photos of Model T assembly off the train

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:36 pm

Hi all-

I'm writing an article for our local newspaper about the guys who used to assemble the Model Ts in Woods Hole, Mass. after they came off the train. Years ago I was given a set of photos by the grandson of the Ford dealer (Walter Renear) in Vineyard Haven where they were then taken by ferry to be sold.

But I'd love your help giving these photos context for the article. What do you see? How would you caption them? What year would you guess these photos were taken? (Somebody suggested 1922-3?)

The numbered series of eleven photos can be found here: http://history.vineyard.net/photos/renear/r113.htm (click on "Next" to see them all.)

Thank you for your eyes and expertise!
Chris
cbaer(at)vineyard.net

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:41 pm

Attached are some of the photos:

: r113.jpg (78.06 KiB) Viewed 5839 times

: r114.jpg (67.26 KiB) Viewed 5839 times

: r115.jpg (69.26 KiB) Viewed 5839 times

: r116.jpg (66.94 KiB) Viewed 5839 times

: r117.jpg (69.77 KiB) Viewed 5839 times

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:44 pm

And some more:

: r118.jpg (73.24 KiB) Viewed 5838 times

: r119.jpg (72.77 KiB) Viewed 5838 times

: r120.jpg (88.16 KiB) Viewed 5838 times

: r124x.jpg (49.31 KiB) Viewed 5838 times

: r53.jpg (67.62 KiB) Viewed 5838 times

Herb Iffrig · Post by **Herb Iffrig** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:10 pm

Great pictures! I have seen some like those but never the ones you posted.
I kind of reminds me of one of the exhibitions that I have seen that the St. Louis Model T Club has put on in the past where they assemble a Model T in a few minutes!

Pep C Strebeck · Post by **Pep C Strebeck** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:31 pm

No later than 1920, the round fuel tank changed to oval in 1920. Also it looks as though the drive shaft spool is the earlier style using studs instead of the later style with exposed bolts, so 1918 to 1920.

Post by **sweet23** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:16 pm

Wonder how scratched up these cars got shipping them that way, and then assembling them at the loading dock ?

Retro54 · Post by **Retro54** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:41 pm

sweet23 wrote: ↑
Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:16 pm
Wonder how scratched up these cars got shipping them that way, and then assembling them at the loading dock ?

Great point. If we think these things were sold in the same shape a modern day restoration puts them in, i would venture that we are mistaken!

Also lends caution to those nay-sayers who look at an original looking car and tear it apart because "that's not the way Ford built them". Doesn't look like those guys are following a manual as they assemble. I bet we'd be surprised on what passed muster with these railroad yard assembled cars!

Absolutely awesome photos, thank you for sharing!!

Post by **varmint** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:45 pm

Love the white tires and the glossy cowl paint job.
Some unknown car to me the the background appears to have natural wood spokes.

Post by **Mark Gregush** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:53 pm

The unknown car in the background of picture 6 is a Dodge Brothers.

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:31 am

The rear axle looks like the 1913-14 style! I have seen that in a carryover 1915 car, but not on a black radiator car. Otherwise,Ii would put it in the 1917 basket. The non demountable wheels appear to have round felloes, whereas the felloes were square in 1918 and later.
This from the eyes of a Canadian car user.
Allan from down under.

Post by **Original Smith** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:06 am

I wonder how they kept the seat cushions from falling out?

John Codman · Post by **John Codman** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:20 am

Great photos! Thanks for the posting.

Post by **Don D** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:59 am

Would the cowl light mounting brackets in photo #8 be a clue that this body is a 15-16 or non starter later car? Additionally in photo #5 the rear floorboards are complete so this body is not set up for a battery and in photos #2 & #4 the frame does not appear to have a battery box.

Post by **John kuehn** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:14 am

Interesting photos of how a lot of Model T’s were put together.
On the dock where this car was assembled with others as time went by there is no telling what was used for misplaced nuts, bolts and etc.
This is what drives the purists among us crazy when seeing photos of new T’s being treated this way!

Post by **kmatt2** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:06 pm

The touring car is a late 1918 to early 1919 model year T. Note the combo head light - horn switch, over axle front wishbone, rear square clipped spring, 5 panel rear touring body, nonstarter nondemountable wheels. There must be a closed car to assemble still in the box car, note the early round type demountable spare bracket and rim in picture in front of the tourning body front. Also note that it must have been a lot of work to get the car from box car and assemble because some one made a hand written note on finished car photo about being glad to be finished ! It must have been up to the new car dealer or owner to mount the fenders, running boards. and aprons , hs ha !

