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Through the Looking Glass

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Eric

I was stopped in a construction zone last month in Cortland, NY when I noticed a pilot car approaching from the opposite direction. Seeing as I had nothing better to do I found my camera and got ready to grab a shot or two of the passing action. Usually shooting through the windshield of a car produces mixed results from dirty or polarized glass but this time the shots came out good enough to share. The cause for the pilot car was this Freightliner hauling portions of a screening plant.

After the Freightliner the trucks continued to roll by one after another.

Looking out the window I saw a cloud of dust forming behind a clump of trees that eventually cleared to reveal this International 2574. I was able to shoot through the passenger side for this one.

And for proof that I’m not the only one who can find the bright side to traffic here is a shot from Dave doing the same thing. Below, a nice looking Petercar with Rodger lowboy of J.D. Eckman.

Here are a few more shots of the truck traffic along with a random shot of a Mack Granite see at the destination of the trip. Also, another shot from Dave of a Blair Corp truck. I’m sure your remember them.

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Posted in On the Job | Tagged freightliner fld, international 2574, mack granite | Leave a comment

Around Town

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Eric

Today, a semi random collection of photos from various construction jobs taking place around downtown Syracuse, NY. We’ll start off with the crown jewel of all current projects, the Hotel Syracuse renovation.

While most of the work to this grand hotel has taken place inside there still was a fair amount of heavy construction to the outside in the form of sidewalks, street paving and utilities. Here we see an Riccelli Ready Mix truck laying a base for granite curbs. Whatever comes out of this truck is not concrete as I know it. The mix appears dry and almost sand/gravel like. Maybe it mixed with water later to set up? And yes, that is smiling face of Billy Fuccillo on the side of that drum. I thought I had escaped his incessant ads when I cut my cable service and began listing to a commercial free contemporary Christian radio station. Wrong, Fuccillo is too huge to escape. I wonder what the rate on this advertisement is? Can’t you just see the Daily Diesel Dose logo on this truck?

Around the corner from the hotel this Mack Midliner was being used to haul parts for a new traffic signal. I had to take a picture of this truck simply because it is as rare as it is goofy. I really believed the Midliner was a truck that existed only in the 80’s but a little research shows that it was offered by Mack right through the year 2000! The cab was of European design and construction, the result of four manufacturers coming together to share resources as a way to remain competitive in the class 6 and 7 markets. Syracuse Signal Systems is one of my favorite local contractors simply because they run such a eclectic mix of older trucks.

This MicroPaving unit of Suit-Kote was spied in the heart of downtown far from any road construction projects. I’ve never seen Suit-Kote trucks working on city streets and suspect the driver was lost.

And a whole hodgepodge of stuff. Who says downtown is dead?

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Posted in On the Job | Tagged downtown syracuse, hotel syracuse, riccelli ready mix, suite kote, syracuse signal systems | Leave a comment

The Biggest and the Best

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Eric

Let’s keep it easy on a summer Sunday by watching truck videos. Here are two for your viewing pleasure. In the first video you’ll want to hang around until the end with the Mack LTL finally takes off for the open road. What a sound! Its MH travel companion puts a good show as well.

And more form the show field, plenty of Macks in this one but also a nice mix of Diamond Reos, Internationals, and a Kenworth.

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged atca macungie | 1 Comment

Hit the Road

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Eric

Ah, now this is the life. After wandering in the bright summer sun it feels good to sit in the grass and watch as the trucks roll by. Look at this beautiful site, a Mack Superliner Magnum. It even has flappers on the stacks. Where do I get one?

As I said yesterday, next year I plan on arriving a little later, early enough to take in the show field while still complete but late enough to hang around for the entire exit process. I still saw plenty of rigs move out but I know much more action took place after leaving.

Look at that smoke. Look at that flex. You can’t ask for a better show. It was a certifiable truck parade. Plenty of great video came from this exodus. Come back tomorrow to enjoy just the start!

