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Post by kb3 on Jun 17, 2007 21:24:29 GMT 10
This was just around the corner, looking very abandoned in the back yard. Not much else you can say really ;D   |
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Post by firefighter on Jun 17, 2007 21:47:22 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jun 17, 2007 22:30:29 GMT 10
Well done KB3, I was wondering when one of these would turn up! Firefighter says it is home made, which is actually incorrect. These vans were produced by a sheet metal and engineering firm in Broken Hill, and used a full steel frame. They were known for their somewhat angular design. Unfortunately the design wasn't widely accepted and only a few were made. They were named after the place where they were manufactured - Brokenvan. The name didn't help sales either. This one is the 16 foot 'Seamliner' - I think it was produced around 1958. If you want something unique this is the one to go for. If it's available, I'd grab it while you can. It would look awesome behind your '50 Chevvy. I'd go for it myself, but unfortunately I just can't find the space for it at the moment. Don Ricardo  |
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Post by jnigrelli on Jun 17, 2007 23:24:15 GMT 10
well..... it could be used to keep the brick batts dry!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2007 8:36:43 GMT 10
Very Ugly..... :oI Here ya go Tinnie.. or maybe Geoff and Jude, Chippy dave all lovers of odd shaped tin cans ;D May i remind you all that diamonds are cut in facets not rounded. Although this is one diamond that can stay where it is  . Another fact that comes to mind after looking at that roofline.. The shortest distance between 2 points is in a straight line  "brokenvan" geez the manufacturers could have come up with something better than that Hmmmmmm all that slab aluminium ... a blokes mind turns to a replica tin teardrop reconstruction  ...... I'm on my way KB3  Tell the owner i will take the bricks as well. 'Arold Steptoe |
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Post by firefighter on Jun 18, 2007 9:22:06 GMT 10
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Post by kb3 on Jun 18, 2007 19:06:42 GMT 10
I think it would look really nice in Ma and Pa's front yard ;D ;D
I wonder how many they sold.....
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Post by tinnie on Jun 18, 2007 20:28:47 GMT 10
Might be ugly, but at least they managed one smart thing that most manufacturers dont.
The door opens the right way. ;D ;D ;D
I'm no tradesman, and I've done some pretty awful jobs with sheetmetal in the past, but eeeeeewwwwwwwww!!!!. That would make me proud of my worst effort!
Gristy
(The VVer formerly known as Tinnie, but now too ashamed to be associated with something so hideous by having similarity between name and construction material!!!) May need to change my VV handle.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jun 23, 2007 21:18:47 GMT 10
Hi Firefighter and everyone,
Sorry for not getting back sooner about the Brokenvan…I’ve had a particularly heavy week and not as much forum time as I would like. You asked how I knew the van was a Brokenvan. The answer is that I recogised it by its shape. It’s pretty distinctive! Unfortunately I don’t currently have access to any photos of Brokenvans. I have a bit of an interest in things Broken Hill, so my info on this make of caravan has been put together over a period of time.
For anyone who may be interested in knowing more about Brokenvans, they were manufactured by Lawrence Engineering in Broken Hill and had a number of very unusual/innovative features. One was that – being built in 1958 – they were the first caravan in Australia to have a built in TV. The problem with this was that because TV’s used valves in those days, when the van was on the road, the vibrations broke the filaments in the valves. A second innovation was that many of the fittings in the van (cupboards, drawers, beds, etc) were made of stainless steel. This meant that they were very heavy to tow – well over 25 cwt I believe – and they were fiendishly hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. Another unusual feature (believe it or not, this was called an “innovation”) was that they used solid rubber tyres.
The Brokenvan badge on the van consisted of a stylised Broken Hill mine frame head with “Broken” on one side and “van” on the other. If you look carefully at the picture of the van in KB3’s photos you will see a couple of rivet holes above the front window where the badge used to be attached. From memory the badge included the slogan: “Won’t rust, won’t rot, won’t pop”, which referred to the materials the van was made from and the construction of the tyres. It’s obvious from all this that marketing wasn’t Brokenvan’s strong suit…
That’s about as much as I know. I don’t think they were produced for long. Maybe Cobber can find something about Brokenvans in his cache of Modern Motor magazines from the late 50’s? He might even be able to come up with some photos.
Oh, one other thing: I understand the Brokenvan was fitted with a special jet engine under it’s rear chassis. This could be fired up when going up a hill to assist the tow vehicle because the thing was so heavy to tow.
Don Ricardo
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davep
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Post by davep on Jun 23, 2007 22:13:09 GMT 10
You had me going until the end!
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Post by firefighter on Jun 23, 2007 22:24:50 GMT 10
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Post by sutcac on Jun 23, 2007 22:53:30 GMT 10
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Post by firefighter on Jun 24, 2007 12:43:01 GMT 10
 Hey Col seeing you are now in to collecting "UGLY"vintage vans here,s another one for your collection ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D <a target="_blank" href="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/caravan-8ft-long-2-4m-1950s-or-60s_W0QQitemZ330135737046QQihZ014QQcategoryZ32633QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">Click here</a> F/F ;D ;D
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jun 24, 2007 14:51:59 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee,
I concede that your suggestion regarding my front lawn would probably be fair retribution for leading you all down the garden path. I'll go and prepare a spot now. ;D ;D
Regarding the van on ebay, to my mind she's so tiny she's kinda cute rather than ugly. She would certainly take less room on the front lawn than the original ugly duckling that started this thread off!!
Don Ricardo (expecting a visit from Kaybee with brokenvan in tow any minute!)
Firefighter: To view the van Kaybee referred to, copy the whole of the ebay URL from "http" to "tem" on the second line and paste it into the location or address bar at the top of your browser. Then delete the space betweem "I" and "tem" at the end of the address. Click 'go'. It's the space which causes the problem. Apparently Proboards inserts a space at the end of a long line of text (such as an ebay URL) whether it's there originally or not. There may be another way of dealing with it, but that's the way I've found to get around it.
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