Cuckoo For This Clock

Over the years born collectors tend to drag a few too many things home. I’m guilty as well but most of the time I have few regrets. This clock is certainly one of the all time favorites in my book. A promotional item that I would guess was given to dealers of their product.



The clock is completely original including the paint on the face and the finish on the outer box.



Parry Buggy Company was located in Indianapolis, IN. Parry began operations in 1882 building road carts and buckboard wagons. By 1888 they were setting production records of 1,000 carts and buggies per day. The factory was compiled of 19 buildings on a 20 acre site and by 1896 employed 2,800 people. At the decline of the carriage era Parry diversified into the automobile business then ultimately into trucks and truck bodies. Through a merger in 1919 they became known as Martin-Parry and continued to develop the truck body business. Martin-Parry was purchased by General Motors in 1930 for $900,000.



Parry advertised itself like many carriage manufacturers of the day as the largest in the world.



The face of the clock is original and has never been touched up or altered in any way which is way cool to me.



The back of the clock still has the original paper tag intact. The clock was made by the New Haven Clock Company of New Haven CT. It is referred to as the 8 Day Parry Striking Clock. The bottom of the tag lists directions for adjusting the clock if it runs fast or slow. Original key and pendulum are the icing on the cake. I’m lucky enough to have it hanging in my office and enjoy seeing it every day.

Have a great weekend.

Best!
Todd

Car Clubs Dig Carriages

Oh, that evil machine that spelled the end of the carriage era. Who would ever want to drive one of those temperamental contraptions over a horse and carriage. Wait until you are stuck. We’ll pull you out with our team. Tough times for the carriage industry and great times for the fledgling automotive industry. I can imagine it was a dramatic period for Americans as this life changing event was taking shape. Carriage factories all across the country closed. Thousands of workers were unemployed and were forced to learn new skills.

Sounds familiar.



The summer is a great time of year for car club tours. We are fortunate enough to see a number of these groups visit us every season. This group was a Brass Car Club.



Don’t quote me on this but I think the term Brass Car is any car that was manufactured prior to 1917. Of course this was the transition period from horse drawn carriage travel to automobiles.



This beautiful Marmon had a little trouble if I recall. When pulling out of our driveway something broke and oil ran out all over the place. The group was from Indiana and Illinois and they were on a three day tour. So the poor little Marmon had to go back in the trailer and finish the rest of the tour being towed.



Not sure what make this car is but it’s sure a pretty vehicle. Although by this time automobiles were beginning to develop styles of their own the influence of the carriage is still evident in the body and chassis details.



My favorite of this group was this early Packard. It’s rather difficult to tell but it was huge. It made the Model T’s look small. Beautiful body workmanship, brass and leather all mixed in with a puff of smoke.



This Stanley Steamer was a real beauty as well. It was an innovative time and manufacturers were using combustion engines, steam engines and electric motors to power these horseless carriages.

Tour groups like this one are always welcome and equally fun for us to see. We’ve seen Model A Clubs, Brass Clubs, Street Rod Clubs and British Clubs. It’s not only car enthusiasts but we are seeing more groups of people traveling with their club whatever that happens to be. Colonial Carriage and the community of Columbus is a great destination for your tour.

Come by and see us sometime and bring your friends.

Best!
Todd

Portland Cutter - An American Classic

We had a few storms roll through last night. We seem to be getting our typical spring around here. Rain that just will not quit. We’ve had that the last few years and of course forget about last year. The rains that left Columbus under water. The Columbus Carriage Classic which is always on Father’s Day Weekend was postponed due to the flooding. I remember inspecting the park days before the show and the stabling area was under six feet of water with a river running right through the middle of the park. I’m hoping things mellow out a little in the weather department.



An American Classic. The Portland Cutter. This is a great specimen. Original paint, upholstery, shafts, shaft chimes and even the original carpet.



The tag reads “Carroll Thompson - Farmington Falls, ME”. Farmington, the County Seat of Franklin County is located in Southern Maine. Today Farmington has a population of about 7,500. During the period of the manufacture of this sleigh it was home to a dozen carriage factories.



I guess calling the Portland Cutter an American Classic is fair enough but when you really look specifically at this piece there is some Canadian influence. At least I think so. Details like the low runners, elongated body and the way the dash comes up in a vertical fashion from the base all seem a bit Canadian to me. That would make sense considering the location of the manufacturer.



