Frantz Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Does anyone have a or know of a Pullman automobile for some photos and an afternoon chat? I know there was a later one at the Hershey show this year. I have a book from 1977 that lists some owners, but that was 40 years ago. Near Pennsylvania would be a plus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 There is at least 1 Pullman in the York County, PA historical society. Past AACA President Don Barlup is a proud Pullman owner as is Jim Grundy of Grundy Insurance. Two Pullman autos were sold at the auction at Hershey last Fall, an '08 and a '10, both of which dqe restored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Thanks! I think the York County Historical society was also the folks that have an Atlas truck which would make a nice piece to write on as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 1 hour ago, Restorer32 said: Past AACA President Don Barlup is a proud Pullman owner... Don Barlup is very close to you. His workplace is no more than 10-15 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Paul and Cheryl Vaughan in Willow Street, PA, have a couple of Pullmans. Gil Fitzhugh the Elder, Morristown, NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Last time I was at the YORK History museum they had books on sale at the gift shop on the history of the Pullman and all the existing cars. I lent my copy and it has not come back yet. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 I had the honor and privilege of driving Don Barlup's 1914 Pullman several years ago on an AACA reliability Tour. Don, his wife Carol, and their dedication to the club are a credit to the hobby and to the AACA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 There was a guy named Randy Hespenhide from somewhere in Delaware County, Pa (Southwest Philadelphia suburbs) who had one. I believe Randy passed on a few years ago and his car probably moved on too but it's a lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Here's a BRAND NEW one you can buy!! https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/vehicles/passenger-cars/mercedes-maybach/the-new-mercedes-maybach-pullman/ Got deep pockets? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Pullman made a wide variety of models. Don Barlup's '14 is the only "big" Pullman known. I believe there are only about 21 known survivors. There are several out there that are not what they seem to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Wow thanks for all the leads, and in such short time! I sorta figured I'd be in the hunt for a bit I do have the 1977 York county vehicles books, and the 1970 Pullman book from York historical society for a basis of the article. I think with the aid of computers it may well be possible to make a more complete global picture of the company though than was practically feasible in the '70s.. or at least that's my hope. Most things I read about Pullman are York centric, and besides talk of them getting shipped out, there is little written about where they went and what reception they had there. Obviously undercut by the Model T, but a neat local story for me. Thanks folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 You know the factory building still stands in downtown York? Fred Rosenmiller, who co-wrote the York County Vehicles book is still around and attends Hershey regularly though he no longer owns any York build vehicles. The '08 we restored for Fred was a long time resident of the Bill Pettit collection in Virginia before Fred purchased it. Pullman was the only one of 14 or so York built vehicles that achieved any sort of financial success. Unfortunately they too died off in the mass extinction of orphan car makes which began in 1917 or so. The Grandfather of Jim Grundy of Grundy Insurance was a Pullman dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 The building is how I first found out about them. I grew up in Cumberland County and when I moved to York I went to the minor league ball game and saw the painting and it sparked my interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 The pic on the bldg is a recreation of the badly faded original pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 I was curious about that. Would they ever have actually advertised the 6 wheeler on a building? After all that was a bit of a failure, and very early on in the history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 The pic on the bldg is actually of the '08 Touring we restored unless they have redone it since I last saw it. Did you know there is actually a limited edition MIchter's Distillery liquor bottle replicating the 6 wheeler? Was made sometime in the 1970's. I have #240 of the run of 1400. Sadly the liquor was gone when I bought the bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prewar40 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 10 hours ago, Dave Mellor NJ said: There was a guy named Randy Hespenhide from somewhere in Delaware County, Pa (Southwest Philadelphia suburbs) who had one. I believe Randy passed on a few years ago and his car probably moved on too but it's a lead. It was Randy's dad, Tom Hespenheide, that passed away a while back. Randy does still have the Pullman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Maybe I just remembered 6 wheels! I'll have to go through and look again. It looks like an older (but not 1908 older) painting, so I don't think it's been refreshed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Tom Hespenhide passed in early '98 or late '97. The painting was redone when the factory was converted to Senior apartments. Sometime in the 1980s or possibly early 1990s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Was never aware that Coker had a Pullman and we pretty much knew where they all were but then the last one we restored was finished and shown in '96. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 The '08 we restored was a small 4 cylinder. Originally the aluminum block was machined and served as the top half of the main bearings. Only the main caps were babbitted. Of course we made bronze shells and had them babbitted when we restored the engine. Ever hear the term "struggle buggy"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalowed Bill Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I stumbled across what appeared to be an original 1914 Pullman at a car show just outside of Seattle several years ago. Until the owner opened the hood to show a transplanted Ford 300 cu" six. He unapologetically indicated that the original engine casting was so badly cracked that repairing it was near impossible. He said that he searched for some time for a good block but finally gave up. I can't verify the narrative, but do believe that it was the large series Pullman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I can appreciate the fact that he wanted to get the 1914 back on the road, with a modern six, but meanwhile, considering the value of the car, he should be looking into new casting for the crankcase or block/cylinders. Not inexpensive, but done all the time, and the rarity of the Pullman would warrant that expenditure.....then again, he might just be enjoying the car as is, and will let the next caretaker worry about originality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 A great thread, illustrating that the knowledge base of this forum is awesome! Thanks to all who participate. I read it everyday, just like a historical newspaper. Pullman rings a bell with me as possibly seen at Harold Coker's home on the 2013 Glidden Tour. Touring is always a treat, that one in 2013 had TWO Yellowstone National Park tour busses by White, Harold Coker's and Ross Walkup's big yellow 1920's National Park busses driving around full of happy people. Where else would you see such a sight today? