An avid Winross collector, Tom Mosher, lives in Michigan, just outside of Detroit. I first met Tom and his wife, Karen, back in the 1980s, more than likely at a toy show somewhere. Tom was a contributor to the original American Toy Trucker magazine back in the 1980s, writing some feature stories on Winross models. But his interest in trucks dates back to his childhood.

Tom has traveled in the inner “Winross circle” of friends, referring to a group of Winross collectors who meet at shows and share information on models. One of the great meeting grounds was always the Macungie, Penn., Das Awkscht Fescht, in August, where collectors gather to eat, drink and talk about toys.

Tom has a knack for finding interesting models and can sniff out a good deal or rare model at a show like a hound dog on the hunt. This explains some of the unusual and rare models in his collection. 

Tom has always been active in the Winross hobby, setting up displays at the annual Winross reunions featuring various themes. Last year, he built a display of Winross White Truck replicas. He is also the long-standing president of the East Michigan chapter of the Winross Collectors Club of America. His wife, Karen, attends all the shows with Tom and is well-known for her banana cream pies. 

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People sometimes view toy truck collectors as “plumb crazy.” And then, you meet Dave Blair, a professional plumber, who is also a toy truck collector. Dave restores sanity quite nicely as both an accomplished plumber and a toy truck aficionado.
On a visit to his local Tractor Supply Company store a number of years ago, Dave discovered a 1/50 scale Caterpillar D10N, built by Ertl, that was for sale. He was infatuated with the little gem with great details and nicely constructed.

“After admiring that Cat D10N at Tractor Supply, I came home and told my wife, Angie, what she could buy me for Christmas. Angie asked me over and over, ‘You don’t really want that do you?’ Evidently, she was checking whether I was still a plumber or if I had gone “plumb crazy.” The nice piece became a gift and I’ve been collecting toy trucks and construction equipment ever since,” Dave shared. 

Collection Evolves
The original gift of the Cat D10N stirred the collecting juices for Dave. He soon started exploring avenues to learn about construction equipment. Through that pursuit, he discovered the Toy Trucker & Contractor magazine. Dave recalled, “With my new-found interest in scale model construction equipment, I began searching the Internet to see what I could learn. I was amazed at what was available. In that search, I became aware of the publication, Toy Trucker & Contractor. I quickly learned through the magazine about the vast array of not only construction equipment, but also trucks; trucks of every imaginable kind.”

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