Christmas Best Wishes

Truckfax goes to the end of the earth to take truck pictures. I had to take this picture in Singapore in 2008. There is so much going on I don't know where to start. The obvious pun potential for the shipyard's name was too much to resist.

Then there is the supervisory pigeon on top of the building.

The neat little Kia K2700 tipper. (A one ton diesel sold by Kia all over Asia, South Africa, Australia and elsewhere - but not in North America - yet.)

Then there is the cargo in the tipper - a number of drying tea shirts, and who knows what else.

What has this got to do with Christmas you may ask? The answer is-nothing whatsoever, but I needed an excuse to post it, and what better time for a little fun than Christmas?

Truckfax will be taking a little break over Christmas, and so Best Wishes to All and Happy New Year.

Bird's eye E-One

1. Engine Company No.2, based at the University Avenue station threads its way along a downtown street. This is 97-108E, a Superior (Emergency-One Canada), acquired in 1997. (See also July 6, 2010.)

2. Halifax runs a number of Superior (Emergency-One Canada) apparatus. This is unit 03-332E, a 1750 gpm pumper with a 750 gallon tank and foam capability. It is operated by Engine Company 6 at the Herring Cove fire station. It dates from 2003.

Most of my truck photos are from ground level (although sometimes the truck is up high - see previous post), but in this case I was up high, and I managed a bird's eye view of one of Halifax Regional Municipality Fire and Emergency engines.

Halifax has a huge array of apparatus, newer ones seeming to come from Pierce or E-One. They still run a number of Superiors, which was a Canadian company that Emergency-One purchased and later shut down.

E-one ran into some financial issues in 2007 and the parent company Federal Signal sold them off to American Industrial Partners in 2008. This year AIP formed Allied Specialty Vehicles to own E-One, Collins (manufacturers of Collins, MidBus and Corbeil buses), Capacity (yard tugs) and a variety of Ambulance makers (AEV, Horton, Wheeled Coach and just recently added Road Rescue, which they bought from Spartan). ASV also has Goldshield, a manufacturer of fibreglasss truck and bus hoods, cabs, sleepers, farings and other components and Lay-Mor which builds walk-behind and ride-on sweepers. (Federal Signal kept the Elgin road sweeper company.)

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King of the Hill

The legendary Pacific truck is sadly no longer produced. Once a premier logging truck manufacturer in British Columbia, it was part of International Trucks in its later years, and expanded beyond its original home base territory.

For more on Pacitfic , see the Pacific Truck Club website - go to "My Faves" to the left.

This particular model fitted with an orange peel grab for pulpwood was spotted at Tatro's in Chatham, ON in October. According to their web site it is a 1980 model with 3406B Cat engine and 20 speed transmission. VIN#T80761518. As long as it is listed for sale, there are more pictures on Tatro's web site:

See http://www.tatrotrucks.com/

Bumble Bee Out of Season

1. November 16, 2010- on the fly.

2. December 11, 2010.

3. December 11, 2010.

Most bumble bees are drowsing in their hives enjoying a winter hibernation. Not Unit #99 of Partners Industrial Crane Rentals, nicknamed the Bumble Bee. This nicely painted Sterling is loaded with crane components and ready for work. Partners has a good many cranes and some boom trucks, but this tractor is rare in their fleet. Usually employed in carrying around boom sections, bolsters and counterweights, it is also pressed into service from time time for other work too, such as moving the large stack in the top photo.

Random Shots #50 - Pair of Macks

What beats a pair of Macks?

This pair of new Pinnacles await delivery at the local dealer (MacKay's). Sadly new models have minimized the size of the Mack letters on the grille, but they still sport the bulldog, and look ready for work.

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Atlantic Tiltload and Western Star

1. I caught Western Star #48 this morning delivering a vibratory roller for driveway construction in a residential neighbourhood. Those rollers are full of water, so they are heavier than they look. Even so they did not need to use the third axle on the tractor or the trailer.

2. Meanwhile sister vehicle, #88 was at Lockhart's for maintenance. It makes do with the standard tandem axle arrangement.

Atlantic Tiltload has a pretty fair fleet of Western Stars, ranging from straight trucks with tilt beds to some pretty heavy tractors. An interesting company, it has grown considerably since founded in 1992 with three tilt deck trucks. Learn why by visiting their website at:

http://www.atlantictiltload.com/

Grove crane truck

1. This afternoon, slings have been attached to the cranes outriggers by lift boom trucks. The Grove unit is hanging over the face of the wharf with boom in the water, after tipping forward. The four wheel drive/four wheel steer mechanism is apparent.

2. On Sunday afternoon the crane truck was sitting idle next to the ferry. It was being used to lift material off and on the ferry during a refit, with outriggers in position.

Ever wonder what the underneath of a Grove crane truck looks like? I got the chance to see today after one such rig tipped over frontwards while working at Halifax Shipyard. The same unit appeared in a photo I took on Sunday, but then it was sitting on all four wheels as it is supposed to do.

According to press reports, the crane was being used this morning to lift a forklift off the ferry Holiday Island when the crane tipped forward, landing the forklift on the harbour bottom and the truck's boom partially submerged.

Fortunately the operator had only minor injuries.

Recovery operations are underway. A larger mobile crane is being assembled in the yard, but lift out may not be until after nightfall.

Grove, along with National Crane and Potain, are part of the Manitowoc crane company.

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Random Shot #49 -Old Dog in the Port

It seems to be old dog week at Truckfax. Another old Mack turned up today, and none other than a DMM model. With its distinctive offset R model cab and multi-wheel drive, it is a classic among heavy duty Macks. This one is likely bound for export, probably to Cuba.

[Go back to May11 for more DMM models]

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Just when you thought it was safe.........

Just when you thought it was safe to look at Truckfax again because there was so little chance of seeing the dreaded Routemasters, here we go again. I have no idea why nine of them forgathered on pier 24 this morning (more may be following) but here they are in all their glory.

I think Ambassatours has a dozen of these double deckers, which would normally be laid up for the winter. The last one in the line needs a new paint job, but the others were in pristine condition. All have their rear platforms boarded up, making me think that perhaps they are bound for winter storage in one of the Port Corporation's sheds.

All were RMLs, numbered as follows: 2332, 2379; 2365, 2664; 2673, 2309; 2677, 2578; 2534.

Interesting to see the juxtaposition of wide and narrow body models in the first rank.

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