Gustaf Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Thanks Steve, There is only one good photo of the back that I have been able to find of the M1917, and it is in the 1920 financial report of the Medical Corps, it give great detail of the rear tail gate, hinge, latch, and a fair view of the seats and upper litter rails. When I finished the body, I sent a photo to a friend who did a layover with the above photos, and the only thing that did not match exactly was the front fenders because the brackets are a bit droopy. Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charawacky Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 I have been watching a very good documentary on You-tube Four Years of Thunder Very watchable with many aircraft from Old Rhinebeck Not much old transport shown but there was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w61B4O_CvHc 4 mins 51 seconds in enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 A great shot of an American M1917, and as best as I can tell, it does not have section numbers painted on it. There is even a second of footage of it bouncing off down the road. Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlooms88 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Nice details here in this photo of a Ford Model T ambulance. Use the Library of Congress link to access the original LARGE 15MB file for downloading. Library of Congress original file http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2005021821/ Close up of interior DesertBlooms88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlooms88 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Here is a photo of an American ambulance headquarters in Paris showing Ford Model T outside - this photo is not as detailed as the one above unfortunately. Library of Congress image http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2005023109/ DesertBlooms88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Wasn't the American Ambulance a civillian organisation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 Wasn't the American Ambulance a civillian organisation? Hey Tony Yes. the American Ambulance was an American supported hospital in Paris and Neuilly sur Seine. The American Field Service was the organization that provided cars and personnel to the American Ambulance (ambulance referred to the hospital, not the car). It is interesting that the AFS went on to become one of the best organizations for the exchange of culture and knowledge through exchange students. The AFS is still in operation. In England, the term "ambulance" was beginning to be used to describe the transport automobile, and partly because the AFS ambulance cars had American Ambulance painted on the side, ambulance became the word to describe the car. It is also interesting that modern ambulances have become the same as the original ambulance (portable hospital) and in many cases, the modern ambulance is a better equipped hospital than the original ambulance hospitals were. Hey DB88, Great photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlooms88 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Found a restoration project here for a Ford Model T ambulance. It is on a World War One website. It has a great many photo's and some videos. I trust it is ok to show the link here from another site. http://www.ww1history.com/Model_T_Project.php DesertBlooms88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlooms88 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 A view of the inside Library of Congress image - 25MB file link http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/npc2008000752/ DesertBlooms88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Hey DB88 The web site is David O'Neal's, he has a thread somewhere here chronicling his construction. The last photo is an interesting one, they removed the gas tanke from under the seat, or added a second to this ambulance, it is one of the ones built in France, probably under the direction of the American Ambulance or the Red Cross, these two groups were nationalized into the United States Army Ambulance Service when the US entered the war in mid 1918 (war was declared in early 1917, but for the most part, the US did not have a presence in Europe for another year). Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 A view of the inside Library of Congress image - 25MB file link http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/npc2008000752/ [ATTACH=CONFIG]70898[/ATTACH] DesertBlooms88 Another observation, the litters shown are American made (I suspect that this photo may have been taken in the US, I am puzzled by the construction) The litters are the commercial variety used by the USAAS, and the feet are further from the ends. The early US made ambulances (first 2450 made) were constructed to accommodate these litters as well as the French and Italian ones. It turned out that the standard US military litter had the feet closer to the end, and would not fit in the upper litter rails, as the back feet would extend past the end of the rails so the bodies of subsequent cars were extended by about 3 inches to accommodate the US military litters (referred to as the "long truck model" Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlooms88 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 More information on Ford Model T ambulance here http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?16211-WWI-Ford-Model-T-Ambulances Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 It is nearly freezing out today, so I thought I would go for a drive since it was so warm. The T handles snow that is 6 to 8 inches deep with out much problem, but the icy roads are fun with slick tires and minimal brakes, but at least I can lock up the wheels now. Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Pictures like that make you think what the guys must have gone through when they were working for real! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hey Tony, Reading some of the personal histories, they talk about getting one car started in the morning, and then towing the others to start them, during actions, the cars would not set long enough to get cold, and the side curtains help a lot in keeping the engine temperature in the driver's compartment. It was hard work, and dangerous, but far better than being in the trenches. I have a letter written home by a German soldier who was wounded in the early battles in Poland in 1914, and he writes of how the driver of a truck had to warm the fuel before he could start the engine, it is possible that the driver was warming the water for the radiator rather than the fuel, as the soldier was not familiar with motor cars. Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I've been told of getting one vehicle started then using the exhaust gas to warm the other engines. Puts grumbiling abput a flat battery in perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I got a ride in one of the Model Ts at War and Peace last year. It was amazing they just glided through all the war and peace mud with no problem at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazungumagic Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I got a ride in one of the Model Ts at War and Peace last year. It was amazing they just glided through all the war and peace mud with no problem at all Interesting, Martyn. Did you get any photos of these Ts ? I'd like to see them if you did. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Interesting, Martyn. Did you get any photos of these Ts ? I'd like to see them if you did. Jack I have regretted the fact that i didnt, i know that they were in the issue of Classic Military Vehicle the month of the war and peace show itself (the pictures in CMV were taken at W&P the year before). I think there were three Ts at war and peace together and i think they drove them there?, the T i was in was believed to have once been an ambulance one. http://www.kelseyshop.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=88_97_266&product_id=2371 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Here is one of them: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 That wagon plus various other T's belongs to Radar who used to run The Bedford QLT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 That wagon plus various other T's belongs to Radar who used to run The Bedford QLT. He did mention that he used to have a bedford, nice enough person Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazungumagic Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Thanks anyway, Martyn. I'll see if I can obtain a copy of the CMV magazine for Aug 12. GWT - appreciate a look at one of the Ts. I see this also has the shamrock emblem. It may also be just the mud, but the tyres (particularly the front RH) look to be wider than usual. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 It may also be just the mud, but the tyres (particularly the front RH) look to be wider than usual. Jack Trying to think now, he did mention something about the tyres. I think he said that original tyres did not allow water out of the tread but, i cant remember why, he had diferent ones fitted but he did have a reason. I believe he also had a few photos of the restoration which may be useful for some of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustaf Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 The tires do appear to be the modern balloon tires, they are a bit larger in size, and the wheel has a smaller diameter. The earlier tires were measured around the out side and would have been 30x3½ or 30x3, in the 1920s Ford went to a tire that was measured on the inside diameter and were 21 inch. There were other differences, the newer tires were normally inflated to 32psi, where the earlier tires had to be inflated to 60psi or more. The earlier tire was based on the bicycle tire, and has to be stretched over the rim to be fitted. The modern tire uses either a drop center rim, or in the case of the Ford 21 inch wheel, a split rim to install. Best Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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