Carrier Track Variations

[Lynn Eades]

Here I hope we can gather in one thread the various different track types, details, interchange abilities etc.
Basically all of the Allied carriers of WWII ran a similar style of track, An S.G. (malleable) iron track link with a hardened steel pin of 7/16" dia. The pitch was the same for all types, but it was not all interchangeable.
The Pre Universal Carriers, The British and Canadian Universals, the Loyds and the U.S.A built T16 all ran the narrow bogie wheels and track with the close spaced track guide horns.
In the other camp originating with the British built Vickers Light Tank Mark VIB was a track laying down the same foot print but with wider rubber and wider spaced track horns. This type of track was the spec for all of the Australian carriers, (New Zealand as well) and the later Canadian Windsor carrier.
The pluses and minuses of each type are not discussed much because we run that which our carriers came out with. I believe that the reason why they went wider on the V.L.T. was about stability and reliability and I suspect that the possibilty that all might change to the wide rubber was at least a momentary consideration. I digress.
The number of track links fitted to each different model carrier varies.They start off with the numbers below but as they wear, links are removed.
The standardised pre Universals, the British and Canadian carriers are all the same length and all were new with 168 links on each side.
The Australian LP2 and LP2A Has 176 links each side.
The Loyd has 187 each side
Someone else will need to post on the T16 and Windsor Carriers.

See below: the wide track was original to the V.L.T. Mk.VIA, not the Mk VIB.

Starting at the bottom end, Here are extracts from an Australian manual.