Notifications
Clear all
Forum 43
11
Posts
8
Users
23
Reactions
830
Views
Topic starter
29/06/2023 12:49 am
This is a very attractive and hard-working '55 Diamond T tanker as replicated here in service of the Cities Service Company. My Grandfather was Assistant Chief Engineer at Diamond T Trucks on 26th Street in Chicago at this time, so nice job Grandpa ! This 1/50 scale diecast was done very well by Corgi some years back.
29/06/2023 6:23 am
Nice to have a model truck associated with your grandfather. Nice Corgi well photographed, Mike.
John Kuvakas and Karl Schnelle reacted
29/06/2023 7:40 am
Very nice, I grew up down the street from the East Braintree MA Cities Service Terminal on Quincy Avenue. I would jump on this one if I saw it for sale. 👍
Kenmore Square Sign 1940s
The iconic Cities Service (now CITGO) sign was erected in Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts.
Frank Reed
Chesapeake, VA
John Kuvakas and Karl Schnelle reacted
29/06/2023 7:52 am
Neat truck Mike, great pictures especially the downtown scene.
John Kuvakas reacted
29/06/2023 9:44 am
I never knew they were on 26th St! Very cool to have had your Granddad work there!
John Kuvakas reacted
29/06/2023 9:47 am
More history - I did not know they did half-tracks!
http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/diamondt.htm
John Kuvakas reacted
29/06/2023 12:11 pm
And a little info from the internet. A very bumpy and complex history.
The Diamond T Truck Company was sold to White Motor Company in 1958 and operations moved to Lansing, Michigan. In 1966, the last of the 250,000 Diamond T trucks were produced. Diamond T merged with the REO Trucks Division of the White Motor Company the following year to form Diamond Reo.
By 1980, White was insolvent, filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case 80-13361 in the Northern District of Ohio on September 4 of that year. Volvo acquired the US assets of the company in 1981, while two energy-related companies based in Calgary, Alberta, Bow Valley Resource Services, and NovaCorp, an Alberta corporation, purchased the Canadian assets, including the Kelowna, British Columbia, plant, and the Western Star nameplate and product range.[38]
Volvo produced trucks as White and Autocar through the 1980s, while Western Star continued independently in Canada and the United States, although Volvo-White–produced high cab over engine models were purchased and rebadged Western Star for sale in the Canadian market through the early 1990s.
In 1988, Volvo and General Motors merged their heavy truck divisions in North America, creating Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corporation and a new brand of trucks, White-GMC. Western Star was sold to Australian entrepreneur Terry Peabody in 1990.[39] In 1997, Volvo purchased the stake of General Motors in their joint venture and rebadged White-GMC vehicles under the Volvo and Autocar nameplates. Subsequently, Western Star was resold by Peabody to DaimlerChrysler and merged with its Freightliner subsidiary.[40][41] Volvo dropped any reference to White or General Motors and adopted the Volvo Trucks North America name. Autocar remained a part of Volvo until 2000, when the brand was withdrawn from the market, and was subsequently sold to Grand Vehicle Works together with the Xpeditor low cab forward heavy duty product, which remains in production under the Autocar badge, the last vestige of what was once America's leading commercial vehicle producer.
A former White subsidiary, White Farm Equipment, produced farm tractors until 2001. As of 2006, the only products made under the White name are a series of corn planters (made by AGCO) and garden tractors (made by MTD Products).
John F. Quilter
Eugene, Oregon USA
Topic starter
29/06/2023 7:20 pm
More history - I did not know they did half-tracks!
Yes, they did those (and other) vehicles, as well as other companies who did this important and very cool standard design combat vehicle ! Somewhere I still have some World War Two booklets that Grandpa had from Diamond T toting their ongoing important war production activities. I may also have a "Fighting Trucks" color brochure he had, too. I will try and find it.
It is very interesting to look at (1) the November, 1938 aerial image of the Diamond -T factory on 26th Street in Chicago .....(2) the wartime 1941-1945 expansion images you have ...... (3) the 1990 ghostly shots of the long-demolished factory remnants ..... and (4) the 2010/current shots of the truck park area.
Karl Schnelle reacted
29/06/2023 7:59 pm
Diamond T tow truck in the Towing and Recovery museum in Chattanooga.
A few Diamond Ts dot my collection.
The last one could also be a White, flip a coin.
Karl Schnelle reacted