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Posted in Truck Show | Tagged atca macungie | Leave a comment

2016 ATCA National Meet Part II

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Eric

GM Heavy trucks are alive and well! Can you believe this shot? A Chevy Titan and Bison in the same frame. From the same company! Wow. The 80’s are back. In fact, if my heat soaked brain from the day remembers clearly, there were no less three Bisons at the show with each one just as nice as the previous truck. One even had a transplanted Detroit Series 60 for more efficient cruising. Now I wish I had taken more photos.

Mack trucks and and Macungie go hand in hand. There were so many Superliners on the show grounds either as display trucks or transport rigs. Some were doing double duty.

I love the odd ball vehicles that have to be one of the last of their kind. I can safely say I have never seen a White Horse delivery van before…unless it was at last years show and I simply forgot. Where do find parts for this!?

Speaking of Whites, the 3000 line of trucks has always been one of my personal favorites. Check out this rat rod inspired setup. Complete with custom frame from front to back. I wanted to get a better shot of this truck but it attracted people like flames attract moths.

And so much more!

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The past couple of years of this show I’ve felt like I’ve been chasing the sun with trying arrive early enough to see a decent number of trucks arrive. Ultimately I’ve failed more often than succeed but this year I had a diesel revelation. Arrive later and wait until the show ends and watch as the trucks leave. It’s the same thing but only in reverse! Plus the sun is in better spot for videos and photos. Tomorrow well start to see the future face of coverage of this event.

Before we go, a massive Detroit powered Kenworth W900.

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged atca, chevy bison, chevy titan, macungie truck, White 3000 | Leave a comment

Mack Truck Factory

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Eric

For all of the years that I have attended the ATCA truck show in Macungie I’ve never taken advantage of the tours of the Mack Customer Center or the factory tour that happens to be just down the street from the show grounds. I always thought about going but it’s hard to draw me away from hundreds of classics trucks assembled in one place. Shortly after arriving to the show this year I decided to finally take the ATCA up on their offer and check out the factory during the one day of the year the plant is open to the public.

During the bus ride over a few facts and figures were tossed out by the volunteer Mack Ambasador.

One of the largest truck factories in the world with over 1 million square feet of space
The only Mack factory in the United States
All Mack models are produced in the factory
Over 1,400 UAW employees
Daily truck production of 74 units per day
Not a single robot is used to build the trucks. Complete hand assembly.

I can confirm the validity of the last statement. When the machines rise up the Macungie plant will be one of the places on earth in which humanity can take shelter and build the weapons that will save us! The next summer blockbuster maybe?

The self guided walking tour provided access to just a small portion of the assembly area. The cab assembly line, paint section, and power train installation subsections were all open to inspection. A thin yellow rope separated me from the nuts, bolts, and other various pieces used to make Mack trucks of all types.

I was very impressed with the feel of the plant. It was bright and well kept. There were no obnoxious odors or sounds that you would typically associate with the production of heavy duty vehicles. It was difficult to capture the scale of the operation but if you stare down this row of open doors you’ll get a feel of how it is.

All in all it was a very cool experience to step foot in one of the world’s premiere truck factories and see how a pile of parts become a function machine. A large thank you to the ATCA and Mack employees who volunteered their time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Below, one of the finished products on display.

And more.

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The video experience.

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged mack macungie plant, mack truck factory | 2 Comments

2016 ATCA Macungie National Meet

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Eric

Isn’t that a nice looking lineup? Such diversity in years and models. These are the kind of trucks you get at the ATCA National Meet in Macungie, PA. Below, Part 1 gallery of just a tiny cross section of the many, many, trucks that were on hand.

Part 2 will drop in a few days but first we’ll make a detour to the Mack plant just a short ride down the road from the show.

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If you couldn’t make the show consider this video a little bit of redemption. I filmed just a few of the many rows as I walked. Enjoy the sites and sounds!

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged atca macungie, atca national meet | Leave a comment

Autocar Mondays – Smorgasbord

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Eric

Record breaking attendance. That sentence accurately describes the ATCA national meet from this past weekend. With over 700 trucks jamming into Macungie Memorial Park on Friday and Saturday there certainly was much to see and take in. I wandered through row after row of trucks in a daze. Stopping here and there to take a photos when something really caught my attention. It was easy to pass by a truck two or three times before it stood out from the crowd. Other trucks didn’t need a second shot, trucks like this 1986 Autocar just grabbed your eyes and wouldn’t let go.

