Auto speeds in 1925

[Guest scochrane]

My grandfather wrote that he drove 280 miles from northcentral Iowa to Big Lake Minnesota in one day, in 1925. Gravel roads, 1920's Buick. How long was he likely driving--what speed was common for cars in 1925?

[Mark Huston]

Depending on the model car, many cars in the 20s were capable of fast speeds and long distance driving. Some of the more light weight inexpensive cars may not have been able to do 280 miles in a one day. A big Buick could easily have accomplished those miles in a day, however; the problem in the 20s was not the inability of the cars to go the distance, is was the quality of the roads and having to drive through the center every little down along the way. This really slowed you down. So, 280 miles in a single day is about 45 mph over about 6 ½ hours – if you could maintain that speed for the entire 280 miles. Factoring the roads and towns along the way I am sure it was a long 12 hour day of driving.

In the late teens and early 20s there was an outlaw gang of brothers called “The Newton Boys”. There is a book and movie by the same name that chronicles their achievements of robbing banks and trains throughout the Midwest and even into Canada. The Newton Boys drove Studebakers and loved the speed and endurance that they could achieve. Reading the book it is amazing the amount of ground they covered in those early cars on gravel and dirt roads.

[Dave@Moon]

So, 280 miles in a single day is about 45 mph over about 6 ½ hours – if you could maintain that speed for the entire 280 miles. Factoring the roads and towns along the way I am sure it was a long 12 hour day of driving.

I've driven a lot of gravel roads in northcentral Iowa. Today they are fairly well maintained, and in a modern, relatively robust vehicle (like a pickup or small SUV) a 45-50 mph average in rural areas is reasonable. In a 1925 Buick, however, that would be risky. Also I fairly doubt that the maintenance in 1925 was up to today's standards, and that there would have been as many miles of gravelled roads as there are today. I'd be willing to bet that much of that trip was on dirt roads.

There are still some dirt roads left in central Iowa, and I've driven several of them too. Dry, no problem. Wet, impassable.

Towns might have slowed you down, but by 1925 it was likely that towns would have had the only paved roads (which might actually speed you up).

As a result, weather conditions would influence travel times to a degree that makes any guess difficult. Under perfect conditions (drought, mostly gravel recently/well maintained, little farm/harvest traffic) an average of 30 mph might be possible (similar to Mark's estimate). In a long driving rain, it's conceivable that a miles/day figure might be appropriate.

[Rusty_OToole]

Tom McCahill wrote about buying a new Chrysler Imperial 80 Locke body roadster in 1928 and driving it from New York City to Miami in 3 days. He did this several times.

He remarked that in those days you never saw a cop south of Washington DC.

30 years later it took the same time to drive the same trip, on the new interstate hiways, and the south was crawling with speed traps.

[Rusty_OToole]

Your grandfather was burning up the roads at speeds up to 50 MPH. To average 28 mph through towns, stops for gas food etc would have been par for the course. So total elapsed time may have been 10 hours more or less.

[paulrhd29nz]

In 1920 Four Essex 4's ( 2 going east, two going west) from San Francisco to New York delivering mail for the U.S. postal sevice.

. The fastest of the 4 cars did the 3,347 mile trip in 4 days and 43 min.

All 4 cars broke the transcontinental auto record set in 1916 by a Hudson Super Six. (of course).

Paul

[jscheib]

I think you need to visulize that while roads were not as today, traffic was much lighter and towns and cities smaller with few stop lights and signs, so there would be less time caught in the small tows then one might think (in my opinion). My dad also told me about some trips in the 20s, 30s he took, which I questioned at the time (50s), but now I can believe with only slight exageration.

John

[Guest windjamer]

We may never know the true ans. but I will join in with a guess of 14 hrs. and average speed 20mph. Now, believe it or not, in 1959 I left Cape canaverill Fla. driving a 55 Packard at 8pm drove stright through to Buffalo NY and back to Binghamton NY total about 1600 miles in aprox. 26 hrs.:eek: What was my average speed.?

[Dave@Moon]

What was my average speed.?

For speed...., I'd guess about 2.5 mg/4 hrs. Personally I stick to caffeine.

[Guest windjamer]

Remember Dave I said Packard, not ToyoTA

[Restorer32]

We are along the only thru highway other than the Interstate between Harrisburg, PA and Baltimore, MD. It was hard surfaced only in 1921. We restored a 1928 Autocar that ran a route from York, PA to the docks in Baltimore, a distance of about 45 miles. With a fully loaded hard rubber tired truck it was an all day trip in good weather.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

We are along the only thru highway other than the Interstate between Harrisburg, PA and Baltimore, MD. It was hard surfaced only in 1921. We restored a 1928 Autocar that ran a route from York, PA to the docks in Baltimore, a distance of about 45 miles. With a fully loaded hard rubber tired truck it was an all day trip in good weather.

I guess that would be York Road / old US 111 ?

I would also guess that Autocar had a governor and didn't go much more than 25 MPH...

Up here (Greater Scranton Metropolitan area ), the Lackawanna Trail heading West & North from Scranton on through to Binghamton was one of the first hard-surfaced modern roads... it was built on the right-of-way of the old "Philadelphia and Great Bend Turnpike", an early 19th century toll road, and when the Lackawanna RR realigned its route in 1913-15 (Hallstead Cut-off), they gave the old right-of-way to the State for the new highway.

There are some wonderful historic photos of the new concrete highway being graded and poured, complete with saddle-tank tank steam-locomotives on temporary tracks, steam-shovels, solid-tired trucks, and lots of burly,sweaty men...

AFAIK, the "new" highway was two-lane concrete all the way to the NY/PA state line. It was widened to four lanes in many sections, probably right after WW II, and still runs as US 6 & 11 to Factoryville, then as US 11 North to Binghmaton.

Being old RR right-of-way, the curves and grade were fairly gentle until just North of Factoryville, so there was about an eight mile stretch where one could concievably "opened her up".

The other "modern" highway was the Scranton - Pocono Highway (Now PA Rte 307), which ran East from Scranton to Daleville, where it joined US 611 and ran East to Stroudsburg. Again, a two-lane concrete highway (thanks to the WPA), from Lake Scranton to Daleville ( about 10 miles ), the highway is almost arrow-straight, but it is also almost like a roller-coaster with some pretty stiff hills...

Prior to the Northeast Turnpike Extension (1955) and Interstates (early 1962-1972) these were the only two roads around here that were conducive to any sort of high-speed running, and then only for limited distances...

[Restorer32]

By calling it "Old Route 111" you are definitely showing your age. It is now State Route 6002 or something like that. It is most commonly referred to as The Susquehanna Trail these days. Only immigrants from Bal'mor call it York Rd. Our shop is next to one of the old Toll Houses from when it was the "Harrisburg to Baltimore Turnpike"

[Restorer32]

I well remember concrete two lane hiways from my youth. Interstate 83 was built in 1957-58. We lived within walking distance of the construction and as 10-12 year olds we thought it great fun to stand on a hillside and toss rocks down at the dozers and dump trucks. We collected what seemed like miles of plastic covered wire from the excavation sites, never realizing that it was actually detonation wire. Luckily we never found any blasting caps. We coulda put an eye out!

[Rusty_OToole]

Trucks on hard rubber tires were limited to 20-25 MPH. This is why REO could claim their Speedwagon 1 ton truck could do the work of a 5 ton. It had pneumatic tires and could go 50 MPH.

[ply33]

Trucks on hard rubber tires were limited to 20-25 MPH. This is why REO could claim their Speedwagon 1 ton truck could do the work of a 5 ton. It had pneumatic tires and could go 50 MPH.

At least in California, you can replace that "were limited to 20-25 MPH" with "are limited to 12-25 MPH". See V C Section 22409 Solid Tire

And they still mention acetylene headlights in the California motor vehicle code too.

[Restorer32]

Chain drive Macks were used to haul bridge beams during the construction of Interstste 83 in 1957 and 1958. Snyder Trucks in York had a contract with the steel company to change out the small drive sprockets used when delivering the beams for larger drive sprockets for the empty return trip to Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Chain drive Macks were used to haul bridge beams during the construction of Interstste 83 in 1957 and 1958. Snyder Trucks in York had a contract with the steel company to change out the small drive sprockets used when delivering the beams for larger drive sprockets for the empty return trip to Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem.

Wonder what the turn-around time was to re-fit the truck for "high-speed running" ?

There was a late chain drive Mack on the Show field at Hershey this year...

I think the last chain-drive model was the FN, somewhere around 1940.

When I was shuttling between Baltimore and Wilkes-Barre for College in the mid-1980's, there seemed to be eternal construction work on I-83 between York and Harrisburg, mostly near the Turnpike Interchange, and one of the contractors was Hempt Bros... they had some trucks from the late '40s - early '50s still working, mostly as site trucks, water tankers, and the like, but still at work...

[Restorer32]

The Son of the founder of Snyder trucks said his dad told him they could change sprockets and readjust the chains in about 2 hours.

[ply33]

The Son of the founder of Snyder trucks said his dad told him they could change sprockets and readjust the chains in about 2 hours.

About 100 miles between York, PA and Bethlehem, PA. Assume another 2 hours in Bethlehem to change back. So the speed increase for a 100 mile trip was enough to invest 4 hours of labor and wall clock time. Wow.