Collecting some old Blitz's

[Hanno Spoelstra]

To: <CMP@yahoogroups.com>
From: Barry Harmsworth
Subject: [CMP] Collecting some old blitz,s


Barry Harmsworth
59 Wandal Rd
Rockhampton 4700
QLD Australia



In December 2002, I noticed a few old Blitzes, nestled into the bush/dump alongside the Injune Sawmill. I phoned the co-owner a few months later to see if they could be purchased/collected for a restoration project that I had wanted to do for the 42nd Battalion in Rockhampton.

The owner said, " Yeah, come and get them!" It was now the wet season of 2003, March, so I planned a quick trip to collect them. The truck was fueled; a 45 foot trailer was arranged on loan and off I went. As luck would have it, the clutch packed it in on the Expedition Range, so it was an empty return trip.

A few months went by; another drought arrived, so there was no time left to collect old trucks. Eventually in September 2004, I again got on the road with a few days holiday arranged to finally collect the Blitzes, one Ford and one Chev.

My truck is an ex Western Transport. It was purchased by Cyril Anderson in 1955. (along with 4 others in that order.) It still has its original engine, a "711", and the duplex gear box. This diff ratio limits it to 43 mph, a good speed for dirt roads in the late 1950's, but a bit slow on a long, good road now! The day trip was uneventful, except for a few "grey nomads" who pulled of the road to take photos of the old rig. A few more took photos of her parked alongside four of Porter's triple double- deckers at Bauhinia Downs Road House.

You mostly share these roads, the Dawson Highway and the Carnarvon Development Road, with heavy vehicles, road trains pulling stock, grain, coal or frozen freight. Each of these vehicles easily passed me, even though I was empty. I was after all, limited to 43 mph. Most drivers were happy to see the old banger. They all had a chat over the radio and told stories of family members who had owned or driven them.

Overnighting at my relatives' place at the Carnarvons made it into an easy trip onto Injune. I arrived there at smoko so that the "fellas" on the log skidders could lift the old trucks out of the dump and onto the trailer. That was fine, although sticking the forks through the fuel tanks and lifting on the tail-shafts was a bit of a worry. But how else do you get them out of the dump?

Both trucks are rust free and pretty much together. One had the tyres and wooden body burnt off. With no greese left on it, it's definitely easier to paint. The Ford is complete even with its steel army body, but the drop sides have gone. Of course all glass and dials have been smashed, but structurally both trucks are sound. Even things like springs on accelerator rods, spark plug wires and fuel pipes are still connected.

The old Mack hardly felt the weight, even on those long pulls out of Injune. It sat on about 1900 revs; you couldn't push it down the hills, you just plugged along at 43mph. Third low was the lowest that high had to go. Coming down the Injune Range was interesting. It's something to see a double decker coming up- a slow process! I've been told that when the bitchumen gets hot, they lose traction and bog on that range in Summer.

The dirt stretch from Bauhinia Downs to Duaringa, was so rough that the old truck slowed down to second low (any faster and you'd shake her to bits!)

A D4D made short work of unloading back on the farm!

The Ford has had a quick sand and paint job, a set of secondhand tyres and some tyre black. The Chev's aclean old unit, waiting its turn for a bit of a spruice-up!