Red Oktober, Crich (Eastern Bloc Chod)

[KruJoe]

Hi Folks, I know it's short notice...

Eastern Bloc vehicles from around the UK and overseas including Trabants, Wartburgs and Tatras built before the fall of the Berlin Wall, will be descending on Crich Tramway Village on Sunday 21st October for the annual Red Oktober Day.

{C}http://www.tramway.co.uk/events/red-oktober{C}

It's just north of Derby.
It would have been fun to go in my Samara, but I need to work this Sunday. Will is taking Olga (the Niva) for her debut, and has promised to take his camera too.

Anyone else attending?

 

[CreepingJesus]

I'd love to take the CZ, but that's not going to happen.

[explosive-cabbage]

Anyone else? Looks like a good photo op.

[barefoot]

I went a few years back (when I had a Trabbi) & it's OK.

But Crich is the dullest of the dull when it comes to putting on a show.

[HillmanImp]

I may head down as its pretty local and I am not drinking until the end of November so am at a TOTAL LOSS of what to do instead in my spare time.

[Baz]

Will is taking Olga (the Niva) for her debut, and has promised to take his camera too.

 

Looking forward to those pics already!

[Sam Glover]

Myself and an entourage of perverts will be heading over in glorious convoy. 1000MB deploy!

 

Long live the Great October Socialist Revolution - the beginning of the worldwide historic turn of humanity away from capitalism and to socialism! Faster enrichment for a brighter future!

 

Sam

[RedSparrow]

This is the one show I would LOVE to go to one day.

 

In related news, the communist party (ie the same party who were booted out in1989) here in the Czech rep have just been voted in as my local MP. Yeah, really.

[explosive-cabbage]

Sam Glover said:

Myself and an entourage of perverts will be heading over in glorious convoy.

 

Wow.

Well. What car are you going in? Might meet up for a coffee and a chuckle?

[barefoot]

... I am not drinking until the end of November ....

 

Caution - Crich may push you over the edge.

[Guest]

Ill be there in my Caro truck, was hoping to take Caro hatchback but it failed mot today.

[nigel bickle]

Not I, sadly. Too far for me -and other fish to fry this weekend.

 

Hope its dry & goes well. Looking forward to the pics.

[SambaS]

I shall be there in the Polonez

[explosive-cabbage]

Preparing for the first major outing in Olga... Red Oktober

 

Up at 6.30, McDonalds for breakfast, pick my mate Martin up, off for 8....

 

First spot, in Guiseley, had to turn back and take a closer look:

Seat Marbella, off road for 6 months

 

If anyone wants to make the owner a bid I can call in and check availability, or else trace the reg to the address...

 

Then spotted this:

 

Arrival, approx 10.30

 

Fog hanging low made this look like a real scene from behind the Iron Curtain...

 

Trabant 601 Combi

 

Unusual gear change mechanism...

 

So simple, but I still havn't worked it all out.

 

Zoom in for extra info points

 

Moskvitch, Skoda, Skoda, Skoda

 

Yucko 55

 

TBH, it is kinda fit... In a press photo.

 

Superior paintwork for the masses

 

Still not sure how much of this RWD Skoda is original.

 

Moskvitch

 

Not sure what is going on here, proper banger rally stuff.

 

Skoda Rapide Fastback

 

Frankly ugly IMHO, shit hot seats though

 

Really? Cough Cough...

 

A lovely example of a well maintained banger rally Moskvich

 

Simply beautiful. That said, I wouldn't have one.

 

Wish I had got some more pictures with this low lying fog, adds a real drama to the pictures, especially with the over-exposure of the sun burning through.

 

Now for Trams:

 

Took these pictures for the benefit of my Dad, he was from Leeds and remembers these trams:

 

 

Blackpool tram:

 

A tram with a cherry picker for repairing the overhead lines:

 

And one for restoration:

 

A tug tram:

 

Generic Tram gubbins:

 

I saw on a TV program a while back that these little flaps in the stairs were designed to be able to open so that the conducter could stand at the bottom of the stairs and see behind, and to close so that when ladies went up the stairs nobody could look up their skirts!

