Toy Farmer, Ltd. is pleased to formally announce its 8th crawler tractor for this year’s National Toy Truck ‘N Construction Show. The Minneapolis-Moline 2 Star crawler’s history was short but fascinating. Some of the following information was included in a 1956 article taken from the Minneapolis-Moline 1910-1959 Data Book No. 2 by Alan King and sent to us by Gaylen Mohr.
         This article announces a tractor, which would be “the first of a series aimed to put MM right in the middle of the government-financed construction equipment field.” The tentative name chosen for the new crawler was “Golden Kat” and was to have had a trademark that would show the head-and-shoulders of a clawing wildcat. According to the article this new “Golden Kat” would be on display in January at the 1957 ABBA Road Show in Chicago.
         Whether this “Golden Kat” would become the Minneapolis-Moline 2 Star with a name change is not certain. Gaylen also sent another article with additional information. In 1956 the company experimented making a crawler by combining a D-2 Cat undercarriage to a model 445. They gave this prototype the serial number X253.
         The next prototype was developed over MM’s own undercarriage. The company went on to produce 50 2 Star crawlers in 1958. Although recent articles have stated these tractors were available in both gasoline and diesel engine models this article states that the 2 Star was available in gasoline only and had a 206K-4 engine. MM’s later Motrac crawler, which was produced in 1960 and 1961, was offered and produced with both engines.
         In a letter to the editor, in the November 1994 issue of The MM Corresponder, Bill Scheunemann who worked at the Minneapolis-Moline from 1941-1971 gives some first-hand information about the 2 Star. “I know for a fact that only 50 were made in…1957. None were machined in the assembly line or in the plant. Parts for all 50 were machined in the engineering dept. machine shop…in Minneapolis where I was the foreman. They were then assembled in the engineering dept.” Bill includes a picture of him on what he says is the first 2 Star made.
         An article by Richard Lowry of Francesville Ind., that appeared in the April 1999 Prairie Gold Rush was sent to me by Cheryl DeLap. Richard is the owner of the 2 Star that was used for the specifications for the show tractor. He purchased the crawler in 1992 and knows it came from Kansas by way of Oklahoma. The side of the loader is stamped 2 Star 4001 so Richard believes he may have the first crawler built. The article goes on to describe features of the model and the restoration process. He, with the help of Rex Mercer from Pendleton, Ind., completed the restoration in September 1998 and took it to their local parade where there were “many nice comments on the Golden Kat.”

A visit to the Batavia Depot Museum in Batavia, Ill., will reveal much more than train history. Visitors will also uncover wonderful agricultural and transportation history that combines the story of the Newton Wagon Works, the Batavia Body Company, Emerson-Brantingham Company and the American Gage and Machine Company of Elgin, Ill.
This history is represented at the museum by a wagon from the Newton Wagon Works and a salesman’s sample of a Batavia Body Company truck, which sold refrigerated truck bodies. The museum is located in a refurbished Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad depot that dates from 1854.
The approximately 3-foot-long Batavia Body Company truck was donated to the museum by the family of a former Batavia Body Company employee. Believed to be from the 1940s, the truck is pictured with a baseball team in a photograph from that era.
This interesting truck signifies one company’s history merging with another. Before the Batavia Body Company was making refrigerated truck bodies, it was a wagon company. 


Newton Wagon Works
The Batavia Body Company began in 1852 as the Newton Wagon Works in Alexander, N.Y. The company was founded by Levi Newton in 1838. Newton started as a cabinet-maker, then moved onto woodworking and wagon making. After a fire destroyed his factory in 1854, Newton decided to move his family to Batavia where wagons had sold well over the years. The company was the first major industry established in Batavia.
The Newtons built a shop along the Fox River to make farm wagons which became a successful endeavor. They made 72 wagons the first year, and by 1887, it was one of the largest farm wagon companies in the United States, making 5,000 farm wagons a year. 
 An article by David Snead  at www.wheelsthatwonthewest.com/Pages/The_Making_Newton_Wagon.html states, “By 1860 and the outbreak of the Civil War, the Newton shops employed 50 men and also included a foundry. Period accounts indicate that Newton wagons were a ‘familiar sight among the teamsters of the prairie and plains.’ At the same time that Newton’s heavy wagons were receiving so much praise, he was being equally lauded for his lighter wagons and carriage work.”

