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1953 White Fire Truck

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Eric

One of my favorite streets in town has to be a 800 foot stretch of 6th North Street just west of Hiawatha Blvd. Seemingly nothing more than a collection of repurposed or abandoned industrial buildings this strip of broken asphalt has provide more than a few jems over the years. Remember this Brockway 359? Or the remains of an Syracuse DPW Autocar? Or this CSX locomotive? Get the picture? If you look closely in the background you’ll notice a Mack truck or two. They have also been featured on this site but I can’t seem to find them at the moment. But that’s enough of past topics, lets focus on the present.

I originally had no plans to head down this street until I noticed this old fire truck sitting at a truck repair shop. I quickly made a U-Turn and headed back to view what turned out to be an White fire truck.

The door and hood clearly show the former shield of the Merrimac, Mass fire department. Not knowing too much, if anything, about old fire trucks I turned to my old friend Google. I figured at some point, someone, had to take a picture of this truck when it was still in active service. Once again the information age did not disappoint and I quickly found the backstory on this truck. On FireNews.org you’ll find this truck appearing in four different shots. It’s listed as both Engine 33 and 3. Hmmm. It’s also listed as a 1956 and 1952 model White. Hmmm. Heading over to the actual Merrimac Fire Department page you’ll find yet another conflicting date, this time the truck is listed a ’53. I’ll stick with the information from the original owners. The actual firefighting power comes from a Farrah body that carries 650 gallons of water that flows through a 550 GPM front mounted pump. Gas powered and with low gears this truck is able to creep and pump at the same time which makes it perfect for brush fire applications.

No word on how it ended up here in Syracuse. Maybe it’s found a new local owner or maybe it’s just laying over on its journey to some other destination. Cool rig either way.

UPDATE:

I was browsing through Craigslist the other day when I came across the listing for this truck. Officially it is listed as a 1953 White WC20 with a White 130A G L12 6 cyl gas engine. A 5 speed manual is waiting for you to row through the gears. Below, a few more photos from the original ad. Asking price is $9,500.

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Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged engine 3, farrah fire body, merrimac fire department, white fire truck | 3 Comments

The Northside

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Eric

Some around town might say the northside is the wrong side with rising crime and increasing poverty. I suppose we can pinpoint the fall to when the Wegmans on Pond Street closed. If you are not from the area the previous two sentences really didn’t mean that much to you but the trucks seen below might.

The old Ford is a familiar face to me as I spent plenty of time watching it work during the Connective Corridor project that took place the past two years. Back then it looked a little better. Gone are the Alcoa floats along with chrome strips from the grill and driver’s side headlight. The hood, always a leaner, seems to be getting worse. For reference, this photo from 2014.

To the the best of my knowledge this truck never crossed the pages of this website until this time. No time like the present!

The old S-Series International clearly is an ex-NYSDOT unit. It’s still wearing the auction paperwork on the windshield and most likely came from the sale held at the Region 3 HQ this past May. I hope Big Brother is watching as these two need all the help they can get.

Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged connective corridor, ford L9000, ford louisville | Leave a comment

Autocar Mondays – Aluminum Recycling

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Eric

The beer can in your hand this holiday weekend has something in common with this Autocar. They’re both cool and made of aluminum. But please, whatever you do, do not attempt to crush the Autocar on your forehead.

Ed sends along these great shots of a 1958 A-75T currently residing in Colonie, NY. The current owner kept an eye on this rig for a number of years as it hauled a dump trailer between a gravel pit in Troy and a block company in Colonie. After the truck was parked for the last time a deal was eventually struck that put the Autocar in good hands and awaiting a restoration. It’s currently in line behind two 1940’s Internationals. Patience is a virtue.

With an aluminum frame, cab, and hood this truck has aged well with regards to the tin worm. Between the fiberglass fenders you’ll find a 220HP Cummins connected to a 10 speed Fuller transmission.

What a great find. If I was the owner I would be half tempted to put the truck back in mechanical shape and then run it as it is. You just can’t beat that original look. Thanks for sharing Ed.

Have you seen an Autocar you would like to see featured on Autocar Mondays? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!

