Truck, 3-ton, Signals Line Construction (Chevrolet C60S)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Does anyone know if there’s a survivor of this type somewhere?




A long time ago, Johan Dieffenbach in Belgium fitted a US K42/K43 body on a C60S chassis:



Sometime after 2014, the body was transferred back into the Chevrolet 1.5-ton chassis/cab it came off originally:

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Grant Bowker wrote about this type:

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

It is a "3 Ton Telephone Lorry", which according to the AEDB Design Record was:

"patterned after the commercial type Bell Telephone Company "Line Construction Vehicle - H.C.V.", the chassis however being a CMP 4x4 134 inch WB equipped with 10.50x20 tires. The vehicle was designed to carry a complete set of tools and equipment for the repair and maintenance of telephone lines and installations and was equipped with winch and derrick poles. The vehicle was operated by a trained telephone line construction crew of Signals' personnel. The 4-K-1 body was of all steel construction and consisted of a steel platform with specially constructed bins and lockers which were designed so as to form the sides and front of the body. The top was of 3 sections, telescopic design, the fore and aft sections being of steel while the centre section was of rubberized canvas. Tools and equipment were stowed in designated positions over the body while specialty stores were stowed in the individual bins."

The vehicle code for the Telephone Lorry was 60444-M-SLC-1. SLC=Signal Line Construction?
It is also stated that the vehicle had a crew of 5, 10,000 pound winch (which could also power a detachable cable reel that mounted to the round shaft seen in the open locker at the right front of the body). The derrick is not the same as used on the derrick lorry. The telephone lorry's derrick had 2 brace legs which attached part way up the central leg that could be extended well past the attachment point of the braces. It is possible that the angle of the main pole could be adjusted by moving the attachment point of the braces, but this is not certain. By contrast the Derrick lorry had all 3 legs coming to a common point at the head sheave with all 3 legs adjustable for length.

[Colin Alford]

Hanno,

Here is the relevant info from Volume VI of the Design Record.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Colin Alford

Here is the relevant info from Volume VI of the Design Record.

Thanks Colin!

I also looked up the body type, the 4K1 was a "special steel Telephone (Signals Line Construction) body (...) similar to the standard commercial vehicles used for telephone construction work":




I also compared it with the body on the US Signal Corps' model K42 or K43 (G7173) which is of similar construction but shorter. So the Chevrolet C60S shown above as assembled by Mr Dieffenbach, was the result of some artistic license. That body was put back on the type of chassis it was originally fitted to.

[Alex van de Wetering]

A well known period picture.......and even though the hint is in the description I only recently noticed the body of this truck.

Personnel repairing a bomb-damaged truck of the 1st Canadian Railway Telegraph Company, Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.), Louvain, Belgium, 6 January 1945

source:https://recherche-collection-search....2827&q=3392827

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

A well known period picture.......and even though the hint is in the description I only recently noticed the body of this truck.

Nice find!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Does anyone know if there’s a survivor of this type somewhere?

Back in 2007 in this thread John McGillivray posted two photos, which are sadly no longer shown online. "wrecks02.jpg" was identified by Grant Bowker as a "3 Ton Telephone Lorry". Here's hoping John still has a copy or someone else saved that photo.

Originally Posted by John McGillivray

These CMPs have seen better times.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1.../CMP_12cab.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...A/wrecks02.jpg

[Grant Bowker]

Perhaps this is one of the photos...
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...d.php?p=294931
Maybe you have a more direct link to the photo?

[Alex van de Wetering]

I think Grant might be right....reading the original thread with John's pictures, the comments and the MIKAN reference.....it sounds like the same picture in this thread; "PA-115018" from the Canadian Archives.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Some very nice period pictures can be found on the RCsigs website:

http://www.rcsigs.ca/index.php/CMP_L...l_Construction

Nice BIG maple leaf on the side and "Canada" written on the rear!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Grant, Alex, thanks for that.

In my enthusiasm of finding a survivor I *assumed* the photos which John posted were of a survivor, rather than a wartime photo.

Mystery solved, dreams smashed - thanks!

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

Perhaps this is one of the photos...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=...AAAAAdAAAAABAE
Maybe you have a more direct link to the photo?

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

I think Grant might be right....reading the original thread with John's pictures, the comments and the MIKAN reference.....it sounds like the same picture in this thread; "PA-115018" from the Canadian Archives.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Some very nice period pictures can be found on the RCsigs website:

Nice BIG maple leaf on the side and "Canada" written on the rear!

Very nice pictures indeed, thank for the addition!

I can understand why Mr Dieffenbach wanted to build a recreation of this interesting truck.


Source: http://www.rcsigs.ca/index.php/File:..._rightside.jpg

[Alex van de Wetering]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

I can understand why Mr Dieffenbach wanted to build a recreation of this interesting truck.

Definitely.....it has a very "tough" and interesting look....would be superb to see if one survives.

By the way....interesting to see the two-tone look of the example in the picture......shift in base colour?.....or just a difference between base colour used by the supplier of the body and the GM truck?