For several years, I've been searching for some pics of genuine 1948-56 coal trucks in action from my Appalachian region. I stumbled across this on a FB page a few weeks ago. Picture is from southwest Virginia. Very cool. Pretty heavy loads. If you look closely, you can see another one up on the hill near the upper end of the tipple.

 

Doc I drove the F-2 over some of those mountains and it scared the crap out of me and the truck was empty. Man, I can't imagine taking one of those, I'm certain, fully overloaded beasts up and down those mountains. Those were some brave men making a living for their families.

 

Wonderful picture. Ya recon they are overloaded? Note the monkeyface reflected in the puddle in front of the center truck.

 

I'd even bet those old boys were chomping sandwiches and a beverage as they were jamming gears up and down the roads. No air conditioning and air ride seats either.

 

Bob, I would suspect at times they pulled the hand throttle and climbed out on the running board if the climb took very long.

 

Driving those in the mountains with those loads was probably scarier than being down in the coal mines. Wow, they carried a lot of weight! Some great working trucks and drivers.

 

One thing for sure, you had better make that downshift the first time. You may not get a second chance.

 

Fantastic pic!!!

 

Eight hole Budd wheels. Have not seen many of those.


B

 

The more they weigh the more they pay - My Dad drove a coal truck in Central Pennsylvania before and after WWII - The only truck I ever saw (With no memory of, just a picture) was a Dodge - Most folks then couldn't afford much to stay with one brand, just something that works
Bob - What's even scarier than the thought from your trip is that I can remember laying in bed at night and listening to them back fire coming down the hills geared down
It wasn't much fun getting stuck behind one as it was grinding up a hill
There was a tipple across the road from my Uncles farm, and it had the rail track that moved the hundred car trains in and out day and night, it also crossed the highway next to the highway to and from anywhere

 

I wonder how much weight they were actually hauling?


Ed
near Philadelphia

 

Doc , you should build one out of your yard art

 

You've got a good point, Bob, about them being overloaded. That F8 in the middle is so heavy it's squatting and leaning over in the front.

 

I used to have a 3 axle with 14 ft. bed loaded like that would be 13/14 tons but was legal on the roads they probably got 11/12 tons on 2 axles.

 

That's an amazing picture and to take away from it one of the amazing truck driving I've ever seen was a one armed man driving a truck with multi-shifters. I've driven a few big trucks but they were always empty and could start them in high range and concentrate on just plain straight shifting. I was quite young when I was in the truck with this guy but the image has stuck with me for nearly 50 years. Watching that guy steer, shift, steers, shift, shift, steer and shift again. It was amazing. I knew an old trucker who drove truck since before the above trucks were new. He was also a very interesting guy and had great stories of driving chain drive truck and going fully loaded over two lane highways before the nice smooth interstate system was built. These were awesome hard working men.