen service in several versions of Arthur Cockman's IFIT hydroplanes. As was common, the boats were long since firewood but the engines were recognised for what they were and saved.


George Lines' 15cc Sparky motor 1993	Power unit from the IFIT hydroplanes 1993

The arrival of OTW brought an unexpected bonus in the we started to get enquiries, photos and information from sources that were unknown to us. One such was the daughter of the late Gerry Buck, one of the early pioneer tether car racers, who still had his cars and memorabilia. An invitation led to a fascinating trip to view and photograph all these and resulted in one of our early 'Man and his Models' and a first venture into self publishing booklets. Another email was from someone tasked with clearing out a loft who had found an entire stable of tethered cars, spares, trophies and more. It transpired that this had belonged to Les Williamson, a member of the British team in the late 50s. When he retired it all went in the loft and stayed there until after his death.


Gerry Buck's Topsy, the first car to reach 100mph in the UK	Les Willamson's 1950s racing stable 2014

The photo below is what happened when a friend asked if we could 'bring a hydroplane back from our trip to Germany'? What he had omitted to say was that this was the entire collection of a prominent, former East German, Competitor Karl Heinz Rost, including a huge box of engines and spares, all the registrations and documentation, oh, and a large aeroplane. Not for the first or last time the car was full, and a nervous visit to the customs shed at the port.

Two of the very earliest tethered hydroplanes came to our notice by very different routes. Peter Hill had been approached at a regatta by someone who had a 'mystery steam hydro' that Peter recognised as being Bert Groves' miniature flash steam boat from around 1910/14. In 2008 we were able to reunite it with Groves' son John at Old Warden. The other pioneer was Fred Westmoreland's 'Evil Spirit' his record breaking flash steam boat from the period of the First War. This had been gifted to the Northern Society of Model Engineers who now display it at exhibitions. The meeting with John Groves also brought to our attention the boat built by Fred and his son, also named Fred, hence the name of the boat 'Two Freds' that was also still in existence.


John Groves with his Dad's flash steamer 2008	Fred Westmoreland's 'Evil Spirit'

The greatest surprises are when something that has not been seen or even known to still exist unexpectedly turns up. The Dooling Arrow was bought from Jack Cook at Basel in 1958, yet turned out to be even more of a surprise when it was revealed as Jim Dean's 1956 car. In just four years, six of Jim Dean's cars have emerged, although it was known that these were still around in the late 1970s as they were being offered for sale, but no trace of them since then. The Oliver powered car was just one of the revelations from a cardboard box that we first saw in 2016 on a visit to a hydro enthusiast on the South Coast. He had bought the box from a model shop many years previously, which included Ron Thrower's GRP car.


Jack Cooke's Jim Dean Arrow 2025	Ron Thrower's GRP car 2016

That was not all the box revealed as on a subsequent visit it was found to also contain Ron's 2.5cc car from the 1954 European Championships, two and a half ZN 5cc spur drive cars and a factory 5cc bevel drive car, as well as a prototype ZN 2.5cc car and other ZN memorabilia. Thanks to the enthusiast, both the Thrower cars have now been successfully run at Buckminster. Three years earlier we had inadvertently been party to probably the biggest and most historic discovery that we are ever likely to be involved in. We were asked if we would assist in sorting out some bits and pieces belonging to the late Edgar Westbury. What no one knew at the time was that concealed in a garage was his entire collection of engines that he had designed, along with several prototypes, and an incredible archive of his photographs, plates and film dating back to 1916. The family kindly loaned us this entire archive for us to digitise and then use on the website, well over 2,000 images. The engines were donated to the SMEE having been cleaned by students at West Dean College and are now displayed regularly.


The Thrower and ZN hoard	Just a few of the Westbury engines

Two cars that have recently emerged have something in common in that they are both models of Maserati cars. The one on the left appeared at a Buckminster swapmeet, origins unknown but an almost scale model with ZN front suspension. The basis of the car is the MCN Grand Prix Special design, but taken to an entirely new level of fidelity and craftsmanship. Why it was unfinished we will never know, but we hope to bring you the full story of how it has been completed seventy five years on. The red car is in a whole different category. It appeared on ebay with a very basic description but was recognised by a number of bidders as a rare and genuine model from that great creator Henri Baigent. A similar car holds the record as being the most expensive, working, commercial, British tethered car sold ever sold. Having seen photos of this version and knowing its history and provenance, we can understand why.


Upmarket MCN GP special	Original Henri Baigent Maserati

It was the discovery of almost everything in this Album, or being told of its existence, that makes what we do so enjoyable, yet there are only a couple of items that we had any real hand in, the first being the sad looking hull in the left hand photo. We had been invited to see a collection of cars and engines up in Bolton and the final stage in a long an fascinating day was a trip up to the loft. Lurking in one dark corner was a pile of boat hulls, discarded as the engines had all been taken out. Given full digging permission they were pulled out, one by one, until this emerged, instantly recognisable as one of Ted Vanner's from around 1910-12. It also became one of the few discoveries that came home with us, and eventually reunited with its motor through the most unbelievable coincidence. Some while before a very early four stroke engine had appeared on ebay, which several identified as one of Ted's and bought on spec. Believe it or not, it was the very engine from this boat that had been taken out to be replaced by a Channel Island Special of all things. Remarkably, under the accumulated muck, the original paintwork and deck lining was in perfect condition, only a bonfire at some stage necessitating a repaint of the hull bottom. Two hydro enthusiasts from the 1930s also had successful careers in motor cycle racing, both being regular competitors at the Isle of Man TT and mainland races. These were John French who built the B Class record breaker 'Little Star' and 'Harry' Meageen's 'Samuel'. Not many boats of the 30s sported two stroke engines, this one largely inspired by the Scottish enthusiast A D Rankine who specialised in two strokes. Both boats unlocked interesting stories and associations.


Ted Vanner's 30cc hydro from pre WW1 2012	Harry Meageen's Samuel with 'fearsome' engine 2016

Having been the recipient in the late 60s of several boxes of Model Engineers that were from well before this, the world of tethered cars, hydroplanes and engines presented was somewhat out of date. Yet all sorts of fascinating stories used to emerge from a magazine that was eminently readable in those days. Something that intrigued as an engineering student was Bert Stalham's supercharged vee twin, an engineering tour de force by any standards. As Bert had been relatively local, a phone-in on local radio set in motion the most remarkable chain of events that resulted in us meeting the last survivor of the King's Lynn club whose members had been responsible for all many of unusual engine and boat designs. George Chapman was in his mid nineties, but still had his boat, along with Stalham's twin and its hull and a fund of stories from the 1950s. Difficult to believe that the engine, so admired sixty five years previously was still in existence and available to be photographed. The complex device on the right is another ME marvel that emerged many years later and was saved just before it went into a skip. Leslie Raxworthy from the North London Club built this timer for hydro racing in 1950, based on an Italian Morse code reader from the late 1800s. The speeds could not be read out as the pulses on the trace had to be measured and a chart of speed referred to. It was something of a state, but a worthwhile restoration project that had it displayed at the London Model Engineering Exhibition, as was Stalham's engine and George Chapman's hydro.


Bert Stalham's twin 2010	The NLSME hydro timer 2010

We hope you have enjoyed this trawl through our discoveries as much as we have? Each one brought excitement, along with an opportunity to photograph and, importantly, provide a catalyst for future articles and discoveries, so thanks to everyone who has contacted us and shared their items, without them OTW would be somewhat thin.