I recently had reason to go through a bunch of old photos, and ran across a couple of CC worthy shots taken by my father on slide film.
My two adventurous aunts spent the 1970’s living in various far flung locations in Canada, and in 1972 (edit – it was 1971) our family took a train trip to Nova Scotia to visit them there.
This is obviously Halifax train station, my sister and I are standing next to my mother and one of my aunts near the trunk of the red Satellite. The smattering of British cars is typical of early 1970s Canada. Some diehards were still driving Austin and Morris products, although that was changing fast as evidenced by the Japanese sedan sneaking into the right side of Dad’s shot. For you camera enthusiasts Dad used a very sturdy Minolta Hi-Matic 7 rangefinder camera for over 30 years. Our own Jim Grey reviews one here:
Halifax station is still in use, although with more subtle signage.
Here’s the full shot of the lead photo, that’s my sister and I. We refer to this trip as “The last good time we had before our little brother was born” but we’re only partially joking. 🙂 Bonus points for identifying the breed of my aunt’s dog. I remember playing with “Yiffee” quite a bit, and I also remember the time she bit me for trying to take her ball away. I didn’t try that again.
This may have been taken near the Halifax citadel, but the surrounding area has changed a lot in the past 47 years. No British cars this time, but a similar Japanese sedan, if you had to pick a random Toyota to show up in two photos you wouldn’t pick that one. I’ll leave it to you folks to identify the vehicles in your comments.
Then finally, we have a non-CC photo. This is the stuff of legend in our family, we were visiting the Sheet Harbour lighthouses and I was playing on the rocks. My mother said “Douglas, those rocks are slippery, don’t go down there!” I didn’t listen, and soon found out that seaweed covered ocean rocks were slipperier than the freshwater rocks I was used to and wound up in the drink. Dad fished me out, and wrapped me in his jacket, and there we are with the lighthouse in the background.
I am very blessed to have parents who took me on great family trips, and rescued me when I fell.
What cars do you see, and which one would you have used to take your wet 5 year old kid home?
Of all the Canadian cities I’d like to visit, Halifax is in the top 3. It looks amazing. On a more CC note, it seems like Atlantic Canada was once home to a lot of cars you’d seldom see down south of the border. I know many Hyundai Ponys were sold in that region, along with a fair number of Eastern Bloc makes, Lada and Skoda in particular. I wonder if there are still a lot of Halifax-built Volvos running around over there
Red car is an Isuzu, the blue car a A55 Morris Oxford or Austin Cambridge
A60 Cambridge but without the usual contrasting colour between the twin chrome trim lines. That suggests a late ’60s example (but otherwise 99% like a 1962 model). Not the biggest car in front of the station by a long shot, but it might be the tallest.
Well, if you’re talking about the 1st title photo, the blue car next to the Isuzu Bellet is a Toyota Corona. The blue car in the photo in front of the railway station is an Oxford or Cambridge.
Is it a Keeshond?
Oh, and great shots — I love the then-and-now train station shots.
Ding! There’s the winner, you guys are good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeshond
She was one furry dog all right, with that double coat…
I did have an unfair advantage — my parents had a Keeshond. Great dogs, especially if you can deal with lots of fur and barking. I recognized the Keeshond right away, but was stumped by the Isuzu.
This is one of my kids walking the Keeshond:
Funny Keeshond story: I came home one winter day and found my Keeshond on his back, all four feet in the air, sound asleep on a block of ice left when we’d dumped out a watering trough.
He was a great dog.
I recognized the Isuzu as such, right away. But not from ever having seen one outside of photos … were they officially sold in the US then?
Isuzu Bellets were never sold in the US, but small numbers were imported into Canada as well as an abortive assembly plant attempt (also in Nova Scotia)
We discussed it a bit here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coup-cars-of-uncle-peter/
Unfortunately I don’t have any recollection of riding in it, which I must have done quite a bit of during that trip. Other than that one I have never seen another Bellet.
I saw one Bellett when I was a teenager around 1980, and was baffled as to what it was. I recall that it didn’t have any Isuzu badging.
