On the Job – CSX 2715

I was cruising through an industrial part of town last weekend when I saw a train riding down the middle of the street. At least that is how it appeared at first glance. CSX 2715 (MOPAR Powered) was shuffling some cars around on a siding that is directly parallel to the road. Both the street and the rails couldn’t be closer if they tried. I’ve passed this set of tracks numerous times and always assumed they had been abandoned long ago. Maybe there is an economic revival taking place?

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Not knowing much about trains when it comes to make, model, and year I turned to the wonderful resources that is RR Picture Archive. You wouldn’t know it (or maybe you would) but CSX 2715 is nearly 33 years old. In fact its birthday is next month! Number 2715 is a EMD GP38-2 and started life working for the Seaboard Coast Line. Amazing. It would be cool if such a resources existed for old trucks. Check out RR Picture Archive to see this train throughout the years.

Bonus Video!

This past spring and summer I had plans to capture various locomotives as they passed through my home town. I live near a busy set of tracks with multiple vantage points to shoot some good video and photos so the plan was to put together a compilation video. Sadly I never got around to shooting more than a handful of videos and of that collection I deleted all but one in a horrible soul shaking mistake. So now the project is on the back burner until next year. Enjoy the sole surviving video which stars three Burlington Northern Santa Fe locomotives as the head west through East Syracuse, NY.

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The Tow Plow – The Future of Snow Removal?

I have seen the future of snow removal and it is the tow plow! I’ve talked about the tow plow before and what a crazy contrapation it appears to be for clearing roads during winter storms. Who in their right mind would want to a pull a trailer at a 45 degree angle to their truck in a blinding storm? Flying in the face of conventional wisdom the TowPlow appears to work rather well. You can read a nice little report by the Ohio Department of Transportation regarding their evaluation of a similar setup to the one you see below by clicking here. The TowPlow is generally praised by not only plow drivers but the general public for its efficiency in clearing long stretches of road. Will wonders ever cease?

Ryan sends in some photos of a Caltrans International WorkStar hooked to a TowPlow to help us understand the true size of the entire setup.

This unit is equipped with liquid deicing tanks out back but can be fitted with a more traditional salt box setup.

Clearly you will not see this truck on your local city street as it is designed with the highway in mind which leaves the regular plows for the on/off ramps and side streets.

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Autocar Mondays – Autocar Roll Off

Today Autocar Mondays takes a trip back to 2007 to visit the ATHS Hudson Mohawk classic truck show and this prime example of a roll off truck. Browsing through some of my old photos of this show from over the years I found more than a few candidates for Autocar Mondays. Stay tuned in the coming weeks! Taking a look at the picture below you may notice a grey Ford pickup just out of frame. This truck rode to the show in the back of the dumpster. Who said you need a trailer to tow your vintage ride to shows?

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Below is a video of the truck loading up the dumpster and tearing off across the show field. Please excuse the grainy nature of the film. After all, this was taken six years ago. It’s hard to believe this level of quality was at one time the norm.

Would you like to help keep Autocar Mondays alive? Send in your photos to eric@dailydieseldose.com

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Still Working – Freightliner FLC

While traveling on the NYS Thruway I’ve developed the habit of stopping at nearly every service plaza along my route. Don’t worry, I don’t have a bladder problem I just enjoy checking out the trucks that have parked for a rest. The majority of the time there is nothing out of the ordinary but once in a while you find a gem like this Freightliner FLC. Truckpaper.com research puts this rig as mid 80’s model based on the headlights built into the fenders. If you know better please let me know!

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For more Freightliner FLC action click here!

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Classic Fire Protection

I’ve received many great fire truck photos from Zack over the past week. I’ve decided to start sharing them by taking a look at the more vintage models. There certainly don’t make them like the beauty below anymore.

 

Make sure you stop by Zack’s website to veiw more great photos by clicking here.

 

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Lost and Found – Slate Quarry Edition

It’s been too long since the Lost and Found portion of this site has had a solid entry but that is all about to change in a big way. Still reaping the bounty of my trip to slate country in Granville, NY I bring you a collection of old quarry trucks left to return to nature.

Everything you see in the gallery below resides at an active red slate quarry. At one time or another they were used in the daily operations of the pit. As you can see there are three heavy model International dump trucks in various states of disassembly. The all sport the ComfoVison which places them solidly in the 50’s to the mid 60’s as for as age is concerned. One of the Binders is even sporting a wheel with eight spokes. Heavy metal for sure. The story goes that one of the IHC’s started up by itself one night and drove over a cliff face. The owner arrived the following the day to the sound of a truck running in the distance and was surprised by what he found. Sound like something from a Steven King novel if you ask me.  It would have been great to view these trucks in their prime. They represent a look that at one time all dump trucks in the Northeast resembled. Once again I ask the scientists of today, where is my time machine!

