Vintage Snapshots: Station Wagons In The 1950s – Part 3

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– Posted on January 10, 2025

Text by Patrick Bell.

Today we have another chapter of wagons in our series.  There is a great selection to view as well as some great locations.  Some appear to be at home, some at a destination, and others are traveling.  So sit back and enjoy as we circle up the wagons!

Our first one is at a waterfront home, perhaps on a lake, likely in California.  The wagon is a ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon.  Two doors were considered safer in the days before seat belts were common as kids in the back seat had more trouble jumping or falling out.  I remember my mother always preferred a two door for that reason.

In the foreground is a ’53 Chevrolet One-Fifty Handyman that looks to be in good condition.  The license plate has the California color used from ’56-’62 but since it is bent it’s hard to confirm.  Across the street is a ’51 Chevrolet Styleline De Luxe 4 door sedan.  This must be a quiet time in the neighborhood as from the looks of the oil stains there are usually plenty of cars parked along the curb.  It appears like two four plexes with another building in the background, which has a swamp cooler on the roof.  With that and the mountains in the far background I would guess this is a southwest desert location.

An established neighborhood of townhouses in what may be a fall photo.  Front and center is a ’53 Ford Mainline Ranch Wagon with a V8 and a toddler seat in the front seat.  On the other side of it is a ’53 Buick Super 4 door Riviera.  The only other one I can ID is a black ’49 or ’50 Ford parked on the street.

Here we have a very mildly customized Plymouth surf wagon that is hard to nail down the year or trim level.  The grille is a ’56, but the push button door handle is a ’55.  The black rubber windshield gasket indicates a base Plaza model, while the fender and door moldings indicate the higher level Savoy.  Savoy wagons were produced in ’55 but not ’56.  The hood has been detrimmed, and it has a black racing stripe.  At any rate, it looks like they are having fun.  In the left lower corner is a ’59 Oldsmobile.

A lady leaning on a ’57 Buick Century Caballero Estate Wagon with a spotlight/mirror combo.  The four door hardtop style of wagon was offered by Buick for only two years, ’57 and ’58, in both the Century and Special trim.  The Century was the top of the line and 10,186 were produced, which was over double the amount for ’58.  It appears like they are at an overlook area in a winter photo.

On a hunting trip in a ’56 Mercury Custom with a ’57 Wyoming plate issued in Natrona County where the seat is Casper.  There is a nameplate that I can’t read bolted to the top of the license plate.  It reminds me of ones I have seen in the past that say they are a member of the fire department.  It also has a spotlight/mirror combo, and a platform roof rack for their kill.

A full load with at least five passengers (including the photographer) and a dog plus luggage in a V8 powered ’55 Chevrolet Two Ten.  It must have some heavy duty springs and/or shocks in the rear as it is not sagging very much.  They are passing through farm country somewhere.

Off to the lake in a ’55 Ford Fairlane Country Sedan with a V8, spotlight/mirror combo, a boat in tow and an unusual two tone style.  White is normally the center color.  The black car on the right may be a ’56 Chrysler New Yorker Four Door Newport Hardtop.  The only other one I can ID is above the boat and is a grey ’58 Pontiac.  The only real clue to the location is the trees and that does not help me any.

This looks like a working man with a dirty ’59 Rambler Custom Cross Country.  It is missing the ‘RAMBLER’ letters between the hood and the grille, has a ’68 Texas plate, and that is likely the location as well.  With the look of the wide sail pillar on the car in the left background it may be a ’66 Thunderbird.

Another ’57 Buick, this one a Special Riviera Estate Wagon (three Vent-i-ports versus four).  It has a load of luggage, a set of baby moon hub caps, and the fuel door is open on the bumper.  There were 6817 Special Riviera’s produced plus 7013 Special sedan style wagons.  It is wearing what appears to be a ’59 Colorado plate, and this very well could be Colorado country in the summer.

A courtesy car for OK Motor Services, Inc., which seems to be a trucking company.  It is a sharp looking ’57 Dodge Sierra with a plate I can’t ID at least partially because it is a black and white photo.

This may be a Kappa Alpha Theta (KAO) sorority house somewhere in California going by the black plates.  Up front is a ’58 Chevrolet Yeoman 2 door, Chevy’s least expensive wagon with a base price of $2413 for a six cylinder.  In front of it is a ’59 Ford Custom 300 Fordor with a crunched quarter panel and a ’60 Valiant in the driveway.

Thanks for riding along and have a great day!

 

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