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Scot trucks Part 4 of 3 - fire apparatus chassis

October 20, 2013, 5:32 pm
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When I started my little retrospective on Scot trucks I thought I would just include fire apparatus as part of the C1 and C2 tilt cab section. It then occurred to me that in fact some of the fire apparatus chassis were not tilt cabs, and were distinct enough for their own coverage. Therefore this is Part 4 of 3.

According to published accounts about 25% of Scot's production went to fire apparatus chassis. The chassis were termed C1FD and were based on the C1 tilt cab. Most Canadian fire apparatus manufacturers at the time used a few Scots for pumpers, tankers and aerials in single or tandem drive versions. Thibault and Pierrevile used a few and King used about 25 Scot chassis.

Most of the fire apparatus used an extended cab with rear facing jump seats, and these cabs usually did not tilt.
1. An unpainted chassis for Thibault next to the ever popular Ford C series so-called Budd cab at a 1979 fire chiefs' convention in Halifax. The unit was still in primer and would be painted by Thibault.

2. The rear facing jump seats shared space with an engine box on this tandem chassis. It may have become the 100ft aerial delivered to Scarborough in 1980.

3. Competitor Pierreville had this recently delivered unit on display at the same show in 1979. It operated for the town of Bedford, NS. (Bedford amalgamated with Halifax in 1999).


4. When the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services was formed in 1999, it brought the former Bedford No.3 unit into Halifax. 



5. Cole Harbour-Westphal, another suburban area of Halifax county (which became part of the Halifax Regional Municipality in 1999) ran this Scot-King. It was a 1977, 1050 gpm -500 gal pumper. It was one of the few Scot-King pumpers sold in Atlantic Canada. 1982 photo

6. Halifax F.D had this 1976 Scot-Thibault on their roster in 1984, working out of the Rockingham fire station. It was sold in 1998 to Milford, NS.

7. Toronto Fire Department's Station 10 housed this Scot with Pierreville 30m aerial in 1987.

6. The HMC Dockyard Fire Department operated this mid-mount Scot-Thibault 840/500 with 65 foot aerial in 1980. It was delivered in 1978 with yellow paint.

7. Halifax Fire Department had one Scot-King "Fire King" 85 foot snorkel truck. It was delivered with yellow paint in 1974, and was the first King apparatus built on a Scot chassis. 1981 photo

8. Later painted red, the unit was in service in 1994.

9. The snorkel was rear mounted over the tandem axles, and the control panel was rear mounted too.

10. The truck was fitted with rear outrigger legs. It was based at Station 2, West Street, the only fire hall in Halifax long enough to accommodate it.Its suspension appears to be slightly lower than some other Scots, and it appears to be a tilt cab.

11. Onslow-Belmont Fire Brigade in Nova Scotia used this Scot-Thibault 1050/1500 pumper/ tanker. Note the bright work around the rear wheels and the higher suspension.  Sources indicate that this rig was built in 1977 on a former dump truck chassis.1986 photo

12. This Pierreville 30m aerial on a long wheelbase Scot chassis had been traded in by 1997. Note the exposed outriggers.

13. By 2000 this tandem axle pumper/tanker had been traded in and its previous operators were illegible. The large front bumper appears to be a Pierreville addition. Like many Scots it had a removable protection plate over the front grille which had to be removed to tilt the cab.

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Roll ON, Roll OFF

October 24, 2013, 4:37 am
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The Port of Halifax is the terminus for a lot of Roll On-Roll Off cargo. Not just new cars (and there are thousands of those) but also the annual flood of European travel vehicles (outbound) at this time of year, and a regular trade in construction cranes (inbound). Some recent examples: 

Roll On

This German version of the Ford Transit with Hobby Caravan body was in Halifax on the weekend in time for this week's departure on an Atlantic Container Line ship:





Roll Off (and On)

 This sizable Liebherr crane rolled off the autocarrier Aida on October 17 and almost immediately rolled on to a rail car for transit westward:
 Due to the forward overhang of the boom, an idler car is also required.
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Sucker trucks

October 24, 2013, 4:40 pm
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For some reason I saw a lot of vacuum trucks working near the waterfront last week - just lucky I guess.

1. and 2. October 16, Pardy's had this new Western Star 4700 with Vactor 2100 setting up at pier 21. Pardy's Waste Management is based in Newfoundland, with a branch in Alberta. I had never seen one of their trucks in Halifax before, but it is carrying Nova Scotia plates.

