 
As they move along the Augsburg assembly line in 1962, workmen install the framework that will hold the outer body panels on these KUKA rotary refuse collectors. JULY-AUGUST 2006 UPDATE Many thanks go out to Michel, a longtime enthusiast who has graciously dug into his giant collection to provide an astounding array of historical photos of refuse trucks from this famous make, along with a brief history. He has preserved a treasure-trove of photos and literature, much of which comes from the archives of several European manufacturers. Michel met fellow enthusiast and regular CRT contributor Jaap Mikkers quite by accident; Michel's letter to Haller-Netherlands requesting literature arrived there the same day as Jaap, who had showed up in person with a similar request. The puzzled representatives thought that they surely were one in the same person ! As with most CRT members, Michel collects refuse truck models. However, he is also a talented builder who has created custom 1:50 scale miniatures for firms such as Schorling, FAUN, VDK and Geesink (more on this later). My sincere thanks go to Michel and Jaap who have been providing so much information on European makes. These guys have enough material to start their own site, but have instead shared it with CRT, for which I am exceedingly grateful. CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH... Shifting back to North America, June was a banner month for fans of west coast refuse equipment, who got a nice surprise when Bill Tetreault of California joined the group and proceeded to post hundreds of photos at the CRT member's area. Bill has posted pictures including scanned images from his older collection of photographs, as well as digital pictures of current equipment. This is a fascinating look at the southern California scene which is unique here in America because of its many regional "micro-builders" . These independent body firms, which have traditionally supplied the majority of equipment in that part of the country, and are virtually unknown east of the Mississippi River.  With Bill and front-loader enthusiast Zach Geroux on the case, many mysteries have been solved. For instance, in the last issue I reported that Zach had confirmed that the Stagg refuse bodies were indeed built by local hauler Western Waste Industries. These were the predecessors to the current Smart Truck Systems (STS) product line which are built just outside of Los Angeles. Bill provided some old pictures of Western's Stagg front loaders in their traditional orange and white colors (they have since merged into the Waste Management corporation). Among Bill's other gems were photos of some of the last Bowles front loaders, including one sold to Signal Hill Disposal which was actually featured in Bowles advertising in the late 1980's. I am convinced that Bill and Zach will leave no stone unturned in identifying the many types of equipment used in the western states.
...PICS AND MORE FROM THE MEMBERSHIP In addition to Bill's massive collection, we also have some new contributions from Stefan who rounded up some German and Danish website images, and from Michel Ferro who added some old Norba pics plus the ever-popular 2R-eating-a-car photo sets, in this case being the Schorling version. Dana Gregory also posted some excellent photos including the SEMAT Robo/Superpac series, a good shot of the Norba version of the "Colectomatic" and a very unusual "pincer type" Norba which probably defies classification. Did you know that England's much-loved SD Revopak body was once slated for introduction into North America ? Dana posted some pictures of the prototype, which featured a lowered rave (or "hopper sill" to those of us in America), though sadly this never became a reality. Speaking of England, Phil Clifford sent a nice pic of an trailerized version of a Garwood UK rear loader, and Tim Byrne posted several pics including a demomstrater USIMECA rear loader, reported to be the first model of this Brazilian marque in England. In mid-June, Tim was off to the TEC-TECMA exhibit in Madrid, undoubtedly with his camera in hand. For those interested in such things, there is now a Shows/Events feature listing upcoming trade shows at the Members Area, which can be accessed from the menu bar at the left of the page. Members may add show dates directly to the list, or otherwise submit them by e-mail to CRT. Highlights from the message boards include posts by Jurgen who provided some manufacturer and distributor links, including some most interesting makes from Australia, most of which have been added to the Industry Links page. The complete list with hyperlinks is also available by clicking here which is the original post. Jim uploaded a manual for the Wittke Clydesdale side loader in response to a member's request for information made a while back. The Clydesdale turns out to have been most un-conventional, being of the "pendulum packer" design. This is hard-to-find stuff, and I would encourage side loader fans to download a copy a these, which are attached as PDF files to Jim's posts, by clicking here. All of this may be seen at the CRT Member's Area at MSN groups. Thanks entirely to our members contributions, we are rapidly approaching a record 1000 photos posted. All of those who have contributed may be justifiably proud of this achievement, having built perhaps the best refuse truck photo site in the world ! Two years ago there was not anything like this available to refuse truck enthusiasts, but you the members have made it happen. RAY GASKIN UPDATE This California micro-builder that once produced their own model front loader is still in business, despite their website being currently off line. Thomas Snyder of California writes: "Ray Gaskin Service is, in fact, still in business. Located on Arrow Highway in Baldwin Park, the firm is a dealer for Wayne Engineering, Pak-Mor, and Perkins. The firm builds-to-order bin delivery trailers and satellite vehicles, mounted on pick-up truck size chassis which can off load into rear loaders, roll off containers or front load containers. Ray died in December of 2003 if I remember correctly, and the company is owned by thirty year employee Bill McIntosh. We thank you for the update Thomas, and while we are saddened to hear of Ray's passing, it's good to know that his company lives on. FREE RIDES IN GLENDALE The Phoenix, Arizona area is the birthplace of automated refuse collection trucks, the headquarters of Heil Corporation and the home of Ronnie Keshishian, route supervisor for the nearby