A Miller Family Tradition

There seems to be something about old trucks that brings families together. For the Miller family of Woodstock, VA, love for the tired iron started with father, M.D. Miller, and continues with his son Doug and daughter-in-law Laura. As you can see in the photo, they own a nice collection that includes, from left to right, a 1950 Diamond T 910R tractor, a 1948 Diamond T 201 pickup, and a 1975 cabover Marmon that pulls a 1976 Fruehauf step-deck trailer. When M.D. was a youngster pumping gas in West Virginia he fell in love with Diamond T trucks. About 30 years ago he started his collection by restoring the 1948 pickup that he’d used on his dairy farm when Doug was a kid. It was a frame-up restoration, complete with a new stake bed that M.D. built himself from an oak tree on his farm. Next came the Diamond T tractor that M.D. found on a farm in Wyoming more than 20 years ago and restored to its original glory. A veteran Marine who served in Korea, M.D. now has health problems that prevent him from driving. Fortunately, his son Doug, a heavy equipment and truck mechanic, has carried on the family tradition by adding his Marmon, affectionately known as “Bullwinkle the Big Brown Marmon Moose,” and his Fruehauf trailer to the collection. Doug customized the trailer for truck show duty by adding the dovetail at the back and a removable toolbox to the step-up on the deck so that both Diamond T’s could be loaded for transport. Although Doug now only drives his Marmon and its cargo to truck shows, he says, “Once you have a Marmon, you can’t go back.”