3. October 17, Newalta's Pete was not far away at pier 22.It was wearing  hazardous materials placard 1993 indicating flammable liquid.
4. October 18, Atlantic Industrial Cleaners' Kenworth, with another Vactor 2100 was draining light pole bases at pier 9.Note the inscription on the cab door "IOL DEDICATED #7" I guess its services are not currently required by Imperial Oil.

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Clarke Freightliner and big scoop

October 25, 2013, 6:47 pm
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A nicely fitted out Freightliner with Trail King tri-axle trailer running for Clarke Road Transport Inc had this big imported bucket to haul today.











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Big load through town

October 26, 2013, 5:20 pm
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Pulling an oversize load through downtown Halifax on a Saturday morning is an interesting exercise.
In today's case it was a classic Kenworth, with dolly and Fontaine four axle trailer, carrying a  Tadano TR650 XL. Starting from the Fairview Cove marshalling lot, the rig wound its way along streets wide and narrow, through a half dozen traffic lights and countless crosswalks, not to mention at least one very tight turn, before it reached the south end port area, without incident.
The bad news came when it reached the Halterm container terminal where it was refused entry - possibly until Monday morning.How the rig was turned around I don't know, but it somehow managed to find a peaceful parking spot until the gates open for business.
   
1. Ready to roll from Fairview with a 10'-10 1/2" wide load.

2. The TR650XL-3 is a 65 tonne capacity rough terrain crane. Although carrying the Sterling name, it also carries an auction lot number 277 on the windshield. Sterling lists 21 of these rigs as surplus, all but one in western Canada. One was sold last month at a Toronto auction by Ritchie Bros, probably the Sarnia unit, which was built in 2000. It has a crane outreach from 36' to 114'.

3. Lead escort persuades oncoming traffic to clear the track .

4. Tail escort van keeps a clear distance.

5. Parked.


6. BRK Specialized hails from Listowel, ON - where all is well.

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Dartmouth Fire Department

October 27, 2013, 4:42 am
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Pre-amalgamation in 1996, the City of Dartmouth, NS, maintained its own independence on the east side of Halifax harbour. Dartmouth was founded in 1750 (one year after Halifax) and still maintains its identity, as a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), but all services, including fire fighting, are carried out by the HRM.
When it was still an independent city it had a sizable fire department. Here is an album of some of its apparatus from the old shoebox (headings indicate the year the picture was taken)

1978

1. 1977 Ford-Thibault 1050 gpm pumper operated from Station 4 in lower Burnside.

2. This little 1950s International tanker was not typical of Dartmouth's roster. It was probably used as a brush truck.

3. 1976 Ford-Thibualt, rear-mount 100 ft aerial also ran from Station 4.

1979

4. Tower 2 ran this Mack CF, with Baker Aerialscope 100 foot mid-mount platform.It was built by Thibault in 1976

1982

5. No.14 Pumper operated this 1970 Thibault 1250 gpm from the Station 1 on King Street. The ubiquitous Cincinnati Cab was Thibault's custom cab.

6. No.18 Pumper ran a similar 1973 Thibualt 1250 gpm custom cab. Even though it was the first day of spring, both units were fitted with tire chains.

1982

7. Classic 1965 American LaFrance 1250 gpm No.11 seen at Station 2 in Woodside. Tire chains were standard in January.

1987

8. Checking out Number 4 aerial at station 4 - see also 1978 above.

1989

 
9. Dartmouth ran this Dodge rescue for many years. It carried number 24.

1989

  
10. 1981 Ford L9000 Pierreville 840 gpm pumper/ 1000 gal tanker/ 40lb foam carried several numbers, including 3 and 12 during its career. 

11. (undated possibly 1986)

1990

 
12. Thibault built this aerial on a Ford C chassis, and it was assigned to Station 4, replacing another 1976 Thibualt aerial on a Ford C chassis -see photoS above.

1991

13. Late model Ford C-Thibault (ca. 1987)was 1050/600 pumper number 1. Note the handrail around the back of the cab.

1994

14. Tibotrac built this emergency response unit on a Ford Cargo chassis.


15. Chev StepVan served as a mobile command unit.

1995

 
16. Another view of the newer number 4 aerial, see also 1990 above.

17. Metalfab built this pumper No.1 on a Ford Cargo chassis. The crew box has a side door.



BONUS
18. In 1982 this Plymouth Fury station wagon saw duty in a variety of roles. 

