Scot trucks Part 4 of 3 - fire apparatus chassis

When I started my little retrospective on Scot trucks I thought I would just include fire apparatus as part of the C1 and C2 tilt cab section. It then occurred to me that in fact some of the fire apparatus chassis were not tilt cabs, and were distinct enough for their own coverage. Therefore this is Part 4 of 3.

According to published accounts about 25% of Scot's production went to fire apparatus chassis. The chassis were termed C1FD and were based on the C1 tilt cab. Most Canadian fire apparatus manufacturers at the time used a few Scots for pumpers, tankers and aerials in single or tandem drive versions. Thibault and Pierrevile used a few and King used about 25 Scot chassis.

Most of the fire apparatus used an extended cab with rear facing jump seats, and these cabs usually did not tilt.

1. An unpainted chassis for Thibault next to the ever popular Ford C series so-called Budd cab at a 1979 fire chiefs' convention in Halifax. The unit was still in primer and would be painted by Thibault.

2. The rear facing jump seats shared space with an engine box on this tandem chassis. It may have become the 100ft aerial delivered to Scarborough in 1980.

3. Competitor Pierreville had this recently delivered unit on display at the same show in 1979. It operated for the town of Bedford, NS. (Bedford amalgamated with Halifax in 1999).

4. When the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services was formed in 1999, it brought the former Bedford No.3 unit into Halifax. 

5. Cole Harbour-Westphal, another suburban area of Halifax county (which became part of the Halifax Regional Municipality in 1999) ran this Scot-King. It was a 1977, 1050 gpm -500 gal pumper. It was one of the few Scot-King pumpers sold in Atlantic Canada. 1982 photo

6. Halifax F.D had this 1976 Scot-Thibault on their roster in 1984, working out of the Rockingham fire station. It was sold in 1998 to Milford, NS.

7. Toronto Fire Department's Station 10 housed this Scot with Pierreville 30m aerial in 1987.

6. The HMC Dockyard Fire Department operated this mid-mount Scot-Thibault 840/500 with 65 foot aerial in 1980. It was delivered in 1978 with yellow paint.

7. Halifax Fire Department had one Scot-King "Fire King" 85 foot snorkel truck. It was delivered with yellow paint in 1974, and was the first King apparatus built on a Scot chassis. 1981 photo

8. Later painted red, the unit was in service in 1994.

9. The snorkel was rear mounted over the tandem axles, and the control panel was rear mounted too.

10. The truck was fitted with rear outrigger legs. It was based at Station 2, West Street, the only fire hall in Halifax long enough to accommodate it.Its suspension appears to be slightly lower than some other Scots, and it appears to be a tilt cab.

11. Onslow-Belmont Fire Brigade in Nova Scotia used this Scot-Thibault 1050/1500 pumper/ tanker. Note the bright work around the rear wheels and the higher suspension.  Sources indicate that this rig was built in 1977 on a former dump truck chassis.1986 photo

12. This Pierreville 30m aerial on a long wheelbase Scot chassis had been traded in by 1997. Note the exposed outriggers.

13. By 2000 this tandem axle pumper/tanker had been traded in and its previous operators were illegible. The large front bumper appears to be a Pierreville addition. Like many Scots it had a removable protection plate over the front grille which had to be removed to tilt the cab.

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Scot Truck - part 3 of 3

The third model of Scot trucks, called the A2 was almost a hybrid, as it was a conventional like the previous A1 model but used the cab from the C model. Scot was not the first truck manufacturer to convert a tilt cab to a conventional - International did it by combining their popular Fort Wayne tilt cab with a new fibreglass hood. Several European builders did similar things, where wide tilt cabs were (and still are) the norm for over the road trucks.
Scot had purchased Ford Louisville cabs as shells from 1972 for their A1 conventional model, and fitted then out themselves with Scot dashboards and all other contents. At some point the decision was made to use the C model tilt cab instead and in 1976 the A2 superseded the A1. The wider cab allowed for a neater sleeper arrangement, and in fact Scot was one of the first modern builders of factory integral sleepers.(Most manufacturers had given up on integral sleepers years before, and factory installed sleepers were really add-ons for conventional cabs).
A newly-designed hood assembly, which was integral with the fenders (unlike the A1)  was developed too. It was much larger, and could accommodate larger engines and rads and was better for service.

 1. The basic A1 day cab model was not as attractive as the A1 but certainly did the job. Irving- owned Midland Transport used them extensively.

2. The integral low rise sleeper met the demand for highway drivers.

3. Scot built to order. This reefer, seen at the old O'Brien's warehouse in Halifax (on Barrington Street where the Superstore is now) was hauling produce in 1978. A2 straight trucks were rare.

4. This rather plain looking day cab tractor was parked on Hollis Street in Halifax in 1977 and was still quite new.

 5. Conrad Bros ran this sleeper model in 1981, with roof top air conditioner, and underlsung spare tire.

6. In 1983 this quad headlight version was showing Midland colours, but was likely running for someone else. Note the scoop on the side of the hood and  foot vent on the cab. 

7. This A2 looks like it might once have been a Nova Scotia government truck, but by 1995 (15 years after production had ceased) it was hard to tell for sure.

