Can anyone identify this vehicle by year or manufacturer for Travis at the Santa Fe Super Chief website?

I am trying to find some information about a inspection car that Santa Fe used in Richmond. I found a picture of it in a Santa Fe book but it says nothing about the year or what kind of vehicle it was.
Thanks so much.
Travis www.santafesuperchief.com

webmaster@santafesuperchief.com

1922 traffic conductor

For closer photos of one of these traffic conductors, look at: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/11/1913-haynes-roadster-and-marvelous.html

This is why trailers were invented for jet skis

I was just talking to Darrel and he told me a true story that is shocking.

When he was 15 his dad took him down to a used car lot and told him to pick out a car. Not knowing cars very well at the time, he looked around and was quickly impressed by the fastback Mustang, running pony interior. He looked around after the Mustang, and spotted the tail stripe of a Super Bee. He asked what it was (we all did once) and then looked toward the front of the car, a long way from the back compared to the stang. He told me he noticed the flat black hood with the huge scoop.

Yeah. An A12 1969 1/2 440 six pack Super Bee.

He chose the Mustang, because to a 15 yr old kid who doesn't know cars and the rarity, value, and investment potential... the Mustang was easier to drive and park.

True story, and yes, he's really kicking himself now that he knows what he passed up on as a kid.

Both cars were only $850.00

The Munster's Coach was a birthday present for Herman from Lilly, according to episode 4 of season 1, custom built from a hearse and a hot rod

Here's the place Lilly stopped to look for a car for Herman

The Fleetwood Cadillac Lilly's invisible chauffer drove her in

I'd love to know if this T Bucket is known becaue of who built it, or just happened to be available for this scene

Some one else wondered about this too! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298015&page=3

From page 70 and 71 of the March 1965 issue of Hot Rod, a bit of information:

Built by Erv Campbell of Santa Ana, CA from a cut down 1922 Ford touring body and a shortened Model A pickup bed on a 1930 Model A frame. At that time it was Erv's sixth rod and reportedly took over 5,000 hours to complete -- the hardest part, according to the owner, was fabricating the headers for the 1957 347 cu. in. Pontiac motor.

Thanks to Cord for emailing me, and Jimmy for putting the info on the HAMB

Very unusual hearse, Lilly liked both the hot rod and the hearse and decided to have a customizer make them into one car for Herman, taking the best features of each

1904 New York New York electric tour busses

These “Automobile buses” were made by the Vehicle Equipment Company of Long Island City, New York. Their literature called them “A combination of the commercial and pleasure types.”


The Vehicle Equipment Company was started in Brooklyn in 1901 by Robert Lloyd and Lucius T. Gibbs. By 1903 they had relocated to Long Island City on Borden Avenue.

From 1901 to 1906 they built a large number of commercial electric vehicles including broughams, victorias, hansoms, landaulets, and delivery trucks, ambulances, brewery trucks, tipping coal trucks, etc., and of course, sightseeing buses such as those above. From 1903 to 1905 they also built a 3-seat electric car called the VE Electric. Almost all of their vehicles were single motor shaft-drive. The company went into receivership in 1906, and the General Vehicle Company (GeVeCo), owned by the General Electric Company, purchased the factory and reorganized to build both gasoline and electric vehicles, as well as replacement parts. Vehicles built from mid-1906 on were known as GV Electrics.

By 1915 there were some 2,000 GV Electrics in New York City alone, representing more than 25% of all trucks of all types working daily in the city. The style of “Automobile bus” seen above was also very popular in Washington D.C. and other cities as well.

By this time GeVeCo was building under license the French-designed Gnome rotary engine (used in the first Fokker triplane) and they had the exclusive rights for Daimler Motoreen Gesellschaft airplane motors and were building the American Daimler truck and the Mercedes gasoline truck in addition to their own gasoline and electric vehicles.

