I’ve been too busy to hang out much at Shorpy, but CC reader Craig pointed me to this new shot just posted there. It’s a a big GE plant, and the year is 1949. And I’m going to let you all try to figure out what all’s parked there, or just enjoy the vintage cars for their own sake. If you care for something a bit newer, here’s one from 1962:
Richard Chamberlain (standing at right) as Dr. Kildare, talking to Ken Berry behind the wheel of the 1962 Dodge Shorpy on the MGM Studios in Culver City.
Did the photo say where the GE plant was located? I count two Crosleys, so maybe Cincinnati? I think there used to be a big GE plant in Bloomington, Indiana. Wherever it was, it appears to have been brand-spanking new in 1949.
The first decent row also sports a rare 42 Chrysler (immediately to the left of the white 39 Buick). Moving further left past the 49 Plymouth, is that a 38 or 39 Lincoln Zephyr? Edit – actually, I am going to go with 39 Chrysler.
Also, 2nd row from street sports a Studebaker Starlight Coupe. Lot of pre-war iron still in service in 1949.
I seriously want the Dr. Kildare Dodge.
I wondered about that too. A bit of digital sleuthing identified it as a GE turbine plant in Schenectady, NY.
Looks like it is still standing and in use, although clearly renovated in the recent past (image from http://www.redline-motorsports.com). No Crosleys in this shot though.
I think old factories are cool. Great pic!
“All cars look the same nowadays”
Awesome photos. When I lived in Albany, I spent lots of time exploring the surrounding environs and got lost driving around this same facility once. It’s pretty large, and I’d assume these buildings are still there… unfortunately, I doubt many of these cars are still with us thanks to heavy usage of road salt. I can only ID a few of these off the top of my head, but I’m surprised by how many seem to be 1930s vintage, or older (there’s something ancient parked on the far end of the 2nd row from rear).
Schenectady itself, like most cities in the Capitol Region, is majestically old and decrepit. Gotta take a road trip up there one of these days, it’s been awhile…
Keep in mind that in 1949 the postwar shortages/seller’s market was still going (it’d turn into a buyer’s market within the next 12-24 months), so a lot of people were still hanging on to their old stuff for awhile yet.
Just the same, there’s an impressive amount of 42-48 cars in the parking lot, too. If anything, the amount of post WWII cars (and I’ll add in the ’42’s with them, they’re rare) in that parking lot, all under five years old, is awful impressive by modern standards.
Well, after the war, people had worn out cars (most stuff they had was worn out) and cars didn’t exactly last all that long. People had lots of money saved up and bought new stuff as soon as they could. The inflationary environment made the buying binge even more pronounced as waiting for even a few months would result in a significant price hike.
I doubt much wear & tear occurred during wartime, since fuel & tire-rubber were rationed anyway. For America, the War lasted < 4 yrs. More likely this demand was the result of wartime savings & deferred purchases during the Depression, esp. since the 2nd market downturn of '38.
We had an old GE plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana that was adorned with a lighted sign much like this one. Cool sign all lit up at night.
That sign in Fort Wayne still functions and is lit for night baseball games, since it is visible from the stadium downtown.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69061819@N00/4189037340/in/photolist-7oaURJ-8CLrXu-8qG2VU
Cool! I have not lived there in quite a long time but remembered the sign. Thanks!
Anybody else notice the ’49 Ford on the extreme right? Or could it be a Kaiser?
49 2 door looks like from here so that would be a brand new car for thar year wonder who the poor sod was that bought that. The first new Ford post war and chock full of faults and poor design luckily the Zephyr from Dagenham was good it saved Fords ass out here.
It almost looks to me like a 49 Lincoln without the skirts. Looks too big to be a Ford. I do see a Kaiser in the 3rd row from the street, about 1/3 the distance away from the building with the smokestacks.
1949 Lincoln. Here’s a close-up:
Actually, it might be a ’49 Mercury, as it looks to have the chrome taillight bezels, not the inset rear taillamps from the Lincoln.
We’re obviously talking about different cars. I’m referring to the white car in the upper right parking lot, not the main one. The photo I attached is a close-up of it.
I know, that’s the one I meant. There’s just a hint of protruding taillight on the white car to make me think it could be a Merc. Both the base Lincoln and the Mercury had the full-length side spear.
Tom: I think you’re seeing it as they were rendered in the ads: longer than they were in real life. Here’s a 49 sedan without rear fender spats; note how much shorter it looks than that Lincoln, especially the rear end/trunk, and the front end too. The Lincoln looks decidedly longer (to me anyway).
There appears to be some additional length in the rear doors of the Lincoln.
Also, next to the close up Crosley is a ’49 Chevrolet backed in to the parking space.
I embiggened the photo and can see the 48 NY plates with 49 tabs on a couple of the closest cars, the two 46-48 Ford sedans, confirming the photo date.
In the row next to the street there’s a 35 Dodge like the second car I owned. One row toward the photographer, I see a step-down Hudson parked next to a 42-46 of the same make. Quite a few new ’49 cars in the lot – probably the most expensive being the Buick next to the street unless that’s a Lincoln and not a Mercury farther up the row. I see the prominent nose of a 41 Nash in that row too. Wonder whose it was – no one dared park next to it.
What’s interesting in the GE plant pic is that large number of cars that are backed in to a space instead of the normal nose to nose parking you see today.
The better to make a getaway at quitting time. 🙂
Yup it’s so you can get out as soon as possible after the whistle blows. At the local High School most of the kids back in. If you are nose in you’ll be waiting a long time until someone allows you enough room to back out. If you are backed into the spot on the other hand you can force your way into the line of cars w/o much problem.
Behind the ’62 Dodge there appears to be a ’56 Mainline, ’57 T-Bird and an early Corvair, too.
Interesting how nobody noticed the “shorpy” script discretely added the the rear of Dr Kildare’s rag-top. Very clever.
I often hear Angry Old White Men lament that “all cars looks the same these days.” Well, the 1949 photo shows the cars of the era had very similar styling to other.
I noticed that too, at first I thought it was a dealer tag, then realized it said “Shorpy.”
Nobody? I called it a Dodge Shorpy in the the write-up.
Whoops, missed that…
Doesn’t everyone know that Shorpy Dodge was a well known dealer in the LA area? 🙂
I noticed it too, I dunno about the “angry old white men” thing, but you go beyond a certain year and everything starts looking the same, teens and twenties cars for example, from a distance, they all look the same too, If you did this same shot in 1959 it would be a bunch of low slung wrap windshield bubble tops for the most part.
There IS a ’49 Ford though, to the left of the Hudsons:
I’ll take the ’49 Merc Coupe in the middle of the back row, thanks.
My first car was a ’50 suicide door sedan. Not a very nice one, but it was cool.
Shorpy said the photo was the Schenectady GE Turbine plant. GE also had a Locomotive division in the area as I recall.
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Great shot. Picture goes to show not every old car wears whitewalls!
Almost everybody reversed into their parking spots back then.
There’s also a 1948 Chevy Fleetline from what I can tell in the first row that can be mostly seen in the bottom edge of the picture, near the middle of the pack.
Two cars over, the front end on the white car reminds me of a Saab for some reason, even though it’s obviously not one.
I love pictures like this. So cool.
The car second to the left of the Crosley in the third row looks like something from late 20s or the 30s. Either the plant cheapskate or the lowest paid guy in the plant.