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Dayton
Taylor with his vintage West Coast trailer |
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Inside
the West Coast: Classic 50's diner decor |
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Pan
& Don Plante's 1946 teardrop trailer pulled
by their matching 1937 Ford |
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What is an RV? Is it the mammoth 45-foot million-dollar
motorhome or the 40-foot fifth wheel trailer hauled by a medium
duty truck? As you know from reading our columns, RVs
range in size and price down to the little Class C motorhome
that looks like a truck with a cab over the front. This month
we'll look at another class of RVs-vintage trailers from the
'30s, '40s and '50s. Once relegated to the junk heaps, they
have become popular with "Boomers," helping them
relive their childhood camping experiences.
GO BACK IN TIME
The photos accompanying this article are from
a recent vintage
trailer rally organized by Dayton Taylor to bring together
more than 100 trailers from the 1930s to the 1950s, as well
as vintage hot rods and trucks. One of Dayton's trailers is
a 16-foot West Coast from 1951, pulled by a 1941 silver Lincoln.
Stepping inside, you are transported to a '50s diner, with
turquoise and white upholstery, fake marble Formica tabletop,
black and white tile floor, CD playing '50s rock and roll
in a holder designed to look like an old table radio, and
big dice hanging from a turquoise light fixture. One of the
joys of owning vintage trailers is searching through second
hand stores and garage sales looking for the old paraphernalia.
Pam and Don Plante bought the teardrop trailer,
a 1946 Kit, twenty years ago as a luggage carrier. They discovered
it was a great little trailer for their sons who were little
boys at the time. It is still used, now painted bright yellow
to match the yellow 1937 Ford. Three generations of the Plante
family enjoy the vintage trailers. Son Christopher now owns
Grandma's 17-foot Airstream (circa 1968), which has the distinction
of having a bathroom AND a working air conditioner. This was
enjoyed by many visitors to the rally, which was held at the
beginning of the July heat wave in Southern California.
About nine years ago Cindy and Bob Ross had a
1917 Ford T-Bucket and needed something small they could pull
with their hot rod. They bought a 1962 teardrop made by Scad-A-Bout
in Pasadena, California and now own more than ten trailers,
all of which retain their original parts except for the paint
and upholstery. "Each trailer has its own theme and personality,"
Cindy says. "This one (pictured on the
next page) is Hawaiian including the pineapple and flamingo
pillows. It is like playing in your own dollhouse." Bob
shares Cindy's affection for the trailers although he is not
into the dollhouse aspect. Bob, a tool and dye maker by trade,
loves to work with wood. He restores the old trailers and
enjoys the challenge of recreating the parts that can no longer
be bought.
Next:
Trailers for sale>
Alice
Zyetz
8/4/06
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