In November 1915 General Vehicle Company announced the takeover of the Peerless Motor Car Company of Cleveland, Ohio. They formed the Peerless Truck and Motor Corporation, which was designed to expand their export trade.

During WWI the US Army bought a large number of Peerless trucks and England purchased 12,000 Peerless Truck Chassis. GeVeCo also built and exported hundreds of the Gnome aircraft engines. During the war they concentrated on these but weren’t building them fast enough to suit the government, so the War Department took over most of the factory to speed up production. Apparently vehicle production ceased at this time. A year later the entire factory was sold to Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation for $1,000,000.

General Vehicle Company did not resume building vehicles after the war, and even Peerless Truck and Motor Corporation ceased production in 1918 (the Peerless Motor Car Company continued to build cars until 1932).

from http://www.shorpy.com/node/8314?size=_original  thanks Steve!

1904 Cadillac Model B runabout with cool rear tire mountable tread covers

From the commentor KCMORon on http://www.shorpy.com/node/8316?size=_original : It's my speculation that the covers were more than just variations of tread design, they were an extra layer pf protection from sharp rocks (no pavement) and the frequent flats were a fact of life, that's why there were 2 spare tires

They appear to be "Billet" detachable tire protectors with "contre envelope" attachments or similar. ("The Horseless Age" Volume 15, January 4, 1905)

The "tread" part has flaps which extend over the sidewall on both sides and hold a wire extending around the circumference and fasten (tighten) in two places with a screw and nut.

At that time here were many types of tire protectors of various designs and attachment schemes. Some also claimed to improve traction.

It's my speculation that the covers were more than just variations of tread design, they were an extra layer pf protection from sharp rocks (no pavement) and the frequent flats were a fact of life, that's why there were 2 spare tires

1906 Altantic City boardwalk stollers, for kids vs adults

Above found on http://www.atomicantiques.com/2010/02/05/rolling-chairs-on-the-boardwalk and the stroller on the left is the same as the bottom photo, the one on the right another variation like the below photo

the above 2 from Shorpy http://www.shorpy.com/ , though the images have nothing to do with each other... I made the connection while looking through and saving the images I find interesting

Spitzler's Auto Supply with curbside gas pumps

From Shorpy

the Olympian Hiawatha railroad observation cars

the above is from http://www.coffeedrome.com/dayhi.html and they have a couple more interior photos

Above image via http://cruiselinehistory.com/?p=233

Above image via http://dummidumbwit.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/twin-cities-olympian-hiawathas-milwaukee-road/

not exactly the interior view of the top two photos, but close enough

The 10 Skytops, created by industrial designer Brooks Stevens http://wisconsinology.blogspot.com/2009/02/brooks-stevensthe-designer-of-20.html in 1948, were probably the most distinctive cars ever built. Milwaukee Road built the 4 parlor cars in their own shops (1 drawing room and 24 parlor seats) and had Pullman Standard build 6 sleepers, each with 8 bedrooms and a lounge. The observation ends on the Milwaukee built cars are more of a bullet than the Pullman built cars, with the rear couch about 4 inches narrower.

The lounges served on the Chicago - Minneapolis "Hiawatha Service" until 1970, and the sleepers were on the "Olympian Hiawatha" until 1964, then were sold to CN.

CN renamed them "Skyview" cars, and used them mainly on their Halifax-Montreal trains, the 'Ocean Limited' and the 'Scotian', from 1965 to 1969. They saw brief service on Montreal-Toronto corridor trains in 1969, then moved to the Gaspé-Montreal and Jasper-Prince Rupert routes until their withdrawal from service in September 1971.
Due to fire regulations (no rear door - only one access), the cars found no further use and 2 were scrapped in Canada and the other 4 sold back into the US.

