Under Wraps number 2

The waterfront was the scene for more activity under wraps recently when Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard took delivery of some large engines. The units were landed at the PSA Fairview Cove container terminal, presumably from Germany on a Roll On  / Roll Off ship of Atlantic Container Lines. They were then transported by modular transporter to the shipyard.

J.D.Irving Ltd., the company that owns Irving Shipbuilding, is a multi-faceted, vertically integrated,  industrial operation that also has an equipment division with a fleet of mobile cranes, trucks and trailers to serve them, and a number of modular transporters. These units, when coupled together can carry huge loads - up to and including entire ships.

The modular transporters arrived at the shipyard on a flat bed trailer behind a Freightliner day cab with an extra drop axle. (J.D.Irving also owns Universal Truck and Trailer Co. a Freightliner and Western Star sales, parts and service operation covering New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.)

 The units were lifted off by an Irving Equipment 500 tonne Liebherr hydrauulic crane.

 Once full assembled the modular transporter hustled off to the container terminal, with the operator sitting on what looked like a milk crate. (There were escort vehicles ahead and behind.)

 The load(s) were MAN main engines for the Arctic Escort and Patrol vessels currently under construction at the Shipyard. Each ship has four 6L32/44CR engines of 3600kW (4827 HP) each weighing 39.5 tonnes, powering two electric drives.

Unlike the military vehicles in the previous post, these wraps advertise the manufacturer. (MAN Diesel & Turbo is part of Volkswagen and also makes trucks and buses. It also owns the former Burmeister & Wain = B&W, and Alstom. It manufactures some engines in Denmark, France, india and China and licenses builders in Korea.)

 

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Under Wraps

 Among the best looking trucks that I see are those of Paddock Transport International (formerly Earl Paddock Transport) of Stoney Creeek, ON. Always Kenworths and always very clean black with red trim, each truck is also named after a former company employee.

 

Although they are from the Hamilton, ON area, the trucks aren't carrying steel when they arrive in Halifax. The company specializes in hauling military vehicles built by General Dynamics in London ON. At one time the LAVs or other wheeled units were easy to identify, but recently they have been tarped. Whether this is to protect them from roads salt or to conceal them from prying eyes is anyone's guess.

 

I have seen their trucks in the United States too - they are easy to spot!

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Star Boomer

I always like to see a boom truck, particularly one that is set up with a fifth wheel and semi-trailer. I spotted this one at the reinforcing steel fabricator Rendan, in the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth, NS. A convincing Western Star equipped with a Tadano telescopic hydraulic boom, it carries a CTE Rentals sticker on the boom.

 

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Shifting Gears

 I have been posting pictures from my collection to several Facebook Pages, including the following:

Amateurs de camions lourds antiques 

Canadian Fire Apparatus

Canadian Sicard Trucks and Utility Vehicles

Canadian Trucking Pioneers

Classic Autocar trucks

Ford LNT and LTL 9000 owners and lovers

Hayes and Pacific trucks 

Snow Removal Vintage and Modern

Thibault family companies fire apparatus

The reception to these posts has been very favourable, but I have been neglecting this blog, which has been focused more on current trucking. Now that the days are longer (and warmer) I will try for more current trucking activity here.

 

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Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services, full scale response

 A spill at Oland's brewery in Halifax January 8 lead to a full scale response from the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services. Don't worry the spill was not beer. In fact it was not a caustic chemical as initially thought, but was steam and hot water. Nevertheless HRM F+ES took no chances and came to the site prepared for the worst.

There was a report that one person apparently sheltered on site and was extracted, but there were no reports of injuries. 

The tally of apparatus was impressive with seven units, not including at least three officers' cars.

 

Spartan  / Carl Thibault 18-588E, Engine 12

 

Pierce 07-417Q (spare)

Pierce Arrow XT 6700, 21-634P, Aerial 12

 

 

Spartan Metro Star / Carl Thibault 11-531E, Engine 8
 

Some rarely seen equipment also made the scene ready for a full scale HazMat operation.

Sterling 04-347S with 05-366TR Command Centre

GMC 5500, 07-419U / Dynamic Truck Bodies, Decon 5

Freightliner FL80 / Metalfab, 97-257R Tactical Support

With temperatures hovering around 0ºC the streets were wet with road salt, so the equipment that came from any distance took on a hazy look.

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Cat on tires

 Another Cat on the move through the Port of Halifax. This one is a rubber tired unit Material Handler (MH model number not known, but a big one, maybe MH3040). A beefy tri-axle Western Star and a four axle trailer from Transport Deen Express out of Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC has the job.

Most of the Cats I see are hauled by Bellemare, so this was an interesting change.

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Scania

 A surprise Scania, spotted off Caldwell Road in Eastern Passage December 12. This one looks quite new, and doesn't appear to be one of the New Brunswick fleet covered here before.

I didn't hang around long enough to see if it had a rear licence plate, so it remains a mystery.

Typical European fit out, it had arrays of driving lights and a pair of Michelin men on the top light bar.

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