Runway caravans

[canberra]

The new ones Dave came in to service in the mid nineties. Theyre about twice the size of the ones that entered service in the early eighties and you worked in at Leuchars and Binbrook.

[keithnewsome]

Another trip to Old Buckenham today, trying out a new lens, I think the detail on this is quite good ???

Keith.

[canberra]

I notice the windsock pole is bent. This may be the one from Cranwell, someone reversed in to the bay in MT with the windsock up!!!

[keithnewsome]

Funny you should say that canberra, whilst sitting in my car a few minutes after taking that photo, two people arrived and removed the bent pole and were trying to fit a new replacement .... but it was a little oversize for the mounting brackets .... I left them to it !!

Keith.

[Airtrooper]

This distant photo of a runway caravan at RNAS Lossiemouth (HMS Fulmar) is from 1960. I'd like to find out the make and model of both the chassis (plus cab) and the caravan body (with a view to tracking down further information and hopefully constructing a model). Does anyone have any ideas? To my untrained eye the chassis and cab look a lot like a standard Bedford QLT?

Many thanks

Andy


RNAS Lossiemouth runway control caravan by Andy L.J. Ford, on Flickr

[philbasildon]

Def. a QL the cab door is partially open which might confuse things a bit. There is a 1/72 QL kit available. As a guide those squares are 3'X3' so it should be easy to work out the dimensions.

[Airtrooper]

those squares are 3'X3' so it should be easy to work out the dimensions.

WOW, that is a golden nugget of information!! Is this universally true for all red & white hazard marking at airfields (e.g. all kinds of vehicles and buildings too)??

I've got some great plans of a Bedford QLT 3-ton 4x4 Troop Carrier from Military Modelling (December 1979 edition) which'll give me a great head-start on the model!

Thanks Phil, you're a star!

Also, does anyone know of any such runway control caravan still in existance somewhere???

[ted angus]

I have a couple of wartime or late 1940s shots of that vehicle it was known as RN RV type 45 !! should I post them BUT they predate the 3x3 squares

TED

[Airtrooper]

Brilliant Ted! Many thanks!

Yes please, it would be great to see some more photos if you have them. Does RV translate to "Runway Van" or similar?

Andy

[philbasildon]

I've just remembered the 1/72 QL kit is by Emhar, using the kit as a basis will be far easier. I always thought that the squares were 3 foot but from what Ted has said they might be different so it would be an idea to check, but if you build the kit up as far as the chassis/cab you should be able to check the dimensions.