The Rebuilding of the Original First Hess Truck

The truck (a 1936 1/2 Chevy high cab) was the very first truck that Mr. Hess himself drove around Woodbridge, NJ in the early days. In those days it was not gasoline he hauled, it was primarily heating fuel oil. The truck remained in service up into the early fifties at which time it underwent a partial overhaul. When I met the truck it had spent the last twenty something years in the HOVIC (Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corp) plant in the US Virgin Islands being used as a prop. The unit, as a result of being subjected to years of salt air and a hurricane or two (one being Hurricane Hugo), was in EXTREME disrepair to say the least. The engine would run, however the poured rod bearings were knocking very bad. When we pulled the truck into the shop for disassembly the windshield and part of the cab just fell into pieces. This was a complete overhaul right down to cutting the rivets, splitting the frame rails, and hand riveting them back together. I feel this is one of the finest restoration jobs I have ever been involved with and I am very proud of it. The truck (fully functional) is now destined to be displayed at the Hess headquarters in Woodbridge, N.J. and could haul fuel today.

Bill Tabbert

1961 Texaco North Dakota Toy Tanker

In late fall of 1961 Texaco introduced the SS Texaco North Dakota Tanker Ship at their stations for the holiday season. The 27" scale model tanker runs on "C" batteries and is highly detailed after the original ship. All in plastic this toy caught the eye of the kids with the outstanding decals, details and eye catching colors sold extremely well at the stations.

The radar dish was a nice feature but it was far from kid proof. It was not match for small hands and was so broken or lost.

The rear of the tanker displayed where the headquarters was in Wilmington Delaware. The ship also had a working rudder as you can see in the picture.

Check out the great detailing on the bow of the ship showing the draft markings.

The upper deck is where the motor controls are. The one thing that Texaco did not think of and would have made a great feature was that the wheels on the bottom of the tanker do not roll. How cool would it have been to have a motorized tanker that sailed across the floor?

The set came with the ship, box, cardboard packing and booklet. All these items are a must have for the collector who is looking for a "mint condition" collectible.

1980 Hess Training Van & Service Certificate

 

Featured here is the popular Hess Training Van. It is the 14th edition in the series of Hess trucks that was produced by the Amerada Hess Company since 1964. The van is a replica of the actual training van used to conduct field training seminars on customer service at HESS gasloline stations. After you were trained you recieved a certificate and plastic card. Hess has always maintained a high level of service and cleanliness at all their stations. It would not be odd for you to go to any of the stations and see a crew painting the pump island or washing the windows. All these examples were part of the training.

Louis Marx’s Ash Tray

On May 9th, 1971 – after 50 years of banking with Chase bank – Louis Marx received a Tiffany’s production ash tray.
Nearly 40 years later, Rusty and Kathy Kern, publishers of Playset Magainze, donated this one-of-a-kind piece for display at the MTM. It’s just one of many unique pieces on display at the Marx Toy Museum.

Marx Toy Mueseum Releases LOUIS MARX Statuette

A 60mm statuette, made in the likeness of toy manufacturer Louis Marx, is an authentic and exclusive issue from the Marx Toy Museum of Moundsville, West Virginia.
The statuette is cast from the ORIGINAL molding tool used at the Glen Dale, WV factory during the 1950’s. At that time, the figure was produced in a white, hard plastic as a promotional item for Marx retail accounts, friends, and colleagues.
Today, many of the original production figures exist in the collections of Marx enthusiasts.
The MTM offers the Louis Marx Statuette for purchase in cream, gray, and white soft plastic for $25.00 each for non-members and $18.00 each for members of any level.
Statuette is available in BLUE with a Collector's Level MTM Membership for $100. Available in SILVER with a Supporter's Level MTM Membership of $250. And available in GOLD with a Membership to the Louis Marx Society.

Santa Visits Marx Factory

 

In December 1971, at the height of the Christmas toy production rush, a likely visitor -- Santa Claus -- made an appearance at the Marx factory.
Over the years, a number of photos have surfaced of the jolly old elf's visits to the Marx factory; one features women on a Glen Dale assembly line constructing tractor trailers.
During the recent Marx Employee Weekend, some additional photos were added to the series, including the photo at right, which shows Helen Cuchta demonstrating to Santa exactly how she puts the wheels on the truck.
Helen worked at the Marx factory from 1969 until the factory was shuttered. She worked as a "spinner," placing the wheels on trucks and crimping the axles. She would typically transfer to the plastics department during the seasonal 'layoff' period. In 1980, after Marx closed, she worked for Fostoria Glass, also located in Moundsville.

2006 Hess Truck & Helicopter Commercials - 2 in one video