Quebec Road Trip

My first Quebec road trip this year turned up a few interesting trucks - but I have to say not as many as usual.

No road trip would be complete with a visit to the Suspensions Simard plant at Baie St-Paul, and as usual I was rewarded with some interesting stuff.Adding extra axles is where Simard got its start and there were several of those in the yard:

Interesting sleepered KW with an added steering axle and fifth wheel, so it is bound for a heavy hauler somewhere. I hope he has a custom paint job planned - the refrigerator white doesn't do it for me.

Mack with lift axle has several possibilities.

Simard's yard was chock-a-block with Peterbilts, all fitted out with McNeilus read-mix drums and painted for Lafarge. Despite Lafarge's recently announced merger with Holcim (to form LafargeHolcim in mid-2015) which will force the new company sell off about 18% of its assets worldwide to avoid monopoly problems, they are still investing in transit mixers.

The finished product is an impressive truck - note the exhaust pipe on the driver's side only.

 Out of the shop, but before the fenders are fitted.

 Ex factory in 4 axle configuration - they look a bit odd, and perhaps sagging in the middle!.

I didn't count, but there must have been a dozen in the yard. There is apparently some sort of exhaust crossover behind the cab, maybe where two pipes combine, or the one pipe is rerouted. Also the PTO for the drum must be behind the cab, since there is no bumper extension.

Quebec is still wood country, and there were chips on the move:

It is also moose country, and Marcel Dufour's Volvo is well equipped to fend one off. His 4 axle Fericar trailer is typical of the chip haulers on Quebec roads.

 This Pete running for Deno had B-train trailers stacked with lumber from Boisaco. The chromed sleeper door was a nice touch.

Quebec is also snow country and I did spot some mean snow machines.

This International Paystar 5000 survived a fire that destroyed a couple of other trucks and payloaders. Rain hasn't washed all the soot off yet, and the cab is still full of old smoke. It would make a great project for someone, but may be beyond economical repair.

Veteran Autocar may have escaped the fire or been brought in afterwards as a replacement. Both are operated by Abel Harvey of La Malbaie.

More later.........

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