 

Older Trams:

 

A New York Tram, given to Italy after the war for the re-building effort.

 

I love this simple and effective mechanism for clearing dead dogs/branches/inebriated Irish navvies off the tram tracks.

^When the basket at the front is pushed back by something on the tracks, the lateral push-rod is pulled forward, and releases the catch to drop the sweep. Can't beat engineering like that!

 

 

Inside the buildings there was more to see

The buggy from a really old horse tram:

 

Mechano perpetual motion machine

 

I found this guy interesting to talk to. He was building Airfix models of German WWII railway guns.

^That bus is to scale BTW.

 

Clickety Click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerer_Gustav

 

 

Clickety Click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Ger%C3%A4t

Clickety Click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp_K5

 

There was a load of mouth breathers in knitted cardigans with stuff like this:

 

Back to cars!

Skoda engines:

 

With a Lada jack, like mine!

 

Look what I spotted!

 

 

 

Got talking to the owners, they were a nice couple from Birmingham. He bought the Niva off eBay whilst pissed one night, paid £4700 for it, unregistered, with 83miles on the clock. It was located in the US and had been bought new from a dealer by a film company as a prop and they had realized it was of the wrong model (post facelift) and had abandoned it in a warehouse. It was then left for 2 years and put on sale. It arrived with no documents other than a receipt, and the new owner had to put it through a VOSA test and register it, but says it was well worth the effort. It is a 1.7 multi-point injection model with electric locking, power steering and all the mod cons. And an awful seat colour. He had to replace the original wheels (like mine) with ones with less sticky-outy-ness and a new windscreen and headlights to keep VOSA happy. Obviously Russian design and build is not up to modern standards!Already going rusty under the wings

Currently has 33000miles on the clock and coming up for first MOT. All I say is good luck! He says it is the best vehicle he ever bought!

 

Riot police in period dress make tactical manoeuvrings

 

And I burst in with Olga

 

 

Motorbikes

 

This looked shit hot in white.

 

The Parade

 

Don't know how these two imposters managed to sneak in:

 

 

The Autoshite representatives bringing up the rear

 

 

Sexy Wartburg

 

Another van, dressed as a fireman

 

Military vehicles

 

Inside a print shop

 

I bet this is worth somthing to a Cortina enthusiast!

 

And a few more...

 

A wolf in sheep's clothing

 

Sam's Robin

 

Notice the signatures on the driver's door card - I wonder what all that is about?

 

Press photo in my Russian Mechanic Costume before leaving

 

The wolf got undresssed -

 

 

 

To say I had a few problems on the way home would be an understatement....

 

Overheated about 5 miles after leaving Crich, had to wait half an hour to cool down then re-fill the cooing system

 

Then ran out of fuel on the M1 in a section of roadworks and had to plow through some temporary barrier

 

Then snapped another fan belt on the M62 and had to change it laid under my car in a McDonalds car park in Bradford. I think I got some mwoar chav poynts yeh from the locals who were sat in their Corsas' and Leons' chompin Big Macs and watching my spanner proficiency.

 

Then overheated between Bradford and Ilkley and had to wait another half an hour for it to cool down then re-fill the cooling system again

^^Luckiy the second time we overheated there was a plentiful supply of water in this water bowser in the field we stopped next to!

 

Being a Lada, I expect problems like this, and therefore carry a good array of spares, including a gallon of water, fuel and 2 spare fanbelts!

 

It took us 2.5 hours down and 6 back.

I would still consider it a brilliant day out!

Was absolutely shattered by the time I got home

[explosive-cabbage]

I wrote most of that post late last night whilst really tired and it seems I have missed out a few piccys....

 

 

German Lada 1200 police car. Came from Germany with a German TV crew in it all in period dress.

