This Berliet benne carrière(s) Marrel, model of a Berliet GLM 10 dump truck (1953) is one of the most common French Dinky Toys, as it was in the catalogues from 1955 till 1970. Still, it was a remarkable one, as it was the first ever Dinky Toy with double rear wheels, a new and very realistic feature. It is of medium size with its 1/55 scale, but if the general English Supertoys scale of 1/48 would have been adopted it would have come closer in size to the big no. 965 Euclid Rear Dump Truck. It is a faithful and finely finished model, moreover including a unconventional new tipping mechanism, another feature in which it was the comparable English models far ahead. It passed the familiar changes of the French models: renumbering in 1959 to 580 and the coinciding change from convex to concave wheel hubs. Also the round treaded 20mm tyres were replaced by block treaded ones around that year. Another obvious difference is the later introduction of a hub for a never introduced spare tyre under the rear of the chassis. Later on the dark blue of the cab and chassis turned a little lighter blue, but no other finish changes took place during its long life. The heavy, sturdy container was made by the French manufacturer of this heavy duty material, Marrel. The model itself shows the lettering ‘BENNE MARREL’ right under the front of the container, the piece above the cab.

The mock-up of this model is still in existence, as Roulet shows in his second edition of ‘Les Dinky Toys et Dinky Supertoys français’, page 345.  

The year 1955 showed many novelties in the French Dinky range, quite a few of them in the medium size smaller scale commercial / emergency models, like the Delahaye Fire Engine (32d), the Simca Cargo trucks and vans (33), and the Citroën Breakdown truck (35a). Most groups of them complete in 1957. In advertisements on the back cover of the French Meccano Magazine the Berliet Dump Truck is often seen with the also 1955 introduced no. 33c Simca Cargo miroitier, the glass lorry.

As said, the Berliet benne carrières is common and easily found, even in mint / boxed condition. Both its long life and the competition with the cheap Atlas replica (which looks very sterile and ‘clean’ compared with the original) make it relatively affordable too.

Kind regards, Jan