Records of snowy hydro series 1

[oliver1981]

I am wondering if anyone has a record of vehicles sold to or used for the snowy? Have always wanted a series 1, preferably restored but only if i could track as being used in the scheme?

On that point, does anyone know of such vehicle(s) which may be for sale?

Thanks in advance

Oliver

[ERASER]

Ive just bought an ex snowy series 1. Should be an easy restoration, i hope. It came with another series 1 that ive found out was owned by Kaiser Walsh P.R which was a US construction company on the snowy scheme.
Ive wanted a series 1 for ages but wanted something with snowy history. Pretty happy now!

[oliver1981]

Wow, sounds like a good find. Where did you come across them?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Oliver

All the Land Rovers sold to the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electricity Commission/Authority were distributed by Grenville Motors so the records of them do exist. The problem is that the SMHEC/A had hundreds of Land Rovers in the Series 1 era, so it is easier to find a vehicle and check it's original provenance (with me or several others).

As suggested above other organisations were involved in the Snowy Scheme and used Land Rovers e.g. NSW Police, NSW Electrictiy Commission and possibly even Thiess Constructions (who brought in the first Land Cruisers in Australia to use on the Scheme), however unlike the SMHEC/A we can not identify if a vehicle bought by the latter organisations was used on the Snowy Scheme.

Diana

BTW: Kaiser Walsh PR is Kaiser Walsh Pereini Raymond.

[Tote]

Ive just bought an ex snowy series 1. Should be an easy restoration, i hope. It came with another series 1 that ive found out was owned by Kaiser Walsh P.R which was a US construction company on the snowy scheme.
Ive wanted a series 1 for ages but wanted something with snowy history. Pretty happy now!

Welcome aboard, some pictures of your new toys would be great....:rulez:


Regards,
Tote

[oliver1981]

Diana,

Could you please provide some information on the following vehicle in that case?

R16660789

Does the snowy archives have records that you are aware of?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Diana,
Could you please provide some information on the following vehicle in that case?
R16660789
Does the snowy archives have records that you are aware of?A little information:
R16660789 is indeed a Snowy Hydro vehicle, it's original engine was 16102779 it had Ign key (FP*) 570 (common to that group of SMHEC vehicles) was delivered as a soft top on 2/3/1951. It would have been delivered by Grenville Motors Cooma Branch.

These records come from the Grenville Motors allocations books, the originals were saved and are held by Arthur Garthon, a long time Land Rover dealer in Southern Sydney.

The SMHEC records were transferred to the National Archives of Australia. Whether they have any details on the vehicles you'd have to ask them.

Diana

[mildred]

A little information:
R16660789 is indeed a Snowy Hydro vehicle, it's original engine was 16102779 it had Ign key (FP*) 570 (common to that group of SMHEC vehicles) was delivered as a soft top on 2/3/1951. It would have been delivered by Grenville Motors Cooma Branch.

These records come from the Grenville Motors allocations books, the originals were saved and are held by Arthur Garthon, a long time Land Rover dealer in Southern Sydney.

The SMHEC records were transferred to the National Archives of Australia. Whether they have any details on the vehicles you'd have to ask them.

Diana
wI visited Arthur Garthon Motors back in 1986 and met Arthur in the flesh.
He had his restored series 1 in the showroom and we drew-led over it for several moments.
The very first land-rover series 1 imported, complete with a ring pull transfer box engagement.
He had all the panels remade in zincalumne steel by a retired sheetie and it looked like a new one......not a dent to be seen. :no2:
I showed him pictures of my series 1 and he showed me hand written records in pencil, of the details of my vehicle.
It was imported on the ship "Northan Star" from England in 1952.
He had the engine number, chassis number, gearbox, and diff numbers, etc all written down in his little red book.
I was amazed at this record was even still in existence.
His company imported many land rovers for the Snowy mountain river scheme and mine was one of them. Wow.
It was the same feeling of finding out that one had convict ancestors and tracing their records in the early days of settlement? probably one horse power landies back then?:beer:
Thats my little bit of history of Arthur.
Wonder if he is still alive and the head of his garage in Sydney.
His son was running the show then and daughter on the reception desk, a family affair indeed.....
Arthur was a Gentleman in every respect and I still fondly think of that trip to Sydney, as a young man, on a cold winters morning, many years ago.:BigThumb:

[101RRS]

Diana,

Could you please provide some information on the following vehicle in that case?

R16660789

Does the snowy archives have records that you are aware of?

Ok Oliver - time to cough up - have you or have you not acquired or got your eyes on the above vehicle? :)

Garry

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Not quite correct about R860138, that vehicle was amongst a batch of six that were delivered to Grenville Motors, the six were #136, #137, #138, #139, #164 and #165. Of those #138 was used as a demonstrator and so was the first one registered by Grenville's on 9th December 1948, the others were all registered after #138 although as a demonstrator it was the last one to be sold to a customer late in August 1949. #137 was dispatched to a customer on 30/12/1948, #164 31/12/1948, #136 5/1/1949, #139 also 5/1/1949 and #165 on 3/2/1949. Of those first four #138 and #139 still exist.

There were a number of earlier vehicles delivered to Australia like #004 which went to Faulls in Perth, but it went to Boulder Mines Ltd. and not registered till years later. #005 went to Regents in Melbourne and is current lost as were a couple of others before the group to Grenvilles.

