Northern Tracks Forum
General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: LT on December 08, 2008, 07:26:27 pm
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Question....did they make a B12 in narrow gauge and wide guage? And how much wider is a wide guage compared to a narrow....is it 12" or ?
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LT, I posted a similar question back earlier this summer under wide gauge. Still never got an answer. Some questions sound stupid & probably are, but when you don't know, how do you find the right answer ??
I think a lot of questions could be easily answered if members were to add info to the post that Houlio has put forward " How to identify a bombardier" under General Discussions. What is second nature to them may be totally new to me & you.
I am very interested in learning what ever I can about these beauties. I look forward to reading every new post.
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I'd like to know as well.
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According to my manual (1951) the B-12 was the narrow gauge while the wide gauge was called a C-18. No mention of the actual width of either one but the narrow gauge fit the track of the horse drawn sleighs. I was told by the previous owner of my machine that the narrow gauge was preferred in deep snow because they would'nt get hung up as easy as the wide gauge.
Load capacity of the B-12 was 12 passengers or 2000 lbs while the C-18 could carry 18 passengers or 2500 lbs. Both were powered by the same Chrysler 251 engine of 115 HP.
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Averyman, would that be just up to the 1951 wooden models ?? My friend has a 57 narrow with a tag saying it's a c18. According to Hoilio, he thought the "R" stood for interchangeable front wheels & skis. Shouldn't it be called a c18 R ?? I wonder what Cranman can add to this. Maybe between him, Ted, & Cam we can straighten this out somewhat !!! I stand to be corrected on this.
If someone knew how all this works, it would be great to share with everybody.
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If Ted could work a computer, he would be setting us straight on the matter, no doubt about that.
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His wife does it for him. I'm after sending a few emails to him.
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thanks for the responses. I see I am not the only dumfounded guy trying to figure it out.....so now,...I found a C17...and the invidual tells me that this is a newer version of the B12 narrow. It apparently has a different suspension in the front allowing it more travel and in trun a better ride. He has also told me that a C18 is the newer wide gauge....oh well....still confused..
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Here is a bit of information I am taking from a book on J.A. Bombardiers life.
" Most of the vehicle models built at Valcourt were named in a kind of code. But here was no great secret involved. The letters frequently corresponded to English words because most of the jargon associated with mechanics in those days was English rather than French. Moreover, patent applications in Ottawa and in Washington had to be submitted in English."
"The letter B in the models B5, B7 and B12 stands for the name Bombardier. The numbers refer to the number of passengers the vehicle could carry. In this particular series, the cabin was built of wood."
"The letter R in the R12, R15 and R18 means the vehicles had steel cabins. Either wheels or skis could be attached at the fronts."
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Here's a bit more.
"A new model of snowmobile, the B12, was put on the market. With its two rumbling exhaust pipes and its rounded silhouette, the B12 looked like a crouching wild animal ready to leap to the attack. Hurtling along a snowbound road, hugging the ground, it roared past, raising impressive clouds of snow in its wake. It was an unforgettable sight, one that fired the imagination and aroused the envy of those who saw it."
"Another model was put on the market in mid-November 1945. The C18 had been designed as a kind of snow-bus for schools. Larger and wider than the B12, it could seat twenty-five children. School transportation had long been neglected in Canada, and the number of children requiring transportation in the winter was growing rapidly. In Quebec, the first to buy these large snowmobiles were the rural Protestant school boards of Sawyerville, Inverness, and Clarenceville. Interest in the vehicles spread to other parts of Quebec, to Ontario, and to western Canada, and orders for the C18 poured in."
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thanks GRFISHMAKER, I have been able to learn alot on this site but I just found out that the rig a buddy and I own is not a B-12 but an R-12. Thanks again for your time and info. Bob
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I believe they are 2 to 3 feet wider
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Check out Swamp Dawg's post under "How to identify a bombardier". The brochure lists the narrow as being 42" from centre of track to track and the wide as 58" centre to centre.