I’ve been a photographer and writer for trucking magazines off and on since the 1980s, and a while back I teamed up with Mark Harter to do articles for 10-4 Magazine. This year we planned on attending the 24th annual Brockway Trucks Preservation Association (BPTA) Annual National Brockway Truck Show together, but due to some problems with getting flights, Mark was not able to come. Located two hours east of me in Central New York, the show is always held on the second Saturday in August, with this year’s event on August 8-11, 2024. Since Mark couldn’t be there, my wife, Jeanette, agreed to come along and take notes at the show, which was filled with a bevy of beautiful Brockways.
The Brockway Museum is housed at The Central NY Living History Center located between Homer and Brockway’s manufacturing home of Cortland, where the show was formerly held (non-truck related exhibits also occupy space at the History Center). A few years ago, the show moved to Homer, which is interesting, as Brockway was first started there by George A. Brockway in 1909. Despite Brockway using a big complex in Cortland for a majority of their truck production, there were also the Homer facilities, as well as ones in other cities in Central New York.
The weekend started on Thursday night with a “Brockway Ice Cream Cruise-In” at a location in Cortland, NY. Ordinarily, the Friday events for the show have included a country “Huskie Drive” convoy, along with a special dinner, with trucks parked around the museum, an auction, and a fireworks display capping the day’s activities. However, an intense rainstorm on Friday caused the convoy to be canceled.
On Saturday, the show started with a parade from the museum, through Homer, and then looped around to where the trucks were parked along a street in the town square. There was a band playing at the village square and several vendors, along with a shirt and hat vendor, selling Brockway merchandise. Awards for the best trucks were presented in the late afternoon, followed by a barbecue dinner at the History Center, which included a former Brockway employee recognition ceremony. Sunday morning featured a pancake breakfast at the History Center.
I was told by museum employees that the best parking would be at Homer High School, which is where we parked to observe and film the parade, and that after the parade there would be a shuttle bus from the school to the event. About 15 minutes after the parade ended, I called the museum to inquire about the bus and was told it would be arriving in about 15 minutes. An hour later, and still no bus, a fellow attendee called the museum and someone told him that there was no bus this year. So, we jumped in the car, drove to the crowded street where all the trucks were displayed, and found a parking spot a block away.
By then, I had lost over an hour of photo time, and arrived to find a massive crowd, which made it tough to shoot trucks. The other problem was dealing with wide trucks, parked side by side in parallel auto parking spaces, so it was difficult to get individual shots of many units. I found out later that there was a communication mix-up with the people who were to provide the shuttle, and the problem will be fixed for next year. Needless to say, there were challenges, but the trucks were amazing!
Despite Brockway manufacturing trucks since 1909, a good portion of the show featured models from the 60s and 70s. A few pre-1950 models were in attendance, but the bulk of the trucks were 300 and 700 series Brocks. Mack acquired Brockway in 1956, and because Mack had their Bulldog hood ornament, it was decided that Brockway should have a dog ornament, and the Husky was chosen for its strength and durability. In 1958, the first Huskie Dog ornament appeared on the model N260TL (I have no idea why the name Husky was spelled different by Brockway). A good example of a late 50s Brockway was a restored white and green 1958 157 L-2, owned by Aaron Tipton of Burnsville, NC.
The 300 series was introduced in 1965 with a wide variety of lengths and engine sizes available. The 360 was a set-forward front axle, while the 361 was a set-back axle, which were a good portion of the 300s I saw at the event. The set-back axles make sense, as many Brockways were used in city and vocational services such as refuse trucks, road maintenance, and snow removal, where a tight turning radius was needed. Many 360s and 361s of all conditions were viewed with a notable 360 being the blue and gray model with “Maxed Out” displayed on its hood.
Huskidrive was introduced in 1968, which included a 6-cylinder Cummins NH diesel, rated at 248-hp, hooked to a 5-speed transmission with 2-speed rears. All Brockway trucks equipped with Huskidrive are easy to identify because there are a pair of Husky mascots on top of the grill. In 1971, Brockway debuted the fairly rare, low profile, cab-forward 500 series, of which many were used in urban refuse collection.
In 1974 the new 700 series was introduced, featuring the Shellar-Globe cab, which was also used on the Mack R model line of trucks. Using the same numbering system as the 300 series, these would be the last Brockways made before going out of business in 1977. An excellent example of a restored 761 was the bright orange tractor owned and restored by Michael Archierre and his family from Danbury, CT. A notable restoration of a 760 was a black tractor with sleeper, displayed by the Baldwin Brothers from Churchville, NY.
Also in abundance were the tall, high-engine mount, short BBC 359 and 759 series, many of which were dump trucks, although I saw several tractors and other straight trucks, too. These accommodated larger engines including V8s and are similar to Mack’s C model, Kenworth’s S model, as well as ones from other manufacturers. A single-axle, short, shiny black dump truck was a fine example of a 359, and this one sported Huskidrive, too. Another short BBC model which featured a lower cab was the 358. A good example of a 358 was an orange and gray straight truck.
Brockway’s only highway cabover was the 400 series, introduced in 1963, using a cab similar to Mack’s F-model. There were a few of these cabovers at the show, but they are rare, compared to the Brockway conventionals. A nicely restored 459, painted in burgundy and white, was a perfect example of this cabover. There also were two 457s, which were equipped with 6-cylinder engines, while the 459s were powered by V8s. Engines from all the major makers could be installed in these trucks.
There were 135 Brockways at the event, but on the Friday of this year’s show, as mentioned before, there was catastrophic rain and flooding from the remnants of a hurricane that affected Central and Western New York. Quite a few Brockway owners decided to skip this year’s show, despite Saturday ending up being a beautiful, cool day.
The trucks at the show were in a wide range of conditions – several were so well-restored they looked like they had just rolled off the line in Cortland, while many still sported their original paint schemes and unique patinas, that can only be seen on trucks that have aged for 50 or 60 years (or more). Quite a few appeared to be in mid-restoration and, from talking to some owners, I learned that there are very few decent old Brockways left for restoration, as there weren’t that many produced, compared to others popular brands of the day.
Residing in Western New York, which is Brockway Country, I’ve seen quite a few 50s and 60s Brocks rusting away on farms because those owners do not want to sell them for restoration or parts – so, they just sit there, slowly crumbling away. Next year we expect to attend this show again, and hopefully Mark will be able to travel to New York to meet us. We are also hoping there won’t be another disastrous rainstorm that second weekend in August, affecting the number of trucks in attendance. Here’s hoping for an even bigger bevy of beautiful Brockways in 2025!
