Diamond-reo & The Big 4

[ABC Auto Industry]

According to what ZIL 111V told me, the AMT Autocar A64B tractor & Autocar DC-64 dump truck both share parts with the White Road Boss, White Western Star, and Diamond-Reo 116 kits. I can understand the White & Western Star kits because Autocar & White were part of The Big 4, a group of truck manufacturers that included Autocar, Freightliner (known as White-Freightliner until the mid-70's), Western Star, & White. However, Diamond-Reo has never been a part of that group as far as I know, so why does the Diamond-Reo kit from AMT have the same components? Were the components for the real trucks built by some other company? Was there some connection between Diamond-Reo & White that I didn't know about? Or was it simply an inaccuracy on AMT's part?

On another Diamond-Reo note, I've been looking at pictures of Diamond-Reo trucks, & I've noticed some similarities between the Diamond-Reo Royale's cab & the Mack Cruise-Liner's cab. I wonder if it would be possible to convert the Mack Cruise-Liner kit from AMT into a Diamond-Reo Royale with any modifications.

[mackinac359]

Diamond Reo was formed when White merged Diamond T and Reo. White bought Reo and Diamond T in the 50s eventually merging production to the Reo plant in Lansing, Michigan. For several years the factory produced both Reo and Diamond T as separate lines but then merged the company in 1968 (67?) as Diamond Reo. (not R.E.O. or Rio as some say).

The Big Four was a marketing gimmick that White developed after it sold off Diamond Reo.

Autocar

Freightliner

Western Star

White.

At one time the following brands fell under the White umbrella:

Diamond T

Reo

Freightliner (marketing only)

Autocar

Sterling (Sterling-White)

Western Star (White-Western Star)

Diamond T, Reo and later Diamond T used the Autocar designed "Driver Cab." This cab was developed by Autocar and used across the White line-up. The cab was freshened over the years and remained into production as the Heritage Cab used by Western Star until the late 90s.

Tim

[ABC Auto Industry]

OK, so Diamond-Reo was a part of White. Thanks for clearing that up, Tim.

Nowadays, Sterling is a division of Ford Motor Company, I believe.

[Jim B]

I thought Sterling bought out the Ford heavy truck division, and that they're not really part of Ford.

[ABC Auto Industry]

I thought Sterling bought out the Ford heavy truck division, and that they're not really part of Ford.

Yeah, I think you're right.

More Diamond-Reo questions:

1. I believe the AMT Diamond-Reo kit is an Apollo-116. Am I right?

2. I've seen some Diamond-Reo Royales with a cab that looks like a Kenworth K-100 rather than a Mack Cruise-Liner. Was the Royale available with different cabs or something?

[mackinac359]

Sterling, the name, was used by Sterling in the 30's-50's when White bought them, called them Sterling-White and then dropped them as a truck line, building a few off-road cranes then dropping the name completely. Freightliner/Daimler-Chrysler bought the heavy duty truck line from Ford and revived the Sterling name.

One the Diamond Reo COE's, there were several versions over the years:

The original COE cab that was a carry over from Diamond T. (Dave Natale has the Frank Gortsema daycab version of this Diamond T cab). Then in 73 the Royale was designed, a new cab that looked similar to a Kenworth K100. In '74 a new version of the Royale the Royale II debuted, it was styled similar to the Raider conventionals.

When Diamond Reo Trucks went out of business, Osterlund (sp) bought the name and only built conventionals using the old style hood (Apollo-119 series). (Too bad they hadn't used the Raider hood). The Diamond Reo Giant was not available in COE form. Diamond Reo was about to become Diamond T Trucks again, but a copyright issue emerged with the name. The trucks are built today as T-Line trucks. T-Line Trucks

The AMT kit represents a 1973 Diamond Reo C116. The original box art (green D-Reo on a mountain road) was originally a Diamond Reo advertisement. The original artwork had a Diamond Reo sleeperbox, twin back-of-sleeper exhaust, 10-hole polished wheels round air cleaner and some other subtle differences. Diamond Reo used to use a sleeper box similar to a Kenworth or older Peterbilt sleeper with a raised salem fresh air vent in the doors as well as the Mercury sleeper.

Tim

[Jim B]

Those T-Line trucks are pretty slick looking. I wonder of the Diamond-Reo Giant could be modified into one. Never having worked with resin, I don't know how much abuse t can take before it "self destructs"

[ABC Auto Industry]

One the Diamond Reo COE's, there were several versions over the years:

The original COE cab that was a carry over from Diamond T. (Dave Natale has the Frank Gortsema daycab version of this Diamond T cab). Then in 73 the Royale was designed, a new cab that looked similar to a Kenworth K100. In '74 a new version of the Royale the Royale II debuted, it was styled similar to the Raider conventionals.

