Snowmobiles and Penguins - Page 2

servicepub (RIP) · #31 23-09-03, 00:03

Anybody game enough to do a "Weapons of War" booklet on these (or on the whole subject of snomobiles in Canadian service)?
I now have three boklets in print with 7 more in the pipeline. I ask for 4500-5000 words. I pay a paltry $250 (Canadian dollars) and provide 10 free coies of the finished product.
Always looking for authors for other MilVeh subjects as well as artillery, etc...
Soon to be published is the story of the Land Service Mattress.
http://www.servicepub.com/weapons.html

Hanno Spoelstra · #32 23-09-03, 02:05

Quote:

Originally posted by servicepub
Anybody game enough to do a "Weapons of War" booklet on these (or on the whole subject of snomobiles in Canadian service)?
I ask for 4500-5000 words. I pay a paltry $250 (Canadian dollars) and provide 10 free coies of the finished product.

I already have some 1,800 words on the Canadian Armoured Snowmobile published here. May be used by any budding author for the measly sum of one copy of the finished booklet

Alex Blair (RIP) · #33 03-12-03, 12:15

I recently recieved mail from Dell Dalgliesh out of Manitoba reporting Penguin #57....
Here is a excerpt from our corespondence..
Can we get some info for Dell and welcome to the MLU Homefires...

Quote:

The only history I know about it is the ski resort at LaRivera Mb bought it from the government to use on the ski slope, they later cut 2/3 of the cab off and mounted a snow making machine on the back and drove it off the Cadillac engine.
The exhaust pipes rusted off and they let water get into the engine and then we got it. We rebuilt the engine and try to take better care of it.
The machine is in Sarles, ND right now.
I guess my biggest question is; how many of the markIII's were built and how do I tell what the chassis serial# is? The serial# on the Canadian Arsenals data plate is 57.
If you stay in touch I will share any info I have.
It would also be good to know where all the parts that Levy Auto Parts had for these machines went to.

Welcome aboard ..

cletrac (RIP) · #34 03-12-03, 14:26

There was a Penguin offered for sale in Saskatoon last winter. The ad was in a heavy equipment Auto Trader. It looked close to oeiginal in the photo.

cletrac (RIP) · #35 08-01-04, 01:29

I came across that Penguin I mentioned and attached these pictures. If anybody's interested it's for sale too. It's situated near Melfort, Sask. The Caddy motor has been replaced with a 318 Chrysler and the machine is in good condition. They used it to go into the bush hunting this fall. Contact Mike at 306-277-2004.

Hanno Spoelstra · #36 17-03-04, 11:28

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
Italian Army museum, outside Rome, Italy

To the best of my knowledge the "Italian military museum outside Rome" was the "Museo della Motorizzazione Militare della Cecchignola". While searching for the address I found this: "Caserma Arpaia, viale dell'Esercito, 170, Cecchignola, tel. 06/5011885". This museum houses some pretty rare vehicles - see CENSIMENTO DEI VEICOLI CORAZZATI STORICI IN ITALIA.

I asked the webmaster of this site for confirmation, and his reply was:

Quote:

Hello Hanno, you are right, the tracked vehicle is preserved in Museo della Motorizzazione Militare in Rome. See the following page in Italian Army website http://www.esercito.difesa.it/root/S...Sez_storia.asp The museum is open only on saturday from 9.00 to 12.00 AM. I saw the vehicle 20 years ago and I asked myself what it was. Now I have the answer. Thank you. regards, Pierantonio

This is the direct link to the Museo della Motorizzazione Militare's page: http://www.esercito.difesa.it/root/m...rizzazione.asp.
Make sure to reserve some time for a visit to this museum during your next trip to Rome!

Regards,
Hanno

Colin Macgregor Stevens · #37 17-03-04, 16:17

Here is the data plate for the snowmobile for sale in Saskatchewan by "Mikes_Army"

Hanno Spoelstra · #38 17-03-04, 16:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Colin Macgregor Stevens
Here is the data plate for the snowmobile for sale in Saskatchewan by "Mikes_Army"

Also see CMP and Penguin for sale and follow the links for more of Mike Heiberg's pictures.

