The first All Marmon Truck Gathering was held at the Sunpower Travel Plaza in Denton, Texas, April 19-20. The show was the inspiration of Ken Matuszak, who owns the last Marmon ever built. The plant closed in 1997.

"We picked this spot because it was the site of a Border Cowboy truckstop back in the 1960s when the Marmon was made here in Denton before they moved the plant to Garland, Texas," he said.

Marmons were made in Texas from 1964 to 1997. Many were used for heavy-duty jobs around the world. They were virtually hand-built and included innovations like an all-bonded no-rivet sleeper and optional digital dashboard.

The show attracted not only over-the-road trucks but also a large number of former Marmon employees and transport drivers.

"I delivered these rigs all over the country at one time," Tom Ehrich, who used to work for Kenosha Auto Transport, said. "They were the Cadillac of trucks, that is for sure. You could get them with Allison Detroit V-12s, the big V-8 Cats and even the short-lived Allis Chalmers engines.

"They had a speedometer that would register up to a 100 miles an hour and do every bit of that. They were a little more expensive than the Peterbilts and Kenworths, but worth every penny because they were hand-built and would run forever," Ehrich said.

Matuszak said he was enthusiastic about the turnout and hopes for even a bigger gathering next year. "I am sure that when the word gets out that we are here a lot more Marmon owners will join us. We had two last-minute arrivals that were on a run with some heavy equipment. Anyone interested in the great rigs can give me a call at (972) 924-4204."