Before our next Tesla road trip, we attended the last of the Lincoln Municipal Band summer concerts in the park. They did eight this summer, and I think I made 4 or 5 of them. This time we invited some new friends – Charles and Karla, and some new students at Union. Very fun!
The next morning it was finally Tesla Trip Time. We decided to stop at the bank on our way out of town, and as I left the bank a somewhat grizzled old guy was headed in. (That means he was at least a year older than me!) I greeted him casually, then walked on… and I saw this gorgeous old Chevy parked next to our car. I turned and called to him – “Is this your gorgeous old Chevy?” I asked, with a particular ability to quickly coin a phrase. He admitted it was his, and we talked for a few minutes about this old beauty, in perfect shape, that he drives around when the weather is nice. It’s a 1948 Chevrolet Impala, with added Continental kit at the rear for the spare. Very cool car! A good omen for our first stop on our road trip!
Before long we were stopping to recharge at the world’s largest truck stop…
Nope, we didn’t gain any power from these pumps…
I’m not sure how they determine this is the world’s largest. Inside the huge store was a map, showing locations of different types of merchandise, and this huge sign bragging about how cool they are.
There were also two trucks, teasing you into touring the Truck Museum across the street.
Cherryl said she was happy to sit in the air-conditioned car while I checked out the museum.
So I worked hard to keep my museum visit brief. I will show you a few trucks that interested me. If you don’t care… well, maybe I’ll see you next week!
This first one is a 1903 Eldridge – believed to be one of the first trucks made in the U.S. George Eldridge built at least once car and three trucks, years before Henry Ford made his Model T. This claims to be the oldest American made truck known to exist.
Next is a 1926 FWD. Yes, that means four wheel drive. This one has an earth boring drill on the back, used by many states to drill holes for electrical poles. It could drill between 25 and 35 holes per day. A big improvement over manual labor – a group of 8-10 men could only average 8 holes per day. I bet the solid rubber tires made the ride nice, too!
Since this is a Tesla road trip, I can’t omit this truck from the list… a 1911 Walker Electric Model 43. Top speed was 15 mph, but it could carry 6,000 pounds, with a single charge range of 50 miles. This one delivered milk to hospitals and restaurants in Chicago. Walker built trucks from 1906 to 1942, making it the longest production of electric trucks in the U.S.
This Coca-Cola delivery truck started out as a 1937 International. After it had been put out to pasture, this museum bought it from a junk yard, and started restoring it. They took the body off and placed it on a 1944 White WA-114 chassis. It is as close to the original Coca-Cola trucks as can be imagined, including 4,800 bottles filled with real Coke. Even the crates were stenciled with an period correct stencil machine.
This one really threw me – it’s a 1932 Pierce Arrow! Pierce Arrow was known for luxury cars; one of the big three P’s: Packard, Peerless and Pierce Arrow. I had no idea they built trucks. They were built very strong and heavy, and used Westinghouse air brakes. Air brakes were expensive and very rare in those days.
Another fun thing is the turn signal… It seems to be activated by pulling a small chain from inside the cab.
This huge 1939 Mack BX is believed to have been purchased new to help carry steel for the completion of construction of a part of the Radio City Music Hall in New York. Not sure about that… the Music Hall was opened in 1932. Maybe this Mack added a patio roof?
The 1924 Brockway 2.5 Ton sold for $3,000… over $58,000 in today’s money. Here we see again the solid rubber tires! Brockway was purchased by Mack Trucks in 1956.
This 1939 International D-15 Armored Truck was purchased new by the Minneapolis Police Department in Minnesota. It features 1/4 inch thick armored steel for the body, and 2 inch thick bullet proof glass. There are also gun ports, and the black steel plates under the front bumper are bullet deflectors for the front tires. It makes me wonder what the police in Minneapolis were running against in those days?! This is the only truck of its kind produced.
International Harvester started making tractors in 1902. They didn’t start making trucks until 1909. This Model 101 was made in 1921, and is believed to be the only one still in existence. Solid rubber tires, but extra wide in the rear!
In 1917 Henry Ford built his first TT model truck. The front end was the same as the Model T car, but from there on back it was a lot stronger – heavier frame, suspension and wheels. For six years the truck was sold as a chassis only – a body maker would supply the cab and truck bed. This truck is one of those with aftermarket cab and bed.
In the 1930’s you could buy conversion kits from several manufacturers to turn your car into a snowmobile. The Postal Service converted Model T’s and Model A’s into snowmobiles with these kits, to deliver in rural areas with rough winters. The extra rear axle supported tracks for staying above the snow. When the snow left, you’d remove the front skis and you’re back to somewhat normal driving!
Notice the tires have specially shaped lugs to mesh into the track.
This little truck says “Gasporter” on the front. It looks like a toy version of the old Texaco tanker trucks, but there was no documentation in the museum about it. I did notice the hubcaps say “Crosley,” and Crosley built small economy cars… so I looked it up… Crosley did in fact make this tiny tanker for use in small airports and marinas, so it could deliver fuel from its 200 gallon tank where bigger tankers could not go. Only about 10 are known to still exist.
In 1910, this Avery Tractor/Gasoline Farm Wagon cost $2,500. It was advertised to do the work of six to eight horses. The solid rubber tires were a $500 option! The tread pattern on these pricey tires makes you wonder if it could crawl up walls, octopus-like. This is one of only six Avery trucks known to still exist.
This final truck is very nostalgic for me – It reminds me of when our family’s best friends got a rig that looked a lot like this. A 1968 Ford F250, Camper Special. I’m not sure if their camper was a Red Dale or another brand, but Cherryl and I had a Red Dale many years ago. (so Bob, this one’s for you!) We had a lot of fun in a rig pretty much like this!
I did actually make it out of the museum in time to continue our road trip… Our first stop was Joliet, Illinois. A night in a nice hotel, complete with both a gym and a pool table!
The next morning we were off, heading for… well, I’m out of time, so I guess that’s next week’s story!