One of my favourite pastimes is geocaching, which is like a treasure hunt using GPS coordinates. It often takes me to out-of-the-way spots, where all sorts of interesting things may be found. Just yesterday I was out seeking geocaches in a coal-mining area in the central part of New Zealand’s North Island, and the coordinates led me to an old coalfield railway line, “The Pukemiro Line”, now owned by a steam train club. While hunting for the geocache, I stumbled upon this unidentified old 4WD truck, or what’s left of it. With Big Rig Week drawing to a close, it seems appropriate to include pics of an old truck whose life is also drawing to a close, and to see if anyone can identify it.
I searched all over the remains, but was unable to find anything indicating its make. The sole recognisable sign was ‘Vauxhall’ on a casting bolted to the front of each chassis rail. Vauxhall didn’t make trucks, but their subsidiary Bedford did, so maybe this is the remains of a Bedford? That, dear readers, is the question: what make of truck is it? Here are some more pics which may help.
Front diff says it’s 4WD. That and the army-green driveshaft suggest it’s possibly an ex-Army truck.
Old straight-6 diesel engine resting up after a lifetime of lugging loads. Look familiar to anyone?
It probably doesn’t start so well without the starter…
The bed was made out of corrugated roofing iron, a useful bit of re-purposing. I found it interesting how the chassis rails become more wedge-shaped towards the front. The running gear seemed fairly well greased,’I suspect with some work (and a new starter) it would still run.
Here’s the adjacent railway line, the ghost of railways past. Plenty of interesting old rolling stock here! And yes, I found the geocache that brought me to this piece of peace. So what about it CCers? Who wants to hazard a guess as to the truck’s make and model?
R Bedford NZ army transport for a couple of decades though they were mostly petrol powered, S model cab I’d guess.
Yeah, likely a Bedford R/RL, although there’s an outside chance it could be a WWII-surplus QL-series (the Commonwealth equivalent to the GM CCKW).
No chance at all those did not come to NZ
Judging by the homemade brackets supporting the radiator I’d bet this has been in use long after the cab disintegrated and yes it would probably run if provoked
Wife and I geocache also. About the most interesting thing we discovered was a hanging tree in old Cold Springs, Texas. I think the truck was probably used a considerable period after the tree.
I have no clue what it is but the valve cover reminds me of old Chevy inline sixes I have known. Nash also IIRC.
Could be a Bedford TK.
Engine certainly looks the same with that upturned exhaust manifold. They could have diesel sixes and had 4WD too.
Many RLs were repowered when they went into civillian service as they guzzled gas and burned valves, also the NZ army didnt have MKs the went to Unimogs direct from RLs
hi -my guess is …
Bedford “Big S” lorrie (1955 odd) – had both diesel and petrol (4.1) engines, UK and NZ forces and a few others had these as fire (known as the green goddess) and such equipment in 4wd (but I have a petrol 2wd tow truck).
There were a lot of the Bedford S in NZ and some as buses.
– phil