8. Scot did not confine itself to transport trucks, but also built a wide range heavy of heavy duties, all the way up to off-road ore haulers. Both the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick governments had numerous 4x4 snow plow units. In 2001 this Nova Scotia unit was ready for auction.

 9. The same unit, 82652, seen from the curb side, is carrying a ballast body only, and high speed plows. it has the more durable steel fenders and steel panel hood to ease servicing.

10. Compared to the Oshkosh at right, the Scot's were among the biggest trucks in the Nova Scotia fleet. The front fender ladder seems to have been an "after-market" feature.

11. In 1985 these 1978-and 1979 models lined the fence at the Bathurst, NB depot. On the far left is a new Western Star-the truck that NB used after Scot production ceased.

12. The A2 Scot served the Irving interests well, as this Midland unit seen in 1983 exemplifies.

13. RST, an Irving-owned liquid bulk hauler often used owner/operators. This one added an extended sleeper to an A2 day cab, with slightly raised roof line. 1978 photo

14. In 1980 this A2 looked like it needed a boost to its cab suspension. Nackawic Mechanical, was based in the New Brunswick town of the same name.

15. Scot chassis were popular for well drillers, such as this Quebec operator, Puits de Charlevoix in La Malbaie, QC in 1984.

  16. An owner/operator leased his A2 to CP Transport in 1984. 

17. Cantins of Richmond, BC ran this A2 coast to coast in 1984 with their United Van Lines agency. 

In 1980 Scot production ceased, as economic conditions no longer made them competitive. It is too bad, since it would have been interesting to see how the truck continued to evolve. For example a high rise sleeper would have been easy enough to add to the A2 model. Several Scots have been kept and preserved and no doubt a few are still running.

This would be Part 3 of 3 on Scots, but I forgot about fire apparatus - so there will be a part 4 coming up.

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Scot Trucks - part 2 of 3

Scot Trucks was set up by the Irving group of companies to provide trucks mostly for their own needs. The primary truck user in the group at that time was Irving Oil, and it needed both large conventionals for highway work, but also smaller trucks for local delivery. They had used Internationals for the latter work almost exclusively, with the Fort Wayne tilt-cab type as a favourite, but they did use conventionals too.
Scot developed the C1 tilt cab (and its later variant the C2). Unlike the A1, the C series used a custom made steel cab, that was suitably low and quite wide to accommodate the "doghouse" that covered the engine.Engines to start with were Ford gas jobs, but diesels were also made available.

1. The factory sent this demo to a truck show in Halifax in 1975. It was normally used as a straight truck and rarely as a tractor.

2. One of the Irving companies, Industrial Services, operated a fleet of pumper trucks, such as this C1 seen in 1983.

3. Irving Oil ran a huge fleet of heating oil delivery trucks. There were both tandems and singles, with long and short wheelbases, and had the pump and hose reel mounted right behind the cab. 1983 photo.

4. Another Irving company was Speedy Propane. 1983 photo

5. This reconditioned C1 was operated by a Petro-Canada distributor-an Irving competitor. Without a refinery in Atlantic Canada, Petro-Canada no doubt bought a lot of their product from Irving Oil, so they were Irving customers too.  Note the more usual rear mount pump and reel location.1984 photo

6. C1s set up as tractors were pretty rare, so this may have been a converted tanker. 1987 photo

7. By 1989 many C1s had worn out, but their tanker bodies were still in good shape. This airport re-fueling company bought new glider kits and grafted them onto the tanker bodies.

8. The AirConsol tank is finding a new home behind a Ford glider.

9. J.D.Irving Equipment had this C1 boom truck working in 1987, along with a  fleet of A1s. 

10. At some point the tilt cabs were given a larger grille, and the model designation was changed to C2. With a few modifications a standard fuel tanker, became a water tanker. The tire covers protect the rubber from prolonged exposure to ultra-violet light. 1985 photo

11. Scot built these C2 yard goats for the shipping company Fednav and its subsidiary Atlantic SeaRoute Ltd. They hauled container trailers off an on board ships in Halifax harbour. The large grille (and rad) were needed for cooling, but also improved the appearance of the truck 1984 photo

12. At least one of the C2s lasted until 1990 as a fuel bowser. It sits here with the unusual Plan (which is still in service in 2013) Note the front mount muffler and exhaust.

13. This is a typical C1 aircraft fueler, one of the large markets for Scot. By the time this photo was taken it had been retired, but appeared to be in virtually original condition.

14. In 1981 A C2 fuel tanker has found a second career as a pumper/tank for a cleaning company.

The C1 cab was also used for fire apparatus, but that is another story - to be posted soon.

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Road Trip Report #3

Put out to pasture literally, this classic old Scot sits forlornly in a field near Notre-Dames-des-Monts, (Charlevoix) QC. (That is in area code 418 in case you are dialling up to buy it.)

A first generation conventional, with Ford Louisville cab, it is fitted with dump truck and snow plow hydraulics, but by the look of it, it may well have been an Irving Oil highway tractor in its earlier life.

Class of 76.

Photo 2010-08-15