Vintage work crew photos

[PJs]

Thank you Jon, this has become quite a thread, thanks to your great sense of history! I always enjoy seeing pictures of where we come from and how we did things to get to where we are. To me, our ancestors, men or women, garnered up the creativity, fortitude, stamina and will to take care of business out of that basic instinct to continue and thrive as best they could through necessity or just a dream of something better. Pictures like these speak volumes in detail about the stories of these peoples lives. Their expressions, stance, clothing, working conditions and the products of their efforts give us opportunity to explore those stories and maybe make some up...either way it's the stories that define them and their character.

When my Dad passed in 07' I ran across an old tin type of my GGGpa (1814-1875) back in MO. circa 1870ish a few years before his passing. It was in pretty bad shape but I kept wondering about his stories and decided to restore it in PhotoShop. Huge undertaking and about 80hrs of work, but the more it cleaned up the stories from his face, dress (actually fixed a slight tear in his jacket, as I'm sure he only had one) and the background, really started to come through for me and the stories from Gpa (1876) as a kid going to town for supplies in a wagon by himself first time when he was nine, which was a 3 day trip, came forward again.

This was actually my first restoration but learn a lot at the pixel level.


The picture of the Mark Twain Redwood, reminded me of my dad working in the Redwoods just after the WWII seeing what he had on a tanker in the South Pacific, with a bunch of stories about tough logging with donkey engines and cables snapping and Tough Terrain, eating breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse in those days. Redwoods are special to me too and spend as much time up there as I can, eaten at the Samoa (Best biscuits and gravy next to Gma's) and cherish the ageless serenity of them. Also took my son up there in his youth so he could experience that and the history of it. He then went on the wheat harvest for a year or so and being a John Deer mechanic toward the end before joining the AF for another 23 years of service and another 30 in community service. Then on to me making mine and my son his and now 6G's forward his son making his stories.

On it goes story after story, sewing a fabric or tapestry of our lives as a species interconnected through lineage, our work, defining character and a foundation of those people of creativity, fortitude, stamina moving through time, necessity and dreams of becoming. I once had an epiphany of sorts in the valley in Yosemite waking up having to do my morning drain and while doing it I looked up and saw a 1000' of granite before me, carved and mottled by ice, water and time, and thought what stories they must have, and shared with us...

Capturing, sharing and talking about these seems important, especially now days, to me anyway. Rattled on here, but Great Thread guys...thank you again, Jon for creating such a great place to create and share the stories!

PJ

[Frank S]

Thanks for sharing PJ, Like you I have developed a keen interest in this thread I dare say should it run into the hundred's of pages I doubt if my interest will waiver.

[Jon]

Mt. Lowe Railway. California, 1893. Colorized. Named after the very legendary Thaddeus S. C. Lowe.

Full size image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...y_fullsize.jpg


Opening day ceremonies.
Full size image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...y_fullsize.jpg



I wonder if there's a long German word for wistfully wishing that you were born in a different era. I was listening to stories from an old hotrodder years ago, and I said something like: "I wish I was a hotrodder in the 1930s. I was born at the wrong time."

Then he says: "I was born at the wrong time too. I wish I was a cowboy in the old West."


More:

Professor Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe
Water and Power Associates
Lowe airship patent #1,061,484
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lowe_Railway
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaddeus_S._C._Lowe

[Frank S]

Jon the MT lowe incline car was what I patterned a tram after for a guy at a lake.

400 ft drop in 1000 ft total length of pipe railway was 1500 ft total drop just over 600 ft

[PJs]

Nice pics Jon. The stories from the links are great and Lowe was quite the self made wizard. The witness names on the patent looked familiar for some reason but didn't find much. Colorizing is always thing of Taste but this looked pastel good but a bit crisp on the people to me.

Good story on the Cowboy! I also agree about being a hotrodder back then too, or even Dad's stock car days from the early 50's. The pic on my home page is of one of Dads wins in "Old 99" and my SC400 behind, being the dream of that. I colorized the 99 for kicks but restoring the BW was a bit of work, probably shot with a Hawkeye Brownie as I remember.

On my best dreamy days I've often had the thought of driving a Stutz Bearcat off across country with goggles and a flat cap. Had the opportunity once to finish restoring one that the owner was murdered and his mom wanted me to finish it for him and get the other stuff to the auction house, as he also had a 27' Rolls and a bunch of other stuff...but had quite the shop, foundry and all. Didn't work out because it needed a year at least of work to finish it right plus shop costs and she couldn't afford that, nor I as a young buck with 2 little ones. I did help inventory and organize it all for her and lined up a few buyers for some of it. Always wondered where it went and who finished it.

PJ

[PJs]

Frank, You sure have covered some ground in your days! Always amazed...Hell of a book to read, I bet!

[Frank S]

pJ, I probably have covered a lot of ground if compared to someone who had worked for wages all their lives. I could blame or give credit to Clarence Ward the old blacksmith I apprenticed under up until a bout a year prior to going in the Army. after I had gotten a little older around 14 he told me if I took in a job at the shop it was my job do it right do it over or ask for help no problem but satisfy the customer He wouldn't even tell me how much to charge. I'd collect the money then hand it to him and he would hand most of it back to me only keeping what he figured was fair for use of shop and materials the rest of the time I worked for him for a dollar an hour still pretty good wages for a kid in the middle 1960's My 6 years in the Army or the last 3 years that is at night weekends or any other time I could squeeze it I had a cadre of Officers and senior Enlisted who kept me busy working on or rebuilding their vehicles Made more at that than my Sgt pay. Once out I was just too arrogant or independent to punch a time clock. SO I had to cover lots of ground to feed the wife & kids if you know what I mean.

I built that tram during the time I was building docks on 3 lakes. the Tram was raised and lowered by 2 endless cables 1 attached to the tram and the brake, there were 3 rails 2 for the tram and 1 in the center for a brake, if the cable broke the weight of the tram would be held by the jaws being forced against the pipe The 2nd cable could then be locked to the tram by a clamping device and the car could be brought back to the top dragging the brake. It was powered by a windless, nothing more than a 3 HP motor and a gear box with an 18" diameter drum mounted on either side

[PJs]

Frank, I do know what you mean about arrogance & independence and having to cover lot of ground. Most take one job for chump change and a lot of grief and learn to get by, or if lucky find a foundation to enjoy and to work and grow with. As a kid (Jr. Hi/HS) I mowed lawns (7 regulars) had a 200 house paper route and apprenticed the local with TV/Electronic shop guy "ACE" and went to school and got good grades too, all at the same time...and still had time to build and learn hobby stuff...even picked walnuts one summer...never do that again. I've Always had multiple irons in the fire burning in my belly whether I punched a clock, salary or for myself as an owner. It never really stopped but did fluctuate (Rhythm of life) in quantity of hours/day and number of irons. To me it's satisfying that hunger to learn, do, and experience different things. Mostly I chose, won some and sometimes got kicked in the teeth, but mostly...keep looking for as many of the twinkly lights that light My candle, as I can handle.

Still, I'd Read Your book! Ever read Chuck Yeager's Autobiography? Got it when it first came out, outstanding imho, covered a lot of ground and funnier than Heck.

[Frank S]

I'm a test pilot not a sardine in a tin can. or maybe he said spam in a can

[volodar]

Apple Hill photo...hope the UFO's didn't spook the horses!