Getting cranked up for weekend
A vintage machine that converts wheat into flour, an 830-horsepower boat motor and hundreds of old chugging motors will be displayed in Geraldine this weekend.
Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Club publicity co-ordinator and former president William Turnbull said they hoped to have as many machines running as possible at the annual Crank Up event on Saturday.
‘‘We have a Leyland truck that’s 100 years old and a tractor that’s close to 100.’’
‘‘We are going to get some wheat, grind it and cook it in a coal range. We will be converting wheat to scones.’’
Turnbull said it took organisers a day or two to prepare for the event.
‘‘We just make sure all the engines work.’’
He said they expected a couple of hundred people to attend the event, which would offer shorts rides on vintage cars around the block.
Life member Bruce Lyon said it was a day to see the old machines running in the same way they operated in the past.
The 52-year-old club, which started with a vintage vehicle rally organised by the Geraldine Young Farmers in 1967, has been running the Crank Up Day for the past 20 years, Lyon said.
‘‘It is just a fun day when we crank up some of our tractors, engines and cars, give them a bit of a run and the public will be here watching.’’
People will also be able to get up and close to the vehicles, with 100 tractors from 1913 onwards and at least 50 vintage cars dating from 1907.
‘‘There will be up to 50 engines or however many we can crank on the day,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s a 17-tonne ship engine out of the Rangatira. The ship was used to go to the Chatham Islands and that big engine will be running, 830 horsepower.
‘‘I will have an old 1913 British Wallis tractor out and all other sorts. The tractor is still mechanically good so all it will need is fuel.’’
■ The day runs from 10am to 4pm, and is held at the Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum. There will also be a gold coin sausage sizzle.