We saw Ray Hildreth’s B-61 a few weeks ago and I think we can all agree that the old bulldog is a real head turner. On any normal visit it would have been the topic of discussion but this was not a normal visit as I was there to document the 2016 Trucker’s Choice of the 2016 National Brockway Truck show. The 1972 Brockway 361 you’ll meet in the video below is amazing in each detail. The restoration process was one of devotion by Ray and his father that took numerous years of painstaking attention to detail. So much so that I could only capture a small part of it on video.
No good film project is without behind the scenes challenges and this one had a few. While filming the interview portion of the video a man driving happened to notice the 361 gleaming away in the sun. Honestly, I’m surprised more people didn’t stop? The unannounced visitor made his way to the back of the property, loudly marking his presence. He told us he couldn’t believe what he had seen from the road and had to stop for a closer look.
While filming the driving segments I partnered with Jeremy George and Ray’s father Zeke to find a spot to for drive by footage. Our pre-agreed upon stretch of road turned out to be freshly oiled and stoned just days ago. Everyone quickly agreed this was not the road for us. Finding a nearby section of two lane blacktop I jumped out of the car while Jeremy and Zeke continued further down the road. While waiting for Ray to turn around and return it didn’t take long for me to stand out on the country road as a suspicious character. Soon a neighbor was out on their front porch asking what I was doing just as I began to hear the 361 making its approach. When I explained I was shooting the video for a old truck, a Brockway, the neighbor responded with “what’s a Brockway?” Lord have mercy! By now the truck was visible on the horizon and helped confirm my story. You can hear her woohoo of approval near the end of the video.
This is what I hope will be the first of many videos unique to the Brockway Truck Preservation Association youtube channel. If you haven’t subscribe or checked it out please do so! The might not all follow this format but I can guarantee this will be this enjoyable.