Recommissioning the 1909 Rover 15

One of the oldest vehicles in the Museum collection, the 1909 Rover 15, has been in the workshop for some serious attention over the past couple of months.  Whilst this beautiful vehicle is much admired by visitors to the Museum, and even occasionally goes out to shows such as the Festival of Motoring and the NEC Classic Motor Show, it has been hiding some dark secrets.

The Rover was acquired by the Museum in 2004, having undergone an expensive restoration by its previous owner, but hasn’t been run since its arrival.  Earlier this year, the decision was made to recommission the vehicle to running condition, and in July, Museum Technician Chris Strawbridge set to work.

The first job of course was to change all the fluids, and here’s where Chris discovered the first problem – at some point one of the seals had shrunk, meaning that all of the radiator cooling water had ended up in the oil in the bottom of the engine – and since the oil had been emulsified by the water, it looked likely that this had happened when the engine last ran.

As you can imagine, this water had caused severe engine damage, the worst of which was corrosion on the oil pump drive gears, to the point where there were barely any teeth remaining – Chris is currently having new gears made at a local engineering firm to completely replace the ruined parts.

Next up, when Chris took the sump off, he discovered more play in the big end bearings than you would expect of an engine that has been rebuilt, and his initial suspicion was that this was another casualty of the water leak.  On closer inspection however, he found that the engine had not been assembled properly when it was rebuilt before arriving at the Museum – in particular, parts of the big end bearings had been left with metal burrs attached, meaning that Chris had to strip the lot to get the big ends functioning correctly.

Chris is currently awaiting the arrival of the new gears to replace the corroded ones, and is none-committal about how long the rest of the work will take once these parts arrive, since he can’t be sure what other secrets may be lurking as the work continues.  

Whilst Chris has many years’ experience of working on all kinds of different vehicles, it is the first time he has worked on a vehicle of this age and he is learning a huge amount about it as he progresses with the work.  Chris feels that it’s vitally important to carry out this kind of work and try to keep older vehicles running – otherwise how else will skills and understanding about how they were built and how to look after them be passed on for the future?

If Chris succeeds in getting the Rover running there will be another interesting challenge to overcome in order to put it on the road – the car carries acetylene lamps, and if it is to pass an MOT the lamps must be in working order.   

Calcium carbide powder will have to be placed inside the lamps, onto which water is dripped, producing acetylene gas though a jet, which is then lit to form a sort of candlelight to light up the headlamps.

If and when the lamp-lighting day arrives it will be wonderful to see, and will be a testament to a lot of hard work and patience by a skilled technician – we will keep you informed of Chris’s progress with the Rover over the coming weeks and months.

New Props for Doctor Who

The Doctor Who exhibition that's been on at the Museum since this March, originally scheduled to close in November,it has now been extended to the 10th of January 2010, owing to its whopping success! Thinking of it now, it's one of the longest running special exhibitions we've had! But that's not all... we now have brand new props in the exhibition from the latest Doctor Who special, ‘The Waters of Mars’, screened 15th November on BBC One.
So you can now meet 'The Flood' (a monster who spews water at the touch of a button!) the costume of Captain Adelaide Brooke (played by acclaimed actress Lindsay Duncan), the costume of Andy, and the robot GADGET!

We also have on display in the Museum ‘Bessie’, the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee’s yellow roadster car together with his costume. There's no charge to see these as these are not in the exhibition. So you can pose beside Bessie for a photograph for free!

So for all you Doctor Who devotees, an excellent way to spend time over Christmas holidays. I even coined a slogan: "When you're bored and can't find anything to do, come to Doctor Who!" ... Cheesy, huh? But don't let that put you off! Do come along and see our new 'Waters of Mars' props for before you know it, it's going to be 2010 and they will be gone! So don't miss this fabulous opportunity!

Booking information is available here or call our Doctor Who Information line 0871 976 9461.

