Cars and Trucks

Car and trucks were the ubiquitous toys of boyhood.  We had "indoor" cars and "outdoor" cars.  Some of the indoor cars were display only.  Some of the outdoor vehicles were large enough to ride.  Many I have no photographs of, so memories will have to suffice.  For example, my older brother let me play with his windup Schuco racecar.  It had an "on/off" shifter as well as a twistable exhaust pipe control for presetting the steering mechanism.  It had the neatest soft rubber balloon tires.  We used to pop them off and put them back on just for fun.  The car was originally blue but became so chipped that we repainted it metallic red.  I also have memories of sparking army tanks climbing over stacks of books, a Barney Rubble mobile, and friction driven motor scooters piloted by Easter Rabbits.

I'm 2 1/2 in this photo. My mother's caption reads "I looked underneath to see what the matter is!". My oldest sister repainted this car for me. I remember sneaking a peak outside my bedroom window (when I was supposed to be in bed) to see what my sister was doing in the garage.

I was almost 3 years old when I received the AAA tow truck. It eventually rusted away.

For my 3rd birthday I received the coolest fire truck ever. It was a pumper truck. It came with a hose and a ladder. Those pieces came off and it became a jeep. It got horribly beaten up from crashes (unintentional and otherwise) as well as rusty from weathering. Notice my sock monkey in the background.

Every boy from the late 1960's knew about Johnny Lightning and Hot Wheels tracks and cars. In this Christmas photo, I'm almost 8 and my brother is a little older than 5. The track was a joint gift from our parents. We soon discovered that marbles and carrom rings were far faster than any store bought car. We even tried our Matchbox cars on the track - most did not do well and would fall off mid-loop.

Technically skate scooters were from an earlier era but could still be seen in TV shows and Red Pop commercials. When I was 11, my father helped us ask a local produce store for some packing crates. Two of us decided to cannibalize some metal roller skates and create skate scooters. My other brother decided putting two crates together, sitting in it, and calling it an "airplane" was more fun. Honestly, the scooters were not as fun as they appeared on TV. I believe we scrapped them because they were very splintery and the rusty fasteners were tetanus cases in the making.

I'm almost 3 in this Christmas photo. I am playing with my older brother's pinewood derby car from his Boy Scout days. My older sister is in the background. She is the one I later push a metal dump truck into her face. She didn't smile when that happened.

For my 3rd birthday I received a slot car set. My older brother helped me set it up. The blue and yellow cars were constantly flying off the figure 8 track (even with the snap on guardrails). I can still remember the smell of overheated motors and the feel of burned fingers from touching the hot car underbodies.

The Christmas before my 6th birthday I received a Tonka front end loader (with awesome treads). I'm showcasing the pocket watch that hung from my bedpost for years. (I eventually took up clock repair as a hobby). In the foreground is another great vehicle - my Volkswagen Tow Truck.

When I was 9 1/2 years old, my father helped my younger brothers and I build a go cart. Actually, we helped him. Truthfully, we mostly watched. It was constructed from old tricycle wheels and stair rails. The seat was plywood and the axles 2x4's. The rails crossed in an "X" where the front axle was located. Steering was controlled by the front riders feet (although we did try tieing on a jumprope for the same purpose). We beat a "gang" of juvenile delinquents in their unsafe jalopy in numerous races down the "big hill" around the corner from where we lived. The neighbors probably got tired of hearing us clickety clacking down the hill early in the morning and trying to make a 90 degree turn onto the sidewalk at the bottom. Turning too early would put you into a pine tree or a chain property marker. Turning too late would put you on the boulevard near the street. We christened the cart "Hacksaw" after a horse in a Wonderful World of Disney episode.

Outdoor Cars and Trucks

Indoor Cars and Trucks