Old photo-Beachville and a few questions.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Old photo-Beachville and a few questions.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 11:21 am:

I think I've posted this photo before but I want to learn more about the car and let others do likewise. This pic is on the wall of a local truck stop. It is hard to ignore as it measures roughly ten feet by twenty feet. Clearly it is a 1915 Touring and the pic was taken in 1918. Is it a Canadian or American car, any way to tell? I am more knowledgeable about the black cars than the brass ones and I am still learning about the Canadian/American differences. I would guess that most if not all the Ts running around Canada back then were Canadian cars, seems to be that way even now, any thoughts there? There has been a lot of interesting discussion here lately about the flair at the rear of the splash shield. This car clearly has it. Did Canadian cars have it too?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 05:53 pm:

Dave, there is something going on in that 'photo'. Look at the front axle. Where are the spindles, perches, spring etc? There has to be some 'doctoring' going on. The question is why?

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 07:52 pm:

I see what you're saying Allan. Very strange. I did notice when I looked at the huge picture in person, it almost looked like there were spring leaves laying across the top of the axle. Next time I go there, I will have a closer look. I once went to the Beachville Museum but that picture was not there nor any like it. The train tracks are still there but the station is gone. You can see where it once stood.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 07:56 pm:

One more thing, the crank handle is standing up on it's own and it doesn't look real.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. J. "Art" Bell on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 08:52 pm:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 09:17 pm:

For sure a 1915 Canadian made T. The fork mounted headlamps are typical of Canadian manufacture as are the 30 X 3 1/2" front wheels.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Friday, January 24, 2014 - 10:09 pm:

Thanks Royce, I saw the forked light and wondered about that. I don't remember if anyone decided that Canadian cars have the flared splash shield. Obviously some did as this car shows. As for the front suspension, who knows. One more thing. It almost looks as though the oil lamps have red lenses like the tail light. Must be an early police interceptor.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Scott Kramer on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 02:19 am:

Hi Dave,
When you were at the museum,did you ask about the picture ? I live about 3 miles from the museum.My son & I went out for supper tonight & ran into some friends from Beachville.I asked Murray about the train station.Part of it was torn down and what was left is now a house.When this storm is over,I will try to get a picture of it.
Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 06:36 am:

I drove my T to the museum and I did mention the photo. There were only two young girls there at the time. They didn't seem to know about it. I don't recall seeing a house where I thought the train station was. I can't imagine how I could be in the wrong spot in such a tiny town. I would like to see a pic if you can get one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 09:50 am:

The front fender lips are both pushed in too.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Darren J Wallace on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 10:40 am:

This photo is hanging in the hi-way rest stop only 8 minutes from my home .


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 11:53 am:

Re the cowl lights, could be the owner worked for the railroad and the lights had red and green lens like a caboose.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dale Peterson on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 05:40 pm:

Both front tires have the same mud pattern on the tread and the headlights have the same spots. I think this is a retouched or restored picture and the artist just worked to make it look good, not necessarily accurate when he got to the springs and axle.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 06:48 pm:

Good eye Dale. I wonder if the bottom of the original photo was torn off and missing and they had to fake it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 11:54 pm:

Dale & Dave - Yeah, that's what I thought too, except that the Ontario lic. plate is quite clear and not distorted. Of course, maybe that's faked in too,.....???


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 08:22 am:

Yup Harold, I thought about the licence plate. The plate is real. It has that extremely detailed coat of arms that all the 1916-1920 Ontario plates have. It would be very difficult to fake although the plate itself could have been easily placed on the car by the person retouching the photo. Sure is a mystery.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 09:55 am:

I think the entire car was grafted into a picture of the rail station. Look at how the rear wheels meet the gravel. There are no tracks from the car. The crank and license plate were pasted on. The entire photo seems to be phony.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Darren J Wallace on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 10:55 am:

There's something odd about the licence plate. Early Ontario plates are very well made, and this one looks like the numbers are crooked. I've seen and owned a lot of these. They never have crooked numbers.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Seth - Ohio on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 12:22 pm:

I think it was a grafted photo also. If you look at the several items mentioned in the post starting with the fender lips being pushed in now look across that area of the car and the headlight rims are different colors on top then they are on the bottom. They look like nickel on top and painted on the bottom. The glass lens also changes in light reflection, dark on top very light on the bottom. If you continue that line across the underside of the fender the shadows are different. On the drivers side of the bent fender lip it looks like a cut line across the sidewalk.

The nice thing about the photo is that it gets everyone talking about old Fords.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 12:37 pm:

There's something very weird about the relationship of the steering wheel to the steering column too,....and also the steering planetary case doesn't look right.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. J. "Art" Bell on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 04:04 pm:

Keep in mind that Dave’s photo is a SUPER sized enlargement of a very old photo.
Add to that the extreme camera angle that Dave’s photo was taken at makes things
look crooked. My attempt at straightening Dave’s photo may have added to the problem
by creating distortion to some areas of my version of the photo as well.
I suspect the original photo after enlarging was weak in the area of the front axle,
and was touched up by the shop that did the enlargement.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Sunday, January 26, 2014 - 04:17 pm:

The 1912-1920 plates did not have stamped, raised letters you could feel. They appear to be screen printed with a thin black paint. All the ones I've seen are painted grey on the back and have plenty of black paint fingerprints on them. I would think the numbers can be crooked as they would be placed individually. Here is a pic from an original set that I own and the numbers do look crooked to me. I think Royce is right, the whole photo is a fraud. The radiator neck looks funny too and what about how well polished the brass is? That train must have been awfully lately. I agree though Dennis, the more people that see that giant poster on the wall, the better.


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