Pictured here in the 1960s is a 32 tonne (Model 35) capacity WABCO Haulpak rock truck being loaded by a Bucyrus Erie cable shovel equipped with a 7-cubic-metre capacity bucket at the Bethlehem Copper Company’s open pit mine near Highland Valley, British Columbia.
This 15-unit WABCO fleet handled ore hauling in addition to moving a monthly average of 680,000 tonnes of overburden and very abrasive ore.
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Powered typically by either Cummins or Detroit diesel engine in the 261-kW range, these rock trucks encountered close to a 10 per cent cut in effective horsepower due to the 1,525-metre elevation of the mine site.
In the mid-1950s WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) had purchased the R.G. LeTourneau construction equipment lines and soon after were producing large rear dump quarry trucks. Canadian-built WABCO rock trucks were manufactured at the former Adams grader plant in Paris, Ontario into the early 1970s. A decade later Haulpak had transitioned to Dresser Industries.
The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) Canada’s 2024 events include Wheels & Tracks in June and the Last Blast on Oct. 19. Both events are held at the Simcoe County Museum, near Barrie.
To see more than 60 pieces of vintage construction equipment in action be sure to attend. HCEA Canada is a proud Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum. Visit hceacanada.org for more information
