WARD ELECTRIC

Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Co. (1905-1910)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ward Motor Vehicle Co. 
Bronx, New York City, New York (1910-1915)
Mount Vernon, New York (1915-1937)

This is a Ward-Electric truck nameplate (c1926-1937)   lktec
Size: 620mm wide 100mm high

Charles A. Ward took an engineering degree at Cornell University and, in 1905, he organized the Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company to produce battery operated electric delivery vans that he had designed for use in his family's bread baking business in Pittsburgh. Initially, there were five delivery van models from 750 pounds to 2-tons capacity, all using chain drive. 

The Ward bread baking business grew and moved to New York in 1910, where a new truck manufacturing plant was established in the Bronx, and the company was reorganized as the Ward Motor Vehicle Company. Initially, Ward continued to build the same line of trucks mainly for the family business but Ward electric trucks were offered to other businesses.

By 1912, a 3-1/2-ton capacity model was added to the line, a 4-ton capacity model appeared for 1914, and a 5-ton capacity model was ready by 1915, when to company moved to Mount Vernon, New York.

In October 1913, Ward began to produce electric passenger cars in the style of five-passenger coupes. Ward passenger car production continued alongside commercial vehicles until 1916, when passenger car production ceased.  The company trade name was changed to Ward-Electric in 1918.

Ward commercial vehicle models continued virtually unchanged until 1922 when the lowest capacity model was a half-ton van and, in 1925 only, a 10-ton capacity model was offered. From 1925 to 1932, Ward catalogs listed more than ten different models from half-ton to 7-1/2-ton capacity. 

Westinghouse DC motors were used to power Ward vehicles up to 1920 but, in 1921, Ward changed to General Electric motors.

Ward Electric complete truck production ceased in 1937 (some references say 1934) but the Ward Motor Vehicle Company continued in the truck body building business until 1965. 

Emblems

I have not found any original period photos or illustrations of the Ward trucks built in Pittsburgh but they are unlikely to have carried an emblem. However, it is likely that Ward trucks built in Pittsburgh had the Ward name displayed on a serial plate attached to the body of the truck and possibly on the hubcaps. Original Ward serial plates or hub emblems of Ward trucks built in Pittsburgh would be extremely rare.

Original period photos and illustrations of Ward trucks built in New York or Mount Vernon before the late 1920's still do not show an emblem, see examples shown below:

Ward electric delivery van model EA  robert gabrick

 Ward electric delivery van model EO    robert gabrick 

However, from about 1913, Ward delivery truck advertisements did display the Ward Motor Vehicle Company logo, see examples below:

Ward truck ad with logo (1913) the national baker

Ward truck ad (1916)  ebay

This is the Ward Motor Vehicle Company Logo

After the move to New York, Ward trucks continued to display the Ward name on serial plates attached to the body of the truck or under the driver's seat and on the hubcaps using the Ward company logo, see examples shown below. Ward New York serial plates are rare.

This is a Ward electric truck serial plate with company logo (1918)    mjs
Size: 184mm wide 40mm high

It is noted that this Ward serial plate used in 1918 still has the New York company logo, most likely to use up existing stocks of New York plates before Mount Vernon plates were used.

This is a Ward truck hubcap (1910-1915)   dkc

Some Ward trucks used a different hubcap with a separate painted hub emblem still in the style of the Ward company logo, see example shown below after the move to Mount Vernon:

This is a Ward truck hub emblem (1915-1937)   mjs
Size: 40mm diameter

Some heavy duty Ward trucks may have carried a nameplate on the front chassis frame member. The following illustration of a 1921 Ward Model WD 2-ton truck appears to show a small nameplate, which may have displayed the "WARD" name, but the illustration is not clear, so I cannot confirm this:

Ward model WD 2-ton truck showing nameplate (1921)  
handbook of automobiles 1921

Certainly, some later Ward heavy duty trucks carried a "WARD ELECTRIC" nameplate on the front chassis frame, see examples shown below:

Ward Electric Model B truck with front nameplate (1928) wiki

The Ward Electric nameplate shown above at the top of this post and again below is an example of the nameplate used on later Ward trucks. Ward Electric nameplates are very rare.

This is a Ward Electric nameplate (c1926-1937)  lktec
Size: 620mm wide 100mm high

 

TRAYLOR TRUCK

Traylor Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Truck & Tractor Division (1920-1928)
Cornwells, Pennsylvania

This is a Traylor truck radiator emblem (c1920)   moroz

The Traylor Engineering & Manufacturing Company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania manufactured a number of industrial products and equipment. In 1920, the company also began to build motor trucks and farm tractors at a plant in Cornwells, Pennsylvania. 

