vandalism back in model a days

G

Gold Digger

Well-known member
I'm curious as to how much vandalism occurred while shipping cars on railcars and transports back in the days these cars were new. Today we see railroad cars that are totally enclosed to keep vandals out. Transports are not but may not have as for to deliver and may not stop between shipping points and destinations. I've seen old pictures with cars on railcars that were unprotected. I know we live in a totally different world now as for as crime and law enforcement. I wonder how many carburetors and generators were taken while the trans stopped or were there thieves as bad as now.
 
As a guy in my late 50's now... I can remember when personal pride and respect for others property was a manly thing when I was growing up, and now it seems that gangsters are idolized too much and rebels... a handshake was a thing you could rely on not now, with greedy lawyers and people not taking responsibility for their own actions, trying to blame someone else for everything... Not everyone mind you, but way too many... just saying my P.O.V.
 
Prior to the Second World War, autos were shipped in box cars and not exposed. I have looked at tons and tons of old RR photos and have never seen pre war cars shipped out in the open.
 
This is how it was done back in the day.
 

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It was scandalous to steal a womans hand bag from the seat of her car if the window was down, i doubt many things, if any, would be stolen off cars in shipping in those days.
 
I've mentioned this before, but I'll repeat myself. What the heck it is a part of growing old isn't it?!?:eek:

My dad, out of the blue, once told me that to support his cigarette habit
when he was a kid. He had started smoking when he was 11 years old in 1926. He would steal hood ornaments off of cars for what money he could get for them on the "open" market.:o

Bob-A:D
 
My Father and Mother had their new Model A stolen off the street in NYC. She lost her camera with all the trip's photos in it as well.
 
There probably wasn't much of a market for used A parts when they were still fairly new.Another thing,that we have a hard time understanding now,is that not everybody had tools,wrenches and such to work with.We've all got extra old tools hanging around,back then it was quite a thing to have a set of sockets.The cars came into town here on flatcars,three to a load.The siding was at the sawmill and they used to unload them with the forklift.They stopped that because the forklift operator would just run the forks under the cars and pick them up.It was a little hard on the running boards.He was paid by the board foot to load lumber,he got nothing for unloading cars,they were just in his way.
 
with so many assembly plants strategically located, I wonder how much rail shipping of completed cars was actually done vs. sales agencies sending drivers to pick them up.
 
A friend whose grandfather had the Ford dealership in town said that the Model Ts would come on the train and they would drive the new cars in a parade from the railroad depot to the showroom. The tops for the open cars were not attached and were installed at the dealership. If you think about it, closed shipping makes sense, especially with all the open cars that were sold back then, unless they were covered or totally buttoned up.
 
A very old friend of mine ( 94 or more ) told me that when he worked as a mechanic in the fifties he pilfered on a regular basis. Every car he worked on he would remove the rear seat in search of lost coins ! He said the mechanics used this money to buy coffee from the coffee wagon. Wayne
 
The only new car I ever ordered and bought was a 1972 Dodge Charger. When it arrived at the dealership from the factory, one of the rear quarter windows was broken out. Someone apparently threw a rock at it when it was on the train.
 
When A's were new the railroad was the transportation king and lines were wealthy beyond belief. They all had their own watchmen, police, and general strong-arm thugs who both rode with and guarded stopped freight trains. The RR's are all in financial distress now and cargo security is largely based on enclosed and locked transport.

The entire justice system mentality was different too. Back then stealing off a train could get your brains bashed in on the spot by a club wielding RR employee. Instant and cheap justice. Today you can't club a thief, they have personal rights! The lengthy and expensive arrest/ charge/ prosecute/ litigate process for most thefts would cost the RR more than the loss itself.
 
There have ALWAYS been thieves and folks looking for an easy buck, always. Since spraypaint wasn't available there were other forms of vandalism. Kids threw rocks at windows, scrawled names, etc., into wood and so on.
 
Tiny said:
T's were shipped as "knock downs" and assembled at assembly plants
Click to expand...
You could actually buy a Model T knocked down and in a crate. At the end of production, there were quite a few that were purchased that way and stored in barns for future assembly and use.
 
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