20 June 2004--a sad day

cliff · #1 02-06-04, 02:51

Hi all. I telephoned the late Ken Hughes' Daughter this morning about his collection of trucks located in Kingaroy Queensland Australia and she has told me that whatever is left of the vehicles will be crushed on the weekend of the 20 June.

I will be travelling out there one more time to take some detail pics of some of them for my modeling purposes and maybe, just maybe, I can salvage a few of the better parts depending on price.

I do not know what is left at this stage but I do know that it is a crying shame that the crusher is getting them.

Regards
Cliff

Keith Webb · #2 02-06-04, 08:25

Quote:

Originally posted by cliff
I do not know what is left at this stage but I do know that it is a crying shame that the crusher is getting them.

Thanks, Cliff
What a crying shame it's so far from most of us...

This is the sort of thing which is going to be crushed...

More information courtesy of Cliff here

cliff · #3 03-06-04, 10:30

I will be visiting the Kingaroy yard next Wednesday 9 June so if there is anything any of you want me to look at or price for you please let me know.

Thanks

Tony Smith · #4 03-06-04, 15:59

Cliff, I hope to get up there the week after you. I'd be interested in knowing if I should take a up truck or just tow a box trailer. (Perhaps that should be a toolbox or a wrecking ball

?). It would be a crying shame to see much of this get cut up for scrap.

Keith Webb · #5 03-06-04, 20:51

Thanks, Cliff, but the best thing you can do is to take your cameras - stills of course and if you have a video camera, then some footage would also be excellent...
Same for you, Tony, I know you're very handy with a camera, so take lots of pics too.
The other thing to grab (seeing they are to be scrapped) are of course data plates if possible, otherwise just document them.
I'll make sure we can all share the images.
Thanks, Keith

cliff · #6 03-06-04, 23:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Keith Webb
The other thing to grab (seeing they are to be scrapped) are of course data plates if possible, otherwise just document them.

Keith this I will do. I will get the wife to record any that are left while I take pics. It will be interesting to see what is left and hopefully all the good (or should I say better) stuff has been sold.

I do know that the last time I was there that someone had 'grabbed' all the cab 12 badges from the front. A pity as I would have liked a Ford one to sit on my desk.

I will forward copies of all the pics I take keith. Rest assured on that score.

Tony I will let you know what is there by next Friday Mate.

regards
Cliff

Keith Webb · #7 03-06-04, 23:24

Looking forward to the data info and the pics.
You're a champ! (And so is your wife).

Ian Fawbert · #8 04-06-04, 06:43

Hi all,

Cliff/tony. Would it be possible ot save the plates off all the vehicles? Blitz's, jeeps, dodges, gmc's, stude's inters and so on?

Lets not forget that it is not only cmp knowledge and history that will be lost if theyall go to the crapper... i mean scrapper.

I`d be interested in any jeep and stude plates if they can be got for a reasonable price?

Cheers,

Ian.

cliff · #9 04-06-04, 07:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Ian Fawbert
I`d be interested in any jeep and stude plates if they can be got for a reasonable price?

Ian there were only 4 studebaker US6 and a couple of very sorry jeep wrecks on site the last time I was there but as I am also a Dodge fan I will try and get ALL vehicles numbers that I can. That is if I cannot strip the plates off them which I am hoping I may be able to do.

Also, just so you are aware, it is hard for me to get out of my wheelchair and under the bonnet of a truck to look for the plates.

But I may, if my wife will let me and I can afford it, get one of the D60L trucks if they are there still but somehow I think not.

Nigel Watson · #10 04-06-04, 19:39

Is there no museum or collection that these trucks could be offered to? Or does the owner want real money for them? What a real shame for these to disappear. I could do with spare wheel carriers, back bodies cab interiors for my SA imports but.... I'm in Scotland. Pity also time is against everything, not to mention distance!!

Good luck

Nigel

Any carriers, British or Canadian?

cliff · #11 04-06-04, 22:51

Nigel all carriers and parts were long gone.

Tony Smith · #12 05-06-04, 06:07

Ian, I'll be trying to get as much useful stuff off the vehicles as possible before they get crushed.
Nigel, they want real money for these trucks. In preliminary talks about obtaining parts, prices like $20 for a 16"rim and $100 for an engine block were mentioned. As scrap steel fetches $50 a tonne, I thought these prices were "Optimistic". Even Instruments/Gauges were suggested as being worth $50! So prices will be more than just scrap value, meaning that much of it won't get bought and end up being sold to the scrapman. It won't just be those at Normandy thinking about horrific losses this weekend!!