19. A sunny day view of No.11 LaFrance, in April 1979, with the chains off.

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Mills Western Star - all feet on the floor

October 28, 2013, 4:07 pm
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Mills Heavy Hauling pulled this large Cat out of Fairview today. It is not often that I get to see the drop axle actually dropped, and the fourth axle on the trailer also in use.

1. Though my front windshield distorts the colour, the photo does show the "business side" of the Cat. It looks like pipeline laying gear.

2. Once out of the terminal the Star awaits an escort car. The Cat's model number wasn't visible, but it was carrying an owner's inventory number of 96V00698.

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October round up - north end traffic 24/7

October 29, 2013, 5:52 pm
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During the past month the north end of peninsular Halifax experienced a boom in traffic. The usual activity at the Fairview Cove container terminal and CN's intermodal yard is significant, but usually dies down somewhat in the evenings. So has traffic from the expansion of pier 9, now that they have completed round the clock pouring of concrete.
But the Halifax Shipyard expansion project is now seeing 24/7 dump truck traffic, with mountains of gravel coming in to fill in a new pier. To move all the fill and do the other construction there is a constant flow of cranes, loaders and other gear in and out of the site as needed. Not only that but precast concrete beams and panels arrive several times a day  for the shipyard's new parking garage.

Most of this traffic is using the Africville Road, and it is rare that there isn't at least one truck in sight at any time.
A sampling:
1. Atlantic Tiltload's Freightliner 18 hauls an Irving Equipment Link-Belt crane (with New Brunswick plates).Today
2. Gulf Operators' (an Irving company) Western Star hauls a Cat crawler, while a loaded Municipal Sterling dumper heads inbound and a Western Star with a walking bed dumper is outbound empty. Today

3. Precast concrete from Strescon (another Irving owned company) arrives on a variety of Sunbury trucks and some independents.October 16

4. Fairview Cove traffic also includes breakbulk that will be palletized or containerized in the terminal. This well illuminated KW day cab brings in a load of Nova Scotia lumber. October 18.

5. A former Toronto airport crew bus arrived October 9 for export. It had no manufacturer's markings. It was operated by Calssada Investments Ltd.

6. Vintage R model Mack dumper arrived October 8, also for export. It bears a lot number sticker from a Ritchie Bros. auction.

7. In amongst the usual container traffic, Atlantic Tiltload had this stretch drop deck trailer carrying a foldable type container with cable reels October 17.
8. A pair of Kenworth drivers affix radioactive placards to a container carrying containment casks. RSB Logistic of Saskatoon, SK, St. Louis, MO and Paducah, KY specialize in uranium transportation. October 18


9. Atlantic Tiltload again with an odd load. This blue box, when filled with water, is used by ZPMC crane manufacturer to test their new cranes.Atlantic was moving the box from outside the terminal to inside the terminal. (They did not go out on the roads with the load unsecured.)
October 24,



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Pete from the bright red mud

October 31, 2013, 5:07 pm
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Red Skye Trucking from Cornwall, PE are daily callers in Halifax with a variety of containers, usually reefer types carrying fish or produce.They may even carry spuds.
Today's shot is a nicely spruced up Peterbilt (386 probably), but what made it stand out for me was the hubcaps on the trailer. Usually container trailers are pretty basic, and often don't belong to the trucker, but to some other company.
This truck has a low rise sleeper and chromed air foil on the roof along with a ton of other chrome. Too bad the containers get so banged around that they aren't very attractive.
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Toronto trip - Part 1

November 9, 2013, 5:14 pm
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A very quick business trip to the big smoke allowed for a few minutes of truck watching while going to and fro between meetings, meals and hotel. Most of what I saw was construction related (except for Part 2 which will follow in due course) and therefore pretty ordinary. Not so ordinary was this impressive Mack Titan running for Roni Excavating.



 
 
 
Chromed everything, including a back of cab roll bar/light frame, the truck was pulling a J.C.Trailers float, which loaded a digger arm while I was at lunch and the driver was just tying it down on my way back. Why aren't there more of these on the road!

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Toronto Trip - Part 2

November 9, 2013, 6:26 pm
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Very close to the location of my meetings in Toronto was station 332. Part of the Toronto Fire Service's South Command and very close to the financial district,  it is an extraordinarily busy station.

