 The J3 half cab was new to the Western Australian Government Railways as their D24 and used on country passenger services radiating out from Perth. After withdrawal in 1962, it became a caravan until rescued for preservation in 1982, just before the owners were going to remove the engine and use the body as accommodation at bush camp by the seaside. We are unsure of the body builder, but think it may have come in kit form from the UK, as it has considerable differences to locally built bodies of the era. It is all metal.   The Lancet IV J7 is yet to be relocated to our museum and workshop. We
have all of the mechanical parts for it, except a gearbox. Full front vertically
engined buses were popular here after WW2 as they presented a more modern
image than half cabs. This one was new to the North Beach Bus Company as
their fleet number 1 and was used on suburban passenger work in the northern
suburbs of Perth. On 1st October 1961, the North Beach company was taken
over by the Western Australian Government as part of nationalisation of
the private operators and was absorbed into Perth’s Metropolitan Transport
Trust as their number 405. Withdrawal came on 26.10.1966 and it was sold
to a sheep shearing syndicate for use as mobile accommodation in the country
and was subsequently rescued for preservation.
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