Oakridge Museum Mack

[muleskinner]

The model in subject, was is based on the real Truck which is presently in the Oakridge Museum, here in Oregon. Bill took the pictures of the proto while we were in the Eugene area and passed them on to me. I thought long and hard about the best approach to building the truck, to add to my older Logging Models for a long time before starting on it. The truck is one of the last remaining units like it in the Pacific Northwest which is still in running condition. I was told the owner of this truck used it off Hiway for hauling logs and had it been repowered some where along in it's career with a cummins diesel engine. The truck itself is a chain driven Mack and has seen a lot of years in the logging industry hauling logs around the Willamette Forest and Cascade areas of Oregon, for various lumber companies. Now days on special occasions it is driven in Parades and what not but, for the most part, spends its time on the museum lot.

To build this Model, I used the 1926 Mack logging truck from Monogram and reworked the frame to get the right length by adding the stinger tail. The water tank, for the water cooled brakes, came from an Autocar kit and was located to the left of the frame. The fuel tank on the original was squared and had to be scratch built for the right side of the truck. Located between the tanks on top of the frame was a small tank used as an oil trickle tank for the main drive sprocket. This I made by lengthening an old air tank and adding the brass trickle lines, which can be seen in the close up photo. The Proto had doors on it but I decided to remove them, as a most of these type trucks had their doors removed, in case the driver had make a quick exit. The trailer is a copy of a trailer built by Portland Boiler works in the 1930's. The original is presently on display at the Oregon Truck Museum near Salem, Oregon.

The trailer features a movable reach which on this model I fashioned out of Basswood as, the original trailer had a wooden reach. A lot of the older rigs, had the wooden reach, because it was cheaper and if you had to replace it you just went to the closest mill and had them cut you a new one. I cast the suspension on the trailer using white metal and still have to add the airbrakes and the hosing lines along the reach. The Model is painted with Tamiya Camel Yellow and then weathered down to show the effects of being used in the woods and sitting at the museum exposed to the elements.

[Jim B]

Wow! That's awesome. You are a Master Craftsman.

[chuckyr]

Classic!

[Tony Bryan]

another great subject with a interesting story from the "old days" of logging

very nice detailing you have added

[Andrew]

That's a great model with some really nice weathering - my kind of model truck!!

[falcongeorge]

Really nice work. Love the vintage logging stuff.

[rronning84]

Amazing looking truck.