Some old Photos for your enjoyment
- Thread starter JWFilips
- Start date
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Cheater.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I took my Ohio drivers test in 1964 in a 1957 Plymouth station wagon, three on the tree, no power steering or power brakes and parked it the first try. Of course I had been driving the farm 1947 Diamond T 2-ton for three years on a farm permit by that time. Kind of like this one with a flat bed. 
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RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Oh yes, and the five speed shift is on the steering column, 5 on the tree. When I went to work for the Yakima Fire Department, they had two reserve little 750 gpm pumpers that were on Dimond T chassis. I was the only probie that they ever had that could shift them with no training.
RBHarter
West Central AR
Long ago I drove a 37' Diamond T fuel truck , it was a 4-2 that with a full load had to shift 6x to get to 40 mph empty it only 5 . That 270 GMC I-6 I'm sure was no help . It had a 4 speed floor shift but the 2 speed was next to the door . The 3/4 shift was too wide so you had to shift 3U , 4D , 4U even if it was empty .
The trucks of that era had a certain something about their aesthetic . Probably just me .
The trucks of that era had a certain something about their aesthetic . Probably just me .
I've driven some of the old trucks from the 40's. With just a little luck I never will again. Watch any old movie filmed in the 40's, if there is a truck driver in the movie you might notice that his arms are bigger than most peoples legs. Nope he didn't spend evenings and weekends in the gym pumping iron, he got that way from steering that truck. 
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
One of the few cars I would like to have back is my 1949 Chrysler Windsor Royal Sedan. It had the 250 six and strange clutch to a torque convertor transmission. Had to push the clutch in to start and put it in gear, but you could stop and shift without the clutch. Back and up was reverse, forward and up was low mechanical gear first and second; forward and down was high mechanical gear and third and fourth. Wife and I drove it from Fort Lewis, WA to Cincinnati in 1969.
Ric, that's the one. Didn't remember the shift patterns. Friend's mom had one, just tried it once, about 54. Really 'different' when you're used to 49 ford flathead. Then there was the Buick dynaflow. Simple trans but difficult to rebuild. Hydromatic was good, expensive and usually needed a new valve block. Turboglide was JUNK.
You would be surprised by the architecture and quality of builds back in the early 1900s. Many are torn down due to cost of bringing up to code, vs dilapidated. Most 'west' towns were wood until the RR came, then shipping costs for materials went way down and quality bldgs were made. One of the dorms where I went to school was 1858 stone built and still in use when I was there (I'm NOT that old). Became first operational US land-grant school in 1863. Castle is Baker U bldg. K-state actually has the first accepted and longest continuously running atomic reactor in the US. K-U prof invented submarine underwater radio. Not a bunch of hicks.
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Yea, spent my youth in Ks but actually new very little about it's history. For a state with little to no resources other than dirt - it has an amazing history. First in many things. Easterners came west, needed stuff and figured how to git-er-done. Unfortunately didn't invent barbed wire but due to wagon trails (first cattle trail was to Ft. Scott then over to Sedalia,Mo.), railroad through 'nowhere', probably most prominent of the plains states. Interestingly, contrary to most states, other than Quantrell very little 'battle' history there. Even very few indian raids.
Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
Yes, even the Kansas dirt is interesting. SE Kansas has deposits of coal and lead. Central Kansas has lime stone deposits so a source of fossils still to be discovered. Also the lime stone has been quarried for various construction projects. Most noted would the the Kansas State house whose construction was started in 1866 and finished in 1903. Most of the lime stone is from the Cottonwood Falls area, hauled in on the AT&SF RR. While the entire building is not of lime stone, the brick was made locally as well. Steel did have to be hauled in by RR such as the beams in the structure embossed with the name Carnegie.
Kansas lime stone and brick was utilized in many of the houses of worship across the state. Even the lowly sod house was made of "dirt". As noted, there is a spirit of get-er-done as shown in the tall buildings or the hand dug wells necessary to live on the prairie.
I realize that when people make a comment when going back to work they are "back to the salt mine" but in the center of the KS, the salt mines are now used for climate controlled storage. And not to be forgotten, the gas and oil production. Not too bad with just "dirt" for a resource.
Kansas lime stone and brick was utilized in many of the houses of worship across the state. Even the lowly sod house was made of "dirt". As noted, there is a spirit of get-er-done as shown in the tall buildings or the hand dug wells necessary to live on the prairie.
I realize that when people make a comment when going back to work they are "back to the salt mine" but in the center of the KS, the salt mines are now used for climate controlled storage. And not to be forgotten, the gas and oil production. Not too bad with just "dirt" for a resource.
Gary
SE Kansas
Some of us are, and quite proud!
Missionary
Well-Known Member
That Big ol" Mansion house has a twin sitting in Show Low, AZ on the corner of the two main roads on the east side of town.