The Big Fifteen' 20-plus Citroen Traction Avants' will travel to Ravenglass Station on Saturday May 24th.

They will be on display in the car-park, while their owners' transfer to the delights of a journey behind one of the Railway's diminutive 15" gauge locomotives.

The cars will be arriving at Ravenglass in time to catch the 12.05pm train. After spending time in Eskdale, members of the club will return from Dalegarth station on the 2.45pm train.

In the meantime, visitors will have the opportunity to examine some of the finest examples around of this innovative French car contained within their own reserved parking area.

Bob Cuppage, Lakes and Borders Area Organiser of the Traction Owners' Club' said that around 750,000 examples of the car were made, most of which were four-cylinder versions, although some 50,000 boasted six-cylinders.

While production was inevitably concentrated on Citroen's French operations, some examples were assembled at the company's Slough plant, which was opened as long ago as 1926.

Enthusiast Bob added that the Big Fifteen' was a very advanced car for its day, featuring monocoque construction when most cars still relied on a separate chassis, hydraulic brakes when a good percentage still operated with the far less effective cable system, and front wheel drive at a time when rear wheel drive was almost universal in its application. Torsion bar suspension completed the innovatory package at launch.

The club hit on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway as something a little different.

"I am really looking forward to the day", Bob says " as it's years since I last had a ride on the area's finest Railway".

Citroen's Traction Avant' was produced from 1934 until 1957 and in later years was made famous by Maigret, the archetypal French detective, who drove one such vehicle across our Television screens for many a year.

For further information, please contact Barbara Cowan between 10.00am and 5.00 pm, weekdays at 01229 717171 or

email rer@netcomuk.co.uk

May 20, 2003 11:30