dizzy-t

Hi All, I was driving through Carentan on Sunday and saw this Diamond 981 parked at Paratrooper Vehicles. It is quite original with a Hercules diesel and wouldn't take too much to put back to standard. The cab is quite good and I think it has been restored before. It is in the colours of the US Navy and by the look of it, it is a non runner but has been kept under cover. I know the people at Paratrooper Vehicles and if it is for sale I will post the price. It would make a good project.

Hope of interest.

Tony G

Hi Tony. The Diamond T looks in good condition, if I had the money who knows, sadly David Cameron wont give me a sub on my pension to buy it, but I hope it goes to a good home. Thanks for putting it on the thread. Any chance Tony of getting some more info on the T for the Diamond T Register, would be good to be able to add it to the list.

Regards from

Dick Smith:drive:

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Could the problem be with the tyre on trailer nearest to Camera that is one hell of a wheel rim, that happened to my truck once when I was forces into the side of the road by a hearse, the wheel was absolutley knackered.:drive:

hi juergenkurz, for a better picture of the ransomes crane trailer at work go to stonehenge erection of trilithon lintel in 1958, it is a british heritage site. we have never found who did the work at stonehenge, diamond ts were used but with no trade names on them, stonehenge purists say the ressurection of the site never took place, hope of interest, tony g.

I have tried to find this site, but Google is unable to do the honours, Tony G, can you put a reference onto this page please.

Cheers. dizzy-t.:drive:

Here's a posing question, was the dead 969 being towed or pushed?

Bearing in mind the 969 wasn't as heavy as the 980/981 I would imagine that it was being towed, by the pickup, but seeing as we dont know what was on the back end I suppose it could have been pushed, Its amazing how much can be towed by pickups, I once had a Bedford TK tpper on the back of my S1 Land Rover, this had 10 tons of gravel in it.:drive:

I have a video (somewhere) of Wynns actually using this trailer/crane, when a gantry crane fell off a trailer & they had to turn the load (whilst off the trailers) & re load it, if I can find the video I will put the name of it on this site.

The video is named as Wynns Volume 2, this film has a Brabazon Crane, plus some film of Diamond T's.

There are three films on Youtube reagrding Wynns Diamond T's. Robert Wynns Transport Procession 1963. Best looking Heavy Haulage Trucks, there is also another very short film regarding one of the Re Cabbed Diamond T's.:drive:

Thanks dizzy-t and Tony for your replies!

Yes its the last one (but I must say the Diamond T with crane looks very interesting as well!). I thought it was a Rogers trailer for some reason. I wonder if more photos are existing, in its civil life by Wynns...

 

Juergen

I have a video (somewhere) of Wynns actually using this trailer/crane, when a gantry crane fell off a trailer & they had to turn the load (whilst off the trailers) & re load it, if I can find the video I will put the name of it on this site.

These photos were sent to me from Australia, this vehicle is now in the hands of a Military Vehicle collector in South Australia, I cant remember where abouts the collector is. :drive:

I can't comment on the Wespe Diamond T but I've got an AA wrecker in my "to build" pile and it's a mighty kit. I've built kits from both companies and there's an absolute world of difference between AA and Wespe kits. AA's kits are far better detailed (microscopic detail on the resin bits, photo-etch parts, decals etc) than Wespe's (resin bits only) but they cost much more. AA's instructions are much clearer too, but they have to be because their kits have a lot more parts. Some of Wespe's kits are a bit inaccurate but I'm not a desperate rivet-counter so it doesn't bother me too much. On the whole I think AA are better value but I'm not decrying Wespe's efforts - both companies make kits which can be built into cracking models.

 

I'm just finishing an AA Chieftain Mk11 and I can't decide what unit's markings to put on it. Anybody got any suggestions?

I have never built a kit before where you cant make head nor tail of the instructions, its a good job I have some excellent photos of the parts I am trying to assemble, also I feel that it helps if you have some inside knowledge of the vehicle involved, if I get stuck I can go and look at Adrians Diamond T, as that is only 15 miles from where I live. I see that AA dont have the Diamond T listed anymore, so may have to look for it on ebay. What are your model shops like on the Isle of Man?

I am building the Wespe Diamond T in Alan Oxboroughs livery, its a bit tricky as there are so many different colours in use. This is the 1st Resin Model I have attempted, I was just wondering what the difference's are between Accurate Armour Diamond T's & the Wespe. On Alans T I need all sorts of spares, including 1/35th scale American Jerry cans, plus some of the old warning lights which were placed around obstacles, it would also be nice to get a Showmans Caravan to complete the scene. :drive:

These photos were taken at the last Malvern Autumn Show 2011, shame it was peeing with rain. Sorry if this vehicle has appeared in previous photos, but have tried to go through them all.

As seen at a Toddington Steam Show a few years ago, this was very nice.

This is a nice AEC Timber Tractor, as seen at the Malvern Autumn show, shame it was peeing down with rain, would have like dto have stopped and taken more photos.

The Henley one still looks very nice- glad it's to be sorted.