City of Glendale. Ronnie forwarded me this article from a local TV station about a young man with an interest in refuse trucks that I'm sure we can all appreciate. At age ten, Jimmy Yurkovich is the youngest person to ever visit Waste Expo , having recently attended the famous trade show in Las Vegas this year. He was recently provided a hands-on refuse truck demonstration courtesy of Ronnie's department, which included working the arm on one of their Automated Side Loaders. Click here. to read the complete article on the station's website. If you are reading this website, chances are you were probably once just like Jimmy. (I would have died to go to waste Expo '73 !) The common thread to most stories like this is the generosity and good will of sanitation workers, who always seem to go out of their way for kids who are interested in refuse trucks. I think this story speaks volumes about the really good people who work in the sanitation industry. COLLECTORS CORNER We didn't have any new features in the last issue, but you won't be disappointed with this latest installment of the Collectors Corner. For your viewing pleasure we feature two fantastic collections. The first is from Michel Ferro from the Netherlands, and his hundreds of 1:50 scale trucks, many of which are one-of-a-kind customs which he built personally. Your jaw will drop when you see some of these, many which are exact replicas of real trucks from vintage brochures. The pictures will speak for themselves, and there are 18 of them to see.  So who is building the great refuse trucks of North America ? The answer is Pierre Collette of Quebec, who sent some pictures of his hand-built 1:24 scale models which run the gamut of contemporary rear loader design on this continent, plus a vintage Heil Mark V. When you see these pictures, you will wish you were actually looking at the First Gear catalog; faithful reproductions of refuse packers by Heil, Leach, E-Z pack and many more which are mounted on standard model truck truck chassis. I didn't have room for all of Pierre's work in this issue, but will feature the remainder in the next Collectors Corner.
CLASSICS FOR SALE In late May, I added two trucks to the CRT Classifieds section which are both classics and great potential restoration vehicles. The first is a 1951 Heil Colecto-Pak (on a newer IHC chassis) which is for sale in Iowa. When it left the service of the Mason City Parks Department, it was undoubtedly the oldest working refuse truck in America. This is a truck body of great historical significance, and there can't be many of these left. The other is a beautiful combination of vintage truck and refuse packer: a 1973 Loadmaster LM-120 body located in New Hampshire, which rides atop a stunning International Fleetstar. These were once the bread-and-butter combination of so many haulers and cities in the eastern states, but are fast disappearing. This particular truck has the early style rounded tailgate of the first generation 100 series, which debuted in the spring of 1964. Well worth a look whether you are looking for a working refuse truck or a nice classic to preserve. RESTORED REFUSE TRUCKS, FORE & AFT TIPPERS I am happy to report yet another preserved classic refuse truck. Michel Ferro sent in a link to a website detailing the ongoing restoration of a 1961 Geesink Roltrommel refuse truck by the Municipality of Groningen in northern Holland. This "fore & aft" style tipper was originally put in service in February 1961 with the municipality of Vriezenveen, and was most recently residing with Geesink, who have apparently also restored a similar truck. Michel's company is doing the restoration of this classic vehicle which is mounted on a DAF crew cab chassis, and there are plenty of detailed pictures. The text of the site is written in Dutch, however there are many free website translators available which will convert it to various languages. The list of Restored Refuse Trucks is always available from the navigation bar on the left. Speaking of Fore & Aft Tippers, CRT contributors Nick Haflinger and Brian Carpenter have released another installment in their series "A Short History of Refuse Collection Vehicles" which covers this very subject. It can be found in the June issue of the Enthusiasts Club Magazine available on Brian's Unofficial Shelvoke & Drewry Website, which is always chock full of interesting articles and information. REFUSE TRUCKS ON FILM Unfortunately I missed episode #31 of the TV show Leave it to Beaver, for which I had promised to post the air date at the Members Area Message Board. However, I did manage to post the air date for episode #54 titled "The Grass is Always Greener", which also featured the the Cleaver's garbage man. Those of you who caught this show got to see a late 1950's open top truck with an Advance Rubbish Accumulator attachment, very similar to the previous CRT Truck of the Month shown in the May/June edition. This and previous selections are still available online at the CRT Archive. No front loader can escape the eagle-eye of Zach Geroux who snapped a picture of a Leach 2F on an International Cargostar chassis which appeared in an early episode of the series MacGyver. This truck looks like it may possibly be the same truck as shown in the opening scene of The Terminator, which was released the previous year, and may have been a studio-owned vehicle or a rental. It will be interesting to see where else it shows up. Bruce Polit who has provided some exceptionally crisp images to the Films page also checks in with a still from the comedy Men at Work, showing what appears to be Maxon side loader, still a common site across southern California. All of these images and many more can be seen at our ever-expanding CRT Films Page. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRT July 31, 2004 is the official birth date of the Classic Refuse Trucks website, which is now completing its second year of bringing you the best of vintage refuse equipment. What started as a single "truck of the month" on my Ebay page has grown into what I believe is the premier site on the internet for those interested in old refuse collection vehicles. A special thanks goes out to Bill Wood who has provided a home for this site. And thanks to all of you who have contributed, even if you just sent an e-mail with a kind word , it is greatly appreciated. Here's to another great year of Classic Refuse Trucks ! Eric Voytko, July 2, 2006 
© 2006 Eric Voytko All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted |