No more JD,

To my knowledge, no one has been able to identify which of the early tractors shown in the early films evolved into the "named" tractors that we know of and discuss today. We'd like to get a list of the original tractor ID numbers assigned by the Navy i.e bulldozers and crawlers were assigned numbers beginning with 48-xxxx-xxxx so we could possibly pick up the number off of the films then trace that number to one of the "known" ones of today. We don't know when the tractors took names but one of our ACMOC members first worked down there in 1979 and he tells us they all had names by that time. The reason given for the names was that was a short cut to making maintenance records. The mechanics found writing "Changed engine oil in Mary Ann 9/14/1979" was way easier than recording the Navy numbers.

Then there is the story of the tractors taking on the names of the female staff from the Caterpillar dealer in Christchurch as they went through the total rebuilds in the early 80's. The Seabees that went up with the tractors to NZ got to know the office girls and they then named the tractors using the girl's names. So from that, we can assume Mary Ann, Collen and Pam worked for Gough, Gough and (can't remember ?) at one time. It is my belief that the tractors took different names over the 50 years that they were down there depending on the crews who used them and when they were down there.

But that story does not compute because Rebecca still has her original cabin so she probably never went up to NZ. She was already there when our member arrived in 1979. And so was Pam and Mary Ann there in 1979. So all of this is a big puzzle!

There is a lot yet to learn about these machines. In fact, I have not been able to find out exactly how many were actually built. Then how many were sent down south and how many went to Greenland and Alaska is also unknown.

Jan M

D2MOVA,

Interesting post! Thank you!

So do you know the approximate years that the naming took place? You appear to have information that I have not come across before. Please post any information that you have as some of us who follow this subject are egger to learn more!

From my sources, Pam was the first to undergo the rebuild where the old original cab was replaced by one designed in NZ (as Mary Ann appears today). She came back to Antarctica in about 1980 or 1981. Mary Ann was sent up shortly after that after the Navy was replaced as the "owner" and the National Science Foundation took over the operations of the Cats. A test had been done between the D6Ds that were being currently supplied vs one of the old Stretch D8s. The D8 won hands down so the NSF decided to spend their money to keep them in service all the way up to 2014 when the last one, Mary Ann, was taken off the ice. Pam's rebuild was so expensive, the Navy could not afford to keep them running and wanted badly to get rid of them entirely.

We believe Mary Ann was one of the dozen or so tractors that went down in 1955 to make the bases in preparation for the International Geophysical Year in 1957. More were sent down about 1959 or 1960. What do you know about any of this?

JanM

Deas,

You wrote " Another apparently worked on the Anchorage airport for a while." During my career, I worked for the company that built that airport about 10 years before I started with them" I heard some stories about how that job turned into a total disaster when dirt was reported to have been moved during the first season (and the funds spent) and remained in place when the Big Boss showed up to check the job at the beginning of the second. Heads rolled at that point!

JanM