Rugged plow truck suits Cornwall

CORNWALL — A plan to beat the worst that winter can throw out was approved by town officials this month. The town will buy a 1967 Walter Snow-Fighter from the town of Salisbury.That year is no typo. Cornwall Highway Department Foreman Jim Vanicky saw an ad for the workhorse truck. If it was in good condition, he thought it would be just the thing for plowing heavy snowfall in remote parts of town. On March 4, he explained his plan to the Board of Selectmen, which approved the purchase. He went to the Board of Finance March 14, giving members a detailed explanation of what is commonly called a “tractor truck,” how it is the right equipment for the job and its condition. Salisbury replaced everything but the cab and converted it to diesel fuel, and expert advice he sought said it is a solid truck. It comes with two plows: an 11-footer and a much-needed 10-foot wing plow. When this model was last made in 1995, it would have cost $183,000 to replace.“I went to look at it expecting to see a rusted heap,” Vanicky said. “I was amazed. Salisbury took very good care of it. There is nothing it needs.”He passed around an iPad showing photos. Even the original cab looks good.Finance board members Jack Preston, who knows trucks, and Earl Brecher, who fills in when extra plow drivers are needed, had a lot of questions that were satisfactorily answered. When Vanicky quoted the asking price of $10,000, both men without hesitation said, “Buy it!”The Walter Motor Truck Co. has been around since 1911. The Snow-Fighter and variations for construction work hark back to the 1930s. They were 5- to 7-ton, 130hp behemoths advertised to have four-point positive drive and 100 percent traction. Preston said a version of the Snow-Fighter is still produced and sold to airports as runway plows.Vanicky said it is believed Salisbury bought the truck because of the heavy snows of 1969. The difficulties of dealing with narrow roads and hilly terrain during storms has not changed. Right now, he mounts the wing plow on the road grader. It saves wear and tear on the front line plow trucks, but he doesn’t want to risk the grader, which is critical to summer road work. It is also difficult to handle, and doesn’t allow for what is really a two-man operation when using a wing plow.A wing plow’s advantage is its flexibility. It can be used in tight spots, or expanded for wider passes. Its wings can be folded to create a bucket to scoop and stack snow.“It’s tricky in the grader,” Vanicky said. “You have to watch trees and cars and poles and the wing plow at the same time. With the Walter, it’s safer for workers and property. The other problem is that the top speed for the grader, on a flat road, is 20 mph. It takes a long time to get it to some of the more remote roads and up steep hills. It’s the most impractical thing we can use.”First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said there is more than $100,000 in the truck line item in the capital spending account. The town crew has been saving money by working to get more life out of older trucks. “No one wants to buy new trucks right now because new emission equipment on diesels is causing a lot of breakdowns. There is also a penchant by manufacturers to use plastic parts. We have a well-maintained truck fleet. The biggest thing a town can do for everyone is to keep the roads open. This is a prudent, inexpensive way to do that.”The truck, already nicknamed by Vanicky as “Big Wally,” has one issue: The title burned in the Salisbury Town Hall fire in 1985. Vanicky said it is a problem if the truck is sold to a private owner. But a title is not needed to transfer ownership between municipalities.