All ages, makes, and models of Autocar were to be found on the show grounds but I only managed to capture a few them in photograph form. This pair demonstrates the progression in style and technology over a 35 year span of time. On the left, a 1965 C65T, on the right a 1927 CHS(?).

So many Autocars, so little time. Below, video of few more trucks arriving and departing. Make sure you take the time to watch, there are some real works of art contained within.

As always, we’ll spend the rest of the week go over the show including a journey to the Mack Truck factory!

Posted in Autocar Trucks | Tagged atca macungie, autocar dc, autocar trucks | 4 Comments

Northwest Engineering Knowledge

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Eric

Does this picture make you happy or sad? Angry or peaceful? Your answer will probably depend on how you see a glass of water. Are they half full or half empty? Personally, I’m glad these machines are lined up here. They still exist and maybe their parts will allow other shovels to be reborn or continue to operate. In this lineup I believe the shovels toward the right that are displaying the Northwest nameplate are Model 80-D’s. Arguably the most iconic and long last design to ever roll from the shops at Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The model 80 proved to be a great triumph for Northwest with 2,600 being shipped to locations worldwide since 1933. Fourteen years later the Model 80-D with the instantly recognizable “bread box” housing would enter the market and remain a constant for decades to come. Fun fact, no one at Northwest remembers why the D was added to the name. Diesel maybe? Dracula? Probably not. But I can tell you I learned all this key information from Northwest Engineering Company, a Photographic Collection Volume II by M.E. Follsom and M. Torres.

And here we see what I believe to be another Model 80-D being ran by the preeminent Northwest operator of all times, Everette DeBerry. At 81 years young Everette puts all other operators to shame with unmatched skill and knowledge of these machines. Some have said watching him behind the controls of shovel is like watching a world class surgeon at work. The man and machine become one.

Below, a whole mix of stuff with more Northwest Machines and probably a few other makes and models. Thank you to Dave for sharing. And thank you to Folsom and Torres for putting together a truly wonderful history of Northwest machines. I highly encourage any heavy equipment fans to check out their work. Volume II contains over 200 pages of photos of machines in action, factory mock ups, vintage advertising, one off models and more. I’ve spent hours flipping through the book and always find something new just when I thought I’ve seen it all. Truly outstanding work.

For Volume I click here.

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A tip of the hat to the person that can tell me what that poor old crane carcass once was!

Posted in Heavy Equipment | Tagged gerhart machinery, history of northwest engineering company, m.e. folsom, m.torres, model 80-d, northwest crane, northwest shovel | 10 Comments

Update Not Found

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Eric

While posting the airport plow photos from the other day it occurred to me that it has been a long time since the last plow update. While these are not action photos by any stretch I know that some of you out there enjoy looking at these trucks. Maybe you moved out of the area and like to reminisce about winters gone by. There are even a few out there who are already counting the days down until the first snow flakes return (not me) and the plowing begins. After all, the first day of summer is technically the longest day of the year before the slow march back to short days begins. With that depressing thought, the plows.

This WS 4900 from the Town of Clay stood out with its solitary rear axle. Where is the rest of the truck? It’s like someone ate the top of the muffin and put the rest back in the bag.

Here is a Oshkosh from the James A. Fitzpatrick nuclear plant near Oswego, NY. Current owner Entergy announced last year that the plant would not be refueled in 2016 effectively hanging the out of business sign on the front door. Auction hunters keep an eye out for this one soon.

Everyone’s favorite sidewalk machine, the TerraStar.

The gallery below, International 4900 from an unknown location, probably a trade in. Mack Granite from Town of Trenton with some meaty look tires. Town of Eaton WS 4900. New Mack Granite for parts unknown. Freightliner FLD from the Town of Van Buren. International 7400 from the Westhill School District.

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