Snow Trac vehicles in Antarctica

[Melensdad]

Yup, it is another of the Icelandic Ambulance Snow Tracs.

The ANARE cabs are not wider than traditional cabs, they mount in the same places as the traditional cabins but have a windshield that tips in the opposite direction, and the side windows are simple sliding windows. The Icelandic Ambulance retrofits have the original cabs taken off, and a wider cab fitted to them that extend to the outside of the storage rails so the interior of those cabins are much wider than a traditional Snow Trac cab. That extra wide cabin on the Icelandic Ambulance Snow Tracs allows them to carry a passenger who is laying down on a stretcher. Take another look at the ANARE Snow Tracs and you will see they are the traditional width.

 

[Snowcat Operations]

Yes I see they are the same. Now one of those red extra large cabs would really be nice on my Snow Master. I would still have more room on my decks with that cab than snow tracs have with a standard cab. Oh well not likely to happen.

 

[teledawg]

Here are two references to ST4s on the Australian Antarctic Data Centre site that were used in Antarctica in the 1960s.

It looks like they show the final resting places of these two units.

Here is a link to a photo taken in 1989 of a Porsche powered unit where it is apparently stored in a yard in Tasmania:

http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=587

The forward tilting cab and coil springs are clearly visible in the photo.

And anonter ST4 right next to it:

http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=588

Maybe someone can go down there and rescue that Porsche powered unit!

 

[Melensdad]

Very interesting finds!

I am surprised by the configuration on the traditional cabin Snow Trac ST4. According to the webpage it is an open back, open top model. I was not aware any of those were used in Antarctica. We know that both VW and Porsche powered Snow Tracs were used by ANARE. We know that the first Snow Tracs had VW power and traditional cabins. Then we know that Porsche powered Snow Tracs with traditional cabins came next. Finally we know that the custom forward tilting windshield versions with Porsche power were the ultimate Snow Tracs used in Antarctica by ANARE.

Both of those Snow Tracs are listed as 1960 model years. I wonder if that is correct, or if it is a guess on the part of the historian there? Or is it that Snow Tracs were used in Antarctica starting in the year 1960 and continued in constant use up until 1982/83? If you look in the "Notes" column on the webpage I think it could be interpreted either way.

Also, I wonder if the open cabin version was actually used in Antarctica, and if so, then for what purpose? It is clearly on an Antarctic website, so I guess that indicates some level of "proof" of use. Still it seem curious that they'd use one with an open back in a location with a climate that is as unforgiving as Antarctica's climate. I suppose the open back version would be appropriate for use when hauling bulky items that would not fit inside the cabin? But then, why not pull it on a sled behind the unit?

Below are some screen shots of the webpages those two units are featured on, providing just a bit more detail. Thanks for the links, this is a great historical find!

I also dug around a bit and looked for other brands. Using their search engine and trying things like snowcat, snow cat, Thiokol, Tucker, sno-cat and sno cat turned up no pages but when I typed in weasel I got a hit on a nicely restored Studebaker Weasel they have in their museum. When I typed in "track" it pulled up a the Snow Tracs, the Weasel and a Nodwell unit as well as a Bombardier(?) Snowmobile marked SNOW CRUISER on the side. There is another interesting find, a Polaris Sno Traveler?

Link to Weasel Page: http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=594
Link to Nodwell Page:http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=594
Link to Snowmobile Page: http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=261
Link to Polaris Sno Traveler Page: http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/artefacts/display_artefact.cfm?artefact_id=595

 

[Snowcat Operations]

If I remember correctly they were taken to a Porsche dealer and retrofitted with the Porsche engines and had some suspension work done. Lyndon of course has the full story on them.

 

[Lyndon]

According to the owner of the snow trac company, they were fitted there at the plant with the Porsche engine. (at point of manufacture, not at porsche dealership). I have yet to see anyone post the picture from the French VW Magazine that shows the ST4 with the PORSCHE decal on the roof where it usually said SNOW TRAC. This picture was also taken at the one of the Antarctic sites. Perhaps it is one of the machines lost thru the Ice? The picture I had sent to me by someone in Europe shortly after the Hot VW's article came out, was very likely from the unloading of the 3 Millionth VW. The Ship in the pictures is unloading cargo directly on to the ICE, not some dock, and there are distinctly more than one Snow Trac in the photo's. Even though the article was about the anniversery model VW Bug, ST4's managed to show in almost every photo. Unfortunately my photo was a poor XEROX , in black and white of the magazine article. The French VW magazine wasn't the same size as most american Mag's, it was more like an old Life Magazine in size, as the pages seemed to be on 8.5 X 14 and still didn't get the whole page. Be on the look out for this article. It's one that still hasn't been located by the Forum as best as I can tell.

