A Patient Old Wagon

What I know of the story of this wagon dates back to 2003, when I bought it at the Small Farmers Journal auction in Sisters, Oregon.

I do not have photos of the entire wagon before I refurbished the wheels and running gear.  This photo is of the wagon in its current condition (more or less).  The shafts have been replaced and painted burgundy to match the gear.

When I first got it, the fifth wheel was practically frozen, the front axle was assembled and mounted backwards, and all the metal was heavily rusted.

Disassembling the running gear, stripping, reassembling and painting was a monumental task.  The work was discouraging because it was so filthy and laborious.  I recall everything laying in a heap for about two years before I got the courage to finish reassembly.

The wheels were the usual arduous task of stripping and painting.  By the time I got the gear done, I plopped the body back on and said THAT'S ENOUGH!  And began using it.

Originally the wagon was purchased as a "camping wagon" for a pair of morgans that I was just starting with.  I had one of the horses for years, and had just acquired a filly to be his mate.  The pair project was a disaster, suffice to say, and so a long period ensued when there really wasn't a horse on the place to pull it.

That problem was resolved with the acquisition of a half-Clydesdale in 2013, who turned out to be, himself, a "restoration project" that required long term commitment to restore his happy attitude.

The wagon has waited through two restorations of other vehicles, each requiring two years' worth of interest and energy.

At this point in life, in 2016, 13 years after I acquired it, my allotment of enthusiasm for carriage restoration is about used up, but I have one more project...completing the restoration of this wonderful old wagon.

It has one task to complete before I begin, and that is to bring home a Christmas tree for the holidays, then the seat will come down to the shop for dismantling and preparations for painting when the warm weather returns.

In the meantime, here's a walk down memory lane; photos of the restoration that's already been completed.

The paint job that was applied prior to my acquisition of the vehicle was in a state of catastrophic failure.  If you look closely on the spring block (right side) you can see that the paint was applied over the original paint and that the old striping is visible.  The amazing thing is that the "restorer" applied elaborate striping all over this dreadful paint job. Also note the lack of paint in the center of the axle cap...the axles had been removed to have new stubs welded on, then the axle was reassembled backwards.  I discovered this when first attempting to take the right front wheel off.  As I tried to back the axle nut off, I was actually tightening it!  I tried for at least an hour to get the nut off when the horrible thought struck me.  I spun the nut clockwise, forward, and it came right off!  So the first task was to dismantle the front end of the gear and turn the axle around so the nuts tightened when rolling forward, and loosened when rolling backward, as is customary for antique wheels.

Rust blistering every square inch of metal.  There are 36 spring leaves in the gear, each having to be stripped and resurfaced prior to painting.

In this photo you can see that at some point, new axle stubs have been welded on.

The dashboard frame was "skinned" with sheet metal that was too damaged to reclaim.  The frame was also broken and had to be rewelded...

The dashboard frame...

The dash board skin...

The frame was repaired, repainted, and sent to Woodlyn Coach to be covered with padded, imitation patent leather.

What was I thinking??

Well, eventually the entire gear was broken down, stripped, surfaced, repaired, whatever.  The woodwork was just plain gorgeous.

And after untold starts and stops, it was reassembled.

I should mention that the wagon is known as a "Half Platform Democrat" wagon.  The back spring configuration is called "platform" springs, and the front spring configuration is "duplex elliptical" springs.  Basically, it is a "half platform" gear.  The "Democrat" part has something to do with the "democratic nature" of the vehicle.  Merriam Webster defines "democratic" as "relating to, appealing to, or available to the broad masses of the people". 

The color is actually burgundy, not this blood red.

The box and seat are shabby, but the wood is in amazingly good condition, probably thanks to the crappy but effective paint job.  The only split wood is on the tailgate.  The entire brake assembly was removed, cleaned up, painted and replaced.

Unfortunately the shabbiness of the box and seat bring down the whole potential beauty of the vehicle.  I'm painfully aware of that every time I drive it.

A wheel in progress.  They made a trip to a professional wheelwright for necessary repairs and new rubber.

So here we are today, roadworthy and sound, still sporting the original leather lazy-back upholstery (I reupholstered the cushion), but still looking a little bit like yesterday's news.

Hopefully I can finish the job this year!  Then I'll be looking for a seat to mount on the back!

MORE PHOTOS  

1/26/17 Update...

After spending the last ten or so weeks breaking the wagon seat and box down to the last screw and bolt, I can say that my original assessment of their soundness could not have been further off!  Read on to learn what rude surprises awaited me under a shabby coat of paint!