Now, as to the question regarding the 5 spoke wheels only appearing on SAR carriers, they have also appeared on NZ carriers, prompting me to ask Lynn if he knew more. The Australian carriers were initially given to the railway workshops in Vic and SA because of their ability to produce their own castings of components in house in large quantities. The NZ LP2 carrier programme got underway from March 1941 with calls to local contractors to supply components to Australian blueprints. GM NZ did not have the ability to cast components in house, relying instead on NZ Rlwys and subcontractors. Track links were produced by the Auckland foundry of Mason and Porter, but they couldn't produce them in sufficient numbers and were supplemented by Aust supplies. No doubt other companies produced other castings, too. I'm thinking that bogie wheels could also have been produced locally, but not in large enough quantities to satisfy demand. Could D&B be an NZ company, explaining the limited numbers of this type of wheel?
The picture below is of a freshly produced LP2 carrier standing outside the GM NZ factory at Petone. Note the rearmost roadwheel is a 5 spoke! Who were D&B?
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