Xmas Factor Grand Final this weekend

The Xmas Factor heats were simply great on the Saturday before last, 21st November that is! And we have 11 spectacular finalists including a guitar-based duo and 9 year-old identical twin girls who call themselves "Paw Prints"! All the singers will be performing two songs and the lucky winner will receive £100 cash prize, plus other great prizes.
There's going to be other great stuff as well... the Phoenix Dance Academy dancers will be performing, so will this year's Britain's Got Talent stars Good Evans while mum Estelle will be on the panel of judges. And Brody Swain will be playing presenter! So, if you are looking for some entertainment on a cold Saturday afternoon, why not join us at the Museum at 2'o clock and give a big 'whoop whoop!' to all the particpants? It's totally free!
Though you might want to book the tickets right away... free tickets, they are going faster than hot cakes!

Xmas Factor Returns

You know what they say... If you've got it, flaunt it! Well, here's an excellent opportunity for you all to show off your musical talents as our popular singing competition Xmas factor is back for a third time! So if you think you've got it in you come along and strut your stuff at the heats which be held this Saturday 21st November and see if you can make through to the Grand Final on 5th December.

The competition is open to all, young or old, amateur or professional. All you need to do is perform a Christmas song and spread some Christmas cheer. You can perform at the heats unaccompanied, or accompanied by a CD. If you wish to sing to a music track, don’t forget to bring along your CD. There will be four categories of performances: groups, under 10s, 10 – 15 years old and 16 years and above. You will be judged for your stage presence, professionalism and ability. So get practising as the heats are just around the corner!

The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 5th December 2pm – 5pm. The show will be hosted by Touch FM’s Brody Swain and there will be grand performances by ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ stars Good Evans while mum Estelle will be on our panel of judges and also by Coventry’s own Phoenix Dance Academy performers. With grand prizes for winners and loads of fun for everybody the event promises to bring a fun-packed evening for one and all!

No pre-registration is required for entering the heats. For free tickets to the Grand Final email us at enquiries@transport-museum.com or call 024 7623 4270

Winner of Godiva Family Friendly Award

Hey! We won the 'Best Family Friendly Venture' at the Godiva Awards 2009 held at Warwick Arts Centre on Thursday 22nd October! The prestigious awards are held annually to applaud and celebrate excellence in Coventry and Warwickshire and are a leading event in the region recognising businesses with creativity, flair, ingenuity and commitment.

The Museum is dedicated to welcoming families and carers with children of all ages and has recently collaborated with nine other museums across Coventry and Warwickshire to plan and deliver programmes and activities specifically targeted at families with children under-five years. As part of this the Museum launched a range of family-friendly activities this summer which included a soft play area, story corner, a full size Peugeot which children can climb all over for an interactive experience, and a dedicated play area with toys for 0-3 year olds, all of which were well-received by visiting families. It has also recently completed a number of improvements to facilities, including a dedicated buggy parking area, better Mother and Baby rooms and picnic areas for families, making it a truly parent friendly venue.

The Museum is one of the most visited family attractions in the Midlands and offers something to every member of the family from children to grandparents with all activities and galleries designed to encourage quality family time together. It has a vibrant programme of activities combining education and entertainment throughout the year and organises popular activity programmes during every school holidays which welcome young and the old alike. This commitment to excellence as a family venue in all aspects of the Museum’s work was exalted at the Godiva Awards night.

The BIG DRAW 2009

Lots will be happening here at the Museum this October Half Term with the The Big Draw where you can make your mark. We are having a series of master art classes where kids over 12 can work with local artists and learn unique, smart and wacky forms of art. From turning socks into cute kittens, puppies and bears to technical drawings and Japanese manga art, the idea is to keep the kids busy with something exciting and creative. For the under 12s, we will have craft activities such as ceramic and fabric painting and spare part arts.
Our Highlights Tours will be on throughout the week along with a number of hands-on activities, where you can discover about Coventry's past.
Spaces at the master class sessions are limited, so do hurry to book your place. Further information about the October Half Term events is available here