Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Early Toy Car Hauler

Sunday, August 24, 2014
                Sunny and warm

The Early toy Car Hauler

   Like all new inventions, there is going to be a lot of accessories and things to accompany the invention. With the camera and film came the tripod, the flash, the cable release,the lens shade, the processing lab, and so on and so forth. With the car, came the wrecker (tow truck), the gas station, the service station, and the car hauler. 

  I'm sure the railroad system delivered a lot of cars all over the USA and Europe when more and more cars were purchased. However, for shorter distances, the car hauler was invented. With it, you could transport 4-6 cars at one time to the local dealership. Now since cars were a "novelty" back in the first quarter of the 20th century,I'm sure the car hauler was just as exciting to see. I remember in the 1950's and early 1960's being excited to see the new line of cars in the fall being delivered to the dealership showroom. I'm sure that in the 1920's, when cars were rare, watching a hauler loaded with 6 new cars most certainly must have been a real "treat" for kids and adults alike.


I  like the "selective focus" photo below. It introduces the truck that is pulling the 4 cars. Of course, in the 1920's were mostly black, as was probably the hauler behind the truck. I also like the nickel-plated wheels. Imagine,using nickel as a metal to prevent rust on the steel,and to create a nice shine. Our Canadian "Nickel", was the nickname given to our 5 cent coin. Of course,,out government repulsed it with some kind of metal replacement in the 1970's!


Below are a great trio of images to present the whole listing that went to auction.
The hauler in this case is painted pressed steel and I'll assume that the supporting rods underneath the base were welded in place.


 I've presented the Hubley Nu-Car Transport before. It certainly is "different" in design.
What's interesting and a bit comical are the accompanying vehicles. The relative sizes (scale) of the vehicles and the truck are all incorrect. The hauler truck is huge, while the grey bus is small!

What's great about the hauler toy is the fact that patents could but it for their children and their children's friends to play with and load their toy cars on board. 
More toys sold, more kids happier!

Of course, nothing remains the same as time marches on. And so toy design and the toy hauler would correspondingly change with the times. Again, the proportions and scale are "wrong".The truck hauler is too large in proportion to the hauler. The 4 cars are newer in terms of the time that they were made, and  young children born in the 1930's would have the newer toys to play with.

I once purchase the halter truck .  It's just so "cute"- a term that you'd never read as a description for a toy/ Hubley made these trucks in different variations, and the one that I purchase and resold  had a removable front part to it.



What's noteworthy is the fact that the toy above was made around 1938. The era of cast iron toys was gradually being replaced with pressed steel and tin.  BUt WWII would soon come, and metal would be displaced by wood toys for the duration of the war.

I can just images going back in time  to some child's house and listening to the noise that the steel wheels would make on a carpet or on a wooden hallway, and the fun the kids would have.

These toys certainly are colourful,and I'm sure brought out the cheer in kids as they played with these toys.


Thanks for dropping by to visit,
and as always,
have a great part of the day or night,
wherever you may be,
Stacey.
toysearcher@gmail.com

2 comments:

Kourtney Heard said...

I had a few of these when I was growing up. My grandfather gave them to me. I think that they were actually his. I absolutely loved playing with them. It gave transport a whole new game and the stories that we created for each car. We would make up the owner and their name and what they did etc.

Kourtney Heard @ Hansen Adkins

Elvis said...

Wow, this post really brings back the childhood memories. I remember playing with a set like this under the Christmas tree many decades ago. It's so great to see someone with the same kind of passion for these antique toys. Love the pictures. Keep these awesome posts coming, please! Makes me want to take the iPhones away from the kids for a week!

Elvis @ Hopewell Staffing