Snowy Mtn Hydron Scheme Series 1s

[101RRS]

Does anyone know it there is a way of finding out if a particular series 1 was a SMHS landie? It seems that my series 1 SW comes from the Corryong area so there maybe a small chance it was a late SMHS acquisition before they switched to landcruisers (cough, cough).

Garry

[numpty]

Garry.

We sent our vehicle's details to Diana (lotsalandies) and as she has the Grenville Motors records, she was able to do a search which ascertained our vehicles history.

Turns out ours (Leon) was supplied to the Snowy Authority in March 1957.

[101RRS]

NM PM'd me and I contacted Diana who was very helpful as always - thanks Diana.

Neither of mine are SMA vehicles but she confirmed the basic 88 has its original engine and it seems it spent most of its life in the Orange/Bathurst/Abercrombie area.

The 88 SW went to the company Anthony Hordens & Sons who had a major department store in Sydney. Also as a result of Diana's information I find the SW has a different engine in it. It now has an early 2 litre engine rather than the later one. So if anyone has a later 2 litre petrol lying around please let me know.

Cheers

Garry

[JDNSW]

Does anyone know it there is a way of finding out if a particular series 1 was a SMHS landie? It seems that my series 1 SW comes from the Corryong area so there maybe a small chance it was a late SMHS acquisition before they switched to landcruisers (cough, cough).

Garry

It would not be a particularly late acquisition - SMA was still buying Landrovers into the sixties. I owned both a 1956 Series 1 and a 1958 Series 2 that were ex SMA. Landcruisers did not appear in Australia in any numbers until the mid sixties, and while Thiess was importing them from the mid fifties, and probably using them in the Snowys soon after that, I think it was a few years before the SMA considered buying them, I'm guessing when Landrovers were in short supply when the Australian army started to get their first large batches in the early sixties.

Despite working in the bush I had never seen or hardly even heard of the Landcruiser until early 1963.


John

[101RRS]

The first lancruiser was used in the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme in 1959 this was a private import being used by a contractor to SMA (not owned by SMA itself) - Theiss Constructions. They became the Toyota importer with most of the first shipment of 13 landcruisers being used on the scheme.

So while landcruisers were used on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme they were contractor vehicles and not SMA vehicles - at least in the 50s early 60s.

Garry

[Lotz-A-Landies]

John

You are correct about the SMA buying Land Rovers through the sixties, I remember seeing at least 1 SMA suffix "G" or "H" with the wide headlamps on my skiing trips in the early 1970's.

As for Land Cruisers, I thought the first one was a private import and Les Thiess didn't start using them himself till 1958 at the earliest. You must also realise that the LC's were used by Thiess Constructions P/L and not by the SMA itself for quite some time. In fact LCs didn't get a lot of acceptance till they got a four speed gearbox in the 1970's.

Diana

[JDNSW]

John

You are correct about the SMA buying Land Rovers through the sixties, I remember seeing at least 1 SMA suffix "G" or "H" with the wide headlamps on my skiing trips in the early 1970's.

As for Land Cruisers, I thought the first one was a private import and Les Thiess didn't start using them himself till 1958 at the earliest. You must also realise that the LC's were used by Thiess Constructions P/L and not by the SMA itself for quite some time. In fact LCs didn't get a lot of acceptance till they got a four speed gearbox in the 1970's.

Diana

That is about right - Thiess started using them about 1958. But I was working in the exploration industry, and Landcruisers started to be accepted there in the mid sixties, even though they were only three speed. At least they had low range - that was only introduced about 1960. The big boost that Toyota got was in the mid sixties when the army took almost all of Australia's allocation of Landrovers (worth remembering that Rover could not meet demand until the mid seventies!), so that civilians had long waiting times. By 1970 most exploration companies did not even look at Landrover, settling on either Landcruiser or Patrol, although the early Patrols had a number of serious problems (like breaking front axle housings). Both had three speed boxes and semifloating rear axles.

John

[dennisS1]

exploration companies.
There is a very interesting pic of two Land Rovers been used in Northern SA a 107/109 and a 86/88 the interesting bit is the LW is left hand drive, the exploration Company was probably US but LW S1 weren’t big in the US.
Dennis

PS at a show in SA a few years back the first LC to Australia was on show. 1958 model.
When I ask if I might park my 1948 next to it for a pic, Toythingy answer was NO. Apparently that might prove that LC's weren’t the first 4WD in Australia.

[chazza]

Interesting post Dennis.

Do you remember when the Toymotor company tried to take credit for the Snowy scheme by advertising Land Loser as the 4WD that built the scheme? The Investigators programme on ABC exposed the truth, showing heaps of good footage of Rovers to the interspersed jingle of; "Oh what a feeling Land-Rover!"

They are still wannabes after all these years

[alexmassey]

I might get shot by posting this here. Just so everyone knows what OTA we are talking about.

Personally i would not like to be seen in that Jap looking thing.....

Specs:

NO Low range
3.9L Petrol Engine (Copy of a Chevy 235)
3 Speed? i think