Half Tracks or Half Trucks and other Military Vehicles

It is hard to keep track of time and the fact that it has been a while since I last posted. I have been spending my time at Hank's Truck forum (see side bar), mostly on what is called "Jerry's Nostalgia Page" , specifically on two recent posts concerning HALF TRACK vehicles and the other military vehicles (trucks).

The first thread about HALF TRACKS is called "THE HALF TRACK: trucks with treads", and now contains 16 pages devoted to the HALF TRACK'S of WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Viet Nam.

It was started on a whim, when I asked Jerry if Half tracks were considered to be trucks after looking over my truck collection and doing a "comparison count". I'm glad he replied in the affirmative and the following pictures were added to the numerous posts on the subject ----

WHITE M2A1 -- 50 cal. mount Half Track
















WHITE M3A1 - M-16 multi gun carrier
















That first model was built by me over twenty years ago, an old Monogram kit. The second is a Tamiya kit that was built completly by my daughter prior to my build. She was about 12 at the time, and would NOT allow me near it until it was done!!

"Our" second thread on Hank's is titled, "GEARS, GUTS and GLORY:Vintage Military Trucks". This thread is now 77 pages long and is devoted to Military Vehicles of all wars from WWI to present, and includes vehicles of all nations. It is still a work in progress that includes vehicle pictures and links to pages covering Vehicle types.

GMC CMKW - 1940's











How about this WWII Russian type based on a FORD --- RUSSIAN GAZ



















This is only a taste of what my "comrades", Jerry, Leo, Vern, and Mike have posted. The above threads are worth a visit --- YOU are always welcome to join in the passion for old trucks!!!

What Is It????

I'll make this simple. This truck is a 1953 COE made by a now defunct company. The picture was sent to me as a "reverse" reward from the last person who ID'ed this truck. I owe a debt of gratitude to Brian. Here it is.

What Make?

Where was it made?

What present day truck manufacturer bought out this company?

My Original AMT Peterbilt 359 and Fruhauf Trailer

I think I'm going to cry. I thought I had lost this picture, taken in 1969, of the original AMT issue of the PETERBILT 359 "California Hauler" and AMT FRUHAUF Trailer. This is the first truck I ever built!!!

That's right - the first of AMT's line of truck models. The truck that started my interest in model trucks. MY FAVORITE model of all times!! Note that it doesn't have the sleeper cab yet, the picture was taken shortly after I ordered it from AMT.

The picture was taken on the front porch of my childhood home. Both house and truck are long lost, but not the memory.

It's funny how things come back when you least expect them to.

On The Road With The Birds and Trucks

Every opportunity we get, my wife and I go out for LONG drives trying to get lost on the back roads of New York, and Pennsylvania. I usually watch for birds for her and she watches for trucks for me. It's a time we both enjoy - especially when I end up with ONE truck and she ends up with 15 or more different birds. THAT IS A GOOD DAY - for me!

It was on one of those trips that WE spotted this old Brockway on our way through Dushore, Pa.
















Our next weekend trip had us headed to Buffalo to spend Easter with our son Garrett. Of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to head out Sunday morning for a drive near Lake Erie. I made even with my truck score and her bird score.

This was my result - a pristine Peterbuilt 359, with an interesting hood ornament.
















Then there was yesterday. A day trip to Ithaca and Dryden. I already knew I had at least one truck on my list. Jan clobbered me with birds!

My find was actually spotted coming back from Cortland during a bus trip. I believe this is a late 70's Brockway 359.




























If you look carefully at the interior shot, you will see that the keys are in the ignition. Lucky for Jan, IT DIDN'T start.


The next offering is from a local road trip in Elmira. I was thankful that this was close by as neither of us had brought our cameras. I went back the following day to capture this late 20's Chevrolet.
































So, I will have to admit ---- Birds and trucks are a fine mix, and those road trips aren't bad either.

1949 Mighty Joe Young / 1949 Impact - A Moving Movie Mystery / Evidence Is In

Not only is the evidence in, but the case of "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" vs. "IMAPACT" , and what seems to be the same vehicle, now identified as a 1944 WHITE 810T is over. The jury has deliberated on the evidence based on a series of stills from both movies.

The VERDICT: While said vehicle, one 1944 WHITE 810T did try to disguise itself in the movie "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" as a moving van for the company "GREAT WESTERN MOVING CO." and apparently also did the same in the movie "IMPACT" as a "BEKIN'S" moving van, the van appearing in both 1949 movies is one and the same.

What was most dificult about this identification was identifying the year and make of said vehicle
as a 1944 White.

