Bill Signs Trucking · truckin24

Developing this tractor of Bill Signs Trucking from San Diego, California was, besides all the other developments for Revell, the absolute highlight. For 18 days (March 2000) I was allowed to stay on the West Coast, a whole week of it on the premises of the heavy-haul company. During that time I photographed and measured the Peterbilt 359 completely. Although Revell had not planned a heavy-haul trailer, I measured that one as well.

It was hot, very hot. I stood in the sun all day, wearing only a cap, a shirt and shorts. But I had to get through it.

And fire trucks kept driving past me in the background. They were rushing to the nearby brush fires, whose smoke clouds I could see.

More pictures of the Peterbilt 359 tractor called Clyde II can be found here in the archive

Unfortunately, Revell never realized the Kalyn-Siebert trailer, which would have been a perfect match for the tractor. It would also not have been as expensive as the cargo, a Caterpillar scraper. So the Peterbilt 359, nicknamed Clyde II, always stayed solo. Copyright: Nils Jansen

Back in the office, my first task was to turn all the sketches with the dimensions into technical drawings for the tool shop. At the same time, after work and at weekends, I built a prototype, or hand-built sample model, for the Nuremberg Toy Fair. For this I once again used the existing Peterbilt tractor, whose item number I will never forget: 07410.

For the packaging I also created an illustration. It was made using various techniques: airbrush, brush, pencils and scratchboard.

For those of you who would like to build the trailer yourselves, I can offer drawings as PDFs.

1. Dolly, drawn in 1:25 scale

The drawing above shows the dolly with the gooseneck. In the picture on the left you can see what is meant. The gooseneck can be uncoupled, which allows the load to be driven onto the trailer. More pictures in the archive.

2. Loading platform, drawn in 1:25 scale

The loading platform of the Kalyn-Siebert trailer can carry 80 t, which is enough to transport wheel loaders, bulldozers and scrapers. There are also plenty of original photos of this platform in the archive.

3. Booster, drawn in 1:25 scale

The booster, with its eight pairs of wheels, carries a large part of the trailer's total weight. Unlike, for example, the high-tech heavy-haul trailers here in Europe from Nooteboom, Scheuerle, Faymonville and others, the Kalyn-Siebert still works purely mechanically, i.e. without electronics. Pictures in the archive.