Posted in Autocar Trucks | Tagged a-75T, autocar trucks | Leave a comment

Lost and Found – Reo Snow Blower

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Eric

Not too long ago I was in the wonderful lakeside city of Geneva, NY spending a nice afternoon out with the wife. On the way out of town I noticed a sign for the Geneva DPW office and garage. I made a quick U-Turn that would make any normal wife yell with frustration by mine hardly batted an eye. I guess after so many years of such behavior you just learn to roll with it. The Geneva garage had nothing of interest. In fact I barely stopped to look once I saw this yellow monster sitting in nearby field.

My immediate thought was this truck was NYDOT surplus. The color and the faded circle on the door all but made up my mind. The fact that the truck is in really amazing shape with zero rust and minimal wear and tear made think it was pampered at the hands of a luxurious state funded garage. Last night I messaged these pics to Ryan, the sultan of all things related to plowing in Upstate, NY and of course he had seen this truck and actually knew some of the back story.

The last recorded owner was the Town of Columbia, NY. Back in 2014 they put the truck for auction at everyone’s favorite website, Auctions International. Listed as a 1967 REO E-512-D this truck has two Cummins engines with Spicer 5652 transmission. AWD is a given and all functions of the truck remain intact. Just look at the sheet metal on this machine. Near perfect. The final selling price was 4,550 big ones. Another steal!

Here we see the Reo with it’s barn mate prior to the sale, the hero of North Country highway departments, the Walter.

The good folks at Auctions International even put together a video of the truck running so you can hear the Cummins at work while watching the Bros blower blades in action.

Now I want one. Winter is coming.

Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged bros blower, reo truck, snow blower | 1 Comment

Macks and GMC Trucks

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Eric

Do you remember the International CXT? Everyone went nuts over that truck when it came out. It was a hot seller that was perfectly timed to coincided with the gas guzzling phase of the American Automobiles known as the mid 2000’s. As cool as the the CXT was it doesn’t hold a candle to this Mack. Named the Jack, in honor Jack Mack, co-founder of Mack Trucks, this bulldog is an 800 HP, AWD, crew cab monster. Produced at the Leigh Valley Operations cab and vehicle assembly this truck is one of a kind with a 800HP turbo charged diesel lurking under the hood to shame nearly every other vehicle on the road.

This truck was on display outside of the Macungie assembly plant along with a few other notable Macks. It was stressed many times over during the bus ride and while walking through the plant that Jack was not for sale and another like it would never be produced. The value of the truck was mentioned as close to one million dollars.

Now I’m not in the business of building or selling trucks but I can you tell you this, if you build a limited series, maybe 10 or 20, you will find enough people to buy them. Rap stars. Sports stars. Trust fund babies. A Saudi prince that must have one of every vehicle ever produced. The demand is there. What other truck is Mack currently building that sells for a cool million? BUILD THIS!

In the gallery below you have two Pinnacles, one setup for NASCAR as Mack is the new preferred tow vehicle and one setup to honor the branches of the armed services.

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Now, if you don’t like Macks maybe these GMC’s will seem more appealing to you?

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged atca macungie, jack mack, mack truck factory | Leave a comment

ATHS Nutmeg Chapter Truck Show

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Eric

It’s getting to the point where I can provide good truck show coverage while never leaving the comfort of my own home. Last week the Nutmeg Chapter of the ATHS held their annual truck show at the fairgrounds in Brooklyn, CT. As it happens Zack was passing by through the area and decided to stop for a look. It was late in the afternoon and many of the trucks had already hit the road, typical truck show behavior. 😉

Still, there were more than a few cool trucks to see like this 1929 Mack AB.

Or this nifty D-Series International pickup.

Great collection of trucks from old to older, small to large.

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It’s no secret that I love capturing the action of a truck show in video format. Thankfully I have a New England counterpart who feels the same way. Check out this video from the aptly named Youtube channel of Trukluver. A few of the trucks seen above make an appearance along with a few others not seen by Zack. My personal favorites are the 40’s Ford (?) with a Cummins and the GM Newlook “fishbowl” bus.

And if the above wasn’t enough check out this Flickr gallery that fills in all the gaps nicely. The single axle Brockway rollback is well worth a look. Thanks to Zack for sharing the photos and getting the ball rolling on this post. Make sure to check out his website to satisfy your inner fire truck fan.

Posted in Truck Show | Tagged aths nutmeg, classic truck show | Leave a comment

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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