Lakota
05-12-2023, 10:26am
IF YOU PURCHASED A PONTIAC IN 1934, IT MAY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO YOUR DEALER VIA BOXCARS SUCH AS THESE
These sleek new Pontiacs are being loaded into specially made Auto-Loaders at the loading bay in Pontiac, Michigan. Each wooden sheathed double door carrier could accommodate 4 new Pontiacs to be transported around the state and country. Ford Motor Company began the trend of constructing such covered bays in the 1920s to replace the exposed loading docks, and the rest of the industry soon followed suit.
The 1934 Pontiac was a popular choice among drivers during the midst of the Great Depression, with nearly 79,000 built. People still had a choice of 110 American made models to choose from, and the 8 cylinder, newly innovated Pontiac Division offered 7 models of its own, starting at a price of $785. Clare wouldn’t get her own Pontiac dealer until Dan McDonald in 1937, but before that Joseph Naumes in town represented the Martin Naumes Dealer in Mt Pleasant.
Use of these Auto Carriers peaked during World WarTwo as they transported jeeps, staff cars, and ambulances to ports on either coast. Following the War, improved highways and the invention of truck-trailers in the 1950s which could carry four (or six) autos away at one time to any location soon made the specially equipped Automobile Box Cars obsolete. In 1944, the C&O and Pere Marquette operated over 2200 such cars, but 20 years later there were none left on the roster.
The introduction of the tri-level 85 foot long rail car which could carry 12 to 15 new autos in 1960 re-established the railroads’ dominance in transporting new cars.
Photo credit to GM Media archives. Information from Al Kreisler and the C&O Historical Magazine
These sleek new Pontiacs are being loaded into specially made Auto-Loaders at the loading bay in Pontiac, Michigan. Each wooden sheathed double door carrier could accommodate 4 new Pontiacs to be transported around the state and country. Ford Motor Company began the trend of constructing such covered bays in the 1920s to replace the exposed loading docks, and the rest of the industry soon followed suit.
The 1934 Pontiac was a popular choice among drivers during the midst of the Great Depression, with nearly 79,000 built. People still had a choice of 110 American made models to choose from, and the 8 cylinder, newly innovated Pontiac Division offered 7 models of its own, starting at a price of $785. Clare wouldn’t get her own Pontiac dealer until Dan McDonald in 1937, but before that Joseph Naumes in town represented the Martin Naumes Dealer in Mt Pleasant.
Use of these Auto Carriers peaked during World WarTwo as they transported jeeps, staff cars, and ambulances to ports on either coast. Following the War, improved highways and the invention of truck-trailers in the 1950s which could carry four (or six) autos away at one time to any location soon made the specially equipped Automobile Box Cars obsolete. In 1944, the C&O and Pere Marquette operated over 2200 such cars, but 20 years later there were none left on the roster.
The introduction of the tri-level 85 foot long rail car which could carry 12 to 15 new autos in 1960 re-established the railroads’ dominance in transporting new cars.
Photo credit to GM Media archives. Information from Al Kreisler and the C&O Historical Magazine