A mini history of transportation

CORNWALL — What do Ben Hur chariots, a one-sixth scale Viking ship and the first “true” motorcycle have in common?All have been replicated by Bill Eggers. The latter, an 1885 Daimler Reitwagen, is on display at the Berkshire Country Store, along with an 1867 Roper steam velocipede. Store owners Ryan Craig and Natasha Travieso reopened the market and deli this winter at the intersection of routes 4, 43 and 128. They are finding success with good food and a welcoming atmosphere — and now, a tourist attraction. Customers can linger over a game of chess in front of the fireplace and take in the growing “museum” of antiques and such.They “teamed up” with Carter’s Trading Post in New Milford to bring some rustic character to the store, displaying consignment items that include an antique brass sousaphone, large wooden sculptures and Craig’s favorite: an antique high chair that converts to a stroller.But nothing is more unusual than Eggers’ motorcycles. The Roper can be found mounted high above the groceries in an alcove just below the cathedral ceiling. Eggers can be found almost every morning having breakfast at the store. He lives just up Bunker Hill and over the town line in Goshen.He is a modest man, grateful to have spent his life doing something he loves. That’s how he likes to sum it up. A little digging reveals a wealth of stories — and that he’s the guy with his own tent to display his replicas at the annual Goshen Fair (scheduled this year for Aug. 30 to Sept. 1).His replicas are now in private collections all over the world and have been featured in exhibits at museum including the Guggenheim in New York City. They have been photographed for calendars and magazines and have been used in films.Eggers said he developed a sense of purpose at the age of 5, after his father died. He grew up in New York City with his mother.“She worked, and I had to be the man of the house,” he said. “I reroofed the house before I was 10. Necessity is the mother of invention, but I was also lucky to be gifted with this talent to make things and fix things. I already had a workshop in the basement. Other kids asked for toys for Christmas. I asked for saws and belt sanders. And I got them.”A pivotal point came when he was stopped by police — for driving a wooden car he had made, on the streets, at the age of 10.“I made it out of wood and put my mother’s lawn mower motor in it.”His mother came to the scene and promised the officers she would properly reprimand her son.“As soon as the cops left, she said, ‘I’m proud of you, son.’”He then spent decades renovating apartments in the city, and replicating antique motorcycles for fun, using only photographs. Each aspect was painstakingly crafted. Eggers bought motors that most closely resembled the originals and modified them as needed. The long list includes a 1905 Indian Camelback Single, a 1971 Harley-Davidson Iron Horse and a 1913 Harley-Davidson that was essentially a bicycle with a motor. There were lots of custom jobs, including trucks, tractors, a horsedrawn moonshine still and a pony size (3/4 scale) 1865 Wells Fargo stagecoach.His shop, just three blocks from the World Trade Center, was destroyed with the towers in 2001. He built a house and workshop in Goshen, and “retired,” spending seven days a week in his shop. Among his latest projects is an oxcart for a neighbor. The Viking ship he built “just to build a ship.” He tried to donate it to Mystic Seaport.“They refused because it wasn’t American. I couldn’t even give it to them! It’s now in a private collection in Atlantic City.” In the last five years, he has gained a bit of fame. A New York collector purchased all of his motorcycles.“He had a total of 190 motorcycles hanging all over his home like pictures on a wall. When he died, everything was auctioned off, so I got a lot of PR out of that.”He has been showing his motorcycles and other projects at fairs and antique shows, where he spends a lot of time trying to convince people they are not restorations. Among his favorite stories involves his 1941 Indian with a sidecar, loaned to an Italian production company for a film.“You’ve got to know how to drive it,” Eggers said. “The lead actor who swore he could handle it couldn’t, so they called me. They dressed me up like the star, and I spent three days riding around downtown Manhattan with an actress in the sidecar.”Anyone we might know?“I don’t know. She didn’t even speak English.”That Daimler steam cycle replica is very valuable. Eggers has made a few, and there are no originals. He doesn’t worry about theft. “Where are they gonna sell it?“Daimler engineers made one. They stuffed the motor they just invented onto a bike frame, because if you built a motor, you wanted to see it move something. A week later something shorted in the ignition system and the whole thing burned. They just moved on to something else.”For more on Eggers, go to www.williameggersmotorcycles.com.For hours and more information on the Berkshire Country Store, check out their Facebook page.