![Brockway_B_666_Bridge_Erecting_from_Wo-II](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Brockway_B_666_Bridge_Erecting_from_Wo-II.jpg)
Brockway Motor Company was a builder of custom heavy-duty
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
s in
Cortland, New York
Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 17,556.
The city of Cortland, near the county's western ...
, from 1912 to 1977. It was founded as Brockway Carriage Works in 1875 by William Brockway. His son George Brockway later turned the carriages into a truck manufacturer in 1909. The first trucks were high-wheelers. During World War I Brockway built 587 Class B Liberty trucks for the military. After the war they started a new range from 1-ton to 5-tons. They began with
Continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' (al ...
engines but switched to
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
in 1925. They bought the
Indiana Truck Corporation
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
in 1928 but were forced to sell it to
White Motor Company
The White Motor Company was an American automobile, truck, bus and agricultural tractor manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the compa ...
in the early years of the depression. A new range, the V1200 was offered from 1934 to 1937. The V1200 used a 240 horsepower V12
American LaFrance
American LaFrance (ALF) was an American vehicle manufacturer which focused primarily on the production of fire engines, fire aerials, and emergency apparatus such as ambulance and rescue vehicles. Originally located in Elmira, New York, the fin ...
engine and carried loads up to 15 tons.
During World War II Brockway manufactured the B666 heavy truck, including the B666 Daybrook M-II-A bridge erector and C666 Quick Way crane, as well as G547 and G690 6-ton 6×6 bridging trucks, part of a standard design series also built by
Corbitt Corbitt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Claude Corbitt (1915–1978), American baseball player
* Don Corbitt (1924–1993), American football player
* Gregory Corbitt (born 1971), Australian field hockey player
* Helen Corb ...
and
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
. G547 "Treadway" trucks had a large hoist on the rear for self-unloading, while the G690 chassis were fitted with "Quickway" cranes, also used in bridging operations.
The company was purchased by
Mack Trucks
Mack Trucks, Inc., is an American truck manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. Founded in 1900 as the Mack Brothers Company, it manufactured its first truck in 1905 and adopted its present name in 1922. Mack ...
Inc. in August 1956 and remained a division of Mack until its closing in June 1977. Mack cited "union troubles" for the closure.
All 6-ton military trucks (of all manufacturers) had Hercules HXD I6 gasoline engines, developing at 2150 rpm and of torque at 900 rpm.
Brockway commercial trucks primarily used
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
engines, though many were powered by
Detroit Diesel
Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the mulitinational Da ...
s. Some Brockway trucks were equipped with
inline six engines fitted with
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
2G (DualJet)
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
s.
There is a Brockway Truck show in Cortland each year with many events occurring at the official Brockway Museum located in Homer, NY at the Central New York Living History Center.
The
hood ornament
A hood ornament (or bonnet ornament in Commonwealth English), also called, motor mascot, or car mascot is a specially crafted model which symbolizes a car company like a badge, located on the front center portion of the hood. It has been used ...
used by Brockway was a
husky dog with pulling harness, thus giving Cortland the nickname of "Huskie Town USA".
A documentary about the trucks and the Brockway company is available from Wiffle Ball Productions in Cortland, New York.
References
External links
Brockway Truck Preservation Association
{{Trucking industry in the United States
Defunct truck manufacturers of the United States
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New York (state)
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1912
Companies disestablished in 1977
1912 establishments in New York (state)
Mack Trucks
Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York (state)
1956 mergers and acquisitions