Vintage shots from days gone by!

Reversed image fixed.

 

Are you almost done? I need to make a run to the store...

 

Great image of some action in Long Beach, California...specifically, the Westside.

Hello,

Moving such a big project would have been big news in Long Beach. In 1946, we were living about 1.5 miles away in a gov’t sponsored trailer court housing project. We were clueless as to the goings on around us. It was just living in the time period. But, in 1949-60, we were now living in a real house about 1 mile away from this intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and Anaheim St.

The definite Coca Cola Bottling Plant on the corner, was a favorite stop over whenever we could get there on our bikes or cars. A friend’s dad had a industrial metal recycling, sales and storage facility just east of this intersection. (where we got our heavy metal plates for our 40 Willys trunk in 1960)

Jnaki

Here is the next big intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and PCH Highway (1) or 101, just north of the Coca Cola Bottling Plant intersection. (about .5 mile from our 1953 house) This would have been something to see in the Westside of Long Beach back then. The intersection was one of those 4 corner gas station places in Long Beach.


Terminal Island and the final Long Beach/LA harbor resting place for the Spruce Goose was just a few more miles to the west.
“The H-4 Hercules, a.k.a. Spruce Goose, was originally built in sections by Hughes Aircraft in Culver City. In June 1946, the wings, hull and other sections were transported to Terminal Island in Long Beach for final assembly.

The Times reported on June 12, 1946, that each wing is 191 feet long, 49 feet wide at the root, and 19 feet high. Each wing weighed 34 tons and was moved by Star House Movers Inc., which got the $140,000 moving job."

An article in the June 13, 1946, Los Angeles Times reported:

"Inching carefully along a close-guarded route from which 2100 individual power and telephone lines had been raised or lowered to provide clearance, the two mammoth wing sections of the Hughes Aircraft Co.’s $20,000,000 flying boat H-4 last night completed the biggest airplane moving job in history – 28 miles from Culver City to Terminal Island….

The second day of the moving job, which began Tuesday, wound up without mishap and somewhat ahead of schedule. Fifteen Los Angeles motorcycle officers headed by Lt. L. J. Fuller, and equal force from the California Highway Patrol led by Sgt. Clarence Martin, and details from half a dozen other cities and towns rode herd on the novel procession, which traveled two miles an hour.

The wings reached the mainland end of the Navy’s pontoon bridge spanning the Long Beach channel at 1 p.m. and halted until nightfall, when a high tide raised the structure to near-level with the approaches.

Before the wings could be moved across the bridge to their destination at the graving dock on the east end of Terminal Island, Navy workmen had to remove railings, signs and a post from the floating roadway. Following the wings were two pontoons held in a huge wood crate.

The airplane, built almost entirely of plywood, will weigh 200 tons. Powered by eight 3000-horsepower engines, it will exceed 200 miles an hour, carrying more than 60 tons of payload.

The hull section, reported by The Times to measure 220 feet in length, 30 feet high, 24 feet wide, was moved on June 15 and 16, 1946. The Times covered the hull’s emergence from the Hughes Aircraft plant on June 15.”

 

You mean their is TWO of you.

 

The Spruce Goose was eventually moved to Oregon to an air museum. I saw it there and touched it.

 

Texas Termite

 

Mopar Turbines

 

Night truck driving, sometimes I used to wish that they had never put lights on trucks or farm equipment.

I see they were at it back in 1943, poor Earl Callam, truck driver, enroute to Atlanta. He should be in bed.

 

1943 Laundry truck driver

 

Tires and service!

A truck driver repairing tire, Corpus Christi, Texas, using all the modern conveniences. I'd bet he even has a hand pump.

 

I wonder if those are real or over-inflated?

 

OKC

 

Henry Ford?

 

Nope!.....

 

You'll poke your eyes out kid...

 

Oh My God.I sure hope not.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

1931-32 Plymouth PA coupe. Very cool pic! Not sure it's vintage though....

 

I saw it in the '80's when it was in Long Beach, near the Queen Mary, it was really a big airplane in a big building. I was there for the KFOCI convention, drove my '52 Manhattan, lost out on the long distance award to a member from Ohio. Was able to attend the SDC convention the next week in Las Vegas, best two weeks I ever spent.

 

Damn.......