The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Old Dominion Stovebolt Society (MD, VA, West VA, DC, DE and PA) Truck heaven discovered today

I had to ride out in the Boondocks toward Buckingham today and couldn't help myself. There was no way to pass by this grand scene of trucks without stopping. A few years back, I went by this place and didn't stop because I knew nothing was to be sold. Last year, I had heard that the owner of the massive collection had passed, so this afternoon, I saw a man there and stopped in, He told me it was his Dad's collection that he had been adding to for years. (From trucks bought in the out west) I asked if he wanted to sell any and he didn't seem opposed to the idea but mentioned that he had no idea what his Dad had spent on the trucks. Most of them were International and Ford but I did see many Stovebolts as well. i only use my home PC to get on here so I'm not sure how to get pics from my phone loaded on here. I did send several pics to Sweet so maybe he can share some footage if I'm not Successful . I am planning to return to this incredible sight again because the owner seemed very friendly and open to me returning. He has 2 large buildings full of Jewels as well as Trucks in the woods, in the bushes, lined up in the parking lot and a whole row of them that go out of sight over a hill. It was truly OLD TRUCK HEAVEN! I'm in hopes of getting a Coe but there were so many trucks there that trying to pick just one would be stressful.

Jim

I hope this works

Eye Candy

I love walking those types of places! They're very hard to find anymore.

Next time your're there ask if he would allow a group visit (maybe in the Fall after the first frost knocks the bee's and snakes down for the Winter), even if it's not for sale it's still fun to look at and take pictures.

Mike B

Jim, I agree with Mike, that looks like a cool place to walk through. Perhaps, even if we didn't buy anything we could even make a donation for his time to allow the ODSS to see his collection.
Nice find, thanks for sharing.

I'm surely going to ask if we could come and admire the collection. I'll be going back by there for work next week so I hope to see this nice man again. It is probably one of the largest collections left in the East. I have never seen some of these trucks before. Some were chain drive with massive chains to the rear wheels. I'm curious to see the what is hidden in the woods and over the hill.

Jim

Great idea, Billy! Another thought ...we could, as a group, offer to inventory the collection ... ? That would give us a excuse to crawl around the place and look at everything ... Might be as helpful as a donation ... I think within this group, we have the knowledge base to at least ID brand, model and (approximate) YOM. Maybe even differentiate between resto candidates, parts trucks and scrap metal. No valuations, though ...

That old Mack bears a strong resemblance to the one I learned to drive big rigs on. It was a late 1950's B-73 with a 262 Cummins engine and a 5X3 two stick transmission called a "Tri-Plex".
Jerry

I can't wait to go back. One of those massive machines in the building was a chain drive set-up at the rear wheels.From what I have seen so far, I got a feeling the smaller 1/2 and 3/4 ton stuff was not as important so it may be many more of them scattered through the woods.

I'm going to slip back to over to "Truck Heaven" on Saturday in hopes of catching up with the owner again !

Jim

I made it back to Truck heaven just before heading out to Cape Hatteras last week. I met the owners again and was allowed to browse the incredible collection again. These 2 brothers were very nice fellows and they showed me around their shop where, ofcourse, there were even more trucks. Their father collected all of these jewels and the 2 brothers are still operating a semi truck Business with several trucks on the road. They have one more building locked up full of toys that I didn't ask to see since they were busy servicing some of their semi trucks. They mentioned a rare Hertz 66 Mustang that is in the locked building. I mentioned my association to ODSS/Stovebolt.com and the interest in seeing the collection. I got a phone number this time and after the cold weather arrives and poison ivy dies, we should try to plan a trip over there. The owners are talking about a large auction next year after the Covid crap is over. This time I went across the street into another field with about 30 more incredible old trucks. I was drunk with admiration for this fine old collection. It is truly something unique to see !!

Jim

What is the general location of "truck heaven"?

I might be able to join the group in the visit.

The trucks are located close to Buckingham county, Va. About 1 hour away from Richmond, Va. I'm not sure if they are in Buckingham or Cumberland county

4-5 hour drive for me - not bad

New guy here, looking to find an old truck to restore... just wanted to bump up this thread in case there's a field trip still planned. I'm in Richmond and would love to see the place.

Captain, we did make a trip over there back in the spring of this year. There was a thread here with a lot of pictures and comments about our trip. I'm not sure how to retrieve it to show you the pics from out visit . Perhaps someone else will aid in presenting the thread that showed our great trip to the place ?????

Jim

Here's the post with a link to the photos.

Truck Heaven Photos