Veterans Days 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Eric

Norfolk Southern is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Part of the festivities involve creating a fleet of trains that wear the colors and paint schemes of the predecessors that eventually lead to the modern company we know today. The heritage fleet consists of 20 units, one of which is the SD60E you see below recolored to pay homage to our veterans  The painting of the train required 66 gallons of paint and 112 man hours but ultimately brought the moving tribute to life. Much like Crete Carriers and their Patriot Fleet, Norfolk Southern is committed to hiring former members of the U.S. armed services. Nearly 4,200 veterans resided on their payrolls with over 200 hired this year alone.

Have a veteran in your life? Take a moment to thank them.

Image and Source: Altoona Mirror

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Something for the Ford fans

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Eric

I stumbled across this Ford truck collection outside of Fultonville, NY a few months back. The truck below was clearly the jewel of the collection with pin striping, fancy lights and what appears to be a rather large engine based on the hood scoop near the windshield.

Click to Enlarge

Found on road dead? Not this one!

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At the Dealer – International LoneStar

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Eric

Believe it or not this is the first International LoneStar that has ever graced the pages of Daily Diesel Dose. The styling on this truck speaks for itself and usually has elicits one of two reactions. I hate it! I love it! I’ve found that LoneStar look grows on you after awhile and I happen to think this truck looks great in a day cab setup. The twin stacks help complete the look.

International LoneStar – Click to Enlarge

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Still Working – Autocar Construcktor

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Eric

Fall appears to be the time of year I cross paths with this particular Autocar Construcktor. Regular visitors may recall this truck from a December posting last year when it was caught working on a sidewalk replacement job. Once again the weather has turned cold and this Autocar has returned to the job site. I practically jumped out of moving vehicle when I saw this truck on my ride into work this morning.

Autocar Construcktor

Autocar Construcktor – Click to Enlarge

White Trucks was really onto something with the Construcktor name. A real “I see what you did there” kind of name. I really enjoy the flat black paint job on the hood, simple yet effective for both style and safety.

Autocar Construcktor

Autocar Construcktor – Click to Enlarge

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

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The Reaper is Wating

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Eric

In a TV season marred with repetitive politic ads I found this following commercial to be a breath of fresh air. It stars a Diamond-T as a car reaping diesel power maniac. A Diamond-T on TV in the year 2012? Gadzooks! Great job Prestone, keep the ads like this coming.

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Identity Crisis

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Eric

Looks like I’ve stumbled across another old Hough Payloader. This loader appears to be in a decent shape so I don’t think it has been stored outside as long as the old NYS (Statue of Liberty!) license plate would suggest.

Hough Payloader

Click to Enlarge

No pivot point for this Hough, all steering takes place with the rear wheels.

Hough Payloader

Click to Enlarge

I’m not sure what the old Caterpillar logo is doing by the engine. Maybe this unit was repowered? Something to keep in mind. The term payloader may now be ubiquitous with the term front loader but back when this machine was produced it was a product name, associated only with Hough and IHC’s Pay line of products.

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Waste Pro USA’s Garbage Truck Muesum

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Eric

I posted some sad news the other about the struggling National Military History Center and their auction to raise cash but where one story comes to an end another one begins. This coming January the Waste Pro USA Garbage Truck Museum is scheduled to open and will show case the trucks and equipment that have made garbage collection possible over the past 80+ years. Waste Recycling News has a great article on the future exhibits and the back story of the trucks on display. Click here for the full article and more great pictures like the one you see below.

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Military Grade Hardware

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Eric

Daily Diesel Dose has covered a few auctions in the past that dealt with mostly used construction equipment and seriously tired trucks. I’ve found that auctions are a good source of cheap entertainment, especially if they allow you to play with test the equipment prior. I have a feeling however that there will be no testing or starting of equipment at this auction. On December 8th the National Military History Center will hold an auction of select vehicles from its extensive collection of vintage military hardware. Tank movers, staff cars, half tracks, canons, howitzers, the list goes on and on. Nearly every major world power of the past century is represented.  On auction day almost half of the museum’s collection will be sold to help combat mounting debt. Click here to check out the Auctions America page devoted to the sale.

1943 Brockway B666 6×6 Bridge Erector Truck

Image Source: Auctions America

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Announcing the Super Econodyne Tour!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Eric

Truck tours show casing the latest models or technology seem to be rather popular recently. Both Peterbilt and Kenworth embarked on cross country road shows of their new trucks this past summer. Now joining the fun is Mack with their new generation of Pinnacle Econodyne trucks. I guess you could consider this Pinnacle a pedigree Mack. You see, all the major components of the truck (engine, transmission, electronics, axles, frame) are pure Mack. As such, all are designed to work in harmony together to achieve maximum fuel efficiency, 3.5% according to Mack when comparing similar spec’d trucks.

Will the tour be heading to your town? Check MackTruckEvents.com for a full list of tour dates.

Image Source: macktrucksevents.com

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Looking for a Home

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Eric

News was announced yesterday that International will close their Garland, Texas manufacturing plant. The closure is a direct result of the now failed SCR emissions technology gamble which has forced Navistar to save pennies in anyway possible. Like so many times before, the burden of poor corporate decisions have fallen upon the average working person. Nearly 900 workers will be looking for a new home come early next year.

As you may know, the Garland plant was home to the PayStar and Caterpillar CT660 production lines and for a short period of time the TerraStar. Navistar has announced that the remaining Garland productions lines will move to facilities in either Escobedo, Mexico or Springfield, Ohio. It remains to be seen where the CT660 will wind up but I don’t see Hecho en Mexico stickers on the cab doors as a major selling point for Cat.

Source: Chicago Tribune Navistar to Close Texas Truck Plant, Cut 900 Jobs

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