Hanno Spoelstra · #39 07-04-04, 16:33

Quote:

Originally posted by servicepub
Anybody game enough to do a "Weapons of War" booklet on these (or on the whole subject of snomobiles in Canadian service)

Don, do I understand correctly you have taken up the challenge? When can we expect it to be published?
(Ref. Weapons of War series in preparation: Snowmobiles - Don Dingwall)

Hanno Spoelstra · #40 01-07-04, 12:04

Hmm, seems this once was a Bombardier Muskeg Tractor - or was it an Armoured Snowmobile?!?

Alex Blair (RIP) · #41 01-07-04, 12:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
Hmm, seems this once was a Bombardier Muskeg Tractor - or was it an Armoured Snowmobile?!?

Hi Hanno..
What we are looking at is the back end...
Here is the back end of the Armoured sno mobile...
What ever it is ..is based on the ASM chassis and track and could well be an armoured snowmobile...

Hanno Spoelstra · #42 01-07-04, 13:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Blair
What ever it is ..is based on the ASM chassis and track and could well be an armoured snowmobile...

Hi Alex, that's what I was hoping...although the external track braces seem to point towards the Muskeg tractor...

Snowtractor · #43 01-07-04, 13:16

...definitely, though you can see they would make a great repo , size differences aside.
Sean

Alex Blair (RIP) · #44 01-07-04, 15:39

Hi guys..
The little sno thingie had a 6 cyl.chrysler that must hace been mounted in the front under the cab..it appears that a drive shaft extends from that area in the picture shown ,with the bed tilted..
The exhaust in the red vehicle is exiting the machine in the right area for a mid-rear engine mounted armoured snow mobile,the hook is the same and the two inner track protection baffles hanging down are the same as the armoured snow...
Gotta be an armoured snow mobile with the armour cut off and the side rails prefabed from the other design..and new sheet metal side and top plates built to reduce weight using the old armour patterns...
They look the same...just rounded off on the top corners.....

Snowtractor · #45 12-08-04, 05:01

I say no. Look at the front drive sprocket the red one is identical to the Muskeg tractor and different than the armoured snomo. Also the rear tunnel area the steel extends down and on the snomo it is sqare-ish and round ( as in the pic ) on the muskeg. The drive shaft you se may just be a PTO to drive the dump for the rear deck on the muskeg or it could be a hydraulic , though I think PTO. Why send a drive shaft back to drive the front sprocket when you could just reverse the engine and put the tranny in front. All that aside the outside support structure is identical to the muskeg.As for exhaust you can run it anywhere to exit the vehicle. I might add that the muskeg tractor hull was used in a bunch of different configurations both offered and special order. What we need is more pics.
Sean

Hanno Spoelstra · #46 28-03-05, 23:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
Make that two unmodified ones so far - see Canadian Armoured Snowmobile:
Museum of Armoured Forces, Kubinka, Russia

Italian Army museum, outside Rome, Italy

Another picture of the survivor in the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia: http://gallery.vondur.net/v/industri...02183.jpg.html

Hanno Spoelstra · #47 07-12-05, 10:33

For more pics of the survivors at Kubinka, see http://henk.fox3000.com/kubinka.htm

H.

Hanno Spoelstra · #48 08-03-07, 22:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
Make that two unmodified ones so far - see Canadian Armoured Snowmobile:
Museum of Armoured Forces, Kubinka, Russia

Italian Army museum, outside Rome, Italy

More pics of the survivor in Rome; both pics found here.

Colin Macgregor Stevens · #49 09-03-07, 09:18

An Exercise Musk Ox Penguin (converted from a Cdn Armoured Snowmobile) had survived (complete less one track) and went to the Bombardier Museum in Quebec. This was an epic voyage in winter from Churchill Manitoba, up North (as far as Cambridge Bay for 3 machines including #8, and then dolwn to Edmonton.

I later found out that a large "8" was found painted inside a roof hatch, which means that in all likelyhood that this was the # 8 machine on Exercise Musk Ox (only 15 machines were apaprently converted). This would have made it the machine commanded by Captain Bob Inglis - my late father-in-law!

Sadly the museum told me years later that they have scrapped it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps someone can confirm its fate?

If it survives, it SHOULD go to the Canadian War Museum.

Hanno Spoelstra · #50 09-03-07, 10:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Colin Macgregor Stevens
Sadly the museum told me years later that they have scrapped it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps someone can confirm its fate?

