June 2012 Tioga Region Newsletter

Tioga Transmission The official Newslettrt of Tioga Region Antique automobile Club of America

June 2012

Tioga Transmission

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May Meeting We met at the Parkview Restaurant on the 21st of May. There were 34 members and guests present.

Although we had selected a limited menu to make the service easier for the restaurant it soon became evident that we had overwhelmed them with our numbers.

The food when it arrived was excellent but service extended well into an hour.

To make our meeting less lengthy I conducted the business as the later service was delivered.

We were able to preview the new Posters for the

car show as well as the flyers for the same. Due to an agreement that Leonard Hilldale made with one of his suppliers he requested that we have the posters reprinted with his location name changed, he agreed to pay for the posters and flyers and their reprinting.

The safety banners were shown and offered to those who ordered them. For some reason only one of the banners was given out.

There are still seven to be claimed as well as one that I ordered extra. Those who ordered them can pick them up at the next meeting. The extra banner is

available for $15.00 to the first comer.

A question was raised about the increase in registration fee for the cars in the show. The preregistration fee raised from $3.00 to $5.00 while the day of show registration raised from $5.00 to $10.00 this was a decision made by Four of your officers and one other member in executive session. These amounts are in line with other shows in the area and are needed to help cover the rising costs we experience in today's economy.

Our next Meeting June 18 2012 Summer’s here!!! We will be going back to our summer location, The Newark Valley Rail Road Depot. The date and time is June 18 2012 at 7:00 PM. I have been told that both

Ralph Repard’s ‘53 Chevy and Ray Shaver’s ‘29 reo are both back on the road.

To my knowledge Howard Seymour’s ‘56 Chevy is the only car that is undergoing repair, of course he still has the ‘39 Plymouth to

drive so we all should have our cars ready for our summer meetings.

Lets all show Newark Valley and surrounding areas our pieces of history at our meetings!!!

Tioga Transmission

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Strawberry Festival Parade As in the past we are entered in the Strawberry Festival Parade again this year. We have received the same location assignment as we have had in the past.

We are in Division 1 and designated as unit 11. Division 1 will line up on Spencer Avenue south of Temple Street.

The parade kicks off at 10:00AM and we are to be lined up by 9:30AM. As you know in the past we have been run around all of Owego by directors who never seem to know just what they are doing so I am suggesting that we all try to get to our position by 9:15Am in the hope that we

can outwit the misinformed officials who block everyone from entering their assigned locations.

Hope to see at least ten to twelve cars from the club for this event.

This is a slow parade so protect your car if it tends to run warm.

Newark Valley Parade The Newark Valley Days Parade this year is Saturday August 11, 2012. This year I have been told that the State Police have approved a closing of route 38 for the parade. With this change the parade will run in reverse from last year.

We will line up off Silk Street and run out to 38 then north to the light and left to the school lot.

ark Valley by chauffeuring them in old cars. We have been asked if we might help by supplying cars that would be easy to transport these seniors. Although I have been informed that there might be as many as fifteen residents who are over the age of ninety, Jerry Adams told me that we will need only about five cars to meet the need.

Another hot parade due to the summer and the length.

I am willing to make the Monte Carlo available to serve this effort, but it would be much easier for the elderly to be transported by a good four door

This year the parade committee would like to honor the senior citizens of New-

sedan than the more cramped two door coupe.

I am sure we can come up with the cars we need to fill this request.

Last year we were separated in the middle of our club by the people who were at the beginning of the parade route. They might have had a reason for this separation but I hope this year to keep us together as a unit.

I hope to see a good turn out for this parade so that we might find other members from N.V.

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Tioga Transmission Lets Go Touring!

Parades are a great way for us to show off our cars, but there is nothing like the thrill of getting out on the open road. We are planning to do two tours this year, but will entertain other ideas if they come up.

hour and 15 minutes depending on your questions and speed of movement through the museum.