 

Many parts the same as my Niva

 

 

Wartburg

 

I want one of those

 

Mint Trabant

 

 

 

Abrasive loo roll on a 'street stall'

 

 

Check out this muppet!

[Doctormop]

Did the black Prefect/Pop type thing feature in heartbeat at some point in the dim and distant, maybe just maybe one of the autographs on the door card could belong to Basil Brush's straightman and anal stimulator Mr Derek!

Great pics, looks like a great day was had by all.

[explosive-cabbage]

That was my initial suspicion when I saw it, but I'm not a Heartbreak nerd so I can't say for defiante.

[Captain Slow]

A wolf in sheep's clothing

 

The wolf got undresssed -

 

 

You got me... I was told by Crich it wasn't allowed in, because it wasn't Eastern Bloc. Then my editor told me he'd had his Ventora in there, before he had the rally Mosky. Then I saw all sorts of other non Soviet crap come in. So when Glover brought in his Robin near the end I followed suit... Read about the car (Though not Red Oktober yet) in the current issue of Classic Car Weekly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll have a photo of you taking this one, too. Look behind Glover...

 

I was also the chap dangling out of the back of the rally Mosky during the parade, taking photos.

[explosive-cabbage]

Captain Slow said:

Read about the car (Though not Red Oktober yet) in the current issue of Classic Car Weekly.

 

Will Red Oktober be in this week's Classic Car Weeky?

 

Yeh I saw your Austin in last week's Classic Car Weekly. I noticed that in the pictures of your car in there it had the same 'AYCTNH' badge on the steering wheel as on the front of the Montego at Crich. Is it a permanant thing? Or were they put on for Crich? Are they original? Or some russian ones off eBay? Propper boggled me...

I thought some Austin nerd would notice them and have a coranary....

 

 

What are the chances of this?? Haha! Papped!

[carlo]

Wonderful pictures many thanks. No photo though of that rather immaculate looking early cream Wartburg Knight we can just see in a couple of shots?

[Captain Slow]

Captain Slow said:

Read about the car (Though not Red Oktober yet) in the current issue of Classic Car Weekly.

 

Will Red Oktober be in this week's Classic Car Weeky?

 

Yeh I saw your Austin in last week's Classic Car Weekly. I noticed that in the pictures of your car in there it had the same 'AYCTNH' badge on the steering wheel as on the front of the Montego at Crich. Is it a permanant thing? Or were they put on for Crich? Are they original? Or some russian ones off eBay? Propper boggled me...

I thought some Austin nerd would notice them and have a coranary....

 

 

What are the chances of this?? Haha! Papped!

 

 

Only just caught this.

 

It didn't have the AYCTNH badge in CCW - I put those on en route to Crich and took them off en route home. Well, except the grille badge - that came off 3 days later.

 

They are home made on Photoshop, printed, and attached with sellotape or blu-tak! The grille and wheel badges are the originals, the only change was to the script over the top. The boot ones are blu-tacked on.

 

 

Red Oktober is, I believe, in the current issue. None of my pics alas, we had another contributor there and I was there purely as a visitor.

[SambaS]

I'll just stick these ere:

 

From Red Oktober 2013

 

 

 

One imposter this year

 

 

 

 

 

[Felly Magic]

My mate Dave from Thurrock went there in his minty L reg Favorit estate that currently has under 10,000 on the clock

[KruJoe]

Nice! Especially the snot-coloured Niva.

 

So Steve made it up in the ex-Benno pick up... is the white one RichieG's or Benno's?

 

I'll change the title of this for you Edd, it looks a bit weird...

[SambaS]

Cheers man, the white Polonez belongs to Maurizio a friend in the FSO OC it really puts mine to shame and the ex Benno truck has had a going over by Steve so is looking fab. We met Yugo Lada too he is 11 so if he ever comes back everyone best be nice. He has a Trabant. Went down in convoy with BenjyP in his Riva was a good day out!