Presented to the case was some new evidence in way of a 1945 advertisement for a White Delivery Van:


You can note the similarity both to the Bekins and Great Western Vans below:































Since the advertisement shows a 45 van that uses a latter style grill, it is assumed that "our"
two /one and the same van is a late model 44 WHITE 810T.


FURTHER UPDATE ---5 / 2 / 09 ---- EMAIL FROM DON MacKENZIE

Mr. Murphey.

I have some additional information for you in regards to identifying your "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" truck. I believe the truck is a White Model 805, Cab Over Engine Chassis, vintage 1936 to 1940 with a Gerstenslager Co. of Wooster Ohio moving van body. Let me explain why I believe this to be the case.

When White chassis were used by body builders to build trucks where the entire body including the driving compartment was provided by the body builder (such as moving vans of this type) the only external means of identification of the chassis builder was usually the radiator grille and possibly some trim pieces. Gerstenslager followed this procedure when they built the "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" moving van. The White 800 Series/Gerstenslager moving vans were built from 1936 to 1940 using the COE radiator grille and accompanying trim. In 1941 the 800 Series imodel dentification was changed to the WA Series. Most of the changes were to the power train and chassis but the radiator grille and accompanying trim was changed to distinguish the new WA's from the 800"s. The new grille and trim included a wider center strip, two circular ID badges and a pair of wings sprouting from the center strip. I have attached two photographs of White/Gerstenslager Moving Vans. The Allied Van Lines unit is an 800 Series Model 805 (1936 to 1940). The Dilner Storage unit is the WA Series Model WA-122 (1941 to 1948). As you will see the "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" truck is an 800.series. Also notice that the truck in the White advertisement on your BLOG shows the distinctive wings making it a WA Series.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have questions feel free to E-Mail me at any time.

Happy Trails.

Don MacKenzie.

Mighty fine pictures Don, my sincere thanks for the info too!! Thanks for shedding some light on this VERY INTERESTING TRUCK!!!












For more information on "GERSTENSLAGER CO." check out this web page -- great photos too!!

http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/g/gerstenslager/gerstenslager.htm

1949 Mighty Joe Young / 1949 Impact - A Moving Movie Mystery

Okay, so this is what happens when you spend time over on Hank's Truck Forum discussing old trucks. It all started with a simple post from my friend Jerry Austin, a regular contributor to Hank's. He had posted about the "Great Western" moving van used towards the end of the 1949
RKO film "MIGHTY YOUNG". His initial question was, "what make is this vehicle?"

Well, it seems like the discussion had been going on for some time - his first post appeared in 2007.
At first it was thought the truck might be a MORELAND. I was somewhat exasperated by the fact that no one had put up pictures of the actual truck in question, and an internet search produced no results. So, I rented and watched the movie, taking the following shots for our evidence.
















I posted these on a video in You Tube, and immediately got a response that it was an International Harvester. Our mystery got deeper as I suggested this possibility back on Hank's
Truck forum, and presented the pictures. My friend Jerry came to the rescue when he suggested that it looked like a WHITE frame had been used. I now had the basis for a new theory to put to the test.

Round 2 was about to begin. Find a White similar in appearance to this "unknown beast".
































Hmmmm --- somethings look familiar, I have seen that grill before. Those headlights, the bumper, I think my friend Jerry was onto something. Our "GREAT WESTERN" movie van was a WHITE. But, how could this be? This was something special, perhaps as special as the following known WHITE, with a latter grill as in this picture of a horse hauler of the late 40's ---
LUCKY HORSES!!!


We deduced that WHITE may have been doing more "specialized" work than their famous series of beer trucks. Could our "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" moving van be a lost example. Was this really a WHITE?

THE PLOT THICKENS-------

Early on in the forum when we were thinking this was a MORELAND, someone suggested checking the movie files on IMCB.org for trucks in the movies. Of course, there were no MORELANDS to be found. But, had we overlooked some new evidence? No one had looked at
WHITE as the culprit!! I went back to serch the scene ----














AH, you noticed too!!! This is not the "same" truck. It is a BEKINS van. Why this van isn't from "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG", it must be from another movie.

You're right of course. This BEKINS van is from the 1949 movie, "IMPACT". It too is obviously a White.

BUT - 1949, two movies, same type of RARE vehicle - SAME TRUCK OR NOT???

IF YOU WANT TO WATCH A CLIP OF THE BEKINS TRUCK - you got it --



THE MYSTERY EVOLVES TO THE NEXT STEP -----------

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW!!!!!!

My morning banana.

