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Old 02-12-14, 19:54
Mike Cecil Mike Cecil is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cody, Wyoming, USA
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This is an interesting find, and as Tony suggests, quite likely taken on charge in the 1950s. I'd agree with Tony that these might be brought to Aust with troops returning Korea/Japan.

The 77000 block was originally reserved for Aust AFVs (as Tony said), but we all know how many of them were actually made (the Dingos are in this block), so the remaining numbers were left vacant. If you look through what was later assigned to the unused ARNs, they are either 'clean ups' - odd batches of mixed vehicles - or new vehicles taken on charge in the 1950s (such as Wiles cookers, 2wheel dolly converters, and so on). Some have entries in biro, so are even later than that. This, in my opinion, squarely places the batch of 'X' prefixed C60L trucks as having been taken on charge in that period.

Most of that C60L batch were from SM6404 and SM6197 and have the 'X' prefix to the chassis number. Most are also 1944-45 production.Most were written off by Board of Survey in mid-1956 at 1 Base Ordnance Depot (Qld), so I'd suggest not too long after their arrival in Australia, having been in outside storage for a few years and had several paint jobs during that time to maintain them. Being all sold off in Qld, that's where the remains of the others are likely to be lurking!

As a full-import, the rear body would therefore be a Canadian all-steel GS body.

Particulars are:

77821, written off Board of Survey 1 BOD 13/6/1956, authorised for disposals list 17/7 1956. Chassis 4X844371597SM6404, engine number DR3750990

Mike
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