FWD Trucks (Part 3)

The "classic" era for FWD trucks, in my opinion, was the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1940s and very early 1950s, FWD made its own cabs, then by the mid 1950s started to use the same cab as the International R series. Here are some examples:

1. R-model cab, set up for a gigantic wing plow, with passenger side viewing window in the door, and spotlight to keep an eye on the road side. Very wide spaced head lamps, and elaborate hydraulics for the front plow. Shop made fenders replace the originals. St-Fidèle, QC, August 2, 1984.

2. Parked in a pasture, this unit looks ready to go at a moment's notice. It still has its factory fenders, despite about 35 years of wear and tear. May 20, 1991.

3. Construction Levesque in Beresford NB, had this 1940s era unit on its lot, and may have used it only for wing work, but it hadn't been out for a while when I saw it January 16, 1987. It also still has its factory fenders, that might have been 40 years old. It has the FWD cab and gigantic steering wheel. (Someone has added a Mack bulldog hood ornament.)

4. In the Miramichi area of New Brunswick they know how to handle snow, and this veteran FWD COE had seen many winters by January 12, 1985. Note the huge steering wheel and right hand drive. The driver had to be his own wing man on this rig, but he had lots of light on the road.

5. A side view of the same truck shows the roof escape hatch and tiny exhaust pipe. It had its chains ready for really nasty going and a covered ballast body. This shot shows the transfer case and the winch used to raise and lower the wing plow. This style of cab was unchanged from the 1930s, but was likely a post war product in view of its excellent condition.

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Random Shot #47 -Wood Chip B-train

A little ray of sunshine is needed on a dull day, so I went back into my summer files to find this Sunbury B-train. Nothing remarkable about it except that it was apparently still pretty new when I saw it at Fredericton, NB on June 18. It does appear to have a cab heater, which does seem to be a bit odd in a day cab.

The Freightliner day cab is the tractor of choice for these units, that can be seen all over New Brunswick, but also in Quebec and Nova Scotia.

It is always amusing to see loads of wood chips going in opposite directions, but that is the reality of sourcing "fibre" these days.

The driver is taking a bit of a break to watch the work on an aged International dump truck.

[Photo taken at the Circle K Irving, Riverside Drive (route 105) Lower St.Marys, NB]

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FWD Trucks (part 2)

There are some FWDs that defy categorization in my collection. Here they are with a word or two about each.
1. Lévesque Construction Inc of Beresford N-B operated a rare cab over FWD. Photo taken January 16, 1987. This truck may have been a Department of Highways surplus vehicle or a converted snow blower. It has an odd wheelbase and a huge fuel tank for a dump body vehicle.

2. Here it is next to a more common (once) conventional FWD (with Dodge cab.)

3. Gabriel Raymond Inc of Baie-des-Sables, Comté Matane, QC were in the housemoving business. I would like to have seen that derrick in action, but housemoving was slow on August 19, 2006. A 6X6 with typical Dodge cab, but its fibreglass hood and fenders were certainly more refined looking than the usual heavy duty construciton types seen on snow plows.

4. I saw this tuck only once even though it was operated by John's Crane Rentals of Halifax. This type was common in the US for carrying concrete block and even for transit mixers. It also has an FWD cab-far roomier than the Dodges of earlier years. December 22, 1990 (it was not going to be a white Christmas that year.)

5. An FWD 6x5? A home made cab and hood graces this one, but it still carries a few vestiges of its ancestry. I think it was used for crop spraying, but it wasn't going anywhere on this day, September 11, 1982, in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.

6. Not exactly a homemade cab, but certainly a shop modification. The Truro depot of the Nova Scotia Department of Highways rebuilt a number of FWDs with Louisville cabs and shop fabbed sheet metal. I believe the cabs came from the Scot truck plant in nearby Debert, which had ceased production, but had inventory in hand. Photo taken June 1989.

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Big Os in the north

1. The Big O emblem= king of the hill.

2. 82645 looks to be out to pasture.

3. 82654, with front plow off shows the massive bolster and elevator.

