Two more photos of Whitcomb Diesels in WW2 Egypt (Western Desert): http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/d...let?dps_pid=IE1119338&dps_custom_att_1=tapuhi http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/d...let?dps_pid=IE1119313&dps_custom_att_1=tapuhi Chen
Interesting. I would not have even thought about looking in New Zealand archives. I'd forgotten about ANZAC troops being in North Africa.
This link has some pictures of the later type of WW2 Whitcomb Diesels in Europe, which are new to me: http://franzitrains62.skyrock.com/3...guerre-US-du-debarquement-de-Normandie-4.html Chen
Thank you very much. The photo of the Whitcomb being unloaded is fantastic. I had not checked this site for a while as I've been busy posting Chicago Railroad Fair photos (1948-49) on another train site that my Dad took. Just tonight I did an interview with a local magazine that is going to do a story on the Whitcomb locomotive. I proudly mentioned you, Chen as having provided extremely rare photos never seen in the U.S. before. Steve
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that way. Shows how poorly we are teaching the value and lessons of history.
About 40 of these Whitcomb stayed in Italy after the war, and after an engine change (a single FIAT instea of the two Buda) in the late 60s, they soldiered on until a couple years ago. They were nicknamed Truman, and were intially the Ne 120 class, then D143. Here a D143 And.. before the engine change, the Ne 120 The italian model train company ACME made a run of HO D143s, plus in Italy you can find different kits of brass and plastic D143 / Ne 120. Liineamodel (see page9) offers reasonably priced kits. Greets from Europe
Here my model of the D143, just finished. It is a Lineamodel kit. Good mechanics, but the bodywork needed much work, and the railings bend just if yu look at them.
Some of them had armoured cabs during the war, these were left as they were, I think to increase weight. My model’s cab is also armoured, I think they just opened a larger window on the side.