Post by **KLTagert** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:23 pm

Great photos and a wonderful piece of T history in them.
Thanks for sharing...

ThreePedalTapDancer · Post by **ThreePedalTapDancer** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:21 pm

Well now, finally proof of what I’ve been saying for years. You must take your pants off at the end of the assembly of a model t to be authentic.

ModelTWoods · Post by **ModelTWoods** » Fri Jan 01, 2021 8:00 pm

Well, even before I saw the last photo which showed the box car from a less severe angle, I could tell you is was a Great Northern R.R. box car.

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:58 am

You may be correct Terry, but what year was it made?

Allan from down under.

Post by **big2bird** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:14 am

Original Smith wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:06 am
I wonder how they kept the seat cushions from falling out?

Look close. There are shipping straps around them.

Post by **Susanne** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:58 am

I'm going to guess late 1918 - there's still a coilbox switch, I don't see a starter button forward of the gas tank or a battery "box"... but the demountable rim being there would tell me it's after 1917...

Couple things I noticed - the rear tires have a tread on them, the fronts don't. Also the shine on the bodywork - I suspect they packed those freight cars a lot more carefully than we give them credit for... I wonder if the bodies were shipped in a separate freight car, or ??

The other thing I'm wondering is if any (or all) of the people assembled there own one (or more) of the cars on that train, ergo the smiles on their faces...

Post by **Dan Hatch** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:18 pm

Many years ago I saw a ring binder of pictures of how cars were shipped in rail cars.
The binder was part of a display for schools that I think the club put together for show and tell in schools. Any idea where that got off to?
It showed a lot of good info on how Ts were sent to dealers. Dan

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:24 pm

Here are a couple of details cropped from the shots above, in case it's helpful to see the details...

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:04 am

Another detail:

ModelTWoods · Post by **ModelTWoods** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:24 am

Allan wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:58 am
You may be correct Terry, but what year was it made?

Allan from down under.

Allen, The boxcar was made before the Model T, for sure.

Post by **kmatt2** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:27 pm

There is something that I didn't notice the other day but see today. In the picture of the tourning body just outside of the boxcar, the picture that has 2 guys leaning on the front seat back, I can see daylight in the body cross sill. A closer look shows a small round hole in the sill about where the electric self start switch, if so equipped, would come up threw the floor. I now see that what I thought was a photo flaw, the light at the guys head laying in the body in another photo, is this starter switch hole. This means that these pictures are from mid 1919 or that Ford had plans for self starters on open cars in later 1918 but the War time shortages delayed things.

cbaer · Post by **cbaer** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:51 pm

This one? (Here's a less processed version of that detail before I retouched that crease in the photo):

Post by **Susanne** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:04 pm

Wow, good catch, thank you!!!

OilyBill · Post by **OilyBill** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:14 pm

This is absolutely awesome! This is the first time I have seen pictures of what it was like to assemble a "knocked-down" Ford automobile out of a boxcar!
And the analysis by all the experts revealed a LOT of info in addition! Glad we have people with sharp eyes!

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 3:37 am

Chris, thanks for the blowups. I can see now I was mistaken re the fatter 1913-4 diff centre.

AllAn from down under.

Post by **DanTreace** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:06 am

Really in awe. Keep looking at the improved images and the details revealed.

Spied the tool roll on its side and the new copper plate oil can too!

: DB88D407-7262-4BF1-A22B-09535B3BE91F.jpeg (19.22 KiB) Viewed 4611 times

ThreePedalTapDancer · Post by **ThreePedalTapDancer** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:23 am

When thinking about the incredible number of Ts that were made, you can easily fantasize about one still in a shipping crate sitting in a barn on a farm someplace....

Post by **RajoRacer** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:14 am

Back in the sixties, my Dad went to a warehouse auction near the Seattle waterfront to bid on a new Model T Touring similar to the photo above - no, we didn't bring it home !

Post by **Rich Eagle** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:24 pm

I have mentioned before of the local Harley dealer (mid 1960s) telling me how he and his brother would go down to the freight yard and watch them unload the "New Fords". The excitement of a youngster came through the old fellow's eyes as he talked about how sweet they sounded when new. He said they didn't sound that way for long. I don't know if the Ts arrived in Idaho Falls knocked down or fully assembled but the loading dock sure reminds me of his remembrance.
I have certainly enjoyed this post and it's photos.
Thanks
Rich

Post by **John kuehn** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:39 pm

Interesting photo of the T shipping crates and what they were made of!
I wonder if they were sent back to the factory. If not the locals probably would get them for use on the farm. I’ll bet you could build a good barn or building with several of those crates.
It would make a good chicken coup at the least!

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