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Antique trucks roll into a new home

Brian Busby and Denis Corrin are two of the volunteers readying the B.C. Transport Heritage Centre for its first visitors.

Jennifer Lang photo

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By Jennifer Lang – Cloverdale Reporter

Published: July 25, 2012 7:00 AM

Updated: July 29, 2012 8:55 AM

It’s been a smooth move into a new home for the Surrey Heritage Society’s collection of vintage vehicles that will act as the foundation of a new transportation heritage centre in Cloverdale.

The trucks and associated hardware were relocated one and two at a time from their former home at the Teamsters Freight Museum in Port Coquitlam.

It took a month, says Paul Orazietti, society treasurer and true believer in the collective power of shared passions to create magic.

The society had been working since last fall to acquire and relocate the collection.

This May, the City of Surrey agreed to let the society use the former Surrey Museum building on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds as a temporary location, a decision that’s sparked the imagination of volunteers and supporters alike.

The B.C. Transport Heritage Centre isn’t quite ready to greet its first visitors from the public, but – once the final touches on renovations are complete and occupancy permits are in place – that day isn’t far off.

“A building comes back to life,” Orazietti said. “And, it’s all been done by volunteers.”

So far, the newly-dubbed BC Transport Heritage Centre consists of 18 medium-sized freight vehicles. Fourteen are completely restored.

The trucks range from a 1912 Shell tanker and a 1931 Maple Leaf flatbed to a 1977 BC Tel service truck (still sporting an authentic Harvest Gold paint job).

They’re all squeezed into the former auditorium. It’s a snug fit.

Orazietti said the Lark Group undertook the necessary renovations, which included removing some interior walls and closing in a mezzanine that will be used for storage.

On a recent morning, two volunteers were fashioning a wooden frame for the mural that was saved from destruction as part of the renovations as well as  completing other finishing touches.

“I’ve been interested in old equipment all my life,” said Brian Busby, a retired truck driver and life-long Cloverdalian.

Many of the vehicles are from the Bob King collection, a colourful trucking company owner whose wife eventually donated them to B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett.

Between 1987 and 1992, they were on view in Cloverdale as part of the former B.C. Transportation Museum. The return to Cloverdale of the King collection is a chance for retired school teacher Denis Corrin to reconnect with memories of an earlier time.

When he was 15, he worked in the office of one of King’s trucking companies.

“I rode a bike because I was too young to drive,” he recalled.

“Later, I drove for some people who bought some of these old trucks,” he said, explaining how he drove trucks for nine years, including while he attended university.

Over the years, he kept track of some of the old freight trucks – along with some driven by a friend.

His favourite is the Canadian-built 1935 Maple Leaf, a robust, brick red number with a wooden flat deck, saucer-shaped headlights and stylish ovoid grill.

Nostalgia, he admitted, plays a role, too.

“This was the era that was on the farm and older,” he said. “They have character. You can identify one from another. Vehicles today,” he sighed, “They all look the same.”

Busby and Corrin are just two of the volunteers who have stepped forward, eager to lend their time, expertise, and passion.

Orazietti said as word has spread about the return of the trucks, more people have offered to get involved.

“That’s where the magic comes from,” Orazietti said.

“All of this gives people a reason to come together, to take care of part of our history.”

The renovations have cost about $25,000, covered thanks to fundraising, work in kind, and private donations.

Cobra Electric paid for the roll up door. Unitow and Partel Towing helped move the vehicles, he said.

“There’s a real passion to take care of these vehicles and find a proper home for them.”

The City of Surrey agreed to allow the Surrey Heritage Society to use the building – on the understanding that the society will look for a permanent home down the road.

“Now we have a home for the heritage society, we can start to fundraise and do other projects,” Orazietti said. “It’s a base.”

The society has had to close the garage door on new acquisitions for now. But already there have been serious offers from private collectors who would consider donating if there was a permanent display space.

“That’s why this thing has enormous potential.”

The society, which is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of heritage assets in the City of Surrey, also envisions working as an umbrella organization with other heritage groups.

Surrey Heritage Society members – who include prominent local businessman Bruno Zappone – believe acquiring the collection will be a good fit for Cloverdale, and bolster the historic town centre as a heritage destination.