Every morning before I leave for my bus run, Jan leaves me a banana. It always makes me think of one of my favorite trucking songs. If you ask Jan what it is, she would qucikly reply, "30,000 Pounds of Bananas".

Yep, she would be right. She likes Harry Chapin too! But the song has to be the full version, the one with the four different endings, the 10 minute long version - THE ONE HERE!!



I remember hearing this song for the first time in the late 1970's. I even remember hearing that it was based on an actual occurrence, but had never REALLY verified that FACT for myself.

Until now -----



It happened in 1965, when a truck loaded with 15 tons (do the math) of bananas was coming down the Rt. 307 hill into downtown Scranton Pa. At the bottom of the hill, it turns into Moosic St. The trucker lost control of the vehicle (seemed to be a Brockway) and crashed into a house on the corner of South Irving Ave. The incident was the basis for the Harry Chapin song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas." 42 years later, trucks over 10 ton are still required to use I-380 to get into Scranton, forbidden from going down Moosic St. The signs are still up.

Nice Trucks Les!

Once in a while someone actually sends me an e-mail about the post here. If I'm really lucky, they send pictures. That is what Les Warner did, so I will post his e-mails here with some really fine pictures and an admission that I am jealous of his 31 Model A Ford.

1st email from Les


Hi George, I enjoy your site. I have a 31 Model A pickup,not a big truck, in fact very small. they really made them small in those days. I also have been interested in old trucks of all kinds. The oldest big truck that I drove was a 1955 Sterling. I only drove it about ten miles. The newest was a 1995 K W.,then I retired. Raised here in Oregon,I have been around a lot of log truck's,and lumber trucks. Before I was a teen,I rode in log trucks. My favorite was the 41 Chev. They were big trucks in the 40's. Sending a picture of my Model A Les Warner

I belong to a Model A club,and they used my pickup for our Regional Convention web site. It is http://www.nwregional2009.webs.com

2nd email from Les

Hi George,Thank's for the reply.You have talent beyond words. I admire some one that has things going for their selves, and I am sure that you enjoy every minuet of the day. Sending a picture of a chev truck that almost makes me want to cry. This truck is still parked at a farm in my area. I and a friend was about 13 at the time, when we made our way over to the corral on his dad's farm to see the new Chev truck that was just brought from the Dealer. I always thought it was an early 47 that was made a few months before the Advanced series started. Maybe you could tell me if this is so,but any way it was the pretty dark green with black fenders. The new smell was present,and this was a beauty. The sad thing about it was how the owners,and hired men abused it beyond words from the beginning. Kind of like who could put a dent on top of a dent. Sending picture. Les



3rd email from Les

Hi George,I can't open the web page that you just sent. Have you been around a Mack Jr pickup? I Have only seen pictures,in fact one is featured in this months Hemming's classic magazine. I think they are one of best looking that was ever made. They derived out of the Reo Speed wagon.Later than yours. Sending a picture of the K W that I drove. I had 4 new ones in the 27 years that I drove for a building material co. They were all K W's. Sending my web site. it has custom furniture in it because my web master attached it to his. My "country filling station" has no gas. I pump a look alike gas "red prestone"from the quarter barrel. Les http://www.customfurniture.net/les-shell/

Thanks Les for taking the time to write. Great pictures - got any more ?

These are for you -

Think you might know what they are!!

31-32 REO Speedwagon - I got one more mile

Yes, it's still there. Checked on it yesterday and took more pictures. "It" is that 31or32 REO Speedwagon found on a back road near my home. Like all the good finds, it sits pretty well protected in an old barn.

This old truck has a story to tell - to someone who is willing to put some life back into it. It's not a "fancy" truck, but underneath, she's a thing of beauty. All it's looking for is a good home and lots of care.

SHE IS FOR SALE! I think the price is fair. It's a solid truck, REO built em tough, and she has held up well.

If you are interested in a good restoration project - this might be it!

I think this old REO has still got a few more miles to go ---







THIS TRUCK IS NO LONGER FOR SALE

Trucking through "LIFE"

Hey, was over on Hanks the other day and found a Truck picture from the "LIFE MAGZINE PHOTO ARCHIVES". It made me want to check it out, so I did. What a treasure! There were enough pictures to put together another "video".

This video covers the years between 1940 and 1960. See how many trucks you can identify, and did you know that BOEING installed a gas turbine engine in a Kenworth back in 1950? It was the first gas turbine truck to deliver freight, you'll recognize it a the end of this video. It never went into production, but Ford actually had some gas turbines on the road in the late 1960's.

Enjoy ----