PHOTOS, DIESEL GYPSY, PAGE -- 2

50 YEARS OVER THE ROAD

(Click on photos to enlarge)

 

This photo was taken at the scale shack just west of Regina, Saskatchewan, East bound. It is Kingsway Transport, heavy haul division. Formerly, Brocklesby Float Service, of Montreal PQ. The original colours were solid orange, with a bit of black trim. This particular load was 16' wide, and had to have pilot escorts.

 

 

 

Here is a Kingsway/Brocklesby, Chevy Titan taken on highway # 17 near Marathon, Ontario, with a load of fiberglass tanks.

 

 

 

 

American Motors V8 Mack Super Liner. "This truck was the one and only truck that AMC had on the road in Canada. I ran emergency package parts between Brampton, Ontario. ( Toronto ) and Detroit, Michigan on a daily bases. The regular driver broke his leg and I took it over for them for about 6 weeks."

 

These next two photos were taken when I was contracted out to Domtar building material division in 1986.

 

This flat deck hauled wallboard out of Huntsville, Ontario to southern Ontario & Quebec. They had to use tandem trailers to go state-side. "The flat deck was a pain in the butt, trying to un-tarp the load in a parking lot with high winds, rain, -30 below; or any combination of conditions. Trying to spread out and fold, a 50' tarp, frozen, and on the ground, with the wind fighting you all the way, is no picnic; (Alone, and with no help). Plus, there are usually 2 tarps on a 53' load."

This van was a lot more civilized, without the need to tarp. These loads were 5,000 lb. bags of coloured glass beads, for the manufacturing of asphalt roof shingles. The plant was in Havelock, Ontario, off hwy. #7.

 

 

These next photos were taken when I was contracted out to Texaco Canada. These pictures span 1986 to 1989.

I had a 4 drop trip to Nova Scotia, once a week, Truro, Kentville, Bridgewater and Yarmouth. Loaded with 65,000 lbs. of lubricants. Cases, drums, pails, etc. ( tri-axle trailer ). I would leave Toronto, on Saturday morning for a Monday delivery in Truro. Then go like crazy to get Kentville & Bridgewater off the same day. I would motor on down to Yarmouth, layover till morning, then unload. Unloading & reloading empty skids, drums and any returns. All freight was unloaded, and empty skids, re stacked by hand (hand bomb, only) When I finished up at Yarmouth, I would head up to Digby and get the ferry boat to St. John, New Brunswick, and from there, head back to Toronto, arriving back before noon on Thursday."

 

                       

 Digby, Nova Scotia, ferry dock,   1986. I would take the ship,   Princess of Acadia, across the bay of Fundy to New Brunswick. (St.John.).

 

  

Driver, Old    Bill, before I got really old. I was still the old man in the fleet.

Lake Ottawa, ( Outaouais ?) Quebec. The tanker (5 compartments), was loaded with hydraulic oil, for giant Korreing tree harvesters. I would travel a couple hundred miles north of Ottawa, Ontario, then turn off the highway, onto a bush road for 100 miles, to base camp, pick up a guide then travel about 30 or 40 mi into the wilderness to reach the equipment. I was always the first large truck to reach the ever changing sites. I had to be CAT dragged over humps and through muskeg more than once."

                                                                      

 

These photos were taken on the Quebec north shore. The area, starting at Quebec City and going north east along the St. Laurence River to Havre-St-Pierre, across from Anticosti Island in the gulf of St. Lawrence. This stretch of road in the past, had claimed a lot of lives and equipment. With grades of up to 13 & 14%, and one in particular, at 19%. The winter running required the drivers to be totally fearless, or at the least, half nuts. The one hill was so notorious that they eventually had to tunnel through the mountain to ease the grade. Once you started down, you were committed. All the brakes you had would not stop you. Then a dirty tight turn at the bottom. Oh yea,--- no snow plows after dark.

The truck pulled a set of "A" trains. The lead was a van, ( cases, drums, pails, etc. ) The pup was a tanker. (special built to haul bulk grease, for the iron ore mills). During the delivery, the van was off loaded at the warehouse in Sept-ills, Quebec ( 7 islands ). I would then pull the tanker over to a rail siding, and transfer the load to a tank car for delivery up to Labrador City. It was all owned by the Iron Ore Co. of Canada. The tank car would take 6 days to do a round. They screwed up one time, and forgot to hook up to the train. With no local storage available, and no storage back in Toronto, because they formulated the load directly into the tank trailer. Well all crap hit the fan. All these million dollar executives, didn't have a clue. The train could never get to Labrador City before running out. The whole mill system runs with conveyor belts. No grease, no go. OLD BILL, to the rescue.( Who else but a truck driver could save the day?). I took,( after letting them stew for 1/2 a day) the doubles back to Baie-Comeau, Quebec, I dropped the lead trailer at the local distributor, and hooked on to the pup and headed north.

The first 150mi. was up and down hills like a yo-yo. But it was at least paved. It ended at MANIC 5 DAM. End of the line.

With Another 150/200mi. to go, I entered the world of bush roads and no roads. I went over creeks climbed hills at 4/10mph. Ran all night and went through a fly in fishing camp. They almost had a fit when they saw a tanker truck passing through the bush , with the clearance lights glowing in the black of night. I followed trails and home made signs. I had a short nap too. After 27 hours into the trip, I finally made it into the mine. The trip in, was not without it's scary moment's. After all the trouble and aggravation to get there, to save their butts. I received the usual idiot stick management question, What took you so long? Need I say more? The hardest traveling this manager does, is to FLY in and out and get paid for it.