Some of the trucks will be on display during the 9th annual Cloverdale Blueberry Festival Aug. 4. Locations include 56A Avenue at 176 Street, Brick Yard Station, and possibly Clover Square Village.

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Antique Trucks Make the Drive Back to Cloverdale

Posted: Aug 6, 2012 11:06 AM | Last Updated: Aug 8, 2012 05:15 PM

A red Maple Leaf truck, part of the new transportation centre in Cloverdale. Photo courtesy of : Jennifer Lang/Cloverdale Reporter

A red Maple Leaf truck, part of the new transportation centre in Cloverdale. Photo courtesy of : Jennifer Lang/Cloverdale Reporter

SURREY, BC — Eighteen antique trucks moved from Port Coquitlam to a new home in Cloverdale, according to the Cloverdale Reporter. The trucks are part of the Surrey Heritage Society’s vintage vehicles collection and will be part of a new transportation centre in Cloverdale, B.C.

The trucks had once been part of the former B.C. Transportation Museum, but that was between 1987 and 1992. Now, the trucks are making their way back to Cloverdale, as part of the B.C. Heritage Transportation Centre.

The trucks range from a 1912 Shell tanker and a 1931 Maple Leaf flatbed to a 1977 BC Tel service truck. And after all those years, the 1977 BC Tel service truck still sports an authentic Harvest Gold paint job.

“This was the era that was on the farm and older,” said Dennis Corrin, a retired school teacher who worked in one of the offices of King’s trucking companies at age 15.

“They have character. You can identify one from another. Vehicles today, they all look the same.”

Many of the 18 vehicles are from King’s collection.

Corrin’s favourite antique truck is the Canadian-built 1935 Maple Leaf.

Paul Orzietti, the Surrey Heritage Society’s treasurer, said word of the trucks’ return is spreading and attracting many passionate volunteers like Corrin.

“That’s where the magic comes from,” Orazietti said. “All of this gives people a reason to come together, to take care of part of our history.”

Already, private collectors have shown interest in donating if there was a permanent display space for the trucks.

“There’s a real passion to take care of these vehicles and find a proper home for them,” Orazietti said.

But, due to renovations, the B.C. Heritage Transportation Centre is not ready to open its doors to visitors just yet. So the City of Surrey agreed to lend the former Surrey Museum building to the Society until the centre’s renovations are complete.

Moving the trucks from their old home at the Teamsters Freight Museum was slow; the trucks were moved one or two at a time, and Orzietti said it took a month to move the trucks.

The society has been working since last fall to acquire and relocate the collection. Out of the 18 vehicles, 14 are fully restored.

Some of the trucks will be on display during the 9th annual Cloverdale Blueberry Festival Aug. 4.

Read the full story here.

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Lease approved for Cloverdale antique truck museum

BY AMY REID, NOW STAFF MAY 30, 2012

The Surrey Heritage Society has been working on a plan to open a BC Heritage Transportation Centre in vacant space on the Cloverdale fairgrounds.

The Surrey Heritage Society has been working on a plan to open a BC Heritage Transportation Centre in vacant space on the Cloverdale fairgrounds.

Photograph by: SUBMITTED , for Surrey NOW

SURREY – Surrey Heritage Society was granted a lease for the old Surrey museum during a council meeting Monday.

The society intends to open a BC Heritage Transportation Centre in the vacant space on the Cloverdale fairgrounds. The transportation museum will showcase 14 to 18 trucks, ranging in age from 1914 to the 1950s, which belong to the Teamsters union.

Surrey council approved a five-year lease agreement for the space, at $24,000 per year, during Monday’s meeting.

The agreement stipulates that the city may terminate the agreement with 60 days notice and the society is responsible for utilities, maintenance, security and insurance.

Bill Reid, who is on the board of directors of Surrey Heritage Society, said the society will apply for grants from the city to cover lease costs.

“We’re happy to get what we got,” Reid said Tuesday.

Reid said the society will be looking for a more permanent home. “We’re working on that,” he said.

The society has been working on the museum since last September and has raised close to $20,000, which will pay for the necessary renovations of the facility, including a 12-foot roll-up overhead door to allow for the trucks to go in and out of the building. Reid said the hope is to have the museum open to the public by the weekend of June 30 and July 1.

Paul Orazietti, treasurer of the Surrey Heritage Society, believes the exhibit will be a tremendous boost to Cloverdale and the entire city.