The condition is remarkable. I love the upholstery. The bright color mohair and notice the way the fabric is ribbed at the pleats. Those types of workmanship details always catch my eye. The original paint is still very intact along with the skilled pinstriping.



The devil is in the details and I like details like this. Notice the chamfered edge of the dash. More often than not the edge of a dash is just rounded over which in those days would have been much easier.



The original shafts and shaft chimes are still along for the ride. So often that is the first thing to disappear so it’s always special to find one so complete.

I sold this sleigh a few years back to a client from Utah. The poor girl flew up to Wisconsin in the winter and landed here in the middle of one of the best blizzards we had seen in years. She was stuck here for a couple days but she had a great time picking out two sleighs to begin her collection. I delivered this sleigh along with the other that following summer. Through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery I think I have every had the chance to witness. Now that's what I call a fringe benefit.

Best!
Todd

Gig Seat Lazyback Construction

The project of the day is a lazyback on our Skeleton Gig. The original Kimball Gig had a clean seat without a back. Kind of a perch seat with not a whole lot to brace against. Our client is looking for a nice solid back rest on the seat frame for comfort and safety. Can’t say as I blame her.



Our goal is to create a traditional design for this part and build it to look like original equipment. We have cut the metal parts and the wood back rest. We are ready to start tacking things together.



I lay out the seat uprights and braces on the seat. On a project like this I like to set it up in the frame and tack it all right in place.



I have fasted the bottom foot of each leg to the seat bottom. Clamp each leg in place and place a small tack weld in each corner.



We needed to add a little tab on the side of each leg as a fastener. With everything welded I am grinding welds to give the part a “malleable iron” appearance. Original antique carriage parts such as this were often cast or forged. Nowadays we like to use standard materials so we weld and grind to create the look.



Done! With the framework anyhow. I think it will look nice. The wedge seat will cover up most of the lower portion of the metal framing. The back will serve its purpose but not be large and overpowering. We have a variety of odds and ends to wrap up on this project this week. I’m looking forward to having it ready for primer by the end of the week.

Have a great day today.

Best!
Todd

Self Portrait of a Rock Star

So I’m running a little behind on my blog posting today. It might have something to do with the explosion at the Columbus Chemical Industries last night. About 8:30 we thought we were hearing someone break into our house. Actually it was the first explosion. Forty foot flames, nasty fumes, evacuations and lots of television stations. The authorities let it burn out overnight rather than putting it out. Very smart considering the volatile contents of the building. Big bad fire but everything turned out fine today. It looks as though all things considered it could have been way worse.



Whoops. What I meant to say was Self Portrait in a Rockaway. For those of you that don’t know me I have included my self portrait above. Well sort of. Taken in the reflection of a Rockaway body panel that Dale has been sanding and buffing for the last three days. That’s why I can take my picture in it.



This is what we are going to call a real time project. A restoration project that we are currently working on in the shop. Some of the projects that you have seen on the blog have been completed very quickly. That was by blog magic time lapse photography.



We have a number of real time projects in the shop that we will be following. This Rockaway, the Skeleton Gig, the European Phaeton and the Marathon Carriage. There are more. We usually juggle six or seven jobs at one time.



We are restoring this very nice Glass Rockaway for a client in New York. It is now to the point of being ready for upholstery and trim.



Here we have the doors. The body has been sanded and buffed. The doors are ready for the same process.



So here I am with what was supposed to be my weekend project. A free barn cupola. All I have to do is move it. How hard could it be to move a barn cupola? So the brilliant plan is to back up to it with a dump trailer. Strap it against the trailer bed. Lower the bed. Drive away. Slick. Well as you can see it's pretty good sized. It didn’t work.

It sure would have looked great in our garden.

Best!
Todd

Columbus Carriage Classic

Well it’s only about a month away and of course it will be here before we know it. The Columbus Carriage Classic is scheduled for Father’s Day Weekend, June 19-21. The CCC is an ADS sanctioned Pleasure Driving Competition. The show takes place on the beautiful grounds of Fireman’s Park in Columbus Wisconsin.



Friday begins with the Town and Country competition which is not only a spectator favorite but a popular class with drivers.



The balance of the weekend is filled with ring and obstacle classes covering the entire grounds of the park.