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 People in south-central Pennsylvania tend to pay more attention to Pullmans, since they were made in near-by York, Penna. Another member of our region had, I believe, 2 Pullmans, but he sold them a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 That would have been Fred Rosenmiller. He sold his cars locally maybe 3 years ago. The new owner passed last year and the cars were sold at the Hershey auction last Fall. They were a 1908 Touring and a 1910 Speedster. Both went thru AACA judging in the '90s and achieved Grand National First status. I have no idea who owns them now. They were two of the more challenging restorations we have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kings32 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Jim Gimmell has a Pullman 10 I believe . He is a member of the Gettsburg Region . Kings32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 This 1944 Pullman survives in Edmonton Transit's historical collection: http://www.barp.ca/bus/alberta/ets/ets194444cx.html Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest john1948 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Paul Vaughn of willowstreet Lancaster Co. Pa. has several Pullman auto as of my last visit.He has restored several. he is the best source on them and has done much research on them in the York archives. He has worked on the York museum car. He is retired now and will talk to anyone interested. I have known Paul since grade school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 The 1903 models of the Pullman had six wheels, two in front, two in back and two in the middle, which were the actual drive wheels. The idea sprang from the Pullman rail cars. The automobile was named after the rail car, which had six wheels in the front and six in the back. That was OK for rail cars, but it was a dismal failure for automobiles. "With a rigid frame, if you hit a gully, the middle wheels spun," Vaughn said. "They were up in the air. The guy who designed it was so embarrassed, he tore it apart and made it a four-wheel car and changed the name to York. But nobody wanted to buy a York, so he went back to the Pullman name." http://lancasteronline.com/news/wheelin-in-the-years/article_dcddb350-6a1b-55f6-8c20-4b87f472557e.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 The yellow 1910 Model O Pullman is for sale out of a collection in Mass. Asking price is $125k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted October 28, 2017 Author Share Posted October 28, 2017 (edited) Old post of mine. I got to meet Paul and Cheryl at Hershey this year and just visited their home today. Such wonderful folks! Even got to take a ride in their 1910. Brought wife and daughter along too. Folks in this hobby are always so generous with their time and what and awesome collection of cars knowledge and history! Edited October 28, 2017 by Frantz (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 If you are interested in owning a Pullman railcar I can help. Its 70 ft long, built in 1898 , and still has all its original cabinetry still intact, original mahogany paneling and pocket doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted October 28, 2017 Author Share Posted October 28, 2017 25 minutes ago, mikewest said: If you are interested in owning a Pullman railcar I can help. Its 70 ft long, built in 1898 , and still has all its original cabinetry still intact, original mahogany paneling and pocket doors. When I started my new business as an agent with New York Life they asked what we would do if we got successful and I said I'd buy a private train car as a mobile office and lounge. I just started this year so success hasn't jumped in front of me just yet. I bet the local steam association would store it for me though! Someday it's def on my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 1 hour ago, Frantz said: When I started my new business as an agent with New York Life they asked what we would do if we got successful and I said I'd buy a private train car as a mobile office and lounge. I just started this year so success hasn't jumped in front of me just yet. I bet the local steam association would store it for me though! Someday it's def on my list. I also know of a 1910 Pullman in the next town over, been in the same family since new. Not for sale , but the owner is glad to show it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Shappy has had a roadster for sale for quite some time...................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 We restored the Shappy Pullman in the early 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantz Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 I mean, I want to own one someday, but I really was just looking for folks like Paul and Cheryl to experience the machine and gain some knowledge. As a resident of York County I think it's really cool that such a big production happened right down the street (well 20 minutes away). So much of automotive history books is only focused on the companies successful into the collector era. There are a few books about Pullman. Look at the Turkey Red card set from 1910. Pullman is one of 50 brands. Many of those brands are even still with us today. But several of those brands are nearly forgotten and I think it's good to keep that history alive. Much of it is organized, but only in the minds of those passionate about the brand. They have the collections of information they learned from, but it's the time folks have spent digesting all that information that I think in many cases is in risk of being lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 (edited) Doug Frantz, The 2017 AACA Founder's hosted by your close by Gettysburg Region visited the Don & Carol Barlup "Pullman Collection" in Perry County PA and the Hagerstown Rural Heritage Museum where they too, had at least one Pullman on display. Quite impressive automobiles that I had not been familiar with. 1 Part of Barlups's Collection @ a 2017 Founder's Tour Coffee Stop. Thanks, Don & Carol Edited October 29, 2017 by Paul Dobbin I thought of adding something and didn't. (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 I have often though of that rail car out in the boonies somewhere would be fun. Same thoughts about an old aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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