Both the Nova Scotia plates and the blue Ontario one in the lead photo indicate that this is 1971 rather than 1972,
Correct, my brother just emailed me to remind me of his birth year.
Sorry Andrew!!
Is that a 1971 or so Toyota Corona next to it? Quite the pairing.
CN has many miles of RR tracks around Chicago area, and tons of trains rolling.
Regarding the 70’s pics, no Canadian Pontiacs? jk
Isuzu Bellets were fairly popular out here in Vancouver. I guess the Japanese manufacturers used the West Coast as sort of beachhead as their first forays into North America. I remember going with my dad to the auto shows and PNE here and there were always some new Japanese car we had never seen before and many not seen again. The problem was most likely the dealer network was pretty poor compared to VW or even BMC. Most of them ran out of very small dealerships sort of as a sideline at the time.
A friend of mine, his future stepfather bought one of the first Mazda R100’s in NA. Nobody knew what it was at that time…don’t even think it had been in the car magazines yet!
Belletts were fairly popular in Australia too, and had a reputation as the sporting driver’s Japanese sedan.
When the boys were small and we lived in an Atlanta suburb, we’d take a N. Georgia mountain trip every fall and enjoy a picnic lunch atop Brass Town Bald Mountain (highest point in GA). We’d often stop on the way home to let the boys play in the creek, and on more than one occasion one would (accidentally? I think maybe not!) fall in.
The family trip vehicle in these years was our ‘90 Honda Civic hatchback. Pic is from years later after we had sold it to my brother.
I love these old film photos. I would say that you haven’t aged a bit but I would be lying. 🙂
Despite Canada’s reputation as a nation of cheapskates when it came to buying cars, isn’t that a 68 Caprice 4 door hardtop parked at the curb in front of the train station?
Yes, those look like the Caprice hubcaps. And a hood scoop on the 69 Mustang behind it. Canada’s cheapskates usually didn’t get the big engine option, so I wonder what that one was packing?
Typically in CA at the time, high trim levels yet no options.
My dad’s ’67 LTD company car, lacking AC and power windows, was the talk of the block because it had disc brakes, power locks and a factory 4-speaker
8-track tape system.
That red sedan was Isuzu Bellett of late 60’s
Tom, you were new in the states around this time. Any photos?
I remember the Minolta Hi-matic 7! Not a SLR but a very nice small view finder 35 mm camera.
Not familiar with the Bellett back in the day. Probably no one on the prairies took on the brand. By the late sixties British cars and Italian for that matter were falling out of favour by consumers as Japanese cars gained in popularity. Big sedans remained popular in western Canada as the way to travel long distances.
There was one odd exception on the prairies. A tractor dealer in Fairview, Okla decided to carry Isuzu Bellel diesels along with his diesel tractors. He sold several, but they didn’t last. They remained forlornly for sale along country roads around Fairview.
Terrific photos and memories Doug. CN freight trains and delivery trucks used to be so prolific across the country. They were the Canadian Fedex, back in the 1960s and 70s. And that logo has served them well.
Medium duty Dodge.
Thanks for the h/t to my blog!
I remember that station well. As a student in Halifax in the 70’s I worked as a waiter on the trains between Halifax and Montreal for a couple of summers.
As a former Haligonian though, I don’t think the Keeshond shot is near the Citadel. My first guess would be somewhere outside the city proper – the stair makes me think possibly a motel?
Wow that Bellett is crazy! I had NO idea they were ever sold in North America.
The Corona in the picture looks shiny and new. In fact, the first Toyota I ever saw was one like this, a 1973 model I believe. Even in 1972, Toyota was making good business in Canada. They were seen as inexpensive, well equipped cars that were cheap to run.
Which they were.
One of my favourite cities in Canada! I recall visiting the Citadel, Peggy’s Cove, and watching out my Grandfather’s window overlooking the McDonald Bridge from his room at his then retirement home. Takes me way back, great times. Thanks for these photos! I love the white on blue letters for the Ont. license plate. DFord will figure out a way to mess up our current license plate slogans.