 

[Snowcat Operations]

I read somewhere that the Porsche cats were taken by a Porsche dealers ship and reinforced and had upgraded power. I figured that was just adding a Porsche engine. I will see if I can locate that article. I may be wrong though.

 

[Snowcat Operations]

I just noticed the escape hatch that was built on the custom cab Snow Tracs. This must have been a later requierment.

 

[sports850]

Whilst researching the Mini-Trac I spoke to the designer/builder who was also responsible for importing and modifying the Snow-Trac and Nodwell chassis for ANARE . He told me a Snow Trac was lost in a crevasse (he earlier had said it was a Mini-Trac but later clarified it as a Snow-Trac) so presumably they had to install escape hatches after that . There is also a VW beetle sedan in the sea under the ice down there , was taken down privately by Mark Forecast (the guy who filmed the Mini-Trac footage) and fell through the ice giving him and another guy a very narrow escape .

 

[Lyndon]

I have never seen a Snow Trac, Trac Master or Snow Master, that did not have either a full sliding sunroof, or a "POP-TOP", except maybe a Shorty Cab Groomer. I have seen plenty of Old Style Full sliding Sunroofs that have had tin installed over where the Sun Roof was., According to the Sevice Manuals one or the other was on all models.

 

[Snowcat Operations]

Whilst researching the Mini-Trac I spoke to the designer/builder who was also responsible for importing and modifying the Snow-Trac and Nodwell chassis for ANARE . He told me a Snow Trac was lost in a crevasse (he earlier had said it was a Mini-Trac but later clarified it as a Snow-Trac) so presumably they had to install escape hatches after that . There is also a VW beetle sedan in the sea under the ice down there , was taken down privately by Mark Forecast (the guy who filmed the Mini-Trac footage) and fell through the ice giving him and another guy a very narrow escape .

I am trying to find the plans to the re-cabbed Snow Tracs with the forward tilted cab. Anything would be helpful. Does this company still have anything on the ANARE snow tracs?

 

[sports850]

The company itself (Recar) has been sold by Terry O'Hare several years ago and is now one of the countries biggest truck repair works . Terry himself is semi retired and might be able to help you but he is very computer phobic and well into his 70's so would have to be by letter . I'll PM you my address and you can send me a letter to forward onto him (I promised Terry I wouldn't give out his details but can pass on requests and it's up to him then as to what he does) .

 

[couchloafer]

The picture you have here is a standard cab that would have had the canvas sliding top. SOmeone fabricated the sheetmetal top to cap over the factory guide rails for the canvas top. I have almost the identical top to this one with the exception that they cut a sunroof into mine and a hatch into this one. Sorry I dont have a better picture of mine....

I just noticed the escape hatch that was built on the custom cab Snow Tracs. This must have been a later requierment.

 

[Lyndon]

REWARD!

REWARD for locating articles/pictures from "Antarctica One" delivery, with ST4's in pictures. Several VW mags ran articles cronicling the arrival of Antarctica One, which was selected off the assembly line in Dec. of 1962, and delivered to Mawson on Feb 2, 1963 aboard the Nella Dan, and ANARE Supply Ship.

 

[Lyndon]

This VW served in the Antarctic for 12 months, and was returned to go on promotional tour. Christened "The Red Terror" it went on to win the BP Round Austrailia Rally in 1964.

 

[Lyndon]

A second, 1964 VW "Antarctica 2" was sent to Mawson. It served for 5 years and was returned to Australia.

What I'm looking for are the photos of either of these machines being delivered because thes photos show the beetle surrounded by ANARE Snow Trac's and would approiate material for inclusion in this thread.

 

[Bulldog1401]

The picture you have here is a standard cab that would have had the canvas sliding top. SOmeone fabricated the sheetmetal top to cap over the factory guide rails for the canvas top. I have almost the identical top to this one with the exception that they cut a sunroof into mine and a hatch into this one. Sorry I dont have a better picture of mine....

Nice cat!!

 

[Lyndon]

I second that, NICE CAT!

 

[sports850]

This VW served in the Antarctic for 12 months, and was returned to go on promotional tour. Christened "The Red Terror" it went on to win the BP Round Austrailia Rally in 1964.
View attachment 31224

It was claimed to have done the round Australia trial without any problems or modifications too , despite monumental welds visible on the front suspension in a lot of photo's ... Motoring journo's and company PR people are a species to themselves ...