Garry would know #138 as it was with him on the Heritage Drive and is now owned by Chris Baker, from Sydney.

[101RRS]

Garry would know #138 as it was with him on the Heritage Drive and is now owned by Chris Baker, from Sydney.

Yes - correct.

As far as I am aware it ran like clockwork for the 2000 odd Km on the trip. It was really great to see such a historic vehicle out doing what it was designed for.

Here it is with its roof top tent erected at Innamincka

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/05062010.jpg

[oliver1981]

Thanks Diana.

Garry, I purchased this vehicle today. Will be back in canberra by christmas! When will yours be on the road?

[drifter]

Thanks Diana.

Garry, I purchased this vehicle today. Will be back in canberra by christmas! When will yours be on the road?

hahahaha

*chuckles*

Congrats on the purchase

*chortles*

um Garry - when will yours be on the road?

[101RRS]

Will be back in canberra by christmas!

So will you be back in Canberra by Christmas or the series 1 - if you where are you now. I haven't spotted your FC driving around.


When will yours be on the road?

Well the green one was supposed to be on the road for Cooma 08 but the 101 came along and diverted my attention. I am about to pull the green 88 out from the backyard and start on it - will be just enough work to get it going and on historic plates. When - when its done - maybe this time next year. My Jag has priority.

Congrats on the purchase - any pics??

How is your FC going?

Garry

[ERASER]

Welcome aboard, some pictures of your new toys would be great....:rulez:


Regards,
Tote

One of them is being deleivered tomorrow so ill try and get pics then. Nothing flash atm. Im planning a full resto of it so it will get pulled apart soon.

[NQSeriesRover]

Hi Diana,

hope you are keeping well. Friend in Cooktown last weekend showed me several of his old rovers, including one he thought might have been from the SMHEC. has chassis number 113700309 ('57 88"). Would you know or be able to check this please?

Thanks and regards, Matt

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi Matt

Unfortunately 113700309 doesn't exist in the NSW books, which would usually mean that it wasn't a SMHEC vehicle.

The closest vehicle is 113700307 followed by 113700332 and neither were parts of batches to SMHEA.

Diana

[Landy Smurf]

Could you please check this chassis number as I have been told it was on the scheme but I don't think it was.
06113128
TIA

[Wilty]

Hello Diana/Brains Trust,

First post.... hopefully ive done it ok

I was wondering if anyone could help me find out if my new purchase is on the snowy register? It currently has hand painted signage on the front offside fender ''Tumut Shire Council ********(indecipherable)"

It has holes next to the bonnet (for radio?)

If anyone could help me with any info it would be much appreciated! I am about to start on a full rebuild and would like to know what I am working with.

Thanks in advance all!

Sam
Adelaide

[gromit]

Hello Diana/Brains Trust,

First post.... hopefully ive done it ok

I was wondering if anyone could help me find out if my new purchase is on the snowy register? It currently has hand painted signage on the front offside fender ''Tumut Shire Council ********(indecipherable)"

It has holes next to the bonnet (for radio?)

If anyone could help me with any info it would be much appreciated! I am about to start on a full rebuild and would like to know what I am working with.

Thanks in advance all!

Sam
Adelaide

Might be worth contacting the Council to see if they have any record of it.
There may be an archivist or someone who's been there long enough to remember.


Colin

[goingbush]

Hello Diana/Brains Trust,

First post.... hopefully ive done it ok

I was wondering if anyone could help me find out if my new purchase is on the snowy register? It currently has hand painted signage on the front offside fender ''Tumut Shire Council ********(indecipherable)"

It has holes next to the bonnet (for radio?)

If anyone could help me with any info it would be much appreciated! I am about to start on a full rebuild and would like to know what I am working with.

Thanks in advance all!

Sam
Adelaide

Good luck with that. There is no 'Snowy Register' The Snowy Hydro disposed of records of their vehicles when they were sold off. Very shortsighted policy. I rescued and subsequently restored an ex SMA 1952 Dodge 4x4 that was destined to be turned into an off road buggy because the owner determined the chassis to be un-repairable , its verifiably the same vehicle that features in a historic photo featured in Snowy archives but when I contacted both the Snowy museum and Snowy office they could not have shown less interest, bordering on disdain, basically told me to bugger off .

Post up a couple of photos of your machine.

heres the Dodge,

188179

[Series 1 station wagon 0005]

Hello,

Not sure if this forum is still alive, but ill give it a shot anyway.
I have a series 1 station wagon 0005 from what I have heard is it had something to do with the snowy mountains hydro project and would love to get some information about this vehicle.
If anyone can help would be muchly appreciated.

Regards,
Chris

[JDNSW]

As indicated earlier in this thread, there are no records, but if you can provide as much detail as you can about it, it is possible that someone here can help.

For example, I owned an ex-SMHEA Series 1 in 1963-4. It was a 1956 model, but was a swb hardtop not a station wagon. However, it had some features that were distinctive for the Snowy vehicles. These included a factory fitted heater, capstan winch and was fitted from new with seat belts!

This combination of features would have been unique to Snowy vehicles (I know mine was, as it was bought from a dealer who got it from SMHEA.)

Of course, after all these years, these may no longer be fitted, but traces will still be there, which some of us may be able to spot.