Alcan highway and old IH dozers

GeneMO · Dec 19, 2012

I was watching the history channel last night and they had a segment called History of us or something like that. Anyway they were talking about the building of the Alaska highway during WWII and were showing some pretty good "re-enacted" segments of black troops driving an IH dozer. It was a re enactment, but they also showed some old B&W stills of old crawlers.

Anyone else catch that?

Gene

riverbend · Dec 19, 2012

We don't watch TV, but my Dad had a story about him and another guy driving two tankers of fuel up to the guys who were building the Alcan.

They left their base in Arkansaw (Fort Smith ?), one would lead until he couldn't see any more. The second guy would take the lead and they kept going. Once they got to the end of the road, they unloaded and headed back.

Different times.

Greg

JimB2 · Dec 19, 2012

Hi, I didn't see the show but will have to watch for re-runs. My Dad's cousin was in the communications section of the CND Air Force during WWII and he worked on Alaska Hwy. Their job was to string the communication lines along the Hwy as the US Army built the road way. He had many tales of equipment breaking down and it just being pushed into the bush or muskeg off the side of the road.

JimB

Va Gasman · Dec 19, 2012

Yes I saw that segment also. my parents have traveled that hwy on 2 trips and they said there were still abandoned equipment there in the 80's left off the side of the road.

GP Hansen · Dec 20, 2012

I"ve been up the Alaskan hiway and it seems each town along the way has it"s own equipment museum from the equipment left along the 1200 mile hiway. Many of them are painted up real nice and still running.

Dave_Id · Dec 20, 2012

My dad worked on the Al-Can highway I think in '41 or '42. He worked on a crew that was installing telephone poles. It paid pretty good money. But away from Ma for quite a while. Everytime he would come home, another baby was in the making. My older brother turns 70 this month.

BigMarv1085 · Dec 20, 2012

I saw a movie of them building the highway but they were using cat D8's, it showed 6 side by side pushing up the road and said they would keep them running continuousy in the winter time cause it was so cold they couldn't get them to restart.

Alcan highway and old IH dozers

GeneMO

Well-known Member

riverbend

Well-known Member

JimB2

Well-known Member

Va Gasman

Member

GP Hansen

Member

Dave_Id

Well-known Member

BigMarv1085

Member

Similar threads