10-4 Magazine June 2024

Truckapedia: By Mark Harter Every year, owners of vintage trucks gather at shows around the country to share their love and interest of classic trucks. From the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) National Convention, scheduled for June 6-8, 2024, in York, PA, to the Antique Truck Club of America (ATCA) National Show, scheduled for June 14-15, 2024, in Macungie, PA, these shows are some of the best gatherings to see the trucks that have moved America throughout the decades. Names like Mack, Kenworth, Peterbilt, International and Freightliner are common at these shows, along with defunct names like Marmon, White, Diamond T/REO and others. But for one group of enthusiasts and an entire town in upstate New York, their show is dedicated to one marquee and preserving a nameplate with a proud history. With the 24th edition of the Brockway Trucks PreservationAssociation (BTPA) Annual National Brockway Truck Show, scheduled for August 8-11, 2024, this year in Cortland, NY, a neighboring town of Homer, we wanted to share a quick history lesson about Brockway Trucks with our 10-4 Magazine fans and readers. Famously known as Huskietown, USA, Cortland, NY is the hometown and former headquarters of the now defunct BrockwayMotorTruckscompany. Founded by William Brockway of Homer, NY, William was a well-respected businessman and cabinet maker. He purchased a local carriage making business in Homer with the intent of using their tooling and machinery and began building wagons and carriages in 1875 as the Brockway Carriage Works. William’s son, George A. Brockway, took over the business upon his father’s death in 1889, becoming one of the largest carriage makers in the country. In 1909, George began producing trucks with chassis provided to his company by the Syracuse, NY based Chase Motor Company. In 1912, George Brockway and his brother-in-law and business partner Fred R. Thompson leased a facility located in Cortland that was formerly occupied by the Ellis Omnibus and Cab Company. The Brockway Carriage Works was then reorganized as Brockway Motor Trucks, and for nearly 70 years, the company produced high quality, custom built trucks until production ended in 1977. As a small producer of trucks, and with a small market share, primarily contained within the Northeast United States, Brockway provided and built trucks for municipalities and loyal operators in that area. Brockway Trucks were popular with these operators as the basic designs did not change much, allowing customers to keep a parts inventory on their shelves that would work on many model years. While Brockway had produced trucks for the United States effort during World War I and World War II, entering into the early 1950s, Brockway sales were struggling, so the company began looking for a suitor. Many companies were interested, including the H&B American Machine Co., Continental, who provided 68 10-4 Magazine / June 2024 THIS DOG WON’T DIE