 

Didn't realise Moss had one Dick- will have to go find it! They had a couple of Land Rovers at GDSF.

Have just returned from the Malvern Show, have another Matador to put on sometime, when I have downloaded the photos, this one was very nice Timber Tractor, they seem to be coming out of the woodwork (sorry). I realy must go to the Land-Rover section at GDSF next year, I was in such a hurry to get to the DHH section that I missed all the LR's, apart from PJO 549. :writing::drive::drive:

Pumping the Dodges tyres prior to loading on trailer.

Already to leave Cosford for the last time

Many years ago (well 40 years) I was asked by some friends if I could collect a Dodge Command Car (or could have been a weapons carrier, I cant remember) from a garage opposite RAF Cosford, and take it to The Cleeve Hill Golf Course, where my friends were going to renovate it. Well my mate & I drove up there one Saturday on arriving found that the tyres were flat, so had to pump them up using a lead from one of the plugs on my engine, we then loaded the Dodge (dont ask how as I cant remember) onto the trailer, which turned out to be slightly too narrow for the vehicle, we eventually got it on & started on our way, we got as just past the elevated section on the M5 around Birmingham & were half way up the hill when there was a "BANG" from one of the tyres on the trailer, we un hitched the trailer & left it there, whilst we returned to Cheltenham, managed to find a tyre, & got a garage to fit it on the rim, then returned to Birmingham, hitched back up to the trailer & carried on back before dumping the heap at the Gold Course, I knew that the trailer would not be towed away as the tow ball hitch was a 1 1/2 inch & unless you had that size ball, you did not have a chance to take it. The towing vehicle was a 1950 SWB 1.6 ltr petrol engined Land-Rover, what happened to teh Dodge I have no idea, probably scrapped off. I never found out. (Photos to follow, when I have worekd out how to make them fit).

You must have been in the arena at the same time as me Dizzy as I've got a shot exactly the same as this one!

I was traveling with Nikki Owen in his Scammell & he kindly stopped to let me take the photos, he knows taht I am passionate about the Diamond T's, so without his help it would have been your photo & not mine, I have otehrs, but feel that ones enough.

:whistle::drive:

I took these photos last Friday on leaving the GDSF, hope they are of some use to all you crawler guys.

Yes the warner system is normally associated with the 4.5 and 5.5 field guns on the 5.5 gun carraige.

 

Basically a link between the Brake pedal, and the arm on the Warner controller, caused it to rotate as the foot brake is applied altering the number of resistors that are in the braking circuit.

 

The connector at the back, was I believe the four pin socket, well four bayonet socket. Four flat bayonets are set at 90 degrees to each other, radially spaced in the socket. (one being earth, one being brake lights, one being side lights and the fourth being the electrical connection to the braking circuit.)

 

Part of the circuit drops the Matadors 12v supply to 6 volts, the designed voltage of the gun braking components.

 

The rod linking the foot pedal to the controller is spring loaded so that the controller cannot prevent full brake application of the tractor, the spring merely extends if the rod is accidentally set too short.

 

If this Mat has the Warner brake controller, the chances are that it should have a fifth brake cylinder, under the rear Cross member. A cable from towed artillery, could be clipped onto the pull rod from the cylinder, to apply cable brakes.

 

When no cable was attached a clip could be engaged that prevented the piston from moving, this saving air that would otherwise be wasted. This appears to have been lost in the rear cross memeber convertion.

Please dont leave us in suspence,did you buy this vehicle & if so, what does it look like today.

Our local paper were doing an article about the bombing of Cheltenham during the war & I read that some old lady had told the reporter "That she had heard the bomb doors opening on one of the German planes, which then dropped a bomb near her house", didn't the Germans oil their bombers during the war?:rolleyes:

This is the best looking Dragon Wagon. "ENTERPRISE". WYNN'S Pacific. Photo taken Great Dorset Steam Fair 2011

\T for Seven please. This was the line up of 7 Diamond T's at this years Great Dorset Steam Fair, the line up is as of Friday the2nd Sept. 1).DT 981. 1942. 495 XUX, Alan Oxborough. 2). DT 969. 1943. Jim Freer. 3). DT 981. 1941/42. 22 YZ 73. Bulford Gate Gardian. 4).DT 980. 1942. EGG 160. PICKFORDS. Graham Booth. 5). DT 981. 1943. DOI 2403. HARKNESS. John Pickersgill. 6). DT 980.1943. 3630 DW. "ARMEGEDDON". WYNN'S. Dave Weedon. 7). DT 980. 1941. PDW 321. WYNN'S. Walker Machinery.

These two photos were taken at the Jersey Motor Museum, I cant remember what the story is behind these two vehicles, Ward La France & Mack (second picture), these belong to the museum & I think were left behind after the war.

This AEC was used as the Duxford Museum Rransport many years ago, not sure what chassic was used, but teh driver appears to be sitting sideways on half way down the rear of the truck.

These photos were taken at The Wrecker Trials at Shottesbrooke in the 1970's.