Back in the day, Kevin Lockwood enjoyed tinkering with Chevy Camaros but soon realized he wanted to combine his interest in vehicle restoration with his passion for local history.
One result is the nearly complete restoration of an Oshkosh 4-wheel- drive snowblower. But this isn’t just any old snowblower.
“It was at our Great Bend Army Air Field for its entire working life,” said Lockwood, Great Bend. “It came here during World War II when the air base opened in 1943.
“It was extremely cold with lots of snow that winter of 1943-44 and air crews needed to keep runways clear for takeoffs and landings.”
The air base was a site for pilot training on the B-29 bomber.
Lockwood bought the machine from the City of Great Bend at a surplus auction around the year 2000. It weighs 7-and-a-quarter tons and is equipped with a SNOGO attachment.
The truck sat in the back of Lockwood’s shop for years and restoration began in 2022.
“That’s when we turned the first wrench and started to take it apart,” recalled Lockwood who co-owns Parts Inc. with his brother, Kenton. “It was complete but, obviously, in a state of deterioration.
“Nevertheless, it was drivable and had brakes. The wood in the cab was rotten and had to be replaced with the help of a carpenter. We assessed both engines and took them apart to check that they were mechanically sound.”
Currently, Lockwood needs a few small components to finish the cab. But what he really has his eye out for is a SNOGO TU3 radiator from Dubuque, Iowa.
Marriage of past and present
“I have this passion for wrenching on vehicles and making things operate, while combining the history with the hands-on work,” Lockwood noted. “This machine has a tangible link to our county.
“I have a personal, sentimental purpose because of Great Bend,” he continued. “I want to bring to light this important part of World War II history. Even if you aren’t interested in history, this creates conversation about the air base.”
While some people realize the air field was a B-29 training ground, they may not be aware that about 6,500 soldiers, nurses, other hospital staff and support crews were assigned to the air base.
“There was the air field and a hospital here and these people came to Great Bend to serve their country,” Lockwood explained, noting some even made their homes here after the war.
At the recent Great Bend Airfest where the snowblower was on display, “there were more than a few eyebrows raised when people read the plaque that summarizes the machine’s history,” Lockwood said. “It is highly unusual to know the pedigree of something like this. It is the lone surviving vehicle associated with the air field.”
Once the restoration is fully complete, the truck could be available to the City in the event of a major snow storm. And Lockwood knows exactly who would operate it.
Terra Sanders
If a major snowstorm should hit Great Bend, Terra Sanders will most likely be in the driver’s seat to complement the City’s other snow removal efforts. She has decades of experience in her position as Operator II for Great Bend Airport where she has served the community for 32 years.
Sanders is the last person to operate the snowblower before the city sold it to Lockwood.
Because she is the go-to person for the truck, Lockwood named it after her. “Miss Terra” graces the driver’s side door.
“This means a lot to me,” Sanders said. “It is the biggest honor I have working for the City.”
The namesake recalls that she was 19 years old when she signed on with the City. Within a couple of hours of joining the Airport staff, Sanders was running a loader during a blizzard.
“This gives me a sense of pride,” she commented. “It was great starting out when I was younger and now, after all these years, I still love the job and the old snowblower. When I drove it from storage to the Airfest and back I heard someone say ‘can her smile get any bigger?’”
Sanders also noted that she is “just in awe” at the extent of the truck’s restoration. “Kevin and his crew did an amazing job on this massive machine. It has the capacity to take on a 6-foot-by-6-foot snowbank. It would annihilate it – turn it to powder.
“I am ready to operate it again anytime a big snowstorm comes along.”
