Pierce goes high and a flashback

 Although it was a rainy day, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service was exercising today, giving me a chance to see a pair of Pierces.

Quint 7 runs this 2017 Pierce Arrow XT6700 . It pumps 1750 gpm, has a 400 gal tank and a 75' rear mount aerial ladder. It operates from Station 7, Bayers Road and carries HRF+ES number 18-581Q.

A more recent acquisition is this aerial platform:

Platform 3 operates from West Street with this 2020 Pierce Arrow XT, with 1750 gpm pump, 250 gal tank and 100' mid-mount. It carries HRMF+ES fleet number 20-618P .

Firefighters travel in relative comfort and safety nowadays. "Back when" they had to ride in open top apparatus:

 

Back in September 1966 when the West German ship Wuppertal arrived in the port of Halifax with fire in its cargo of baled cotton, the response was by the King Seagrave pumper in the foreground and an unidentified pumper in the background. I believe there were municipal hydrants in the area,so they did not have to draft seawater from the harbour. 

The fire was extinguished without serious consequences, except to some cotton.

 

 I know this is a truck blog, but a little car identification is always fun too. The Rambler on the far left was my family transportation on the day.

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Kenworth Days

 Although tomorrow, September 16 is the official opening day of the new Bayview Kenworth facility in the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth, I decided to have a preview today.

This very smart straight reefer/box truck with sleeper was on display out front. For long hauls with high value perishables, such as lobsters, this type of vehicle has long been popular with fish dealers in the Maritimes for their frequent trips to Boston. 

Also in the lot was this brawny tractor fitted out for logging by C.E.Harrison Woodlands. It is rare to see driving lights mounted inside the bull bars, but they are both essential equipment for back roads.

Across the harbour and back in Halifax, A-1 Towing and Recovery from Lower Sackville, NS was just hooking up to this broke down International.

The set back front axle truck has lost its KW radiator emblem, and now has a bulldog mounted on top, but its ancestry can't be concealed that easily. The fifth wheel wrecker unit mounted on the long chassis is a rare sight in this area, but does allow the truck to be converted back to semi-trailer work quickly when needed.

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Trucks from far and wide

 With the wide variety of cargoes coming and going through the Port of Halifax it is not surprising that trucks come and go from all points. Today I spotted one from Saskatoon, SK. Rockport Carrier Co advertises that it has 40 drivers and works across Canada and the 48 United States with more than 100 dry vans and decks.

This Western Star is about as streamlined as they get, featuring the huge fairing over the sleeper, something not usually seen on trucks hauling step deck trailers. 

Behind it is one of Total Transport + Rigging's "trombone" Paron trailers, stretched out to carry an Airbus A220-300 fuselage imported from France and headed for Mirabel, QC. The aluminium-lithium and composite fuselage is secured to a dedicated "trolley", which in turn is secured to the trailer.

Due to road restrictions, the unit only moves out of Halifax at night so I was not able to see what truck was doing the hauling.

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Yellow Loads

 Yellow loads come in all shapes and sizes.

Sampo Rosenlew from Finland makes yellow coloured combine harvesters among other kinds of farm and forest equipment. This one bound for Quebec took a nice two-tone Kenworth to haul it away from Halifax.

Some tires were deflated and others removed entirely so the unit fits on the trailer. Note the supplementary mirrors. The driver was just about to install another one on the drivers side. 

It was not difficult to fit this Volvo digger on its trailer however. It was more a question of positioning it correctly and chaining it down.

The bright Peterbilt from Stephenville, Newfoundland is equipped with a rugged bull bar, a necessary piece of equipment for trucking on "The Rock" where the moose pollution is a serious safety issue.

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Big Box, Big Pipe

 More big objects seen on the road today. 

Total Transport and Rigging appears to have a new Peterbilt under contract from a local O/O. Today it was paired up with a Trail King three axle trailer and a big box, bound for Guelph, ON.

The well equipped Pete, with mid-rise sleeper, looks to be ready for just about anything it might meet in moose country.

Nearby a well-visored Kenworth was delivering a load of drain pipe. In addition to the familiar black poly pipe, it also has a quantity of blue cellular poly storm water collection chamber sections. Designed to store storm water on site and release it slowly into the sewer system so as not to overload the system, it comes efficiently stacked, ready to assemble.

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More high, wide and heavy

 I've seen a number of odd loads in the last few days.

Watson trucks are a familiar sight in Halifax as they are the exclusive carriers for the Bombardier aircraft components. This good looking Peterbilt is typical of the fleet.

Fresh off the ship this wide tail assembly was bound for the Downsview, ON aircraft plant and will have an escort truck. Watson and its US partner Sycamore have now been acquired 100% by the QSL Group. In 2018 QSL partnered with Groupe Robert to acquire the company. QSL, Quebec Stevedoring Ltd, have also acquired Empire Stevedoring, including its operations in Halifax.

This large object would get the award for highest and probably heaviest.

TMF Heavy Haul of Mascouche, QC had the flatbed with the single axle dolly behind their Kenworth.

A couple of Grove crane ballast units were all the cargo this Kenworth from Quebec had on its trailer.

The truck had the name of Young Livestock, St.Pauls ON on its side, but a Quebec plate up front. I suspect that is a previous owner (incidentally from the former Downie Township, the homeland of a maternal ancestor).

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Retro Boomer

 Following up on two recent topics, I spotted another Ford Louisville the other day and it was a boom truck.

Sporting a big Manitex crane boom, the L8000 Diesel also has the set back front axle. That configuration was not available for the earliest Louisvilles but became popular when owners wanted shorter wheelbases and better turning circles.

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