Every issue of Equipment Journal includes a Looking Back column that highlights the now vintage machines that helped build Canada, from the early 1900s to early 2000s.
Looking Back is researched and written by the Historical Construction Equipment (HCEA) of Canada.
Here are the five most popular vintage equipment posts, based on our online readership:
5: J.D. Adams grader

A photo from 1931 of a Caterpillar crawler tractor handling a J.D. Adams Ltd. pull grader was our 5th most popular vintage equipment article.
The photo was snapped during the construction of the Big Bend Highway in British Columbia.
This project followed the Columbia River though the Selkirk Mountain range from Revelstoke to Golden providing the B.C. interior a link to Alberta.
4: Terex 33-19 Titan

Pictured here in 1975 is the Terex 33-19 Titan prototype haul truck in action.
Planned in the late 1960s and built in the London, Ontario, General Motors plant, this 350-ton capacity rear dump hauler rolled out of the factory in June 1974. Weighing in at 260 tons empty, 20 metres in length and 8 metres wide, it was quite the haul truck in the era.
3: Caterpillar 977 crawler loader

From 1962, a new Caterpillar 977 crawler loader owned by A. Cope & Sons, a contractor based in Hamilton and Sarnia, Ontario.
This 977 was equipped with a ripper and side-dump bucket. It was the ideal machine for this road contract. It could rip tough material and with the side-dump bucket, it could load the single-axle dump trucks faster and reduce wear on the undercarriage of the crawler loader.
2: Cat DW15

In the mid-1950s, a Caterpillar DW 15 motor scraper was selected by McNamara Construction Ltd. To assist with construction of Highway 401 through the Greater Toronto Area.
Although highway planning was ongoing, construction was postponed by the Second World War. It ramped up post-war and by the 1950s, the 39 km 401 section called the ‘Toronto bypass’ was underway.
1: Caterpillar D2

Our most popular vintage equipment article of 2024 is this Caterpillar D2 crawler headed for the International Plowing Match held at Roseville, Ontario, near Waterloo.
HCEA Canada had several antique machines on display from this little Cat D2 to the big I-H TD 30 dozer with a 4.3-metre blade.
The owner of the D2, Carl Roney, had stripped every part of the crawler and brought it back to perfection. One pull on the pup-engine and the diesel fired up! He also had his Caterpillar D13000 engine from the 1940’s at the same event.
The Historical Construction Equipment Association HCEA of Canada 2025 events include the ‘Wheels & Tracks’ event in June and the ‘Last Blast’ event in October. 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.