Today, August 13, 2016 is the big day. The Huskies return to the main street of Cortland, NY. If you can, you should come to this show. If you can’t…..don’t cry just yet. There will be plenty of footage to go around on this site, the official BTPA youtube channel, the Facebook group Brockway Motor Trucks 1912-1977, the official BTPA facebook page and last, but no least, the BrockwayTrucks.org forum. Check any of them out for nearly live updates.
I’ve always thought that a rollback truck would be a useful rig to have around. You can haul other vehicles, building materials, heavy equipment or more. The heavier duty the truck and the bed the better. This International 2574 fits the bill nicely.
Another fine example of a well maintained older vehicle by the folks of the Fisher Companies. When I saw this truck it was picking up a roller from the Hotel Syracuse job site, a project that is largely finished now.
Roll on my friend, roll on.
I am 99% sure this new footage but if not….it’s still worth a watch. If you had doubts about the sheer number of trucks that were part of the 2015 ATHS National convention let go of them now.
More to come…
It’s been awhile since I’ve dumped a bunch of plow related photos in one swoop. Brace yourself.
Town of Clay, NY is probably receiving this handsome pair any day now. I first spotted these two trucks back in early June. Passing through the Tracey lot the other day I noticed the plows and wings had been mounted with the trucks just waiting for their new drivers. We know there is at least room for one in the garage now that the Autocar Construcktor has been put out to pasture.
Town of Preble has a new a VHD waiting in the wings with Viking gear. Doesn’t look half bad for a Volvo.
I like to think that I’ve seen most of the heavy trucks for the Syracuse DPW but somehow this old 2674 has escaped my eye over the past decade. I hastily snapped this photo one shadow filled early morning figuring I would never see it again. Go figure, I’ve seen this truck at least a dozen since then. It must have been hiding in a back corner of the garage. Everest plow gear can be found on this old unit.
I have yet to see any of the new NYSDOT International plows in person but I did come across a pair of new WorkStars set up as lowboy haulers. These particular models happen to come with the optional sloped hood for increased visibility. In the past, NYSDOT has outfitted their fifth wheels trucks with plow gear but I’m not getting that feeling from these two trucks.
The gallery below contains a few more shots of the Town of Clay trucks, An International WorkStar with hooklift from the physical plant of Syracuse University, another shot of the mystery 2674, a squat looking Town of Fabius AWD 4800, Town of Viena WS 4900, new WorkStar destination unknown, and semi retired International 2674 with concrete ballast, Town of Palemro 7600, and Mack Granite for the Town of Lincoln.
Many think of Martha’s Vineyard as a vacation destination but when you travel with an Autocar you better believe it’s all about work. Here we see the the 1987 AT64F of Maseda Trucking taking the M/V Island Home to the to the yard with a load of stone.
Powered by a 425 Cat this truck sits on 44lb rears and can be seen in around the Cape Cod area and beyond. The current owner of this truck used to pass it on a daily basis and when the opportunity came up to purchase this truck he didn’t think twice. Ronnie says he has a passion for older Autocars from his earliest years when he used to ride in one with his father.
Great looking truck! Thanks for the share Ronnie!
Living in the rail community that I do it’s a near crime that I don’t have more rail related material on this site. I’ll never reach the heights of seasoned train spotter but I hope this video makes up for past negligence when it comes the steel ribbon that binds this country together.
For most of the summer I’ve observed increased Maintenance of Way (MOW) activity on the lines that cut right through East Syracuse. Usually I could only catch glimpses of the activity from overpasses or through breaks in the weeds. Yesterday while taking a morning walk I figured I cut down the street that offers one of the closet views of rail activity that you can get in the area. Tada! I found the armada of MOW equipment responsible for endless horn toots and backup alarms. Nearly twenty pieces strong it was hard to tell what was going on a first but an eventual method to the madness was revealed.
Prior to my arrival some piece of equipment had identified what rail ties needed to be removed while also removing the spikes holding the tie to the tie plate. Behind this machine an mini excavator with a magnet collected odd scrap metal pieces include ties, tie plates, air couplers, and even a shopping cart.
For awhile it looked like nothing was going to take place but soon the din of diesels, horns and backup alarms grew louder and louder with each passing second. That’s when this machine appeared.
It seems complex and I suppose it is but in reality it is only doing two things. Lifting the track and pulling out the old rail tie. Yes, you read that right, it lifts the track and while doing so produces a funny sound all the way down the line. The video below really doesn’t pick it up but it’s very similar to that of spring rebounding after being pulled taught. Behind this machine two workers follow on foot with hooks to replace the shifted tie plates.
After the ties have been pulled two boggie mounted excavators stack the old ties for removal and setup the new ones. Next a sweeper moves down the line to remove any loose ballast.
After the ties have been staged a machine identical to the one seen above moves in to do the exact opposite movement that took place while removing the tie. Once again the track is lifted and the tie is muscled into place. After placement two smaller cars with operators walking along side the machines approach. These machines are also capable of lifting the track and assist the workers in placing the tie plate under both sides of the rail. After all that work it’s time to lock the rail and ties back together with a giant hammer. The very same machine that killed John Henry.
If you watch the video closely you’ll notice a row of spikes hanging from a belt just waiting to be dropped into place. Two of the machines were onsite and were often busy laying spike at the same time.
For years I have seen this lime green pieces of equipment and also wondered exactly how they operated. The veil has been lifted. Wonder no more!
If you were out for a Sunday drive in Vermont a few weeks ago you may have seen this Brockway 762 hauling a Case IH tractor. Lucky you! Of course this truck has appeared on this site a number of times, the most recent being a post from this past January. Powered by a Cat 1693 this beauty is more than capable of hauling the load seen below. Depending on its mood in the next two week you might even seen make an appearance at the National Brockway Show in beautiful downtown Cortland, NY. If you haven’t made plans to attend…do so now!
Local heavy duty recover specialist Pullen’s was on hand at the CNY ATHS chapter show a few weeks ago with their massive Kenworth rotator and smaller Peterbilt hook lift. Yesterday I mentioned how the Holmes 850, by pulling power and recovery ability, is considered by many to be the rotator of its times. My how times have changed.
Autocars can be found coast to coast and throughout North America wherever the need for a real truck exists. This 1982 DC64B happens to be a well traveled example of the A-Car. Original from Virginia this Autocar eventually made its way west to Oregon and the ultimately to British Columbia. If you consider that this truck rolled out of the Ogden, Utah plant this old wrecker has been back and forth across country more times than then average American.
Under the butterfly style hood a Cat 3406 can be found along with a 15 speed gearbox up in the cab.
Over the 40,000 lb rears a Holmes 850 awaits the next job. Speaking of the 850, it was the largest and heaviest recovery body of its time. The massive winches and nearly unparalleled pulling power came at a cost that very few tow companies could afford resulting in only a small number being old each year. Head on over to Tow Times Magazine to learn more about the rotator that existed before rotators.
You might have noticed the decals on the body that pay tribute to Mustang 22, a Nevada National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter that was shot down in 2005 during combat operations in Afghanistan. Two members of the crew were from Oregon, a past home to this truck. Take a moment to stop by and read about these men that gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Thanks to Jon for sharing the photos and details of this truck. Do you have an Autocar that you would like featured on Autocar Mondays? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!
Somewhere on the outskirts of Cortland, NY this Peterbilt COE sits in a field and waits for the day when it can return to the open road. This great photo comes to us from David who has more than a few good leads on old trucks through out CNY. Who knows what will turn up next.