Four Euclids also reside on premise. Of the group I found the yellow one to be the most entertaining. Its backup alarm is a bell attached to the rear hub. I’m willing to bet this warning device no longer meets approved safety standards but fits this truck perfectly. There is no way you would hear it over the straight pipe exhaust!

As Clarence pointed out the machines resting in the weeds represent the progression of technology over the years. The heavy equipment begins with cable driven machines that eventually give way to early hydraulic units eventually reaching excavators of the modern era. Dump trucks start with ex-road units that transform to Euclid haul trucks that give way to modern 6×6 off road machines. What a collection of amazing old iron! Stay tuned in the coming days to check out some of the machines still in use!

The epic variety of trucks is brought to you courtesy of Clarence and his willingness to show me the local attractions of his home town. Believe it or not there was stuff I didn’t photograph. There was simply too much! Just one more reason to return in the future.

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1974 Brockway 361 Tow Truck

Yesterday you saw the still and lifeless photo of the Brockway 361 tow truck that is part of the Clarence Ritchie collection. While it was a nice photo it can only convey a small impression of the true character of the truck. Today we get to jump in the cab and enjoy the sounds of the Detroit 6-71 as it winds through the slate country of Washington County, NY. Power hits the road through the work of a 10 speed Roadranger so there is plenty of gear shifting to enjoy.

Glamour shots.

*Update 10/24/13*

John sends us a photo of the Brockway when it was still owned by Sheldons Towing of Wilton, NH. It can bee seen winching a 1939 Ford onto a trailer being hauled by a 1936 Ford 1 1/2 Ton. Great shot John!

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The Clarence Ritchie Collection

This past holiday weekend my wife and I took a trip to Vermont. When she first mentioned this trip my truck obsessed brain immediately started flipping through the Rolodex of what we might encounter during our journey. Before I could even formulate the most basic of plans she said I should look contact fellow truck fanatic Clarence Ritchie and finally take him up on his offer to view his every expanding collection of vintage iron. She is an amazing woman.

Clarence is an equal opportunity collector with a soft spot for Brockway trucks. They comprise the majority of his collection while rubbing shoulders with a few Macks, Internationals and Reos. Oh yeah, one or two GM trucks as well. And one fire truck. Also a Freightliner. Hopefully you are starting to get the picture.

On one end of the collection spectrum we have this beautiful 762 that not only looks good at any show but helps to pull in a little extra cash by rocking a lowboy. The line between work and play is blurred with this Huskie.

While it may not be as photogenic in the traditional sense as the 762 this Reo tow truck is no less of an attention grabber and conversation starter.

Clarence recently crossed paths with a former operator of this Reo and learned that the truck was used to pull trucks up a steep hill in a nearby town. That is basically all it did for a number of years. Ahhh, the era before high horsepower.

Please take a moment and browse through the gallery below to veiw just a portion of the trucks I was privileged to view on Sunday. There was an entire row of Brockways I simply did not photograph and forget about the trucks in the barn! Classic case of classic truck overload.

 

After receiving the grand tour it was time to take a spin in a ’74 Brockway  361 tow truck powered by everybody’s’ favorite noise maker the Detroit 6-71. We took this truck around town to visit a few local attractions including the famous Big Kenny and a working slate quarry loaded with some awesome relics. Something for everyone! Check back tomorrow and the following days.

I want to take a moment to extend my sincere thanks to Clarence and his wife for opening their home to us this weekend. They truly made us feel welcome and set our mini vaction off on the righ foot.

 

 

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Autocar Mondays – Iron Hoss

Now this is how I like my Autocars! Well used! This truck goes by the name Iron Hoss can be found working the scrap yard at Roth Steel in Syracuse, NY. Not too long ago it was parked out by their front gate where I happened to snap this photo. I could only grab one angle of the truck due to scrub brush and a glaring morning sun but it tells the story well enough. We have seen one other Roth Steel yard truck before in the form of a Ford LTS8000. Both trucks appear to be wearing solid rubber tires. Probably a good idea when working around sharp and rusting metal. The ring around the front hubs is new to me. Any ideas?

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Still Working – International S1800

Just for the record I don’t seek out S-Series Internationals for the Still Working portion of this website. They just seem to be everywhere! I many have made this statement before but it bears repeating. International did make a large number of them over the years so it stands to reason there will be more than a few kicking around in this modern time of ours. This particular truck is probably pushing close to 30 years of age but still looks more than capable

This one has a few custom touches.

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And the other side.

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Do you know of an old truck still earning it’s keep? Email Me!

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