| |
|
Convoy Co. of Portland, Oregon built their own car-hauling rigs using 1952
Ford F8 chassis. The sleeper cabs were built in the Convoy shops and the
trailers were built by a subsidiary, the Westland Trailer Corp.
Convoy Company merged into Ryder then to Allied.
xxxx
Roney Fire Apparatus was a Portland, Oregon based fire truck builder and
equipment supplier owned and operated by Doug Roney. The first Roney fire
trucks were built in Seattle, then sent to Portland for final assembly. The
Roney production facility was built in 1952, at which time all apparatus was
built in house. Roney Fire Apparatus was in business until approximately
1960. Many Roney pumpers were sold throughout the NW, with some still in
service. The trucks were all built on commercial chassis and utilized a
simple but durable bolt together construction.
In 1961, Doug Roney made the decision to sell his fire apparatus business to
the Convoy Company, a Portland based vehicle transport company. Convoy
changed the apparatus name to Westland, and produced vehicles for
approximately two years. Westland produced the only fire trucks built on the
Freightliner fire truck chassis, known as the Fireliner. Two pumpers and two
Snorkels were built for the cities of Chehalis and Renton, both located in
Washington. In 1963, The Convoy Company decided building fire apparatus
was not what they thought it would be, and found a wealthy California
business man looking for a business his son could take over and make his own
fortune. That business man was J.S. Durrell, who owned Western Steel Tank
and Body Works, located in Berkeley, just outside Oakland. Mr Durrell moved
all the manufacturing to his plant and began producing Wesco Fire Apparatus.
Doug Roney operated as the selling dealer in the Northwest, while his oldest
son Ken worked out of the factory as the Sales Manager. Wesco produced
several pieces of apparatus that were delivered in the Northwest, as well as
a substantial order built for the California Department of Forestry. Wesco
operated until just after Mr. Durrell's son was killed in an auto accident
in 1965.
As you look at the different brands, you will notice, with the exception
of the CDF trucks, the bodies are all trademark Roney design, especially the
pump panels. The trucks pretty much remained the same, despite being built
in three different locations.
|
