Saving The Classics – One At A Time

This 1948 Brockway 88WH pictured here, owned by Monte Colucci of Paulden, Arizona, is powered by a 291-cid Continental-6 engine with a four-speed transmission. The truck was purchased new by Arnold Sharp of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, for use on his produce farm. It was sold to him by H.A. DeHart & Son, who special-built the body to hold 66 baskets of tomatoes. The Brockway spent many years working hard hauling produce. Some of the Sharp family members are still in the produce business, and the DeHart family is still in truck sales. Monte plans to paint the truck, but will keep the body as original as possible. His dad owned a 1948 Brockway tractor that pulled a 3,500-gallon tanker for the Colucci family petroleum business, and it was always Monte’s favorite truck. He looked for many years to find the same model Brockway before he found this one. He said, “My wife thinks I’m nuts, but she went with me to pick it up and bring it home. She must love me, because this makes truck number six, and I’m still living in the house.” Monte loves old trucks and would like to save more of them. Brockway had its beginnings as Brockway Carriage Works in Homer, New York in 1875, but by the early twentieth century they realized motor power was the way of the future. In 1910 they built their first motor truck, with a road-burning 15-hp engine. During the 1930s, Brockway produced a line of electric trucks, while also introducing a heavy tractor with a 240-hp American LaFrance 12-cylinder gas engine. The iconic “Huskie” dog became their official emblem in 1958. Although succeeding in many areas, the company fell victim to high energy prices and labor conflicts in the 1970s, and closed their doors in 1977. With that in mind, it’s good to know there are still a few of these neat old rigs running around.