Stanley Steamer date

[McMalcolm]

Below is an image of what I think is a Stanley Steamer. It was located in the Poudre Canyon, west of Fort Collins, CO, when the image was taken. I'm looking for any information anyone has on the date and model of hte car and a confirmation that it is a Stanley Steamer.

 

Thanks,

McMalcolm

 

[keiser31]

Sure does look like it.

[KLF]

I sent this picture to Stanley expert Pat Farrell. Here's what he had to say.

 

Using the same engine that set the land speed record at 127 MPH in 1906, that is a 1909 Stanley Model Z.  9 passenger, 30 HP Mountain Wagon.  Developed in 1908 for hauling passengers from Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins; up to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.  Because of its hill climbing ability, several transportation companies in the Rocky Mountain area quickly came into being while using the new Model Z Stanley Mountain Wagon.  By 1912, the Stanley Mountain Wagon had become a 12 Passenger Mt. Wagon.  The last year for the Mt. Wagon being built was 1917.

 

 

So now we know.

Ken

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Here is a similar wagon.

 

[nzcarnerd]

And one under restoration, a pic I took in 2015 in Vermont.

 

[Vintman]

Some more historical background on Stanley mountain wagons:  http://svvs.org/philippines2.shtml

 

Vintman (UK)

[StanleyRegister]

These are both outstanding photos.  On the first, note the little square-looking arrangement of pipes, near the right front spring.  This was connected to the acetylene tank, to provide a handy torch to use when heating the burner during firing up.  Notice the differences in the second photo - just a few years have brought a much stronger frame with a front crossmember, and heavier wheels, as well as an additional seat.  Still the same powerplant, though.  In fact, they made a 5-seat version as well.  The only remaining factory-original 5-seat Mountain Wagon is in the Marshall Collection, where I'm happy to be able to volunteer - http://auburnheights.org/collections/automobiles/1915-stanley-mountain-wagon-model-820/

[KLF]

On 2/3/2018 at 2:34 AM, KLF said:

More from Pat:

 

Ken,  I looked into my old photos of Stanley Mt. Wagons.  My photo information is credited to Clatworthy of Estes Park, CO.

 

The owner and driver of this Mt. Wagon was Jack Brause and the Mt. Wagon was used at Estes Park Area. in 1908

 

SSsssteamer

 

[nzcarnerd]

This one is supposed to be Estes Park.

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

As is this one - at the Forks Hotel, Loveland. Not mountain wagons though.

[StanleyRegister]

Ah but it is a Mountain Wagon!  The second and third seats were detachable to create a pickup truck if you wanted.

 

This one really looks like a 1908, to me.  Notice especially the flared flat wood front fender, with the metal brace to hold it up.  The driver even resembles Jack Brause, to me. 

 

Here's another photo of an '08.  In addition to the flat fenders, notice also the 3-venturi burner, an unsuccessful development that didn't survive 1908.

[StanleyRegister]

Here are a couple of other photos of Brause in his '08.  I think this is the same car as the "pickup" in the Forks Hotel photo.

 

I love seeing the siphon hoses at the ready in all these pictures.  Not too many houses with garden hoses along those mountain trails.

[nzcarnerd]

3 hours ago, StanleyRegister said:

Here are a couple of other photos of Brause in his '08.  I think this is the same car as the "pickup" in the Forks Hotel photo.

 

I love seeing the siphon hoses at the ready in all these pictures.  Not too many houses with garden hoses along those mountain trails.

 

I agree that the last pic with Jack Bause  alone in the car looks like the pickup in the Hotel pic - same hat and shirt too.

[nzcarnerd]

Siphon hose story - when I was young, in the early 1960s we lived next to a main road which had a small creek beside it. The house was only about 50 ft from the road. One summer morning just before dawn I was woken by odd noises outside. I looked through the curtain and saw a steam traction engine siphoning water from the creek. Seeing a traction engine on the road was a rare sight by that time, and they usually travelled in the early morning to stay clear of traffic. 

[twin6]

Another possibility for the canyon vehicle is 1910 model 80, based upon steel fenders with iron edges (late 1910 - 1911) and dropped front axle (1910 - 1912),

[StanleyRegister]

It is a bit puzzling that the car seems to have a dropped front axle, yet has no front crossmember in the frame.  Maybe they ruined an axle and the factory sent a newer replacement?  The car does look like it's had a hard life.

[lump]

When I was a very young kid (IE: first grade of elementary school), my parents often took me to AACA tours and other old car events, within a few hour radius of our home in Dayton, Ohio. I specifically recall going to an event on a college campus in Granville, Ohio in about 1960 or 61, when I would have been about 6 years old. My parents at first decided it would be safe for me to walk around on my own, looking at the cars (it was a simpler, safer time). But then my dad came by after having changed his mind. There was a Stanley Steamer driving around the parking lots there, and Dad was afraid I wouldn't hear it coming, and would walk out in front of it.

 

I distinctly recall wondering what a "steamer" was. When dad pointed it out to me, it just looked like one more old car. LOL. 

[gwells]

I came close to being run over by a Doble steamer at the car show one of the first times I attended at Hershey in 1970 or '71, and I wasn't a child then. At 16 or 17, a kid maybe... LOL!