Colin,

That would be a horrible reality! Bruce parker posted a few pics of it in Armoured snowmo?, which I believe originally came from/via you.

Can any can add any further information?

Regards,
Hanno

cletrac (RIP) · #51 26-01-09, 06:10

Here's some snowmobile pictures in Exercise Muskox from the Google Life site.

Kirk Armitage · #52 28-01-09, 12:14

Hanno's pic showed a Muskeg carrier( engine in front) with tilting deck,drive shaft behind cab runs a cmp style winch.They have a transfer case in the back powering the winch and a driveshaft heading to the T16 diff in front. The red muskeg pictured is a tractor (engine is mounted to the rear). The armoured bombardier's had no rails to support the Boogies(must have been very heavy axles) but I have read of them being bent on their Arctic excursions. The 2 axles on the Muskeg are around 1"1/2 they need the rail for support. They are a great machine,maybe Bombardier should have used the whole axle assembly from the T16 in his design,instead of building a box to hold the diff(which is a water collector).Regardless of that these ''antiques'' which I and many others still use, designed 50 plus years ago are a testament to the '' vision'' of Bombardier.
Kirk Armitage

gcrossley · #53 29-01-10, 03:39

For those who haven't seen it, the National Film Board had a film online titled "Ordeal By Ice" which has good footage of the Armoured Snomobiles in use, and very short clips of an M7 Show Tractor and Weasel being tested.

http://nfb.ca/film/ordeal_by_ice

Enjoy

Gord

servicepub (RIP) · #54 29-01-10, 15:47

When this thread started, seven years ago, I asked for an author for the Penguin and/or Armoured Snowmobile. At the time I bragged that I had published three titles in the Weapons of War series.
Fast forward to 2010. There are now 27 titles in the series with another dozen in the pipeline. BUT, I still don't have an author for this one. Any takers?

Roger Lucy · #55 29-01-10, 16:06

For whoever wants to get started on this, there is a file on the Armoured Snowmobile at Archives: RG24 volume 2635 HQS 3352-75, there is also one among McNaughton's papers MG30 E133 volume 214. DM&S' Design Record of Canadian Development of Military Vehicles, also has a fair amount as well on the Armoured Snowmobile and on its two experimental off-shots the Mudcat and the Muskrat.
The files on the Penguin RG24 Series C-1-b , Accession 1983-84/048 , Box 3334
7016-Penguin are still restricted so they will need to be cleared through Acess to information

Phil Waterman · #56 29-01-10, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcrossley

For those who haven't seen it, the National Film Board had a film online titled "Ordeal By Ice" which has good footage of the Armoured Snomobiles in use, and very short clips of an M7 Show Tractor and Weasel being tested.

http://nfb.ca/film/ordeal_by_ice

Enjoy

Gord

Thanks Gord

That was a real find, now I'll spend a couple of hours exploring what else the NFB has when I could be out in the cold working on the trucks. Let me see 10 F with 30 mph wind, wonder how long it will take to get the shop from 40F to 60F. Just watching that film makes me shiver.

Cheers Phil

Bob Carriere · #57 29-01-10, 17:26

..... you must be having a January Thaw....

..... it was minus 22 C this morning..... windchill minus 33 C......

forecast is minus 25 C for the next two nights.... hopefully with no wind....

Frost bite warning have been issue until Sunday....

No doubt Lucifer will be chugging this weekend.....takes about 2 to 3 hours to bring the temp in the barn above freezing...... another 2 to 4 hours to get 50+ F......... by then it is time to go back to the house for supper.....

On the positive side...... we have had little snow and the last snowfall has dropped in a icy base...... with the high wind our recent snow is now 200 km to the East of us.....

CMP recovery is out of the question........

Boob

gjamo · #58 29-01-10, 22:06

They used a few Bombardiers on the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the 50s. I guess they were post war. This one photographed at the Cooma rally in 2009.
Graeme

Jesse Browning · #59 30-01-10, 02:03

One of the pictures above caught my attention. A different angle, but looks similar to this. I took this picture last year in Michigan. Jesse.

Ed Storey · #60 01-02-10, 04:40

Here is an image of one during Exercise Eskimo in 1945.