Pop's Antiques |
Autos and machinery are a focal point for me and my Family. My brother has a bunch of VW's, my sister has about 20 cars, including two dump trucks and a couple of backhoes and a skid steer. We all have tractors. What's more is that we all want more. So where'd this insatiable appetite for automotion originate? Pop. |
The construction fleet. From the left, the 1959 International Pickup. Elmer used this as the chief laborer in my Dad's business, "The Groundskeepers." Elmer wasn't allowed to drive the other three, including the 1961 International B-414 with the front end loader. Pop lifted us up in the loader bucket to pick apples. | |||
Next to the B-414 is the 1959 Unimog. Its a Mercedes Benz, with a four cylinder diesel with bull gears driving each wheel. Top speed - 30mph. Finally, is the 1959 International short bed, four wheel drive dump truck, bought courtesey of a state auction. Pop and I drove this thing back with a road line paint trailer in the back over tiny country bridges - I thought the truck would crash through the bridges!. Gas engine and air lift for the snow plow. |
The 1922 Marmon Touring Car. Apparently, gangsters used these since they were fast. Speaking of fast, that's your's truely on the running board. |
If I could have any of the car's Pop had, it would be this one - a 1931 Lincoln. It's a convertible coupe, with a rumble seat. Lots of shiney nickel plated stuff. It has a little door behind the passenger's door for stuffing your golf clubs. |
The 1926 American LaFrance Fire Engine is the one all of us remember best. In fact, lots of people around town still remember me by my Pop having that cool old Fire Engine that was in all the Xmas Parades. It had a straight-eight 1200cid engine, with pistons the size of buckets. Chain drive to the gold leaf striped wooden wheels. Took up an entire bay of the garage. It had a neat revolving light on the front left fender and an even cooler hand-crank siren on the driver's (my big brother's) left. |
Finally, its the 1938 Rolls Royce. A bad machine. It had privacy glass that went between the driver's Den and the passenger compartment. It even had a little hand phone for the rider to bark out orders to the driver when the glass was up. The rear doors opened out, like suicide doors. Little lighted semiphores came out of the B-Pillars for turn indicators. Power came from a V-12 Aluminum head and block engine with machined connecting rods. |