My first event of the season was meant to be the Yorkshire MVT Crank Up to York centre, but an MOT failure of the normal car on Friday, forced a weekend of unexpected car shopping to narrow down replacements if the repair costs turned out to be uneconomical. 

The Bank Holiday Monday however was free, and allowed us to get to the Stephenson Railway Museum for their first 1940's event. The weather was breezy but bright, and after a weekend of brain numbing car facts and figure comparisons, it was nice to just relax, listen to the music and ride the train. 

On Sunday, it was a Fly-In and Aerojumble, and I had a stall selling some of my Aviation Model Art pictures. I had a few sales and a number of orders placed for other aircraft, some of which were based at Breighton. The low cloud persisted, but there were still a number of unusual aircraft flew in to visit for the day.

Saturday is always the quiet day, but there were still a fair number of public wandering around and a nice selection of WW2 and Post War vehicles. Day two had more settled weather, but the wind turned in from the sea, making it colder than expected. There were a few extra vehicles the second day, and a few less under covers!

The Slingsby Firefly, Tutor and an aerobatic team flew, plus the Hughes OH-6 Loach heli, and I think that was it, apart from the RAF Typhoon which flew in as I and most of the public were leaving after the thunderstorm passed. The 7 feet tall security fence along the crowd line didn't help with seeing the show or photographing aircraft on the runway. The BBMF were the only aircraft of interest I ended up photographing in the air. 60 years after the formation of the BBMF, they are still shy about showing the top sides of their aircraft during displays!

On Sunday when we attended, things went from bad to worse, when their main diesel failed first thing in the morning, delaying getting the passenger coaches out of the shed, putting the whole time table back! Their secondary diesel, covered in dust, dirt and bird droppings was called into service to replace the replacement! With the hot weather and lots of visitors, I'm sure they still had a successful weekend. Our Jeeps were on show with a number of classic vehicles at East Tanfield Station.

Late on Saturday night, there was an under-age drinking incident in town, resulting in a stabbing. This had nothing to do with the event, but on Sunday morning when we turned up to park, the road was closed and police forensics were searching the scene. All the vehicles were now to be parked up at the top of the high street with the re-enactor displays. We found our way around the back streets and parked up in the new location for day two. It was nice weather all day, and plenty of public around.

By around 11:30, people were aviating, and there was a constant stream of aircraft flying for the rest of the day, until everyone began to get ready for the hangar party. 'Jessie' was parked up near the East end of the airfield, along with a number of other military vehicles from the Yorkshire area. On Saturday evening, there was a German themed hangar Party, with live music and entertainment.

We had a number of aircraft fly in for the show and there were several hundred classic cars on display. The military display line was once again along the old main runway, and had a nice variety of vehicles, but Jeeps, Champs and Land Rovers made up the largest numbers. We had two visiting aero engines, a Rolls Royce Merlin V12 and a Bristol Hercules radial. For many, the star of the show was the BBMF Avro Lancaster. We were very lucky with timing as only ten days later, all the BBMF aircraft were grounded after finding a Merlin engine fault on one of their Hurricanes.

It gave the Dodge another test run, after which, the rear right shoes were adjusted as they were rubbing a bit once warmed up. The Dodge was taken back to the storage container after returning from the museum, after a couple of weeks stay on the drive for the brake work.

There were a good selection of military vehicles and dioramas on show. A surprise visitor was Nick Lee, bringing his Miles Messenger from Breighton. There were many classic cars, trucks, and tractors on show further down the field too, plus the N.E. Land, Sea and Air Museum Morane Bullet replica WW1 fighter aircraft. The weather held out fairly well, apart from one brief but heavy shower that resulted in a very nice rainbow over the Spitfire. 

Overnight, the rain got heavier and heavier, banging down on my canvas tent like a snare drum, and by morning, several tents had indoor water features. Fortunately for me, the water stopped at my back door and didn't get in to my tent. Drying the canvas back home was interrupted by more heavy rain, forcing a quick move from on top of the Jeep to inside my workshop. 

There were a number of vehicles in attendance, in addition to those in the museum's collection. It was a bit lacking on public on Saturday, but there was a local football match on, and Saturday has always been the quieter day. It was surprisingly warm for late September. The Morane-Saulnier monoplane replica is coming along well, with the first parts fabric covered now. A few more public around on day two, and the same vehicles on show, but not necessarily parked in the same order! 

It was a very foggy trip down, brightening up later to give us some sun, and not too cold either. Some interesting visiting vehicles on display in addition to the railway exhibits which frequently swap with those at York. My daughter and I also took the mile round trip walk to the other end of the line, to see some of the original buildings and Timothy Hackworth cottage. From 3pm onwards, the cars began to depart, leaving our Dodge the last vehicle there. By the time we packed away the aerials and windsock, it was 4pm, and we headed home soon after, both quite tired, having clocked up a number of miles walking around the site on a railway themed treasure hunt I'd made up to entertain my daughter across the day.

Maintenance

In addition to the Spring service, which didn't happen until June, there was some waterproofing work to be done on the wooden roof. Then in late July, I stripped and overhauled the brakes. I'd replaced the front shoes shortly after getting the Dodge in 2010, and finally, the rear shoes had worn to a point where they needed replacing. The cylinders were all stripped, inspected, and given a light honing. I got the shoes relined by a company in Newcastle, getting them back and fitted in the second week of August.

In early September, wifey broke the rear half shaft the night before the Beamish 1940's event. I wasn't impressed, and it cost almost £100 for a replacement which was fitted a week later. In late September, I made some magnetic RAF markings to give Jessie a new look for some events next year where RAF markings would be more appropriate.

In October, I started on the bodywork, cutting out the rotten areas behind the axe handle. There's some rust spots coming through on the corners of the fenders too. Jessie was rebuilt by the French in 1966, so 51 years since the tinwork was last looked at isn't too bad. 

Checking the gearbox oil on an early, right hand fill gearbox, isn't as easy as the later left fill transmission, as the fill plug is not very easy to reach. While it takes a bit more work, removing the top of the gearbox is the easier way to check the level. The only issue found was a faulty contact on one brake light. After the service, the Jeep was given a good wash by myself and my little mechanic.