Bob Moseley (RIP) · #13 05-06-04, 12:38

Cliff and Tony
Blitz instrument panels, gauges, speedos no matter how dead looking. But realistic prices.
Bob

Tony Smith · #14 06-06-04, 03:41

Had you in mind already, Salesman Bob, but as Joh Bjelke Petersen might have said "Money gets you peanuts in Kingaroy"

Nigel Watson · #15 06-06-04, 11:38

Thanks for that guys, its such a pity but as everyone says if you can't save the hard stuff at least preserve it by way of photo documentation no matter how ordinary you may think the photos you take look. Photo everything you can and never not photograph something because you think "there are plenty of photos of this about!" Researching carriers I have come over some fantastic details from ordinary photos. But hey, easy for me to say, I'm not there under the baking heat crawling under the ant infested diffs and spider inhabited instrument panels just for an ordinary shot of the part because some far away Scot said it was a good idea!!!! Good luck

Nigel

Ian Fawbert · #16 07-06-04, 09:58

Cliff- i know they are wrecks, but someone loves them either way!

Tony, get all you can, but i guess if prices are like you say, you might not get much at all?

Heres a suggestion i thoght of during the week, how about people contact the scrappy after they have been taken and see what he is going to do with them. They would surely have to know that these vehicles have more value than just $50 a tonne, and as a result you might be able to get more parts cheaper than in the paddocks where they currently sit?

Just an idea!

Ian.

cliff · #17 07-06-04, 10:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Ian Fawbert
Heres a suggestion i thoght of during the week, how about people contact the scrappy after they have been taken and see what he is going to do with them.

trouble is the crusher is coming to them and not the other way round!

they will be placed into a mobile crusher and then flattened. stage 2 is pile them as high as you can on a truck and trailer to save on freight.

So in this way there is no yard costs. It goes straight to the smelter.

good idea though
Regards
Cliff

Ian Fawbert · #18 08-06-04, 07:24

Quote:

trouble is the crusher is coming to them and not the other way round!

DAM! Well it was wortha try!

Good luck cliff and tony. I`m sure youll do your best, and please keep us posted on what you find out!

Cheers,

Ian.

cliff · #19 09-06-04, 10:24

I visited Kingaroy today and was pleased to see all (or most) of the better stuff gone.

there are a lot of 13 cabs left but almost all (90%) are parts only. A few internationals and jail bar Fords with a few Chev's stired in for good measure. Probably at rough count 100 odd trucks of which about 5 or 6 would be worth dragging home whole.

Sad thing for me was almost all the data plates were missing along with all badges etc. Also almost no spare wheel carriers for CMP's were there.

2 aussie bofers bodies and a wireless rear body were still there along with the F30 ambulance remains.

also a cut down wireless truck as well (cab 13).

3 rusty D60L's were there also and yes I managed to get details of two Data plates from these. One was a civilian job converted to military use. I will post these later on when I do the pics.

I will post some of the CMP lines when I have made the pics small enough to post.

Thanks Cliff

Tony Smith · #20 09-06-04, 14:32

Great, Cliff, I'm on my way up this weekend!

cliff · #21 09-06-04, 23:02

pic 1

cliff · #22 09-06-04, 23:03

Pic 2
aussie bofers bodies X2

cliff · #23 09-06-04, 23:04

pic 3

cliff · #24 09-06-04, 23:04

pic 4

Keith Webb · #25 09-06-04, 23:05

Quote:

Originally posted by cliff
pic 1

Ahh a cut down signals van... what a pity...
Not much to save there... although the base of the body is similar to the standard GS built by Holden.

cliff · #26 09-06-04, 23:05

pic 5

cliff · #27 09-06-04, 23:06

pic 6

cliff · #28 09-06-04, 23:13

Quote:

Originally posted by Keith Webb
Ahh a cut down signals van... what a pity...
Not much to save there... although the base of the body is similar to the standard GS built by Holden.

keith this body is still in the yard possibly giving a good rebuild start to some one

DaveCox · #29 09-06-04, 23:40

Jeez, makes you wanna cry..........and all going to the crusher?

cliff · #30 10-06-04, 00:03

the last pic of the radio body is one of the original pics I took 12 months ago. The body is still in the yard as of yesterday