By Richard Marmo
Note: This feature is in the June TT&C 2013 issue.
Note: This feature is in the June TT&C 2013 issue.
  Parts is parts and the tanker kit has a lot of them.  Besides being essential for squaring up the frame, the miniature square doubles as a weight. The coffee mug is an example of whatever works. Instead of coffee, it holds my solvent bottle so I don’t accidentally knock it over.  The Love’s name is a single decal and goes on without any problem. Larger decals may need to be cut into several pieces, depending on how many coats of clear decal film you spray. | Whether they possess nerves of steel or a hidden death wish, we still call ’em suicide jockeys and with good reason. These are the guys...and gals who drive fuel tankers so that we can fill up our car’s gas tank at the nearest Chevron, Texaco, Shell, QT or Love’s station. When an accident does occur—and it’s a question of when, not if—odds are that the driver doesn’t survive. The last one I’m familiar with occurred in May 2011, here in Fort Worth. Some drunk in a pickup truck, driving the wrong way on I-30, rammed head-on into a fuel rig. The resulting explosion and fire warped steel bridge supports and shut down half of one side of the freeway for several months. Sadly, the rig driver—who took the job to provide for his family and had only two deliveries left before going home that night—left a wife and several children. What about the drunk, you ask? A few stitches over one eye. In spite of what I just described, fuel trailers are some of the most colorful you’ll ever see on the road. One that really gets your attention—it definitely gets mine—are the rigs belonging to Love’s Travel Stops. Solid yellow with red stripes, the Love’s name and three overlapping hearts, the result is more than a little striking. It’s also a perfect choice for inclusion in a collection of trailers. Since I happened to have... ...one of the old 1/25 AMT fuel tanker kits in Amoco markings sitting on a back shelf, I decided to build one. A couple of phone calls put me in touch with Love’s, who graciously provided me with a layout for one of the older markings used on their trailers. That’s when I discovered a problem. Love’s uses Beall tankers, not the Fruehauf design that AMT replicated. The major difference—among other minor ones—is that Beall uses an oval cross-section while Fruehauf’s is circular.  Want to read the rest of the story? It's available in the June TT&C 2013 magazine! Download here: JUNE TT&C 2013 Call (701) 883-5206 or (701) 883-5206 to purchase or order online at: http://www.toytrucker.com/past-issues.html |
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