'Winter Be Damned' Gang rides again...

[Chris Bamford]

The WBD gang goes out driving in pre-'32 cars at least once a month through the winter here in the Edmonton area. Our December drive was today, in pleasant, near-freezing temperatures and on mostly clear country roads. 

 

Our core group is three, and we encourage others to join us in the empty seats, or their own vehicles, but nothing newer than 1931. Today we were four cars and eight souls, a very nice group. Longest distance was my KisselKarfull of four, as we had the longest run to get to the muster point. Our total milage was around 50, the others around half. We kicked tires at the muster garage, had our country drive, ate lunch and went our separate ways. A very nice way to spend Boxing Day.

 

1930 Hudson 8, 1930 Model A, 1926/7 Model T and the 1912 KisselKar. It has been unseasonably warm and dry so far this winter; we might pay for it when we go driving in January!

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by Chris Bamford (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

Looks like the front two cars are the smart guys in the group! LOL

 

 

I like your idea of touring throughout the year. I used to take my motorcycle out News Year Eve and again New Years Day. I called it the last ride of the year, the first ride of the year. Weather never slowed me down. Havent done it for a few years now though.

[Zimm63]

14 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

Looks like the front two cars are the smart guys in the group! LOL

 

 

I like your idea of touring throughout the year. I used to take my motorcycle out News Year Eve and again New Years Day. I called it the last ride of the year, the first ride of the year. Weather never slowed me down. Havent done it for a few years now though.

Used to do the same on my BSA and referred to it as the New Year's half ton.  Not sure why I stopped.  Need to make a point of that on Monday.  

 

[Paul Dobbin]

11 hours ago, TAKerry said:

Looks like the front two cars are the smart guys in the group! LOL

I've had open cars and closed cars.   But now they're all closed and I'm warm and safer.

 

 

 

[zepher]

That Hudson is a good looking car.

Very nice proportions.

[Chris Bamford]

After a couple weeks of -20°C to -38C weather, the cold broke just in time that we got our monthly drive in under sunny skies and well-above-freezing temperatures. This inevitably meant trading frozen fingers for sloppy roads and dirty windshields but nobody seemed to mind.

 

Our line up was a little different today... Ford Tourings 1911, 1915 and 1926 and a 1927 McLaughlin-Buick (Canadian) rumble-seat roadster. Only mechanical issue was a broken leather fan belt in the M-B; baling wire staples to the rescue. Team '26 Ford clocked 86.2 miles door to door — plenty in that rather modest front seat!

 

Edited January 29 by Chris Bamford (see edit history)

[zepher]

Looks like some very cold fun.

[StanleyRegister]

Good on ya, guys!  In my research around 1907-1910, I find that people went out in the winter a lot, apparently just to prove that they and the cars could do it.  Here's an extreme example - they pulled all the gears out of the transmission, including reverse, then drove it around the midwest for 2000 miles in Feb. 1908.  All in direct drive.

[4Hud]

 "apparently just to prove that they and the cars could do it".  Yes Stanley Register, thats essentially what we are still doing today. 

Edited February 1 by 4Hud (see edit history)

[arcticbuicks]

@StanleyRegisterWinter did not stop the use of automobiles......cars started showing up around 1902 north of the border in numbers.......but really got going around 1909.......the conditions were extreme and temps down in -30s  and i find the old photographs interesting as to how much the cars were capable of......and cool to see the Edmonton area guys out a 100 years later

Edited February 1 by arcticbuicks (see edit history)

[Chris Bamford]

The WBD Gang rode again, on a sunny, just above freezing holiday Monday.

 

1911 Cadillac 30, 1924 Ford T Speedster, 1930 Hudson Eight and 1930 Ford A Truck. A young family at our mid-run stretch stop had some unexpected thrills with photo-ops, exploring the Hudson and a taste of vintage motoring, Cadillac-style (short video here: https://youtu.be/Nx7vIT0VzDA. Team Speedster covered 59 miles door-to-door and hit an exhilarating 64 mph on the way home.

 

Lots of fun for everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20 by Chris Bamford (see edit history)

[8E45E]

I'd be more concerned about residual road salt than anything else; especially if Edmonton piles it on the roads like Calgary does!!

 

Craig

[Chris Bamford]

33 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

I'd be more concerned about residual road salt than anything else; especially if Edmonton piles it on the roads like Calgary does!!

 

Craig

Must be different down there. City streets here are pretty much dry now, and they’re using some kind of reduced-salt alternative treatment. Country roads were either bare or packed/frozen solid.