Tale of two Stars

1. Salty Star from Saskatoon shows some miles from Nova Scotia's famously salty roads.

2. Shiny Star from Nova Scotia - what's his secret?

3. Scoop tram - a necessary fixture in a salt mine.

Salty Star and Shiny Star at Fairview Cove on Tuesday.

The salty Western Star, running for RSB Logistics of Saskatoon, SK is a long way from home, and shows it. A thick coating of road salt, picked up on the way coats this otherwise fine looking truck. Even the tire chains, slung behind the cab heater look like a solid lump held together by salt.

Nova Scotia claims to be the road salt capital of the western world. A dubious claim, but we do mine it and spread in almost equal quantities back on every conceivable horizontal surface every winter. It's a constant battle to keep a truck looking clean - especially if it is black!

Grant Davison of Brooklyn, NS, running his very similar Western Star for Fastrax (a special commodities division of Day & Ross) must know the secret however. His pristine truck was parked right next securing his load.

And what is that load ? why it's an Atlas-Copco Wagner ST2G Scooptram. An articulated, 4 tonne capacity underground mine vehicle. Powered by a Deutz air cooled engine, it is the latest thing for your underground mine. And where do you suppose it was headed - for a salt mine?

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