Saunders Hauling

[K W 900]

K W 900 this is my truck six weeks after I left Saunders. Darrell Lowes sent this to me after the accident. Fred B and Jack L met on a corner and smashed and went off the road. I'm not sure Hank but truck # 529 you put up smashed up may of been the other truck that hit my old Kenworth they were both Saunders trucks.

 

[Hank R]

Some of them boys up there were hard on paint. post # 145

 

[skadill]

Highway truck

KW,took these 4 years ago

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 this picture was taken in 1982 in front of the Saunders shop in the yard. One of the many off road trucks that were there when I was working there. The yard was full of logging trucks at that time we were busy every day ...long days too. We had a large number of Hayes trucks and Kenworth trucks in the yard then.

 

[John Shipp]

Kw900 I sure wish trucks were made today that looked as good as that last one you've posted. Not covered in frills and plastic curves, just a solid looking machine. Thanks for posting. John

 

[Hank R]

K W 900 did you get a truck # from the one with you standing beside??? How many truck were there when it was full speed ahead.

 

[K W 900]

More pictures in my file working on getting them ready to post.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 The highway truck was my new one and I had it till I left Saunders. the number of that one was #532. The off road truck I can"t remember the number of it. you couldn"t haul logs fast enough in 1980 things were booming in logging.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 Just wondered if any of the guys worked up in Kitimat in the early 80"s when I was there. Not sure if you know of any but maybe you do. Hope to get talking to someone from that time I was there. Blk Prince sounds like you may of been up there at some point. I worked with guys from all over B C they came and went all the time.

 

[Blk prince]

KW 900, hello sir. I have followed your posts. I was not up north and never worked for the Saunders group. My good friend A Schwemler was in Kemano pulling "doubles". I did all my driving on Van Isl. couple other fellows were there also,Marty Dunn and fellow know as Duart. Maybe these are in your name bank. My father-in-law was Bill Brown from Duncan. He worked for Saunders in Kelsey Bay driving chunk truck and had ground man name of Owen Evans and another fellow name of Doug Lloyd. Sad but the last three are no longer with us. Bp

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 Ok I worked with Owen Evans in Kitimat for Saunders. this picture is of Owen"s off road when it hit an ice patch on a switchback and slid over the edge with a load on and rolled over. He got a bump on the head and was ok, his wife said just to add it to all the other bumps he had up there lol. Owen retired when I was working for Saunders but was always around the shop, I guess he missed the good company and the guys we were always doing something to make him laugh at us. He had a good retirement till I left and I think he was about 68 then but came to the shop and talked to Ernie Hadley and have a coffee he would be there days when I stopped at the shop for a repair and we would sit and talk while my truck was being fixed. "" Good memories""

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 this is another picture of Owen Evans off road the day it rolled over. He said when it rolled he hit the floor and waited till things quit rockin lol.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 I know we had a few roll overs but I never got to most of them to take pictures. Some of the places they loaded you at they pulled you up with a straw line held you there and loaded you up and cut you loose. Well when they cut you loose man you were going down the hill as soon as you were off that straw line, we called it a controlled skid going down till you got it to where it got traction and would slow down on it"s own . "" crazy but fun"" this is me and Ernie Waters in the picture.

 

[Hank R]

Great pictures and story to go along. Thanks for sharing.

 

[lowbed driver]

View attachment 161402

K W 900 this is my truck six weeks after I left Saunders. Darrell Lowes sent this to me after the accident. Fred B and Jack L met on a corner and smashed and went off the road. I'm not sure Hank but truck # 529 you put up smashed up may of been the other truck that hit my old Kenworth they were both Saunders trucks.

529 was driven by my buddy John Johnson that day. He hit ice and off the road he went. Just talked to Darrell Lowes an hour ago, he is still around. I know a lot of the other guys you mentioned as well in an earlier post.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 Hey lowbed driver you can tell John Johnson and Derrall Lowes that Rodger Wilson is still around ha ha. I am retired and have my own Peterbuilt still in the driveway. Not Driving now just doing truck shows to see all the guys. Ernie Waters is about an hour away and still driving at 68 haulin gravel with a gravel train. They will remember us I"m sure nightmares are hard to forget lol. Nice of you to let me know about the guys thank you.

 

[K W 900]

529 was driven by my buddy John Johnson that day. He hit ice and off the road he went. Just talked to Darrell Lowes an hour ago, he is still around. I know a lot of the other guys you mentioned as well in an earlier post.

Hi lowbed driver, the light bulb came on last night thinking about what you said. I may of been there when John Johnson rolled the 529 truck. there were two western star trucks Jack Lavall had one and John had the other. I remember John calling on the radio for help. he was coming back from Tarrace and hit snow and slush around Lake Else and rolled into the swamp. His arm was pinned between the door post and the steering wheel and he couldn"t get out. A few minutes later he called and said hurry boys she"s sinking in the swamp the water is coming in. I never saw the truck only the wheels facing the road nobody was there when I went by. I got to the Saunders shop and there was John and Ernie Hadley talking in the office. Well John saw me and said did you here about my near death experience in the swamp. There he was soaking wet with a horse blanket around him to keep warm and a chunk of a fern sticking out the back of his hair.Well I knew he was ok but I broke out laughing his hands were going and Ernie Said I"ve herd the story 6 times now and he laughed. Now every time I hear the song by Johnny Cash How high's the water Mama 6 feet high and rising I think of John Johnson to this day.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 I found one of Saunders old letter heads in my stuff from the 80's I guess you guys will remember them. not sure if they still have the same ones or not now. Got a box with some stuff from when I was out there.

 

[K W 900]

K W 900 Kitimat river area Eurocan tower crew on the move. Sorry about the typing guys my computer is not the best.

 

[K W 900]

madill on the way to the next landing.