While driving in Surrey, BC one day, I noticed a board with the letters ‘BC Vintage Truck Museum’ on the side of the road. I made a mental to visit it sometime. That sometime finally came up last month when I drove over there on a weekend. The Museum is located in the historic neighborhood of Cloverdale.
The Museum building itself looks very nondescript from the outside with a few vintage cars parked near the entrance. I walked inside the glass doors and tried to find a reception area, which, I was soon told by a friendly old man, did not exist. I was directed to donate the ticket amount in a box kept there.
From here I walked into the first main hall which had a number of trucks. There were a few families here. Some teenagers in groups too. As I was strolling here I found a man who was working on a oil company truck from the 1930s. He gave me a quick overview of the history of these vehicles and also gave me a good introduction of the kind of trucks there in the Museum and from which periods. Ill share more pics than text as they give a better ‘picture’ of what they have. Most of their trucks are from the 1920s to 40s time. The oldest one I remember was sometime in the 1890s if I am not wrong. There are lots of companies I have never heard of, like Federal and White for example. The trucks have been painstakingly restored and showcased here. It was admirable to see the passion and effort involved in this work. Its to be noted that the entire work and the Museum are entirely volunteer based which makes it even more impressive.
From this section I walked past more trucks and into the next section where the trucks were smaller, relatively. Here another volunteer, a friendly old man, again shared some interesting stories of the exhibits and the amount of work that goes into restoring these beauties.
Finally I emerged out into the space from where I started and here I saw my favorite exhibit, a steam powered car. It was fascinating to see. Steam is difficult to handle but I have seen what steam can accomplish as I have worked in a steam based coal power plant.
Finally, while leaving I noticed this list which works as a handy checklist for kids. It would have been great if I had noticed this list before starting my visit. I took a copy for next time! Overall it was an informative visit. Though I couldn’t grasp all the info on offer I was, while walking out, definitely more informed than I was while walking in.
Their website could use some designing and layout corrections.