And who is this?
 

Is it a spy?

Captured today at the Melbourne Tank Museum is Chris Zimmerli who is visiting Australia and will be here for the next couple of months...

... wow, handsome looking guy in his red Swiss jacket ;-)

Keith, thanx a lot for this fantastic day!! Was really fun, saw brilliant and rare vehicles.

Chris

Spy From Switzerland
 

Hey Keefy - I hope you frisked him before he left Johns. Got to watch these O/S people. Have made verbal contact with Chris and hope to see him soon.
Bob

This is what he was hoping to take home
 

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/collect...k/cu_front.jpg

Yes, it's a Linn C5 tractor half track built in Morris, New York and under restoration by John Belfield.

Here are some more pics.

John has taken on yet another amazing project. The vehicle had been "banked" meaning it had a brake failure and was run into a bank to save it resulting in the distortion of the cab and radiator. John is rebuilding it in it's current modified form fitted with a large winch on the back and dual steering.

It's Hercules engine is being rebuilt, having new valves made for it - also having one cylinder sleeved.

Can anyone provide any photographs of this rare and interesting vehicle in use?

PS Chris found it a little heavy to fit in his backpack.

Re: This is what he was hoping to take home
 

Keith
I posted some pictures of the Linn halftrack some time ago..These were taken from the NEWSPAPER put out by TIMKEN ,the Timken Times back in '34....
Jif probably subscribed to it but you and I weren't around then..
See ....
http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/sh...&threadid=2788

touchy Keith
 

... as you can see, Keith liked to touch everything. Hopefully there were no girls around :-)

Re: touchy Keith
 

Jeez, that beard... :eek:

I'm trying to decide whether he's Ernest Hemingway reincarnate, or whether Keefy's simply cultivating The Eclectic Filmmaker Look for when he appears at the Academy Awards next year to receive his Oscar for YOTC!

Either way, be VERY scared, chaps!

Re: This is what he was hoping to take home
 

Only pics I could find are these, they show the Linn C5 was a sort of wheel-cum-track vehicle, rather than a half track:
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/U...ks/Linn-C5.jpg

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/U...s/Linn-C5a.jpg

The picture source mentions the [US] Army evaluated the C5 as a 155mm howitzer tractor.

Amazing vehicle, I can't figure out how one survived in Australia?!? Interestingly, the same design is used today for vehicles used in soil analysis: big 4x4 chassis with crawler tractor tracks slung underneath.

H.

That guy again
 

Now he's at Puckapunyal...


http://oldcmp.net/images/museums/puc...al/chris_1.jpg

I think he may have been spying...

http://oldcmp.net/images/museums/puc...al/chris_2.jpg

Certainly taking a lot of photos...

http://oldcmp.net/images/museums/puc...l/chris_3k.jpg

Well, someone had to keep an eye on him! At least Hemmingway was up to the task!

Re: Re: This is what he was hoping to take home
 

Well found, Hanno - this is a rare vehicle, even in terms of photographs.

I'll take some more when more has been done on it. The amount of work this 74 year old is doing is quite amazing.

Clue
 

An interesting clue to it's origins is found on the data plate:

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/collect...4425_plate.jpg

Note the small anchor with US either side... could be US Navy?

Re: Re: Re: This is what he was hoping to take home
 

You're 74, Keefy? Jeez, you don't look a day over 50... :D :p

LOL
 

No, Jif


THIS 74 year old...

http://oldcmp.net/images/collections...eld/dinger.jpg

John is the owner of a vast and interesting collection of vehicles.

And I'm not even 50 yet:mad: though I may look it!