1938 Cleaver heater trailer
Here’s a photo of something that shows why I like the late ’30s time period. It’s a streamlined Cleaver car heater trailer. It was used to connect to a railroad tank car containing viscous fluid such as heavy road oil. As long as the liquid was thin enough to drain from the car, the car heater would raise the temperature to as high as 350 degrees F before pumping it into a tank truck.
The photo and a description were in “The Highway and Street Manual” 1939 Edition published by Public Works Magazine. It’s an annual publication compiling the latest in road construction equipment, material and techniques. I bought it from a seller on ebay.com for about $10 including postage. The 98 page booklet contains a wealth of photos and information about the subject. Often, I just copy photos from ebay listings without buying the item. By searching for, say, 1939, I’ve found a lot of interesting stuff in the past ten or so years.
My specialty is southern California in 1939. If you are looking for something in this time period, I may be able to help. You can post your request by clicking the “comments” link below.
