For 1 point, tell me what make of truck this is, the year, and model.
For an extra point, tell me who operated this bus service, and what was its run?
Nairn Bros 4WD bus. The Australian bros set up a bus service thru the Persian? desert after WW1...........if I remember correctly.
Quite a story.
Manuel in Oz
Manuel, very close. It's a Nairn brothers bus. Except I thought they were from New Zealand.
LOCKED for you to add a few more details. You've got the hard bit, the rest is easier.
Yes they may have been Kiwis. I read a book about them many many years ago.
They used FWD trucks [that is actually a brand] and Marmon-Herringtons?
QuoteMarmon-Herringtons?
Yes, this one is a Marmon-Herrington, that was made specially for them. It has a specific model name and build date (pre war). Still LOCKED for you.
I don't think those big truck makers had a regular model line up. Most of their vehicles were made to customer order [as they are today]. They were mainly after govt contracts.
That one could be a THD315 model.
The desert run went from Damascus to Baghdad. I think they took various routes. It probably changed over time and depending on the weather.
I would like to read that book about the bros again.
That should be worth a couple of points.
Manuel in Oz
Manuel, that's the same info that I had. 2 points for you. This photo would have been taken early in it's life, as it was originally built as a 6x6, later changed to a 4x4, as shown when it was used by the RAF in WWII.
Great pics. I was wondering how it all finished up.
Manuel in Oz
Can you imagine making that trip again and again across the desert with only a compass and a few vestigal maps? I checked Google Earth and it tells me that it's 855 km and should take about 10 hours. Sure. With directions like this: "Head west on شارع الصاغة" ...if you have Arabic font installed and can actually read Arabic it otta be a piece 'o cake. I did some similar "off-course" driving south of Marrakesh, Morocco back in the "hippie van" days and when I got into an area where there were only Berbers who spoke nothing other than that language...well, it was interesting. I sometimes bought gasoline poured from Coke bottles.
The other thing that struck me was the RAF support car with the target on its top. I know it was the official symbol, but I can tell ya what it feels like to have an enemy aircraft pointing its radar at ya...it must have been similar if that ended up being in a combat zone.
Great photos and great mental imagery.
RtR
I am glad they added air vents to that trailor. Bouncing around in that thing for days on end in the desert heat would not have been fun.
The little car is a Hillman I think.
Manuel in Oz
I imagined the interior to be quite luxurious, something like a Pullman coach. The attached photo is from 1937, showing the interior of one of their White buses that had a Budd coach. The second photo says that the Marmon-Herrington had a conductor, steward and three drivers!