©copyright AM Publishing 2006

Villiers Quadracycle     W & W -  MV. No. 718

1989 CCC Workshop

Carcoar Feb 1989

Ready for Bathurst Open Day 1

Ready for Bathurst Open Day 2

Awaiting repairs 1   2004

Awaiting repairs 2   2004

Awaiting repairs 3   2004

Carcoar 1989

Me

Departing Carcoar Feb 1989

Arriving Carcoar Feb 1989

The first and most prized Trike in our collection.

My Father and I were introduced to this addictive hobby in 1988, my Uncle got interested in Railway and started a museum and Trike society, the Mid-State Railway Museum.

 

I was given this yellow Trike which had no engine and the flange had cracked on the right front wheel. Over the following weeks my Father and I had a engine in and ready to kick over. The shock was it only took 3 kicks to start this engine that was sitting for decades, we took this as a good sign that the engine was good’n. We railed it onto the Blayney line to head the 4Km into town(yes, with permission. At the time we could use the track anytime we wanted to). I was frightened to run the first time. Well I was 10 and the thing looked like it was made out of match sticks. My Father went out first, it wasn’t until the 3rd run I took to the controls and loved every second of it. The Villiers was not my First run on a Trike, that was on a ST2 Fairmont to Woodstock, it was the first I drove.

 

We had lots of fun on the many Woodstock, Carcoar and Blayney trips, at least a trip was made once a month. Those were really the days for running trikes, public liability was cheap and you didn’t need accreditation. We can say were never had one mishap. Sadly all that came to an end when 3801 was hit on Cowan Bank; after that permission was withdrawn to run the line.

 

We have run the Villiers on the Cowra-Blayney line, the perimeter 1.1Km track at the Cowra Holiday park (now removed) a siding next to the Maitland Station during the 1991 Steam fest and the Crookwell branch.

 

In 1995 it needed a good clean up. It was stripped to bits, stripped the old paint and shine the tank. The motor was running to good at the time to do anything with so it was the only thing not touched. 2004 it has had an engine overhaul, bearing, seals. Some time soon it is planned to give it another clean up

 

CURRENT STATUS: Operational, badly in need of clean up and a paint job.