“Adding a collection of B.C. antique freight trucks to Cloverdale will broaden the City of Surrey’s historic assets, which will create a stronger attraction for the existing Surrey Museum and the future Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society collection,” Orazietti said.

Surrey council approved the society’s proposal to use the space on April 2, despite staff recommendations to deny it.

A staff report to council at the time said the proposed facility is not considered to be permanent, as it may be demolished to make way for redevelopment in the next few years. The report also says specialized museums often have limited audience appeal, making it difficult to develop a solid business case for such centres.

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Cloverdale Reporter – Community

Car buff pumps up Cloverdale heritage

Cloverdale’s Harold Wellenbrink built this replica Shell service station in his back yard.

Jennifer Lang photo

By Jennifer Lang – Cloverdale Reporter

Published: October 03, 2012 1:00 PM

Updated: October 03, 2012 2:06 PM

Classic car collector Harold Wellenbrink, 79, has created a replica Shell service station in the quiet back yard of his Cloverdale home, just a few blocks from Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary.

On Sept. 27, he and his wife Myrna hosted the Surrey Heritage Society’s monthly meeting. It was a chance for members to feast their eyes on a genuine Cloverdale hidden gem – and get down to business. The society acquired a fleet of vintage vehicles and freight trucks from the Teamsters Truck Museum earlier this year, and is working to open the B.C. Transportation Heritage Centre to the public.

Wellenbrink is a Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society Hall of Famer who’s spent the last 60 years collecting and restoring cars and related memorabilia and collectibles.

He’s big fan of the 1950s and ‘60s custom car era.

“I’ve done it all my life.”

These days, he’s down to just two classic cars – a 1952 Hudson Wasp and the 1952 Meteor Custom cruiser, “Cool Blue” – and they’re beauts.

He’s been car crazy since he was in his teens, and purchased his first vehicle. He grew up on a dairy farm near Campbell River and worked for Telus (formerly B.C. Tel) until his retirement.

TruckClubFundDonation.jpgThe gas station only took a year to build. He says he had two choices – go with Shell or B.A. (British America, which used a lot of red, white and blue in its branding). A coin toss settled it. Shell it was.

“I’ve got quite a Shell collection here,” he said, pausing to show off the contents of an impressive collection of Shell memorabilia, safeguarded inside a converted gas pump that was lit up like a Christmas tree, adding to the warm glow of the station’s interior.

“I’ve added to it,” he said, referring to his collection. “It’s got a real history.”

Wellenbrink is a customizer, someone who can work magic on old machines, including upholstery.

“I’ve done gas pumps all over the place – and pop machines, and other things.”

And if he can’t do the work himself, chances are he knows someone who can.

“Guys come here that want me to build something for ‘em. They bring me a picture and I build it, really,” he says. “I’m lucky. I’m one of these guys who does all this stuff.”

His tidy gas station has everything a proper pit stop should, from vintage road maps from the era of the family road trip, to a pinball machine, working jukebox, and a ‘50s-style A & W diner, complete a counter and with a brown and orange-uniformed mannequin ready to take your order. You half expect a plate of fries to appear out of nowhere. (The only thing missing is the Root Bear.)

The evening was also a fundraiser for the Surrey Heritage Society. Society treasurer Paul Orazietti says the next step is to open the collection to the public, once the society’s office and exhibition space are set up at the former Surrey Museum space at 176 Street and 60 Avenue on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

http://raven.b-it.ca/portals/uploads/cloverdale/.DIR288/wShellDisplayCase-BJ-0ct2.jpg[Boaz Joseph photo]

The society, dedicated to the preservation and conservation of heritage assets in the city, will also work to raise its profile by hosting its monthly meetings at different locales of heritage importance in Cloverdale and the rest of Surrey.

“Ultimately this [society] needs to advocate, and raise money for conservation and preservation,” Orazietti said.

“This, here, is one of a number of tours that will happen that have to do with heritage. So all of this now will take place in different parts of the city, with a different heritage theme.”

The society has talked about holding a ‘Great Gatsby’-themed fundraiser in April, and possibly hosting a car show at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

“The whole idea behind it is to promote the area and the history of Surrey,” Orazietti said. “We are coming out of it from Cloverdale because the greatest number of assets are here, but the goal is to make it broader.”