4 Salon Jobs - Locke Body Company 1928

[Walt G]

this letter noting the 4 salon jobs - is from Locke & Company  Motor Coach Work in Roichester, NY. the letter is addressed to George Sutton who was a well known and prolific writer of automotive subjects in the post WWI era up into the  early 1930s era. His articles appeared in  both automotive publications as well as society magazines. He was well regarded and thus the letter from the President of Locke to him offering images of their latest accomplishments.  It is a good example of how publicity was gained for products in an era when the information was mailed and not conveyed via computer, TV, etc.  Sutton saved a lot if not most of his correspondence and it eventually wound up with a relative in Huntington, NY and  then some of it in my collection about 45 years ago. All of these small bits of information collectively paint the whole larger picture of what was going on then. Give us more insight into the everyday operations. Tell the whole /real story.

The writers, photographers, publicity departments, magazine editors rarely are recognized for their contributions to automotive history . I have always been interested in WHO as well as what was being talked about. WHo were these people, that were there then, to see the automobiles we cherish when they were new. They are part of the story as well.

[58L-Y8]

Walt:

What were the "four Salon jobs" displayed for 1928?   

Here is a Google Earth view of 40 Greenleaf Street, Rochester, NY.  Note the curved right-of-way around the east side of the building, that was where the New York Central Railroad siding aligned with loading docks and doors for the finished bodies to be shipped.   Below Atlantic Avenue marked "CSX' is the current operator of the New York Central Railroad trackage and a large classification yard that served a number of manufacturers in that section of the city.  A subsequent user of the building was Xerox Corporation, so I was told by a former employee when I mentioned the address.    Many of the coachbuilder's factory photographs taken of completed cars appear to have been driven westward on Atlantic Avenue where it meets University Avenue which along with East Avenue immediately paralleling a block south provided the appropriate upscale neighborhood backdrop seen many of the photographs.

Steve

[Walt G]

Steve

I  will look in the NY Salon catalogs to see what bodies they were but am in the middle of yet another research writing project. May be some time before I can get to that.

Many of the suppliers and body companies were near main line RR tracks. Atkinson Spring Co. near Syracuse, NY who supplied everyone with the proper custom made spring structures for seats was across the street from a main line RR track as well. they stopped the train and then walked the completed springs across the road and loaded the box car.

The Franklin automobile  Company in Syracuse had a rail line that went directly into the rear section of the factory. That Franklin factory was powered by coal so coal cars would dump their contests off as well.

Most car collectors do not recognize how much rail - box cars ,  transport played a major part in the vehicle industry.

Walt

[edinmass]

Most likely the bodies were a dual cowl with a reverse hung rear door, or a convertible coupe. They were the listed catalog cars………it’s also entirely possible they were a small batch job of anything that was decided upon, usually small batch cars were done in series of five…………5,10,15,20,25……….and oftentimes the first was a true one off hand built car before they made temporary or more permanent jigs and patterns for the foundry shop. Thus number one often had awkward or one off component’s while they were working things out to make the batch faster and less expensive to produce.

Edited April 30, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)