ASHFORD SPINNING WHEEL INSTRUCTIONS

This restored 1950 Freightliner Bubble Nose truck represents the entrepreneurial spirit of the west. The owner of a trucking company, Leland James, wasn't satisfied with the trucks he bought from other manufacturers. They were originally designed for the east coast and the midwest, and didn't have to power needed to pull the mountain grades found out west. He had some ideas on how to improve the existing trucks, but the manufacturers weren't interested. So he decided to build his own truck in the late 1940's in the city of Portland, OR. His was the first truck to have a lightweight aluminum cab, among other innovations. Eventually, other trucking companies in the area wanted to buy his trucks, and this led to the formation of the truck company Freightliner, which is still located here in Portland to this day.

After spending some time with this truck, I have a new found respect for anyone who drove one of these trucks for a living. First of all, they've got manual steering, so any steering at parking lot speeds was a real workout. I was drenched in sweat just getting the truck positioned for this shoot. The engine is inside the cab, with only a thin layer of sheetmetal between the driver and this big Cummins diesel. But the real challenge was mastering the two transmissions. Yes, two! There are two shift levers inside the cab and both are quite tricky to shift. And both are un-synchronized, so it requires a lot more technique than a car with a manual. And sometimes the front box pops out of gear while you're shifting the rear box. So to keep that from happening, you loop your left arm through the steering wheel and hold the front box in gear. Then, you use your right arm to shift the rear box into gear. Since transmissions from this era were so cantankerous, I'm told that sometimes you'd need to use a leg to help "encourage" the transmission into gear. Sounds safe, right? And oh yeah, trucks back then only had rear brakes, because fronts brakes were thought to be dangerous!!

I struggled to decide on a subject for this strobist assignment, and I tried to avoid what I would consider to be obvious subjects. I had planned on taking this truck to a location for the photo shoot, but a variety of factors kept that from happening. So the background setting is a bit disappointing, but the warehouse I used was part of the original assembly plant were these trucks were made. So that's somewhat cool.

With a four-month summer schedule and short distance hauls, the tractors used by Indianhead Amusements tend to be old examples not commonly found on the roads anymore. This gem from the '70s caught my eye. As a kid learning to draw these Freightliners were a favorite subject of mine. They remain pretty impressive to this day, if you can find one. They have a brute stance and look so tall. The old white steering wheel up against the windshield just adds to the height. Made for a fun trip down memory lane.