MTFCA Forum

Visiting Baker City, OR and this photo was on the wall in a store.

right hand drive ? windshield same top & bottom,tourabout,touring,roadster.charley

With the Horn being on the left side they should be left hand drive! Since they have the windshields, they appear to be 1910s.

Not RHD.

Here's the clue: horns

Could they have been export Model T's?
But why would export Model T's show up in Oregon?.
Unless the were railroaded to Oregon, then to be placed on a ship for somewhere like Hong Kong? Or New Zealand? I know they probably would not have shipped complete model T's to Australia, because they had such high tariffs on imported bodies. Or was that not the case in 1910?
Could they be headed for a ship to India?
I know they used to run "Silk Trains" from the northwest U.S. ports like Seattle, to New York, on an express basis. Could this be traveling the opposite way?
It may sound silly to ship those export cars by rail, but consider that it might be 3 days across the U.S. to the ports of Seattle or Portland, then get them on a ship to the far east. They would save weeks of ocean travel, going down to the Panama Canal, and then back up again. This would even include shipping them down the Mississippi River and then down to the Panama Canal. it would still be faster (and probably cheaper) to ship them to the West Coast or Northwest ports, and then put them on ships to the far east.
I think.

Erik!
You are correct! They appear to be R/H drive, but they are NOT. It is just a load of Fords, headed to a local dealer. The pictures do look odd, though. It must just be the angle the pic was taken at.
Disregard my comments in the entry above this.

ok i see now the dash is so dark the colum dose not show up.charley

They appear to be the 4 horse power version! Just observing'!

Hank

Tops & windshields where options in 1909.

Had to turn on the lights to see these T's



Click on photo to enlarge

It's just as well they weren't going down the Mississippi to the Panama Canal. The canal didn't open until 1914.

I would love to have the first one in the line-up... I have seen a few 09 tourings, but so few Roadsters... and remembering that that was a fast car in its day, that would be a FUN car to have...

The horns are on the left side and Baker is a long way from Portland. I think they were going to a local dealer to be sold.
Norm

Fascinating!
Thanks
Rich

There would have been a direct rail line to Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Baker is inland and a long way from Portland. I think they were hauled by horse from the nearest railroad depot to the dealer in Baker.
Norm

That wagon amazes me, the length of it is incredible there seem to be some kind of truss costruction underneath, interesting thing ! Oh and beautifull T's too

I live a short distance from from Baker and have this picture in my collection. I consulted the local museum in Baker and was told that indeed these model Ts were in route from the railroad terminal to the ford agency. The building in the background is still there looking like it did when this picture was taken back in the day.

I live a short distance from from Baker and have this picture in my collection. I consulted the local museum in Baker and was told that indeed these model Ts were in route from the railroad terminal to the ford agency. The building in the background is still there looking like it did when this picture was taken back in the day.

The one on the far left looks later than 1910 due to the front hood bow being higher than the 09/10 version
Gas generator also on the LHS. Great photo though. Thanks for posting
Alan

i dont know for sure but the tourst may have had a drifent top than the touring?????????charley

There was more than one manufacturer of tops and the variation might be attributed to that. The back windows look like they have the corners clipped which I think is an '09 feature. I also thought locking irons on roadster tops was an '09-only thing but have never seen a definitive answer on that. Some things say it went into 1910. Maybe it was all years they used a buggy rail.