1. Even with six drive through bays, it is not unheard of to have all apparatus out on calls, with backups on the way. To add to the interest, it faces Adelaide Street, which is one way east.
 
On my way to work one morning, a small fire had broken out in a sidewalk grating in front of a high rise on Richmond Street, at the corner of University. The response was impressive, with apparatus arriving from three directions. Richmond is one way westbound at that point, so apparatus from station 332 had to go east then north then west to reach the scene.
2. A district chief arrived in a standard TFS Ford van.
 
3. First on scene was Rescue 325, followed by Pumper 332, a 2002 Spartan Advantage-Smeal.
 
4. R325 got to work right away. It is a 2013 Spartan-Crimson Fire, just delivered in October.
 
4. High Rise 332 was not far behind. it is a 2005 Spartan Metro Star-Dependable, and is the only high rise unit in the department.
 
5. Squad 331 arrived via a side street, and an aerial rig hovered nearby which I did not see. S331 is a 2012 Spartan Gladiator-Dependable.
 
Checking out Station 332 at lunch time I was treated to these:
6. Command 30 (one of three in the department) uses a 2012 Freightliner MT55 -EVI Dependable.
 
 
7. Tower 331 is a 2005 E-One Cyclone with a 114 ft Bronto Skylift aerial.
 
8. Mechanical Response Unit MRU 20 runs this GMC 850  built by Seagrave.
 
 
The next day at lunch time I checked in again and found:
9. Another aerial, this one A312, a 2004 Spartan Gladiator - Smeal with 105 ft aerial.
 


10. And more district chief vans.
 
 
The Toronto Fire Service is Canada's largest, and fifth largest in North America. There are numerous references on the web, including an impressive unofficial photo gallery:
http://www.tfspics.com/
 
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American LaFrance from the shoebox

November 18, 2013, 4:49 pm
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By way of contrast to modern looking fire apparatus here's a dip into the oldies shoebox from the northern Maine community of Caribou.

The classic American LaFrance 'bathtub" is probably the image many of us have in mind as the definitive firetruck. If you will pardon my saying - all fire trucks look alike these days, but certainly a LaFrance was identifiable from miles away!
One nice little department of the 1980s was Caribou, Maine, with an "all LaFrance" lineup. I happened to stumble across it on a day when they were swamping out the floors of the truck bays, and so had four rigs out on the apron. I am showing the Kodachrome slides, full frame:

1. The newest was this pumper with an extended roof canopy, but otherwise open to the weather. Those Maine firemen must have been tough.

2. Number 2 was an older model which seemed to have a back wall on the cab.

3. This monster conventional wore number 3. It probably had a Packard V-12 gasoline engine.

4. Number 4 was the oldest of the bathtub types in the hall.

5. Rounding out the roster on that day, was Number 8, a LaFrance tanker/pumper on a Chev 80 commercial chassis.

6. Old number 3 had the usual pump panel ahead of the firewall.

7. What can I add?

I now regret that I didn't copy any information on the trucks, so I would welcome any more details.

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Merry Christmas

December 24, 2013, 11:14 am
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After a prolonged break Trucfax will be back after Christmas. In the meantime enjoy a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

Where's the Fire?

In 1971 the old Halifax Infirmary hospital was plagued with false alarms and engines from the University Avenue station seemed to be plowing a path to the hospital daily or more often. One pleasant evening in the summer, the driver of this gleaming King Seagrave was calling in to the dispatcher while his pump man waited at the cab door for instructions.

The hospital stores, boiler room and laundry had a rear service alley off Morris Street where this photo was taken.

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Snow

January 4, 2014, 1:51 pm
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A major blizzard hit Halifax January 3, so traveling around the streets was out of the question (for me). Even the city buses were parked. However plows were running and so were emergency vehicles.
By today the roads were miraculously clear, which made it much easier for ambulances and fire trucks.  Among them Engine 2, one of Halifax Regional Fire + Emergency Services' Spartan Metro Star/ Carl Thibault units delivered in 2011.

Earlier today I thought I heard a fire engine with tire chains, but by late morning when I saw this one it was making out just fine with conventional tires.