There was a 3rd VW sent by VW Australia to Antarctica and then Mark Forecast took his own VW , with 3 1/2 painted on the doors) down . I'll dig the photo out later that Mark sent me , it was taken on the ice very shortly before it fell through with him and another guy inside .

 

[Lyndon]

According to one of those articles, someone took a "baby" Austin there in 1927! The pictures that show the VW being delivered could be of Antarctica 1 or 2, have the VW already sitting on the ice, next to the ship, and the 3 snow trac's around it. They showed up in several VW Magazines and possibly the VW sponsered Magazine, I believe it was 'Small World'? It's a great series of pictures. The ship is not at a Dock and is unloading directly onto the ice. And the VW is slung quite similarly to the picture of the ST4 being delivered earlier in this thread.

 

[Lyndon]

It's a bummer that Mark Forcast lost his 57 thru the Ice. That's a very approiate name (Mark Forecast) for a weather man! In one of the articles they mention that the "Expensive Snow Trac's".... actually at the time they were by far the cheapest machines available. Tucker, Thiokol, and Bombardier's machines of the same era cost 3 to 4 times as much. Even after all the cab modifications and the Porsche Engine up grade they were probably half the cost of any of the competitors.

 

[Lyndon]

Snow Trac dealers used to mark up Snow Trac's quite a bit because of the wide range between the cost of a snow trac and the competition. I spoke with the Purchasing Agent for Canadian Railways, who addmitted that the final, or last Snow Master they ever purchased had cost them about 37,000$, but Rudy Robinson the US importer said that the last machine sold for less than 15,000$, and was a Groomer with all the attachments! I also spoke with a sales manager of a Snow Trac Dealership that also handeled Bombardier, on the West Coast(now out of business), and he admitted that it was a primary selling point: "You can get this Bombardiere for XXXXX$ or you can have this Snow Trac for half that" and that he was still making over 100% mark-up on the Snow Trac. Years later THE Gene Berg, recalled a story to me about having a ski area in Washington approach him about fitting a Snow Trac with a Supercharger. He said that would be expensive. They said it didn't matter, the next cheapest machine cost 3 times as much!

 

[sports850]

It's a bummer that Mark Forcast lost his 57 thru the Ice. That's a very approiate name (Mark Forecast) for a weather man!

Damn , I had the number wrong on Mark's VW , it was 4 1/4 so presumably there was another VW officially (number 4) down there before his .

Hi again Ian,

For your info. attached picture of my VW near Forbes Glacier about 20 Km west of Mawson, where it later sank (September 1967) after breaking through the sea ice. (As mentioned by John Gillies)

Mark F.

 

[Lyndon]

It's -30 and we are in a Phase 2 blow. ST4's were supplied by both Westerasmaskiner and AKTIV to South Pole Research sites. Any Idea of how many total ended up there?

 

[sports850]

I'd also found mention of several motorbikes being trialed from the 20's onwards including an English bike that never started there despite being tried the entire year it was there ....

 

[sports850]

Damn , I had the number wrong on Mark's VW , it was 4 1/4 so presumably there was another VW officially (number 4) down there before his .

Mark's had a look at this thread and pointed out there was only 3 VW's loaned to ANARE by VW (numbers 1 , 2 and 3), he named his 4 1/4 (4 qt , cutie) to make sure it wasn't mistaken as a VW loaner .

 

[couchloafer]

not sure if you have seen this article

 

[couchloafer]

Snow Trac dealers used to mark up Snow Trac's quite a bit because of the wide range between the cost of a snow trac and the competition. I spoke with the Purchasing Agent for Canadian Railways, who addmitted that the final, or last Snow Master they ever purchased had cost them about 37,000$, but Rudy Robinson the US importer said that the last machine sold for less than 15,000$, and was a Groomer with all the attachments! I also spoke with a sales manager of a Snow Trac Dealership that also handeled Bombardier, on the West Coast(now out of business), and he admitted that it was a primary selling point: "You can get this Bombardiere for XXXXX$ or you can have this Snow Trac for half that" and that he was still making over 100% mark-up on the Snow Trac. Years later THE Gene Berg, recalled a story to me about having a ski area in Washington approach him about fitting a Snow Trac with a Supercharger. He said that would be expensive. They said it didn't matter, the next cheapest machine cost 3 times as much!

acquired these recently........sorry for the poor quality I cant scan very good and I cant get pdf's to post???

 

[alaska120]

Any idea what the conversion was in '83 from Canook to US $?

 

[BigAl]

I believe it was about 50 -75 cents on the dollar