A Traylor advertisement from January 1920 lists the range of Traylor motor trucks as 1-ton, 1-1/2-ton, 2-1/2-ton and 3-1/2-ton capacity powered by four-cylinder Buda engines with three-speed and four-speed Brown-Lipe transmissions and Sheldon worm-drive rear axles.

Traylor motor truck advertisements in September 1921 offer a range of five truck sizes, 1-1/2-ton, 2-ton. 3-ton, 4-ton and 5-ton capacity. By March 1922, the range is stated as from 3/4-ton to 5-ton capacity. A 1-1/4-ton capacity Traylor truck is reported in 1924. Later references suggest a reduced range of trucks comprising 1-1/2-ton, 2-ton and 3-ton capacity from 1925 to the end of production in 1928.

The 1920's was a difficult time for small truck manufacturing companies. It is likely that Traylor motor truck sales were mainly local with limited overall truck production.

Emblems

There are very few original photos of Traylor trucks that clearly show the radiator in detail, although the radiator shape is clear, and none of the trucks seem to have survived. 

However, Traylor truck advertisements include period photos of Traylor trucks and illustrations of the radiator tank top showing that Traylor trucks had cast metal radiators with the "TRAYLOR" name cast into the radiator tank top, as shown above at the top of this post.

Almost all Traylor truck advertisements include illustrations of the Traylor Logo, which depicts the letter "T" for Traylor passing through a keystone to represent Pennsylvania as the place where Traylor products were manufactured, see below:

This is the Traylor Logo

The following Traylor truck advertisement from 1920 includes a photo of a Traylor truck, as well as illustrations of the Traylor truck radiator tank top and emblem and the Traylor logo:

Traylor truck advertisement (1920) americanikons

The Traylor truck photo in this advertisement shows the heavy cast metal radiator tank top and radiator emblem, as well as a Traylor logo emblem, probably embossed and painted, on the radiator side panels, and a rectangular painted hood side Traylor nameplate, see detail shown below:

Traylor truck advertisement detail showing radiator emblems and hood side nameplate (1920)  atj

The rectangular hood side Traylor nameplate is more clearly seen in the illustration of a 2-1/2-ton truck on the following Traylor truck advertisement, which also shows the Traylor radiator tank top and a Traylor logo emblem mounted on the side of the driver's cab:

Traylor truck advertisement (1920) americanikons

Traylor truck detail showing hood side nameplate and Traylor logo emblem by the driver's cab 

The Traylor truck hood side nameplate is also seen on the following blueprint drawing of a Traylor Model D 2-1/2-ton truck:

Traylor Model D 2-1/2-ton Truck showing hood side nameplate (c1920)

Original Traylor hood side nameplates and Traylor logo body side emblems, if found, would be extremely rare.

The Traylor logo emblem also appears on a nameplate mounted on the front bumper of some heavy-duty Traylor trucks to form the word "FORTFYD" ("fortified"), see example below:

Traylor truck ad (1922)   pittsburgh press

Traylor truck detail showing the Traylor "T" logo on rad side & front bumper "FORTFYD" nameplate 

The following illustrations by Tad Burness show that the radiator side Traylor "T" logo and the "FORTFYD" front bumper nameplate were not used on the lighter-duty Trayor trucks:

Traylor 1-1/4-ton & 5-ton trucks (1924)   tadburness

The following painted, cast metal Traylor emblem is a quite different shape to the Traylor truck radiator emblems shown earlier and at the top of this post. 

This is a Traylor emblem (date uncertain)   lktec
Size: 254mm wide 100mm high

The shape of this emblem suggests a flat top radiator, if this was a radiator emblem, but I can find no evidence that any Traylor trucks had flat top radiators.

The Traylor Truck & Tractor Division also built Farm Tractors, as shown on the following Traylor advertisement:

Traylor ad showing Farm Tractor (1920) new york times  

However, the Traylor Farm Tractors had a circular radiator emblem, see photo below of a surviving Traylor Farm Tractor:

Traylor Farm Tractor Model 6-12 (1920)    moroz

The parent Traylor Engineering & Manufacturing Company of Allentown, Pennsylvania, which continued in business after closing down their Truck and Tractor Division in 1928, produced a variety of specialist equipment for the mining, milling, smelting and other process industries. Traylor catalogs for these products in the 1940s show a Traylor "trademark" or logo, which exactly resembles the unusual Traylor emblem design shown earlier, see example below:

Traylor Process Industry Catalog (1945)
vintageadsandbooks

It appears that the unusual cast metal Traylor emblem shown earlier above is from some piece of process industry equipment made by the Traylor company in the 1940s.

WESTINGHOUSE

Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. (1901/1905-1907)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Societe Anonyme Westinghouse
Le Havre, France

This is a Westinghouse radiator script (1907)   nc

The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company was well known for the manufacture of electrical products and equipment for both domestic and heavy industrial usage. In 1901, Westinghouse acquired the patents of the Hub Motors Company for the manufacture of small electric passenger carriages and is believed to have manufactured some of these vehicles, although the patents had been acquired for the production of electric buses.

Westinghouse entered the automotive market again in 1905, with a luxurious 40 hp four-cylinder water-cooled gasoline passenger car. The Westinghouse automobile was designed by Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but was manufactured in France at the Societe Anonyme Westinghouse factory in Le Havre. 

Westinghouse cars are known to have taken part in the Paris Salon chains trials in 1906 and both completed the competition with full marks.

The Westinghouse was an expensive, high quality automobile and was sold in Europe and in America, either as a chassis for coachwork to be built in America or as a complete unit with coachwork built in France.

Westinghouse production is believed to have ceased in late 1907, when Westinghouse entered a brief receivership.

Emblem

There are several original period photos of Westinghouse automobiles but none that I can find clearly show the radiator. 

However, a surviving 1907 Westinghouse Model 40 demi-limousine in the Nethercutt Collection at Sylmar, California displays the Westinghouse name on a brass script mounted on the radiator core, see photos shown above at the top of this post and later below: 

Westinghouse Model 40 at the Nethercutt Collection (1907)  ms

Westinghouse radiator script (1907)   ms

There is also a small shield shaped brass emblem in the top of the radiator but this is the emblem of the maker of the radiator, the El Arco Radiator Company of New York, so the radiator, at least, was built in America, see photo below:

Radiator maker's emblem (1907)   ms

The Westinghouse Model 40 in the Nethercutt Collection has coachwork built by Demarest & Company in France with various accessories made by L. Dubrulle, as seen on the following nameplate:

Dubrulle accessories nameplate (1907)   ms

The Westinghouse name is also displayed on the hubcaps, see below:

This is a Westinghouse hubcap (1907)   ms

OTTO

Otto Gas Engine Works (1910-1911)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is an Otto radiator emblem (1910)    aacam
Size: 74mm high 60mm wide   MM: Unknown

The Otto Gas Engine Works was the largest and oldest builder of gas and gasoline engines in the world when it decided to build an automobile in 1910. The first Otto car was a 30/35 hp four-cylinder car, which was offered initially in three body styles. The Otto was an attractive well-built car but sales were not good and the Otto Motor Car Company that initially handled sales of the Otto was bankrupt by April 1911.

The car name was changed to Ottomobile for 1912 and the Ottomobile Company took over sales but it too was in receivership in 1912. By the end of 1912 it was all over for the Otto.

Emblem

The Otto radiator emblem is represented in the 1910 Otto advertisement shown below:

This is an Otto as showing the emblem (1910)   ms

The red and blue enamel Otto radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post is extremely rare. But, beware, as there are reproduction Otto emblems, although they are relatively easy to identify, see example below:

This is a Pulfer reproduction Otto radiator emblem     mjs
Size: 74mm high 58mm wide

The following Otto emblem may be a radiator emblem but I cannot confirm this. It is possible that this emblem may have lost its original enamel but it may be a different, metal only emblem with three original holes.

This may be an Otto radiator emblem (1911)     sam
Size: 67mm high 54mm wide    MM: Unknown

The following Otto emblem is a thicker, heavier metal emblem with a speckled background in the shield is closely similar to the emblem in the 1910 Otto advertisement shown earlier above but it may be an Otto gas engine emblem:

This is an Otto emblem (date unknown)     mjs
Size: 68mm high 58mm wide      MM: None

The following is a 1912 Otto Type B serial plate:

This is an Otto Type B car serial plate (1912)    ms

FALCON

Moller Motor Car Co. (1922)

Lewistown, Pennsylvania

This is a Falcon radiator emblem (1922)     sam
Size: 57mm wide 32mm high   MM: Unknown

The Falcon was designed and built by the Moller Motor Car Company and was introduced at the New York Automobile Salon held at the Hotel Commodore in November 1921. The Falcon was a light 20 hp four-cylinder motor car offered in a variety of body styles using custom coachwork.

The Falcon was unsuccessful and, after a very small production, it was all over by the end of 1922.

Emblem

The blue enamel Falcon radiator emblem shown above is extremely rare.

BEAVER

Beaver Transit Equipment Co. (1934-1936)
Beaver Metropolitan Coaches, Inc. (1936-1953)
National Coach & Manufacturing Co. (1955-1956)
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

This is a Beaver coach emblem (c1940's)     mjs
Size: 168mm wide 97mm high   MM: None

In 1934, G. M. Davis, who had been head of the ACF sales office in Philadelphia and was well aware of the post Depression demand of many small bus operators for an economical lightweight bus, decided to enter the bus building business and joined Beaver Coach. Beaver Coach had been established by the Beaver Valley Motor Coach Company to manufacture inexpensive buses for its own fleet. 

A prototype bus based on a standard Ford commercial chassis with body formed by an all-steel framework covered with an aluminum skin was built and demonstrated to local city transit companies. The response was so good that the Beaver Transit Equipment Company was set up to continue with the production of the Beaver Coach. Guy Davis was able to secure orders for more buses from other bus transit operators. 

The initial Beaver buses were "metropolitan" style front engine coaches with the passenger door behind the front axle, which was most appropriate for city transit operations and, as a result, the company name was changed to Beaver Metropolitan Coaches, Inc. in 1936. The Beaver bus design was developed over the following two years with design improvements involving different chassis and engines. In 1937, the first transit bus with the passenger door ahead of the front axle was introduced. Further developments continued, including widening the bus and making it longer, until the introduction of the rear engine transit bus design in 1938. Rear engine, metropolitan and front engine models continued in production until 1949, after when only rear engine models were built. 

Beaver bus production ceased in 1942 due to the war and production moved to personnel carriers for the war effort. When production resumed after the Second World War in 1945, the new Beaver buses were basically unchanged but were given a more modern appearance.  Orders for new Beaver buses began to fall in the early 1950's resulting in serious financial problems. Guy Davis bought the company and renamed it the National Coach & Manufacturing Company. However, new orders failed to meet expectations. The end came in 1956 when the plant was seriously damaged by flooding. Beaver Coaches continued in service, in some locations into the mid-1970's.

Emblem

The Beaver Coach carried a pressed metal oval shaped emblem mounted on the front of the bus, see example shown above at the top of this post. This Beaver Coach emblem is rare.

MIDDLEBY

Middleby Automobile Co. (1909-1913)
Reading, Pennsylvania

This is a Middleby radiator script (1909)    cccmlc

Charles M. Middleby took over the factory previously occupied by the Duryea Power Company in Reading, Pennsylvania to produce his Middleby automobile. 

The Middleby began as a 25 hp four-cylinder air-cooled automobile offered as a two-passenger runabout, a four-passenger surrey or a five-passenger touring. For 1910, the Middleby range had increased to six body styles and a larger 40 hp companion model called the Reading was also introduced. 

In 1911, the Middleby also became a larger wheelbase, 40 hp four-cylinder water-cooled automobile but it was not successful and it was all over in 1913, including the Reading. 

Emblem

The Middleby did not carry an emblem but displayed the "Middleby" name on a cast brass script mounted on the radiator core, see original period photo and surviving 1909 runabout example shown below;

Middleby runabout at Giant's Despair Hill Climb (1909)  dpl

Middleby runabout showing radiator script (1909)   bmhv

The cast brass Middleby radiator script is shown above at the top of this post. Original Middleby radiator scripts are rare.

The "Middleby" name was displayed on a small brass nameplate/serial plate located on the dash or under the driver's seat, see example shown below. This Middleby nameplate is very rare.

This is a Middleby nameplate/serial plate (c1910)    sam

The "Middleby" name was also displayed on a brass script mounted on the top of the headlights, see 1909 example shown below:

This shows the Middleby script on the headlights (1909)  cccmlc

BETHLEHEM

Bethlehem Motors Corp. (1917-1926)
Allentown, Pennsylvania 

This is a Bethlehem radiator emblem (poss 1917-1920)    mjs
Size: 68mm high 45mm wide   MM: D L Auld

The first Bethlehem trucks were of 1-1/4-ton capacity using 23hp GB & S engines and 2-1/4-ton capacity using 26hp North American engines. Bethlehem also built Liberty trucks for the US military during the First World War. By 1919, Bethlehem offered 1-1/2-ton, 2-1/2-ton and 3-1/2-ton capacity trucks. Bethlehem enjoyed good sales in the early years with 3,500 trucks built in 1919.

Bethlehem bought out North American Motors in 1920 and began to produce their own engines. Bethlehem introduced a 3/4-ton Delivery Boy to the truck range in 1920. Bethlehem also began production of buses in 1920 and made an automobile for export only called the Ideal. Bethlehem also expanded its plant in anticipation of increased sales but these did not materialize and Bethlehem was in receivership by the end of 1920.  The new Bethlehem management continued the old models in limited numbers from 1921. Only 42 trucks were built in 1924 and it was all over for Bethlehem by 1926.

Emblems

There are very few good original period photos of Bethlehem trucks showing the radiator and a limited number of surviving Bethlehem trucks, so there is some speculation regarding the dates of use of known Bethlehem emblems. 

The earliest Bethlehem trucks in 1917 had conventional brass radiators, see illustrations shown below:

Bethlehem truck ad (1917)    ma

Bethlehem favored the color green and even as early as October 1917, the available Bethlehem truck chassis color schemes were noted as "the famous Bethlehem green and black, army tan and black, and gray and black". The Bethlehem green was also shown in some Bethlehem advertisements, see example shown below:

Bethlehem truck advertisement (1917)    ebay

The following Bethlehem truck photo taken from a 1917 newspaper article appears to show a radiator emblem:

Bethlehem truck showing a radiator emblem (1917)     pittsburgh sunday post

It is not possible to see the details of the design of this radiator emblem from the poor quality photo shown above. It is likely that this first Bethlehem truck radiator emblem was the rectangular blue, green and white enamel Bethlehem radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Bethlehem radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Bethlehem radiator emblem (poss 1917-1920)   mjs
Size: 68mm high 45mm wide   MM: D L Auld

The following Bethlehem emblem could be a radiator emblem, although I had assumed that it may be a Bethlehem hub emblem. This Bethlehem emblem is very rare.

This is a Bethlehem emblem (c1917-1920)     mjs
Size: 53mm diameter    MM: Unknown

Emblem collectors should beware, as there are multicolored reproduction copies of the Bethlehem emblem shown above, see example shown below:

This is a reproduction Bethlehem emblem     ms

There was a change in Bethlehem radiator emblem for the 3-1/2-ton heavy duty truck that appeared in about 1918 for the 1919 model year. This truck had a heavy cast iron radiator with the "Bethlehem" name cast into the ribbed cast iron top section,  see Bethlehem factory illustration shown below:

Bethlehem heavy duty truck with cast rad emblem (c1918-1919) lktec

Bethlehem heavy duty truck radiator (c1918-1919)  lktec

The heavy duty Bethlehem truck also displayed the "Bethlehem" name on a nameplate mounted on the rear chassis cross frame member, see Bethlehem factory illustration shown below:

Bethlehem heavy duty truck with rear nameplate (c1918-1919) lktec

The new Bethlehem truck range introduced in 1920 included the 3/4-ton Delivery Boy truck, which had a conventional radiator. The following artist's impression of the Delivery Boy shows the "Bethlehem" name displayed across the radiator tank top, possibly using a decal or painted using a stencil.

Bethlehem Delivery Boy ad (1920)  ccj

Bethlehem Delivery Boy truck showing radiator emblem (1920)

A Bethlehem specification sheet for the 1-1/2-ton truck includes the following photo showing the same radiator emblem as for the Bethlehem Delivery Boy truck:

Bethlehem truck showing radiator emblem (1921)   statis.wikia

The heavier duty Bethlehem trucks continued to use a slightly changed ribbed cast iron radiator with the cast in radiator emblem, see example shown below:

Bethlehem 2-ton truck showing radiator & emblem (1923)  hatm

Close up Bethlehem heavy duty radiator & cast in emblem  moroz

The small white, black and green enamel Bethlehem truck emblem shown below may have been used as a Bethlehem radiator emblem but I cannot confirm this. This Bethlehem truck emblem is rare.

This is a Bethlehem truck emblem (dates unknown)   mwc
Size: 120mm wide 29mm high    MM: Unknown

I have not found any photos or illustrations of Bethlehem trucks showing body side or hood side nameplates. However, these nameplates were certainly used, see original painted examples shown below. These nameplates may have been used on Bethlehem trucks using the emblem shown above, but I cannot confirm this. Original Bethlehem truck nameplates of this kind are rare.

This is a Bethlehem nameplate (dates unknown)   mjs
Size: 372mm wide 76mm high

This Bethlehem nameplate is also found with a green star, see following simulation:

This is a Bethlehem truck nameplate (dates unknown)   ms
Size: 372mm wide 76mm high