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GO Transit - now (not) extended to Halifax

January 5, 2014, 2:00 pm
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The ever expanding Government of Ontario Transit system (GO Transit) has been adding buses at a fast rate to serve more distant suburban areas - but not quite as far as Halifax.  The latest model, introduced last year, with an order of 25 (numbers 8101-8125), are built by Alexander Dennis in the UK and imported through Halifax by ships of the Atlantic Container Line. The buses are then driven on to Toronto.

It appears that an additional 25 buses have now been ordered (based on numbers) with at least three arriving Christmas week in Halifax.

Go Transit bus numbers 8140 and 8146 wait to be driven away from the Fairview Cove container terminal. A third bus can be seen in the terminal, but in an unphotographable location and its number isn't visible.


The double deckers of this new Enviro 500 series are longer and lower than the pre-2013 models, allowing them to serve more suburban areas in the GTA, along the Highway 407 corridor. With a capacity of 81, they are really coaches, as opposed to transit buses. This new order is also painted in GO's revised darker forest green colour scheme introduced in 2013.
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Macks on the job

January 9, 2014, 8:47 am
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A major construction project in downtown Halifax is Mack country. Quality Concrete, the ready-mix concrete supplier appears to be a mostly Mack operation, whether it is for their transit mixers or pump trucks. (The odd Volvo or even International has been known to sneek in.)


Schwing pumper on Mack chassis


Putzmeister, on Mack chassis



Lots of twin-steer Mack transit mixers. It takes two to keep the Putzmeister pumping.

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Bellemare - slick rigs for big loads

January 19, 2014, 1:49 pm
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A pair of Bellemare trucks arrived on Friday for some wide and heavy loads out of the Port of Halifax. They were loaded up on Saturday and ready to roll Sunday.
Unit 60170 is this well equipped Freightliner

Unit 60163 is this similarly spec'd Kenworth, but with longer chassis.

After loading, the rigs waited out a snow storm and slippery roads, then another wait until after dark to
finally hit the road.
They are carrying components for a Caterpillar 6020B hydraulic mining shovel. The 12 cubic meter capacity digger has an assembled weigh of 220 tonnes. See:http://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/hydraulic-mining-shovels/hydraulic-mining-shovels/18436200.html

For more on Trois-Rivières, Quebec based Bellemare see: http://www.groupebellemare.com/en/
 
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Terberg - just visiting

January 22, 2014, 4:22 am
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Always on the look out for strange and unusual trucks, I discovered a particularly rare vehicle (at least for Canada) yesterday. The Saudi Arabian RoRo ship Bahri Tabuk made a one day call in the Port of Halifax, and I spotted a strange shunting tractor sitting on the pier. It was a Terberg, manufactured by a Dutch company, with interests all over Europe and in Asia and South America. So far however they don't seem to have much visibility in North America.

Fitted with a gooseneck for RoRo trailers, the Terberg is a stylish and sophisticated piece of machinery.
Local longshoremen were in charge of loading and unloading the ship, and were using Logistec's Ottawa tractors which may be very different to operate.  They also look pretty plain by comparison.
The Terberg was back aboard the ship when it sailed last night.

For more on Terberg see:

http://www.terbergdts.co.uk/product-brochures/product-brochures.php

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Volvo from Saskatoon

January 31, 2014, 1:56 pm
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RSB Logistic had a pair of trucks in town this week to pick up containers from Fairview Cove. Nothing terribly distinctive about the trucks except that one was fitted with aerodynamic wheel covers.



 Several large US carriers including Schneider and England have spec'd covers for thousands of their trucks, looking for promised fuel savings of 1% to 2% or more due to reduced turbulence in the recess of the wheel hub.
There are a variety of covers on the market, some are just stainless steel or chrome wheel covers. The favoured ones seem to be the transparent type that allow inspection of lug nets and hubs.
The RSB Volvo obviously came through a variety of winter conditions to reach Halifax, and the covers are still intact.
Another type that I saw in November had a transparent "port hole" in the middle to allow for inspection.
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Oldies at work

February 26, 2014, 6:53 pm
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It was a case of calling all trucks as massive amounts of gravel were needed for the new pier 6 construction at Halifax Shipyard. Most of the material came in with semi-trailer dump trucks, many with walking floors, but these two oldies caught my eye.

 
 
Ford L 9000 Louisville twin steer may be ancient, but it is still earning its crust.
 
 
 
Even older, the International Paystar 5000 model always appealed to me - the poor man's Autocar?
 
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