Texaco double taken along the Quebec North Shore in 1989.

Texaco doubles taken at Sept-Iles, Quebec. Transferring bulk grease to tank car.

Sagenay River Crossing, Quebec.

The bush road in this picture, was just the topsoil scraped off and when the mud underlay was exposed to the rain, and snow, it turned into an almost uncontrollable slide ride. That was the easy part, it only got worse as you went on.                                                                      

These machines would literally, walk up to a tree (about 40' to 50' high) and grab it, shear it off at the base, strip off all branches, pull the stripped tree into itself, cut it into 8' lengths and self load them into the rear, then carry them, in the trunk so to speak, to the next tree. All in about a couple of minutes. You can see, the tires stand higher than I do at over 6'4".

The tree harvesters at the job site would dwarf my truck in size. They seemed to have quite a thirst for the loads of hydraulic oil, brought in.

 

 

These photos are from Imperial Oil, (Finch Ave. Terminal, Toronto) in 1994.

When Texaco was selling out, in Canada, Imperial Oil purchased them, lock stock and barrel. They also were in the process of disbanding their own transport fleet. Then they would contract out all their product deliveries. When they acquired the package goods fleet, they found out that outside carriers could not compete with the efficiency of an in house fleet, especially in this particular division.

 

The first photo is of a 1954, F-600 FORD straight truck. They had just taken delivery of this new truck at the Calgary, Alberta, terminal.

 

This photo shows my dedicated Esso International unit, taken in the Finch Ave. Terminal, in Toronto, Ontario.

 

This photo of the tandem tank, at the unloading pipes, is in Timmins, Ontario, at the Kidd Creek Mine. It was about 36 below zero F. that morning, and pumping off a load of motor oil (15W40) at that temp, even in an insulated trailer is a slow process.

 

The Superliner Mack was in there to pick up a front end loader, and take it to another mine site for snow removal. He had a 425hp CAT, and a heavy 15 speed Direct, Roadranger trans.

 

The tri-axle tank in this photo is an un-insulated gasoline tank that we used for motor oil. The load sat on this trailer for 3 days, in sub zero cold. It was Cutting Oil, and unloading was a slow process. This location was in Marieville Quebec.

I had the same trailer one trip up to Iroquois Falls, Ontario. The oil was practically in a state of molasses. That load took 13 hrs. to pump off. After that episode I had them change my vane pump over to a gear pump. The next winter I had little or no flow problems.

 

                        

 

 

 

The van photos at the Arctic water shed is N. E. of Thunder Bay, Ontario. ( The Lakehead, as referred to, by the old timers)

 

 

My truck, is a 1990 International Eagle 9300 with a 400 Cat, 13 over. The truck was set up to run like a jack rabbit. When I sold it, it had over 800,000 Miles, (1,280,000 Kilometers, if you have been living with Metric.) and still did not use a drop of oil."

 

 

My truck, at Oakville, Ontario, Trimac terminal in the year 2000.

 

This was taken at a restaurant just east of Yuma, Arizona, about 1998. I sent it to my friend in Calgary and his young son pulled it out of the computer, modified it, and sent it back to me. Kids and electronics can do anything today.

 

 

 

These photos were taken on the summit of ROGERS PASS, on the TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY, heading east bound, from Delta, BC. The load was liquid latex from Toronto to Delta, British Columbia, for Colour Your World Paint Manufacturing.

 

 

A couple of trucks from this past year. (2002)

 

Smitty, my friend of more than 40 years, has this 1998 FREIGHTLINER,  (super deluxe condo ) Powered by a 430 DETROIT, Trans. is a 13 over. The interior is set up as a home away from home. Certainly not like the old days. He travels coast to coast in both CANADA, and The UNITED STATES.

 

Smitty's neighbour, has this new Navistar (International), Eagle, with a set of hoper "B" trains. He hauls silica sand to the docks in Montreal, for export.

 

 

                                                                                                               

When we were on our way home from Alberta (early May 2003). I caught sight of a float at the West Hawk Lake, Manitoba scales. (Ontario border) Couldn't resist grabbing a few shots. He had to lay over for Ontario police & pilot car escorts. The load is 25 ft. wide and a whole bunch ft. long. (never thought to ask the length). The box is coming from Edmonton and going to a mine site near Armstrong, Ontario. (north of Thunder Bay) The drivers name is Jack Murray, and he drives for T-LANE TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS, out of Edmonton, Alberta. & Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.

      

    

 

 Mrs. Diesel Gypsy & car

 

 Jack Murray was  waiting for his partner Al to catch up with the second load along with the pilot cars. 

Brian Jones of the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) and another officer were called in from the Kenora Detachment. They escorted and closed the road when required for the oversized convoy.

Over certain dimensions, loads in Ontario require Police escorts as well as the pilot cars.

It was a 3 day journey all the way to the mine south of Armstrong. but it was one of the best and most memorable escorts Brian had ever done in his career.  Super drivers and super company. 

 

Brian's cruiser, front and centre.

 

 

 

 FINAL TRIP

 

 

 

Diesel Gypsy, 2001. / 50 yrs. later. (In the end) Last full time trucking job. Trimac, all of Canada, and the United States.

What does a truck driver do after retirement ? Why, ------ He just gets up on a Bike or Sled, and motors off into the sunset.

THIS IS JUST A FEW MOMENT'S OUT OF ONE MAN'S, HALF CENTURY ON THE ROAD.

William  ( "Diesel Gypsy" ) Weatherstone

 

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