The Columbus Carriage Classic is in it’s 11th year and has a long standing reputation as great fun in a beautiful setting. We hope you will consider joining us this year for our annual event.

Now off to work so we have something new to talk about tomorrow. Thanks to Vicki for her entertaining blog yesterday. I look forward to guest bloggers from time to time covering a variety of topics of interest.

Best!
Todd

If Mama's Happy, Everybody's Happy!

by Guest Blogger Vicki Nelson Bodoh

For those mothers who are also carriage drivers, my Mother's Day may sound perfect. My husband, Jim, helps me muck stalls and then gets on his tractor to mow the dressage arena, cones course area and driving trails. After breakfast, we hook the pair, do a little work in the arena, drive the trails a bit and head out on our country roads for a nice ten mile drive with a "cruise" through the local winery included. Back home with the ponies in the pasture, we take the dog for a four mile walk, do farm chores, clean up and head to town to our local gourmet restaurant for a 7:30 seating. It's perfect--no Mother's Day brunch to interrupt a day where I get to do all my favorite things and dinner at night, that I don't have to prepare, when I am ready to rest.



The skeleton gig taking shape on the blog is mine. It is a cob-size reproduction of a Kimball carriage once owned by Jack Thompson, Richmond, IL. Todd found the carriage with my help and the original is for sale at his repository. My goal with the gig Todd is building is to have a two-wheel vehicle for use in pleasure shows. It must be light, look as much like an antique as possible, be sporty and high enough for a good view.



We are at the point of choosing paint colors--black and what? I know I want sporty tan Bedford cord upholstery as it shows gray pony hair and dust much less than wool broadcloth. I know I want battleship linoleum on the floor and toe board--no dash in case I want to use it with a tandem. I call two antique carriage experts--Jack Day, Maryland collector and Joe Jennings, New Jersey paint expert. Jack makes suggestions and sends photos of striping patterns from his collection. Joe tells me--vermilion, either English or American, perhaps with some darker pigment added to give it a nice rich color. He also gives me a thirty minute lecture on the chemical composition of vermilion and why it was produced for the gear of antique carriages. The chemical composition makes it the first "rustoleum" paint. Both Jack and Joe agree that the striping should be black, bold and that there should be a minimum amount.



Todd tells me that the gig will soon be ready for paint. The experts have spoken. I can't wait to see the results.

New Life for a Portland Cutter - Part 2

It’s Saturday and it’s cold, rainy and windy. Bummer. It will be good afternoon to spend being productive in the shop. So anyway we are talking about the Portland Cutter restoration.



Here we have the body in the final staged before primer. The wood re-construction has been completed and a coat of hard coat sealer has been applied. This surface will be sanded then primer coats on the body will begin.



The runners are moving along nicely and are in their final stages of primer. Hanging around here sanded and ready for one more coat of primer.



The dash has been removed from the frame after re-construction. It has been primed and sanded once and is now in the final coat ready for final sanding.



So here we are by blog magic the job is complete. We could see the original paint schemes on the original body so we duplicated those patterns. The owner chose a burgundy mohair fabric for upholstery which we trimmed in traditional style.



The striping was a fine line of cream which set off nicely with the burgundy and black. The photos shown here were taken in the fall of 2008 just prior to loading up for the return trip to Pennsylvania. Our clients were not going to be available to meet us during the day for the delivery. So they left the door open and we unloaded the sleigh in their beautiful new living room expansion. We placed it next to the fireplace as directed. My phone rang about 5:30 that afternoon and it was our overjoyed client just arriving home from work. They were absolutely blown away by the sleigh and we were happy to play a part.

Don’t forget Redbud days today! First brat fry of the season in downtown Columbus.

Best!
Todd

New Life for a Portland Cutter - Part 1

Our travels found us in Pennsylvania picking up this nice little Portland Cutter for a client. He had acquired this vehicle from a prominent local estate and the sleigh had some important provenance to the area. His hope was to see it restored and sitting in his new living room by the following Christmas. Nice sleigh but kind of sad condition so in looking it over it appeared that a major rebuild was in order.



In a case like this taking out every nut, bolt, screw, nail and whatever else is holding the thing together is the first item of business. The body was removed from the runners and all ironwork removed from the frame.



