 
NOVEMBER, 2005 UPDATE A new title picture has been added to the home page to kick off Front Loader Month here at CRT, and features a fleet of Bowles front loaders owned by Best Disposal in Los Angeles in the late 1950's. Front loader enthusiasts will not be dissapointed; this is the biggest update to the site since going online last year, and kicks off with a full feature illustrated article on U.S. Front Loader Development for a look back at the early designs that paved the way for todays machines. In addition, related new Photo Albums have been added for Bowles, Bemars and Western Body & Hoist. As mentioned in the last update, these albums contain pictures from the collection of Scott Blake of California, to whom I am sincerely thankful. The article and new albums would not have been possible without his generous contribution, and will surely be of great interest to all. Unfortunately, there was far more material than time this month, but look for updates to existing albums in the future as I fill in some gaps with this wealth of material. SON OF GODZILLA LIVES ! I send out many requests for information in the course of researching articles for this website, the majority of which go unanswered. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to get a generous and enthusiastic response from James Livingston and Rick Pence who are with the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, Solid Waste Management Division. They have graciously provided a host of information on their history-making automated refuse vehicles of the 1970s, including photos of truck #254, a.k.a. "The Son of Godzilla", a 1970 Western Full-Pak front loader modified for automated collection. I was most happy to learn that this groundbreaking refuse truck still exists, and is currently housed at one of their facilities ! This same vehicle was featured as CRT Truck of the Month for March, 2005. Also, Zachary Geroux has recently previewed sections of the book "Revolutionizing an Industry: The Story of Mechanized Residential Refuse Collection in the City of Scottsdale Arizona" at the CRT Members Area. Rick Pence is the author of this informative book, and kindly sent along a copy as well as some terrific color pictures of Scottsdale's early automated trucks. As if that was not enough, Rick says that they still have quite a few copies of his book, available free upon request (at least in the U.S.) , and will print more if necessary ! With virtually no industry support, the men of the Refuse Division created and painstakingly perfected the first automated residential loading systems, which are today becoming popular in cities and towns worldwide. Dovetailing perfectly into this month's theme, CRT is proud to honor their work with the new City of Scottsdale photo album. Many, many thanks to James and Rick, for making this all possible. See the CRT Books section for information on how to obtain a copy of "Revolutionizing an Industry" MULLWAGEN MANIA IN GERMANY ! What follows may be the best news I've had to report since starting this site. Perhaps the most serious effort yet for the preservation of refuse collection history has been put forth by the Studiensammlung der deutschen Entsorgungswirtschaft ("Study collection of the German disposal economy"), or SASE. A fantastic collection of photos, films, documents and even restored refuse trucks are housed at their facility in Iserlohn, in western Germany, and is open to the public. This growing collection boasts an impressive library of 70,000 photos, 600 films and videos, and even restored refuse vehicles, thanks to the dedicated efforts of individuals and the equipment industry and disposal associations. Material has been gathered from various sources including the archives of such refuse industry giants as Haller, FAUN, Ochsner and Krupp. This looks like a very good destination for those of you living in or contemplating travel to Europe. Visit the SASE website for more information and upcoming events. The site is written in German. This is an idea long overdue for North America, and it is the sincere hope that with the SASE as a model and through interest in sites like CRT, a similar project might be undertaken in the United States. Industry support would be critical, and a wealth of historical information probably exists among those in the manufacturing and disposal industries. Unfortunately, far too much material now likely languishes in storage, if it has not perished altogether. MORE RESTORED REFUSE TRUCKS ! Nothing makes me happier than adding a new truck to the CRT Restored Refuse Trucks list, and this month there are several stunning German refuse trucks featured. Apparently, the owners of restored community service vehicles go on a bi-annual motor tour across southwest Germany. These tours are evidently quite popular, with the drivers receiving free fuel and lodging along the way. I have added links to pictures of seven trucks which appeared at the historical disposal and public utilities vehicles show in Bremen in 2001, as featured at lkw-nfos.net. Another vehicle, a spectacular, vintage KUKA was actually pressed (or should I say Roto-pressed ?) back into duty to collect and dump the ceremonial last load of rubbish at the Florsheim-Wicker dump in March of this year. All of these, as well as The Son of Godzilla and a 1950's Karrier have been incorporated into the Restored Trucks list, accessible from the navigation bar at left. TOY & REPLICA CORNER Well, actually there is no "Toy and Replica" corner, although to be truthful one could devote an entire website to model refuse trucks and never want for material. Though I can't hope to cover the collecting angle in any great depth, once in a while something come along worth a mention. 
Bruder already makes two nice working versions of the Haller X2 rear loader, and Nick also mentions that they are set to introduce a rear load version of the Lotos screw-packer this month, which can be seen at the Bruder Website along with other upcoming releases. RUNNING CHANGES TO THE WEBSITE The former Help Wanted section has changed its name to Classifieds to better reflect its content. Also, the Links of Interest page has now been catagorized: Enthusiast & historical interest sites are now listed first, and dealer/classified sites are in a separate section on the bottom of the page. Both pages are accessible from the navigation bar at left AND FINALLY, REFUSE TRUCKS ON FILM  It's funny how coincidences happen. Dead-tired after proofreading and adding the finishing touches to this months new material, I took a break and turned on the TV to get away from the routine for awhile. I sat down to an episode of "The FBI" on American Life TV in which bank robbers were tunneling under an alley to get into a vault. Well, we all know what type of vehicle frequents alleys, and sure enough in the next scene a beautiful red & blue Ford F-850 Super Duty tandem comes down the roadway carrying a (now) vintage front loader ! The frontal view was not sufficient for a positive ID, but I'm sure it was either a Bowles or Bemars model. As with most TV appearances by refuse trucks it was brief, but a little better than average (about five seconds), and serves as a reminder that some vintage trucks have been captured on film and are waiting to be discovered. I would bet that this truck may be studio owned, and appear in other shows of that vintage. I have added this to the Films section, but the brief appearance probably does not justify seeking this episode on tape or DVD. Nevertheless, it's well worth a look if this show is being run by your local station, as well as other shows of that era which may feature more lost classics.
Eric Voytko, November 6, 2005 Click here to return to the CRT Archives All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted |