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Thread: Huge 1930’s Exploration Vehicle Abandoned In Antarctica

  1. #1
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    Huge 1930’s Exploration Vehicle Abandoned In Antarctica



    It's quintessentially American to drive everywhere. This must've occurred to the planners of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition in 1939 when the joint government-private sector project ran into the question of how best to traverse Antarctica's frozen wastelands. The obvious answer? A car. A really, really, really big car. Or so thought Thomas Poulter, designer of the doomed Antarctic Snow Cruiser seen in these pictures.

    You'd think a massive machine like this would still exist somewhere, even in pieces. And surely they made more than one for the journey. But no—the single Snow Cruiser built is lost somewhere in Antarctica (or at the bottom of the Southern Ocean). Just where exactly is an international mystery that's likely to remain unsolved forever.

    https://www.thedrive.com/news/33433/...m-of-the-world
    I failed in attempts to transfer a photo of this thing with or without the airplane on top. If someone can add that to the thread, that would add to it.

    I love stories like this about men with a vision from a bygone age even when they fail.
    ...............
    “You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution


  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by wacojoe View Post
    I failed in attempts to transfer a photo of this thing with or without the airplane on top. If someone can add that to the thread, that would add to it.
    As expected:
    Powering the cruiser were two Cummins diesel engines.


    Click image for larger version. 

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    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  3. #3
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    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  4. #4
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    All right - a tough decision time for me. I think I may have found my favorite thread EVER here on this site.

    We have a handful of retirees here who have the time and the money to go find this machine, right?

    Hunter
    I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead

  5. #5
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    I wonder how fast it has to go in order for the plane to lift off?

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by UTAH View Post
    We have a handful of retirees here who have the time and the money to go find this machine, right?

    Hunter
    Time?...Whatever God can spare me, sure...Money?...You, Joe and Dave put your heads together and let me know what you come up with......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  7. #7
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    There’s more than a bit of whimsy in this affair, and just the thought of going looking for this relic makes me shiver to the bone. Besides, didn’t the last guys snooping around down there looking for stuff buried in the snow come back with The Thing for their trouble?
    ...............
    “You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution


  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by wacojoe View Post
    Besides, didn’t the last guys snooping around down there looking for stuff buried in the snow come back with The Thing for their trouble?
    Depends on which version you ascribe to...In the 1951 film, the scenario was in the Arctic Circle where James Arness played the character of a giant carrot who walked like Frankenstein's monster...The 1982 version was in Antarctica, and was far superior in special effects...Now let's talk how much cash you're willing to pony up for this expedition since I've already volunteered my valuable time...And who gets to keep any aluminum cans collected along the way?......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  9. #9
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    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  10. #10
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    "In this video, I look at the background, design and disappearance of the Snow Cruser and ask what happened to this incredible vehicle (I'm afraid it's not good news)."
    - Hey, that's how they spelled "Cruser." don't shoot the messenger. (Dave, not me)

    Alas.....................

    Still, a heck of a thread.

    Hunter
    I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead

  11. #11
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    Someone a thousand years from now is going to come across this beast at the bottom of the ocean and say, “What the hell!” unless it is an AI in which case it will access its data banks and know instantly what it is.
    ...............
    “You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution


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