The dash and the body panels were all in pretty sad condition. De-lamination and cracking was pretty much everywhere so in a case like this it is usually best to start new. The main frame of the body was in very solid condition so we had a good base to build from.



The original body parts will be used as patterns for the new body side panels. All of the surface trim and moldings were carefully removed and salvaged. They will be reused on the new body once completed.



The new body begins to take shape. Our body panels consist of two layers of 3/16” bending birch plywood laminated over the frame. This material is in keeping with materials often found on sleighs of this type and is a good material to work with. The body is being prepared for the installation of the corner trim.



The dash was cracked in several places also with a break in one of the main dash supports. After the repair of the support the new dash is being installed. Once again we are using bending birch plywood for this repair. At this point the majority of the structural repair has been completed. Everything will be headed in for primer in the next phase of this restoration.

It is Redbud Days in Columbus this weekend. Our community is known for it’s beautiful Redbud trees which are now in full bloom. If you are looking for an old fashioned small town festival come join us in Columbus on Saturday.

Best!
Todd

So There Was This Movie Thing

Kind of a long blog today but kind of a big story. It was a little over a year ago that Universal Studios landed in little old Columbus to film a major motion picture called Public Enemies. There was a lot of buzz in Wisconsin about this movie thing as I recall. Then this kid shows up and he likes Columbus. He called himself Adam and he was a location scout for Universal. Adam was like 20 and turned out to be a great guy with a huge task on his plate. Transform Columbus into a movie set in a matter of weeks. Things happened quickly and before long there were movie people everyplace. This went for weeks as everyone in Wisconsin speculated on where Public Enemies would be filmed. The all time coolest thing about Columbus is this town kept it a secret for weeks. In the meantime every town within 50 miles that saw a strange car drive through town was yapping to the newspapers and TV stations about being selected for the movie. Columbus wasn’t even on the radar but we knew better.



Columbus is home to a significant Louis Sullivan designed bank building and the story is Universal was attracted here to stage a John Dillinger robbery of that bank. A couple weeks passed and we were surprised to hear that their interest had shifted across the street to the former First National Bank building. We were fortunate enough to purchase this property something like nine or ten years ago. The movie thing just bumped from really fun to awesome.



Things happened fast from then on and the plan was in place to close the entire four block area of downtown Columbus and turn it into a movie set. If I recall the staging took about 3 weeks so Columbus was crawling with set designers and workers transforming us into Greenville Indiana. A city that fell victim to John Dillinger in a 1930’s bank heist.



The bank was transforming too. The entire front entrance of the building was removed and rebuilt to resemble a bank entrance someplace else. Greenville Indiana I suppose.



The photo above was taken the day before filming at this location. Seems to me they were filming on another street the day this photo was shot. Filming on one street. Crews finishing up last minute details on another.



Dickason Boulevard was the staging area for all of the equipment needed for filming. Cameras, lighting, props, wardrobe, sound equipment, food, you name it. The street was lined with tractor trailers and the roving small town it took to unpack it all and make it ready for service.



The day of the bank robbery filming was pretty interesting. We were fortunate enough to be in the building watching it happen. To be totally honest it was somewhat boring after take 20 by the extras. I think I fell asleep for the next 20. Incredible the amount of time that goes into shooting one scene. There was the little incident when the door of the bank building jammed as everyone was trying to run out. That was good for a laugh as everyone smacked into each other.



The inside of the bank building was taken over for the entire day by equipment, props, directors, and of course movie stars. Johnny Depp and the rest of the Dillinger gang entered the building sometime around 1:00 in the afternoon. I was sitting in a chair waiting this thing out. We grinned at each other and did the typical dude/dude greeting “how you doin”. Watching him do his deal the rest of the day was entertaining and Mr. Depp struck me as a really nice guy.



Inside it was quiet, relaxed and pretty much a non event. Outside it was a zoo. Not to mention really cold.



The getaway car was parked just outside the door. The robbery was shot so many times I lost count. Run out the doors, shoot the Tommy guns, jump on the car and speed off. Turn around, come back and do it again.



The movie is expected to be released in July. Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, and a bunch of other big stars who I wouldn’t know anyway. It was directed by Michael Mann and is expected to be a big summertime bell ringer. I told all these folks next time they shoot a movie in Columbus to make it a little earlier time period. Late 1800’s would be nice with some horses and carriages.

I wonder if they lost my phone number?

Best!
Todd