Kieran Boland’s job takes him deep underground, working in the mining industry as a mechanical fitter. Above ground, he has amassed an impressive collection of mining equipment models.
“It got out of control and I just like collecting them now as a hobby,” he says with a laugh. With a collection of approximately 2,000 models, Kieran concentrates on 1/50 scale mining equipment and related heavy construction models.


From farm to the mine
“My father used to say we were born with diesel in our blood,” says Kieran, who lives in Navan, about 25 miles northwest of Dublin, Ireland. “It’s in our family. All my brothers are into machinery. We were brought up on a farm and I suppose that’s where it comes from.”
Kieran’s father, however, did not share the interest.
“The odd thing is my father had no interest in machinery. He thought the horse would never die,” Kieran shares.
With an interest in mechanics, Kieran started a career in the mining industry, and also owns an excavation company. His interest in mining and excavation equipment also led him to the first piece of his collection about 20 years ago, a Komatsu PC200 excavator. Then his wife, Denise, gave him a Waterloo Boy John Deere, and the collection quickly began to expand.
“The mining is what I really like and I love the surface mine machines because they’re so big,” he says.
Navan is home to the Tara Mine, Europe’s largest lead and zinc mine. The underground mine holds lead-zinc ore deposits starting about 50 yards below the surface. Broken ore is delivered to one of five underground crushers and reduced in size before being carried by conveyor to a storage bin at the base of the production shaft. Ore is supplied at an hourly rate of 570 tons to the surface storage building. The concentrates are shipped to smelters in Kokkola, Finland, and Odda, Norway, as well as to other smelters throughout Europe. 

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In late 2017, NZG delivered its all-new Liebherr LTM 1250-5.1 AT crane model. It was the third 200-tonne class AT crane on the model market in 2017, with the first presented at the 2017 Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany.
Functionality and details are superior and perfectly copied. NZG did an amazing job with the functionality of the counterweight and some other new features, never made on a die-cast model. 
The review model arrived safely in its box without missing parts, defects or damages. All dimensions of the real crane were transferred correctly into the 1/50 scale, such as the carrier width, overall model length and outrigger base. A detailed manual helps during assembly and visualizes the fully operational counterweight.


The five-axle crane carrier
The crane operates on five axles, easily moving on any surface. The drivetrain is copied accurately, with the crankshaft and air accumulators underneath on the back. All axles are steering axles, with an amazing steering angle of the model. 
NZG also copied the spring-loaded axles perfectly. By just a touch on the carrier, the functionality is shown. Small springs are easily visible on each axle. And even the dirt protections along the entire carrier on both sides are made of real and flexible rubber.
The carrier deck features an anti-slip surface with fixed ladders. At the rear, small steps are integrated into the carrier and also feature an anti-slip surface. Small handles would ease access onto the carrier in reality. 
The Liebherr LTM 1250-5.1 is another crane following the single-engine concept. The 544-horsepower Liebherr diesel engine is installed inside the carrier and provides enough output through a mechanical shaft for traveling and lifting. This concept is saving crane weight, as there is no second engine. The engine exhaust pipe, air filter and tanks are easily visible.
The four massive two-stage outriggers keep the model stable, even with a fully extended boom and without the tires touching the ground! All feature white-and-red printed warning signs. And, NZG even printed the numbers one through four on each outrigger.
The small outrigger pads are another amazing feature. During transport, all four stay within the maximum carrier width. When working, they are secured with a small pin in the operating position. Additional pins as spare parts are provided with the accessories bag. NZG, of course, used an internal screw thread for a realistic look. However, crane mats are not supplied with the model.

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I’ve always been fascinated by trucks, whether it’s big trucks, small trucks, early fire apparatus or toy trucks. My toy truck collection has really grown since I was featured in the October 2009 Toy Trucker & Contractor. At that time, my collection count was at 1,230. Now, my collection is up to 2,033. On Aug. 16, I hosted an open house and received my 2,000th toy truck that day, a moment I will treasure forever. 
I collect toy trucks of all sizes and scales. Some collectors try to stick to a certain scale, but I have no preference. My collection is very diversified, including many different toy manufacturers. I like collecting toy trucks from local trucking companies in central and upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as old motor freight company toy trucks such as Consolidated Freightways, Carolina, Red Star, APA, Roadway and Horseless Carriage.


