Railborne Irish Dads Army in WWII?

[sanguin]

I have just found a couple of photos in a book on LMS railways in Ireland. They show an Irish broad gauge (5ft 3in) wagon of dubious origins converted to a sort of self-propelled armoured (or steel, at least) box with a pitched roof and loopholes for rifles and ?Lewis guns. It was allegedly powered by a Leyland engine. It is labelled as 'Cement van No 3'. Apparently the driver viewed the world through a periscope. It was based north of Belfast in 1940-41. It displays the sort of bodgit engineering that I can truly appreciate.
It is actually very similar to the Dads Army lorry.....
Both photos are Imp War Museum copyright so I will not put them on the site; if anyone wants a photocopy e mail me with your address and I will send a photocopy for personal study. Of course, to be genuine you need an Irish broad gauge track to put it on....John

[Deleted]

sanguin said:

Both photos are Imp War Museum copyright so I will not put them on the site; if anyone wants a photocopy e mail me with your address and I will send a photocopy for personal study. Of course, to be genuine you need an Irish broad gauge track to put it on

Yes please John ...

[Deleted]

Ayup John,

Interesting photographs, the exterior shouldn't be too hard to model either, but all those rivets? ... You mention colour of the van in your accompanying letter possibly being painted green, looking at the tones of uniform of the men in the photo (taking the colour to be the usual 'Khaki') and the varying tones of the surrounding foliage, I would estimate the colour of the van to be brown or possibly olive drab.