Road Trip

Truckfax will be heading out on a road trip for the next week or so, and will not be posting.

A brand new Grove GMK5250L crane arrived in Halifax recently by ship. It was parked and also ready to hit the road this evening.

The 5 axle, 250 tonne capacity crane has too many features to list here, but Manitowoc has a more than adequate spec sheet http://www.manitowoccranes.com/GMK5250L

 

.

They're back again

A major invasion of European RVs occurred last week. All shapes and sizes are awaiting border clearance at the Fairview Cove container terminal  lined up behind the fence where they are almost unphotographable. I have nevertheless been able to count at least twenty.

I imagine they began to emerge today as I caught one downtown still with its orange window sticker marked "HFX".

A luxury Hymer Star Edition, it comes complete with satellite dish folded flat on the roof. Based on the license plate, with "ZH" and a "CH" sticker on the back, I am betting that this one is from Zurich, Switzerland.

.

 

American LaFrance

The sad demise of the American LaFrance company in 2014 meant the end of a long history, but there will still be LaFrances on the roads for many years to come.
Halifax still has number of them on its roster, including a pair of quints, one of which is based at Station 9  in Lower Sackville

Numbered 01-144Q, it carries a 28m LTI aerial, with 833 igpm nozzle, pumps at 1750 igpm, carries 25 igal of foam and has a 416 igal booster tank.
The crew had it out today to exercise the aerial ladder.

.

Volvo with a long one

With Watson tractors fully occupied as you have seen on the two previous posts, it was parent company Robert's turn to haul an imported aircraft fuselage.  Watson has the contract to haul Bombardier components, and I have previously posted their KWs doing that work here.
Robert on the other hand seems to be predominantly Volvos, at least for their specialized work.

This rig of Robert tractor 501416 and Watson trailer, was waiting for midnight to head for Quebec when I spotted it this evening. I did check out the back of cab and found a combination headache rack and tool box, but still no room for tarps.

.

Mitsubishi - street legal and a tribute

The proliferation of miniature trucks has become a bit of a tidal wave recently. Since I have covered them before, I will combine this with another tribute to one of my favourite sites Old Parked Cars. 

 I have defaced a couple of coffe breaking bystanders.

Yhe maker's badge appears dead centre on the hood, but nowhere else.

It may be a street legal ATV, but is has a regular license plate.

Did you notice the uncovered  Canada Proof battery ?

.

Watson Reunion - Part 2

The seond batch of Watson trucks is scheduled to leave after midnight tonight.
Consisting of six trucks (one is a Robert, 5 are Watson) they were conveniently lined up in a group and ready to roll.

left to right: Robert 102934, W3896, W 3862

left to right: W3897, W2885

W3898

There are still many truckloads of steel fabrications left on the pier, so I exepct at least a partial repeat of this operation agian next week.

Bonus

This is the east end of a westbound Robert:

The Robert trucks have a headache rack but no tool box, so are required to secure miscellaneous items to the frame.

Watson reunion - updated 2014-04-04

Ever since a large shipment of steel fabrications arrived by sea April 18 trucks from Transport Watson and Mills Heavy Hauling have been shuttling the loads to Port Daniel, QC for the McInnis cement plant that is under construction.
Up until now it has been a pair or two Watson trucks at a time:

Unit W3864 is a typical Watson Kenworth, with set-back front axle and low rise sleeper. (April 24)

W3900 features a gold stripe - something new for Watson. It also has a single stack and enclosed air cleaners. (April 24)

But today was a bonanaza with at least a dozen all getting ready to leave town after midnight when the width restrictions are lifted in town.

In addition to the usual KWs, there were also a Volvo with lowrise sleeper - number W3905

Parent company Robert also had a couple of their Volvos, not to mention an unusual International with Watson markings (W2892) on a blue background. Several other Watsons were lurking nearby including W2885 a white painted Kenworth.

There was also a service vehicle on hand, taking advantage of the wait to perfom maintenenace on several of the trucks.It is marked for parent company Robert, with Watson and Transport Rollex, Roberet's hazardous materials and waste division.


2014-04-04
The convoy did not roll out last night after all. They were still in place this morning, with some shuffling around.

W2885 is one of the white painted KWs in the fleet.

Most of the trucks are kitted out with a tool box/headache rack and sometimes a ladder too.

This evening the trucks connected up to their loads and at least some of them appeared to be getting ready to roll.

.

EHS

EHS (Emergency Health Services) is the provider of ambulance services in Nova Scotia. They use a standardized Ford E-350 with Tri-Star modular body, and there is little variation between front line ambulances. Incidentally the ambulances are leased from Tri-Star. On completion of the lease each one is refurbed and exported.
Tri-Star Industries Ltd, located in Yarmouth, NS, builds ambulances and other vehicles that are used around the world. https://tri-star.ca/

There  is also variety of ancillary vehicles, but the ones closest resembling regular ambulances are Patient Transfer Units. They do not have the same red lights, but the modular body is similar.

In the last few days I have seen a different ambulance, and this one is built on a Freightliner crew cab chassis with Tri-Star body. Numbered CC1, it is classed as a Critical Care Transport, but has been pressed into service with the LifeFlight helicopter service.

There are helicopter pads on the roofs of the IWK Health Centre (women's and children's hospital) and the Halifax Infirmary of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Centre (general hospital). However if weather conditions or other circumstances do not permit roof landings, there is a ground pad between Point Pleasant Park and the Halterm container terminal.

Since April 1, the current EHS LifeFlight Sikorsky helicopter has been forbidden from using the roof top pads due to lack of certification and it will have to be replaced. In the meantime (up to 9 months) it will be using the Point Pleasant pad.

The Critical Care Transport CC1 is being used as the shuttlke ambulance between the helo pad and the hospitals (a trip estimated by the press as 15 minutes - but I reckon to be closer to 10 or less)

Equipped with a suite of shrieking electronic sirens and flashing lights, it is without doubt the most visible and audible ambulance in Nova Scotia. (The red roof strobes were too fast for my camera.)

Amid all the white reefer boxes in the container terminal this one does stand out.

PTUs

Except for on board equipment and doors, Patient Transport Units are essentially the same as regular ambulances. Aside for the red lights on the ambulances, it is hard to tell them apart from a distance.
(PTU at left, 400 series Ambulance at right)

Older PTUs had a sheet metal cab extension. Although the panel followed the contours of the cab door, it may have been a Tri-Star add-on.

The 300 series ambulances are gradually being replaced with 400s.

Sikorsky S-76A wears call letters C-GIMN and dates from 1980.

Wedged in between the Halterm container terminal (right) and Point Pleasant Park and surrounded by power lines, the pad is also right on the shoreline. I doubt that it will be tenable in some of the fog condiotns we get in June and July. In this 2015 photo an ambulance waits at the gate for the helo to land.

.