On the cover
The scene on the cover is “Christmas 1929,” which was the start of the Great Depression. The featured toys are two 1929 AC Bulldog Macks. One is an original complete pedal car fire engine and the other is a dump truck. Both were manufactured by the Steelcraft Company of Cleveland, Ohio. 
The smaller toy is a 1929 AC Bulldog Mack Bell Telephone truck which was made by the Arcade Manufacturing Company of Freeport, Ill. 
The other toy pictured is a very rare 1929 A.C. Gilbert erector set that is all original and complete. The A.C. Gilbert Company was founded by A.C. Gilbert in New Haven, Conn., in 1911. In the early 1960s, the A.C. Gilbert Company was purchased by the Gabriel Toy Company of Lancaster, Pa. In 1967, the A.C. Gilbert Company filed bankruptcy. The Structo Company, founded in 1908, also of Freeport, Ill., supplied the A.C. Gilbert Company with the truck’s hood, fenders, wheels and the body, which happens to be an old White Truck.
Arcade Manufacturing Company was founded in 1868, when its first toy, a miniature box coffee mill, was made. Arcades were known for their heavy and dependable cast-iron toys during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. 
I remember purchasing the Bell Telephone truck at the Hershey Car Show Flea Market in 1993. The toy trucks I am holding in the picture are larger Arcade AC Bulldog Macks from 1925 to 1928. In 1946, Arcade was purchased by the Rockwell Manufacturing Company of Buffalo, N.Y., but ceased operations in 1953. I purchased all three of the large Arcade Macks at the 2005 National American Truck Historical Society Truck Show in Auburn, Ind.
The Structo Company built some impressive toy trucks also. Also pictured are some good examples of the four early 1950s Structo toys, especially the car carrier that is complete with four Structo Cadillac Coupe de Villes.

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Patrick Russell, owner of All American Toy Company, described his company, “We are entirely American with toy trucks manufactured and built in America.  And while American collectors have a passion for our quality trucks, they’re appreciated around the world as well.”
The roots of All American Toy Company can be traced to Clay and Beth Steinke who founded the firm in 1947.  The company was launched in Salem, Ore., where it remains still.  The All American boy of those years loved to play with trucks.  Consequently, Clay envisioned a large heavy-duty toy truck; one that could endure extensive play, year after year, and still hold together.  Kids of that era coveted the attractive and macho truck Ford was building.  Steinke modeled his toy after a Ford cab from the late 1940s, using it as the foundation of his truck.  The material of choice for the cab was heavy sand-cast aluminum.
Toy trucks of this time could not be steered.  All American, however, developed the means to maneuver its toy truck by inserting a steering mechanism through a brass air horn on top of the hood.  This became known as the “Air Horn Steering” device.  This unique feature helped the truck become very popular with children.
In keeping with a durable toy, All American built the rugged frame using steel, welded for additional strength.  The truck had a walking beam suspension, rubber tires and the sand-cast aluminum cab.  High demand for the truck ensued.  This consumer popularity required the fabrication of dies in the late 1940s which increased production and maintained consistent quality.  At the height of their business, All American employed 27 people.  


Company Evolution
As the company’s second decade unfolded, All American produced several different truck styles to accompany the Ford cab.  In 1956, competition dictated that All American offer a lower-priced toy truck.  Refusing to compromise its high quality, the company chose to close its doors.
In May of 1990, Bill Hellie and his son, Chip, purchased All American Toys from the original founders after it lay idle for three decades.  They immediately released three limited edition trucks.  The models included: 15 Bales and Brady tow trucks, eight tankers and seven log trucks.  This production run consumed the remaining original stock that laid waiting in the warehouse.  “These trucks were special editions, all with original parts and hand assembled.  We put serial numbers on every one.  And, they sold out instantly,” Chip Hellie said.

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