When Diamond Reo Trucks went out of business, Osterlund (sp) bought the name and only built conventionals using the old style hood (Apollo-119 series). (Too bad they hadn't used the Raider hood). The Diamond Reo Giant was not available in COE form. Diamond Reo was about to become Diamond T Trucks again, but a copyright issue emerged with the name. The trucks are built today as T-Line trucks. T-Line Trucks

The AMT kit represents a 1973 Diamond Reo C116. The original box art (green D-Reo on a mountain road) was originally a Diamond Reo advertisement. The original artwork had a Diamond Reo sleeperbox, twin back-of-sleeper exhaust, 10-hole polished wheels round air cleaner and some other subtle differences. Diamond Reo used to use a sleeper box similar to a Kenworth or older Peterbilt sleeper with a raised salem fresh air vent in the doors as well as the Mercury sleeper.

Tim

Thanks once again! You know a lot about these old rigs. Where'd you learn all of this?

Anyways, I never knew about there being 2 Royales. I also think the Royale 2's cab bears some similarity to the Mack Cruise-Liner's cab and that the AMT Cruise-Liner's cab could be modified a little to make a Royale 2.

One other question: Is there any difference between the C-116 and the Apollo-116?

Boy, Diamond-Reo has an interesting history. I can't believe they're still making trucks today (albeit under a new name). I wonder why I haven't seen any on the road.

[ZIL 111V]

.Think the original green artbox was an Apollo model, Amt designers removed a few "extras" to make it to a "cheaper" work horse C116! representing amt's kit.

Apollo versions where available to most DR models, these where stated as "custom" made models with, frame, suspension, axles, cab & more noticebale exterior options :chrome air cleaners, 2,3 or 4 aluminium tanks & battery boxes, dual exhaust pipes, chrome bumper with running lights, spotlights, aluminium wheels, A/C, sleepers, fancy graphic schemes, etc.etc, where available to "customize" mostly highway tractors models.

Read that the DR Managment decided to name the top notch DR models: Apollo, after the NASA space program, to many the name Apollo had a prestigious "reach for the star" top of the top quality meaning attached to it, so the Apollo series would be the best DR could offer.

The C116 made by amt was released in December 1972 (amt catalog release date), so we can assume it' a '72 0r '73, would not be difficult to "load" this model to be an Apollo edition.............if the kit had been realesed in '74 we could have got the Raider!

............Seen any T-Line on highway lately?

[mackinac359]

Diamond Reo Giant and T-Line build them by hand.. very slowly. Strictly custom work. Most of the T-line trucks have been export.

The C-116 and the Apollo-116 are the same. The Apollo name was a marketing gimmick.

The Royale and Royale II windshield is shorter than the Cruiseliner, but the cab sides and door shape are similar.

Where'd I learn all of this? Diamond Reo was my 2nd favorite truck builder as a kid, so I collected as much information as I could on them.

Tim

Thanks once again! You know a lot about these old rigs. Where'd you learn all of this?

Anyways, I never knew about there being 2 Royales. I also think the Royale 2's cab bears some similarity to the Mack Cruise-Liner's cab and that the AMT Cruise-Liner's cab could be modified a little to make a Royale 2.

One other question: Is there any difference between the C-116 and the Apollo-116?

Boy, Diamond-Reo has an interesting history. I can't believe they're still making trucks today (albeit under a new name). I wonder why I haven't seen any on the road.

[SpreadAxle]

This was pretty interesting. I learned some cool things about a classy truck.

[Ayatollah]

OK, so Diamond-Reo was a part of White. Thanks for clearing that up, Tim.

Nowadays, Sterling is a division of Ford Motor Company, I believe.

Ford had Sterling for a while, now they are owned by diamler, along with detroit, freightshaker, fuso etc

[ABC Auto Industry]

I also read that Diamond-Reo trucks were supposedly really tough trucks, and that they were available with a hood made of some material called Royalex. Does anyone know anything about this?

Also, I'm considering getting a Diamond-Reo kit + a Raider resin hood & making a heavy-duty tractor model.

[lapazleo]

Royalex is a fancy name for fiberglass. Mack called fiberglass maxiglass.

[jacobus]

hallo on hank truckpictures i have found a lot of picture,s of this old girl

and a lot of those are in mich sand and gravel,mixers heavy haulers now i can see what tim means he loved this as second truck

for info you look by searchand type diamond reo and a lot of sides you find whit a lot of nice pictures

even a memory plate of the founder and creator of reo [ransom eli olds]

hope you can used this info

jacobus

[chuckyr]

Ford had Sterling for a while, now they are owned by diamler, along with detroit, freightshaker, fuso etc

As Tim said, Ford never had the rights to Sterling. Daimler Chrysler purchased the heavy truck division of Ford in 1998. Several years before the purchase, Ford had released their final truck series, the Aero Louisville Line. This series had the Ford name for only two years. After Daimler Chrysler acquired the Ford truck rights, they labeled the former Ford Aero Line Sterling.

[Guest Johnny]

I always love the history lessons on trucks here! There is so much this tired old mind has lost over the years!

Thanks Tim!

[Truck parts]

Thanks guys for all the information.