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Locomobile circa 1909 ?


MGreggSmith

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Welcome to the AACA Forum, thanks for posting the Loco photo. Over 30 years ago you could buy Locomobile factory glass plate negatives at flea markets here in Connecticut. Wish I'd bought more! This photo was taken in Seaside Park in Bridgeport, maybe a mile from the factory.334206-Mvc-001f.jpg

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Thank you so much for the reply to my post. The photo I posted is of George W. Massamore, a saloon keeper and stage driver (he probably picked up a bit more money carrying the mail), on the main street of Greenhorn City, Oregon, a little mountain town that served the gold mines in the area from roughly 1890 to 1920 when the mines pretty much petered-out. The back of the photo had said "Geo. Massamore bucking snow. 1911" in pencil.

The license on the car reads 'ORE "3562" 1912'. I have been through the State of Oregon auto registration records and found the car registered first on August 21, 1911. It said that it was a Locomobile touring car, factory #6045, with a 25.6 hp gasoline engine. The 1912 registration had no identifying information other than the license number - and the owner. The 1913 registration again stated that it was a Locomobile - #6045. I didn't look beyond 1913.

So, the car may have been a 1911 model - or earlier. I'm hoping that I can find the Locomobile production records for car #6045 at the Benson Ford Research Library at the Henry Ford Museum. They supposedly have the Locomobile records. I have a request into them at present...so we'll see.

I will try to attached a 1909 Locomobile ad that shows the Model Forty-Four, "Rambler," which looks quite similar to Mr. Massamore's vehicle.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Gregg Smith

Keizer OR

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  • 2 months later...

Hello,

I agree with John, this automobile is a 1909 or 1910 Locomobile Type "L" Model 30 Locomobile. The 1911 and 12's would have a bit different rear fender, one with skirts where the photo car does not have skirts on the rear fenders. The 11 and 12 would also likely use Solar combo. electric/oil side lamps not the Gray and Davis in the pictures. I have some numbers, this evening I will scout around and see what "6045" tells me.

Regards from the West,

Alan

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  • 7 months later...

Alan,

I hope you are still out there.

You wrote below about the image I first posted above:

> I agree with John, this automobile is a 1909 or 1910 Locomobile Type "L" Model 30

> Locomobile. The 1911 and 12's would have a bit different rear fender, one with

> skirts where the photo car does not have skirts on the rear fenders. The 11 and 12

> would also likely use Solar combo. electric/oil side lamps not the Gray and Davis

> in the pictures.

I have come up with a new photo of this vehicle, which I'll attach. The photo was dated August 1917. At the time the vehicle was used as the 'stage' between the railroad stop at Tipton on the Sumpter Valley RR line and the gold mining camp of Greenhorn, seven miles up the hill. The back of the photo says it is a 1907 Locomobile touring car - but that may have been written years later by someone who did not know. I do note that the the image of a 1911 Model 30 from the "Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 1805-1942." shows the same two boxes on the running board as appear in the photo of the 'stage.' The problem is that the catalogue image does not show the pointy front fenders.

You also wrote:

> I have some numbers, this evening I will scout around and see what "6045" tells me.

The State of Oregon vehicle registration information for this car says that it was factory # 6045. If I could ever come up with any Locomobile production records perhaps we could tie this down definitively.

post-43241-143137876943_thumb.jpg

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WOW!!!!!!!! That is a VERY SPECIAL vehicle, I've never seen an early steamer with that bodywork, it mak not be a Loco. Many of the circa 1900 steamers looked a lot alike, I'll dig through my stuff and see if I have any info on that body. Thanks for posting the photos!

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Hello Greg,

I scanned through my Locomobile papers and from your number 6045 am able to guess that this car is a late 1912 or released in 1913 as a carry over vehicle. Your number actually overlaps with the Model 38 6 cylinder models. Of course that is assuming that the number given is correct. I liked your second picture of a Model 30 Touring, modified to serve as a stage delivery car. I have the remains of a windshield very similar to the one on the delivery car. I can't tell for sure, but the windshield appears to be a wooden framed variety. A big "year" indicator of the car in your first picture and also the second being touring cars is the "wrap around" front fender style. The toy tonneau and torpedo styles used a more swept back design. Your other pics. tend to make a fellow day dream! Thanks for posting them!

Regards,

Alan

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Alan,

You wrote: "I scanned through my Locomobile papers and from your number 6045 am able to guess that this car is a late 1912 or released in 1913 as a carry over vehicle."

The problem with this is that the vehicle was first registered, so far as I can tell, with the State of Oregon Motor Vehicles Division on August 21, 1911. The records state that the license for 1911 was # 5113. The car was listed as factory production number 6045. In 1912 the vehicle was given license # 3562 ? as is shown in the photograph in the snow I previously sent.

The motor vehicles registration notations refer to the vehicle as a "touring" style. However, I note that an ad for the 1911 Locomobile, Model 30, Type L, Torpedo, HAC, has the same two boxes on the driver's side running board as are seen in the August 1917 photo I sent. I will try to reattach both those images. I may have to do it with two posts.

So...we're close but still not ready to light the cigar.

Gregg

post-43241-143137877243_thumb.jpg

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Alan,

And finally here is one more of the same vehicle. It does not have the windshield shown in the 1917 photo. There was also not windshield in the 1911 photo in the snow. So we must assume that George Massamore got enough money together to buy a windshield sometime between 1911 and 1917.

Gregg

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