Posted by Gordon on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 at 12:48PM :
In Reply to: Kew built Dodges posted by Jack Cain on Monday, November 01, 2004 at 1:31PM :
.... did a load of stuff, including preparation of the Antarctic Tuckers
(hah - managed to sneak them in again)
It was on the south bank of the Thames near Lodon, and made some really ugly trucks in it's time before it was closed and the site re-developed. Back in the days of export restrictions, import taxes, and whatever, it might have been cheaper to shift truck components to Canada or England for final assembly as this would allow them to be distributed to the 'Commonwealth' with minimum taxes and duties. I expect virtually all the Kew production was right hand drive though - as Australian-destination trucks would have been, then and now.
I did see a travel programme about the Nullaboor Desert (hey - it means 'no trees' but I can't spell it) in SW Austrailia, and there were loads of small gem mines using PWs with gin poles (or whatever we call them this week) for bringing up paydirt out of small mines. Couldn't make out details though.