A brief history of this site is that during the French Revolution, circa 17931803, a group of supportThe first tour is timed to ers of the king wanted to coincide with the national protect Marie Antoinette drive your antique car day. during the hostilities and Although the official day is came to the States to creJuly 13th we will move to ate a safe haven for her. As the 14th as that is a Satur- we know the effort did not day. For this tour we will go work as Marie Antoinette to French Azilum in Penndid not come to this safe sylvania. The tour will begin haven. The small commuat the Big Dipper in Apala- nity though remained as a chin at 9:00AM. We plan to French farming community travel back roads from after the beginning. This is Apalachin to Wyalusing, now a little known historiPennsylvania where we will cal site open during the have an early lunch in the summer to tours. The cost dinning room of the Wyafor this tour is $3.00 per lusing Hotel. You will order person in groups. from the menu so you will From the museum we will control the cost. be returning through NichAfter lunch we will continue to French Azilum, again over secondary roads. The tour of the historic site will take from 45 minutes to an

ols New York. There is a small winery on the way where we can take a break with free tasting if you care to.

The tour will continue to Nichols where we will have some ice cream to finish our first outing of the summer.

Our second tour is in the planning stages but we think we will be able to put together a trip to Saratoga Springs, New York for the New England Concours d’ Elegance Cruise in spectacular Saturday, September 29th.

This would be an overnighter where we would either see the Hemmings tour arrive in Saratoga Springs on Friday, or do a quick tour of the Elegance on Sunday.

Since the Elegance is an invitation only show this should be a chance to see cars that we might never have the chance to see again.

Lets all get behind these two tours!!!

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Tioga Transmission Brass Era Lights I was sixteen the first time that I experienced carbide lights. A friend invited me to go on a coon hunt in western Pennsylvania. This was the first and last time that I ever went hunting, and I had no idea what to expect.

As we arrived at our chosen hunting location, my friend and his father released the dogs and then began handing out these strange little lanterns that mounted on the hat we wore. The lights were used so the wearers hands would be free to handle the gun. The light these lamps put out was amazing. The bright white light turned night into day for quite a distance and was wider beamed than most flashlights of the day.

The amazing thing was that these lights were powered by a small rock and some water!

It took me over forty years

to learn the chemical explanation for this mode of light. The “rock� that was put into the bottom chamber of the light was crystallized calcium carbide (cac-2) The water went into a small reservoir in the top of the light and was fed into the bottom chamber through a control valve. As the water reacted with the calcium Acetylene gas was formed, yes the same gas that is used in welding.

The Acetylene gas burns with a bright white light rather than the yellow light of kerosene. When the carbide is exhausted the remaining residue is calcium hydroxide or as it is better known slaked lime This material had no real use and was removed to make room for recharging the light for the next nights use. Yes this lighting system could be explosive, but the advantage of brighter and wider lighting for early

automobiles was worth the risk in the manufacturers thinking. Of course, the owner of the car had to maintain the lighting system on a daily basis, cleaning, polishing, and recharging the system.

The pictures at the right show the typical equipment used in the carbide system.

The brass canister mounted on the running board of this car held either the crystallized calcium carbide or the same substance in either pelletized or powder form in the bottom and a supply of water in the top. The resulting Acetylene gas was conducted to the lights by tubing where it would be lighted to burn through the duration of the trip being made A far more complicated process than today where we throw a switch and the night disappears.

Carbide light Carbide chamber showing slaked lime

Water reservoir with Control lever

The Big 80 On Saturday June 9, 2012 a small group of friends (it looked to number close to 100) gathered at The Newark Valley Rail Road Depot to help Ray Shaver celebrate his 80th birthday. I have never seen the parking lot so full!

Happy Birthday to a FRIEND of AACA

Summer Events June 14-16 2012 Annual Grand National/ Southeastern Special Fall Duel Meets A.A.C.A. Celebration City Region, Shelbyville, Tenn.

931-684-9379 August 13-17 2012 Founders Tour (1932 and later) Allegheny Mountain Region A.A.C.A. Altoona, Pa 814-251-2299

August 26, 2012 Tioga Region A.A.C.A. 27th Annual Car Show And Flea Market. New Location Beds 4 Kids/ Save More Furniture Field 100 Elm Street, Owego, N.Y. October 3-7 Fall Carlisle October 10-13, 2012 Eastern Fall Meet.

Hershey Region.

Hershey, PA. 717-

566-7720 We have begun to help Leonard Hilldale’s new charity, NICE, in it’s kick off efforts. The purpose of this program is to provide coats, boots, and hats to all children in need. Our involvement is promoting a Cruise In each Saturday this summer. Noon to 8:00 PM