3. 82658 wearing a high speed plow. Note the high mounted right headlight - perhaps to clear a wing plow.

Northern (mainland) Nova Scotia, is noted for its whitetouts and heavy snow blowing in off the Gulf of St.Lawrence. It has long been home to some heavy snow moving apparatus. The Department of Transportation garage at Antigonish had these three Oshkoshes out back November 12. The trucks look a little hard done by, but the plows look newish, so I hope these haven't been put out to pasture.

Natural Gas Transport

Light weight composite reinforced pressure vessels are manufactured in Saint John, NB by FPC Inc, to be used for storage or transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG.)

One of the systems they make is mounted in ISO container type frames for easy handling on trucks and ships.

These two units arrived at the Halterm container terminal today for export (they were not carrying gas.)

Black's Transfer of Saint John, a specialist dimensional load carrier, used two of their Peterbilts to haul the units on standard flat bed trailers. By the time I took these pictures, the securing straps had been removed, so that the units could be removed by straddle carriers or fork lifts inside the terminal.

Expect to see more of this type of gas transport in future.

FWD Trucks (Part 1)

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company was founded 100 years ago, initially to build cars, but they also turned their hands to trucks. The US Army used FWD trucks in 1912 to chase Pancho Villa in Mexico and the trucks were a great success. The army didn't catch Pancho, but they caught on to the FWD truck and used large numbers in the First World War. FWD became synonymous with tough, go anywhere trucks.
Snow plows, and utility vehicles were big sellers, but they also produced highway tractors and perhaps surprisingly, fire apparatus chassis.
In 1963, FWD sought to expand this business and purchased Seagrave Corp of Columbus, OH and moved it to FWD headquarters in Clintonville, WI. They also purchased Baker Aerialscope, and mounted these devices on FWD chassis, and branded the apparatus as FWD. They also purchased Almonte, a Canadian fire apparatus manufacturer.
Gradually FWD was absorbed within the growing Seagrave operation and by 1974 FWD had largely disappeared. A later re-organization, saw Seagrave as the lead company and the elimination of the FWD name and brand.

1. Valley Kemptown District Fire Brigade restored this 1957 FWD/ Thibault to first class operational use.

2. The pumper was built originally for government use, and the brigade's own members did all the work themselves . Note the use of the International R series cab, typical of FWDs of the era. February 5, 1984.

3. This unhappy fire department had an FWD with the Budd built cab used by Ford for its C series. It was likely built as an airport fuel tanker (the forward exhaust is a clue) and was likely a government vehicle. December 28, 1983, Truro, NS.

4. Fraser Paper had this FWD as an inhouse fire engine based in Edmunston, NB. FWD built their own cabs until the mid 50s. However, based on the grille on this one, it might be a late 1940s model. The paint job is probably not original. Edmunston, NB September 20, 1995.

5. FWD cab and chassis, aerial ladder, of about 1959, vintage. The cowl mounted siren and rad mounted spotlight are distinctive features. The black over red Chicago style paint job, and gold leaf pinstriping make for a handsome truck. Thibault's used truck yard, Pierreville, QC, September 19, 1986.

6. FWD 6X6, 2000 gallon tanker. Built for airport duty, it also has a foam cannon. FWD had their own unique COE cab for a variety of different vehicles. Rogersville, NB September 6, 2004.

7. Those industrious Valley Kemptown volunteers converted this former military fueler into a magnificent tanker. August 9, 1990.

8. This shot at Valley, NS shows the truck before they started work on it, April 4, 1984.

9. Perhaps the same truck, but certainly one of the same class, in military service as a fueler, Pleasant Street, near the Shearwater Air Base, Dartmouth, NS October 13, 1980.

More FWD models and types to follow.

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Wall to Wall Buses, with guard

Most of Ambassatours articulated Prevosts are parked now that the cruise season is over, although they do see occasional service. This row shows nine of the former Holland-America Line Alaska cruise coaches lined up in Fairview (although there is one MCI imposter.)

A herring gull has been hired to oversee security when the units are idle.