Perhaps we should underline the next birthday greeting for tomorrow, that of Heather, the blog-author herself. We know a letter is enroute but it may not arrive by 25/2.

Reading the latest blog and the car making enterprise reminds me of my own car making. In my childhood in Australia cars of this type were called “billy carts”. There was no standard design and the only rule appeared to be that they must be made from scrap materials.

My billy cart was a heavy lumbering machine made from a large timber packing case with heavy solid cast iron wheels of small diameter mounted on a solid axle which extended across the width of the crate. The crate was large enough to carry two, or even three, passengers. Underneath the crate was bolted a heavy plank which extended in front of the crate. At the forward end of the plank another piece of timber was mounted and on this the forward axle had two more cast iron wheels. A loop of rope was attached to the forward axle and this could be used to pull cart or, if travelling down hill, to steer the cart from within the crate.

I remember cutting part of the crate off the top to give a more streamlined profile, and I remember painting it blue in the colour of “The Spirit of Progress”, the premier express train which ran between Melbourne and the Vic/NSW border. In those days it was necessary to change trains at that point because the two states has different rail gauges. However, neither the paint nor the profile made the billy cart travel any faster. It was more like a heavy freight train.

Other boys in the neighbourhood had carts made from lightweight materials, some with large wheels removed from prams or even ball bearing assemblies. They would race down the hill at speeds double that of my machine, but they were also more likely to capsize and spill their passengers on the roadway.

I am sure that Andrew and B6 had great fun with their cart. I am sorry I could not be on hand to share my wisdom and experience.

HD