One is on display in Glenview Illinois, another is permanent display at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Fla. http://moas.org/collections.html

The Harlem River Speedway in 1902 (not a motorcar racetrack) was a carriage route, I'd love to drive along it (proabably doesn't exist anymore)

Black and white from Shorpy, the color images are postcards from http://www.coffeedrome.com/bobspeed.html

1922 Dodge touring in the Washington DC Fire Department

This is a 1922 Dodge Touring Car, DCFD Serial No. 05, assigned to the Superintendent of Machinery. The DCFD Repair Shop is in the background next to Engine Co. 8 quarters. The American LaFrance in one of Engine 8's apparatus bays may be a 1920 750 gpm pumper DCFD Serial No. 125 which was assigned to Engine 8

From Shorpy

1920 Penn Oil fuel station with " Lightning Motor Fuel " !.. I want me some of that!

from Shorpy

the 5th Avenue Stage in 1900, just a year or two before the horses became obsolete

You wouldn't see these magnificent (if dangerous) horse carriages galloping up and down Fifth Avenue much longer at the time this photo was taken. 1900 was the year that the NY State Senate approved a bill allowing the Fifth Avenue Stage to run automobiles along the length of its newly-extended route.

By 1903, the horse carriages had been retired for "motor buses."

This was a relief to the residents of the apartment blocks near the "big stable" of the Fifth Avenue Stage located uptown. The stables took up the whole block between 88th and 89th Streets, were four stories tall, and housed over 250 horses. Its neighbors were continually filing complaints with the city because of the "noxious odors", as well as perpetual stamping and neighing of horses in their stalls, which made sleep impossible.

Commentary by Louise on http://www.shorpy.com/node/8588?size=_original

The Thew model O steam shovel from about 1898, self propelled and steered (all others were limited to working from railroads)

Above from Shorpy

The color photos and write up are from http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/111626/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Back in the 1890s, Thew, captain of an ore-carrying boat on the Great Lakes, often encountered the problem of handling iron ore once it was deposited on the docks. At that time, such work was done with "railroad-type" steam shovels that traveled on railroad tracks. They were heavy, cumbersome, and could only swing their booms from side to side in a half-circle. Much hand work was required to clean areas beyond the shovel's reach and also to frequently reposition the railroad tracks.

Captain Thew studied these problems of ore handling and conceived a unique machine that would overcome the former difficulties and restrictions. With the help of H.H. Harris, an experienced shovel designer, Thew built his first machine at the Variety Iron Works in Cleveland in 1895. His machine was a fully revolving steam excavator with a 5/8-cubic-yard shovel attachment that could swing in a full circle, the first with this capability built in America. To add even more flexibility, he mounted the machine on four steel traction wheels, which could steer and propel itself without the need for labor-intensive rail tracks. Now able to travel without restriction, the shovel was able to perform any loading or cleanup work over the entire dock property, doing away with most of the hand labor

A LOT of Americans made automobiles in 1900-1930, here are a some, a couple of them I've never heard of

1895 Electrobat II... and for the trivia buffs, it was the winner of the first car race in America

Geronimo's 1905 Locomobile is how it was presented, but I doubt that he owned it... it's probably a photo op planned picture

Teddy Roosevelt in a Fawick Flyer at the Sioux Falls Railroad Depot. Only 5 were ever built

A Moose Jaw Standard

The Moose Jaw Standard hailed from the town of the same name in Saskatchewan, Canada. A group of citizens from the town hired an engineer, acquired a factory and bought enough components from American suppliers to manufacture 25 cars. Only five were completed, with one each going to the backers of the enterprise. The remaining parts were sold off, the engineer paid off and the project was wound up. One of the five cars still survives today. (thanks Graham!)

A Saxon

1915 Monroe

1916 Woods Mobilette

1917 Apperson Jack Rabbit

This is a 1917 Geronimo

1920 Barley Roamer roadster

1923 Arkansas Climber

1952 Maverick

A Powell, made in LA

All of these are only a fraction of the interesting defunct manufacturers on the Jalopy Journal thread that challenged car guys every where to post photos and information about car makers that went out of business long ago: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397594