MTFCA Forum

Hi All

I rediscovered this period picture when cleaning up my messy files recently. It is a period picture taken in Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada in the fall of 1915. I think the note is referring to October of 1915 as there are no leaves on the trees in the back ground.

Now for some interesting features for the period detail nit pickers. There are two 1915 model Ford model Ts in this picture. Both right hand drive which was still standard issue for Nova Scotia at the time as we drove on the left of the road until 1923.

So, look good and close. Both have fork mounted headlights. And the one on the left has GAS lights with big accessory electric lights mounted beside the windshield. The one on the right has fork mounted electric lights, and they appear to have black rims along with the black trim on the cowl lights. Now I would find it hard to accept that the factor shipped the car out with electric lights, then those were switched for gas and then an owner would install accessory electric lights. So, it suggests to me that the gas lights were likely factory issue.

Ford Canada parts books list forks and fork mounted headlights for 1915 and list the single post mounted headlights as 1916 parts.

So, for the nit pickers. Does this look like Ford Canada may have shipped out 1915 model Ts with gas headlights? And also, it would appear that by the end of 1915, or potentially early 1916 model year, the headlights are “black” trim electric.

By the way, there is Ford Canada information that lists 1915 Canadian Fords as being finished in Midnight Blue. But it is unclear to me that the lights were blue or black. I actually suspect black backed enamel for the light buckets for both head and side lights. Although CLASCO was in business in Canada by that time making lights, I suspect that some parts may have still be coming from the US and that baked black enamel was a “standard” finish for many metal products of the period.

Period after market catalogues from this time period list identical side lights in black enamel which were likely made by CLASCO as well, but with the Ford logo left off.

The Overland in the middle is kind of interesting too. And there is a third T behind these in the back ground too.

And now the floor is open for comments.

:^)

Drive Safe

Jeff

You don't have to be a nit-picker to agree that Canadian cars in 1915 came with gas headlights. I don't know if ALL of them did, but certainly SOME did and it is pretty well documented and It's a pretty much accepted fact. As for the car on the right, in October '15 that very well could be a '16 car and black painted trim would also be correct...or a '15 with accessory electric lights.

I enjoy seeing old pictures like this, but trying to "prove" something with them is often a waste of time since none of us were there to gain the benefit of context in the alterations routinely made.

thanks for posting an interesting picture

Hi Scott

Thanks for the note on whether or not '15 Canadian may have had gas lights. So far this is actually the first period picture that I've seen of a Canadian one that shows the gas lights. And previously I haven't heard much of whether or not they actually came with gas lights for a time in early '15 in Canada.

I may have sounded touchy, but didn't mean to be. Its just with the previous various discussion notes about '15 USA models and gas lights that made me wonder more about the Canadian ones and trying to point out that here is at least one period picture that appears to show factor gas lights for the early '15 models.

I have an early '15 Canadian roadster and you can see that they were struggling with sorting out the body details. There are extra saw cuts in the body panel that wraps around the door latch post where they cut out about 1/4 inch of the metal to lower the mounting point of the dovetail from where it was stamped in the metal. And it was original as there was only one set of dovetail screw holes in the original door post. The body looks very much like a '14 roadster with the '15 style cowl panels grafted onto it, and the wood framing is nearly identical to the '14 model other than the upper cowl framing. And the side panels are three sections, spot welded and leaded over at the seams as well.

Stay well.

Jeff

I have a pair of original Canadian acetylene head lights that are black and nickel plated brass