MORELAND

Moreland Motor Truck Co. (1911-1941)
Burbank, California

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (1925-c1932)    mjs
Size: 153mm wide 43mm high    MM: None

Watt Moreland had left the Durocar Manufacturing Company in 1908 with plans to build a four-cylinder automobile but he decided to produce trucks and it was this business that achieved success. By 1912, Moreland had built over 200 trucks and six touring cars for Moreland factory use.

The Moreland Motor Truck Company was one of the more important West Coast truck companies and Moreland trucks were innovative pacesetters, introducing six-wheelers, lightweight construction and diesel power. The first Moreland trucks were made in 1-1/2-ton, 3-ton, 3-1/2-ton and 5-ton sizes. 

By 1924, the largest model was a 6-ton truck and in that year Moreland began to build six-wheelers, the first of which was a bus chassis for double-decker bodies for up to 60-passengers. This massive vehicle did not go into production but Moreland did continue to develop the six-wheeler concept and introduced a big TX6 truck in 1925. This was claimed by Moreland to be the first six-wheeler vehicle in America and was offered in 10-ton and 6-ton sizes. The six-wheeler resulted in increased orders in America and overseas. The Moreland Roadrunner light delivery truck was popular through the 1920's.

Moreland widened its range of commercial vehicles over the years including smaller trucks, refrigerated units and trailers. The best year for Moreland was 1929 with about 1,000 trucks, buses and trailers delivered but thereafter the Depression severely affected sales and production figures fell with less than 40 units a year produced in the mid-1930's. 

Merger negotiations with Fageol began in 1931 but no agreement was reached. Towards the end of the 1930's specialist bodywork became Moreland's main business with trucks being custom-built to order. Truck production ceased in 1941 and Moreland became a parts/service operation thereafter.

Emblems

The first Moreland trucks were chain driven cab over engine models with the radiator acting as a dash. These early Moreland trucks had a cast iron radiator, which displayed the "Moreland" name cast into the ribbed header tank top. However, original period photos of early Moreland trucks are limited and show a license plate mounted on the top front of the radiator, thereby hiding the emblem, see examples shown below:

Post card showing early Moreland truck   ebay

Close up showing license plate over radiator tank top

The following original period photo of a Moreland truck shows the "Moreland" name displayed on a nameplate mounted on the chassis side frame member:

Moreland truck & chassis frame nameplate (date uncertain) worthpoint

By 1916, the Moreland truck had a hood and a surviving, restored Moreland Model N 3-4-ton truck has the "Moreland" name painted in an arc across the top front of the radiator tank top, see below. However, I cannot confirm whether this was how it was painted originally or if this was only painted at the time of restoration.

Moreland Model N truck with painted emblem (1916) pnwtm 

By about 1918, Moreland truck advertisements displayed the "Moreland" name within an oval surround, as indicated on the cover of the "Transportation the Moreland Way" magazine, see example shown below:

 

Transportation magazine (1918) calishere

Detail showing Moreland truck with emblem & logo (1918)

The following surviving 1919 Moreland truck has the Moreland oval logo painted on the radiator, but this may not be original:

Moreland truck with painted emblem (1919)   hatm

It is more likely that the Moreland truck carried an oval shaped radiator emblem from about 1919 and possibly earlier, see a different 1919 surviving Moreland truck shown below, which carries a large oval painted cast metal Moreland radiator emblem:

Moreland truck with cast radiator emblem (1919)   forum.studebakerdriversclub

This oval shaped Moreland radiator emblem is shown on Moreland advertisements in 1920, see example shown below:

Moreland truck ad with emblem (1920)
Los Angeles Times

This is the painted cast metal Moreland radiator emblem shown below, inscribed "Made in California U.S.A.". This Moreland radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Moreland rad emblem (c1919-1920)  ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This Moreland radiator emblem was changed later in 1920 to a similar emblem inscribed "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.", see examples shown below:

Moreland truck with new radiator emblem (1920)    flickr

Moreland radiator with cast emblem (c1920)   lktec

Moreland truck with cast emblem (1925) pnwtm

This is the painted cast metal radiator emblem shown below. This Moreland radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (c1920-1925)    lktec
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

From 1925, there was a change to an oval shaped vitreous enamel Moreland radiator emblem, see Moreland brochure cover shown below:

Moreland truck brochure (1925-1926)  ebay

Original Moreland truck photos indicate that this radiator emblem continued in use until about 1932.

There were two sizes of this blue and white vitreous enamel Moreland radiator emblem, see examples shown below. These Moreland radiator emblems are scarce.

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (1925-c1932)    mjs
Size: 202mm wide 58mm high   MM: None

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (1925-c1932)   mjs
Size: 153mm wide 43mm high    MM: None

From about 1932, there was a change to a smaller chrome metal, oval shaped Moreland radiator emblem in a die cast chrome mounting located immediately below the hood ornament, see examples shown below:

Moreland truck with small oval radiator emblem (1933) jon scherff

Moreland radiator emblem & mounting (c1933-1941)  lktec

This is the chrome metal Moreland radiator emblem shown below. This Moreland radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (c1933-1941)    mjs
Size: 83mm wide 38mm high   MM: None

The following painted cast aluminum Moreland emblem is a mystery:

This is a Moreland radiator emblem (dates unknown)  lktec
Size: 165mm wide 104mm high    MM: Unknown

If you can identify this Moreland emblem or can put more precise dates on any of the Moreland emblems shown above, please let me know, in order to update this post.