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560 northbound on Vermont at 7th on July 30 1947. No sowbelly survived the August 1947, decimation of car lines. Thus, I'd be certain that it is 1947, given the choice.
Notice the LATL-colored dash sign on a car still in LARy paint. However, only one sowbelly received the fruit salad paint scheme.
I understand that Orange Empire finally found and arranged for a sowbelly body in Baldwin Park to be retrieved and saved. I didnt see it myself, so I have no first hand knowledge. I do know that when we started saving cars long ago (early 1950s), we looked long and hard for a type C and followed every lead we could, and nothing materialized. That was not surprising, really, because LATL management did everything it could to disabuse the public of interest in the cars. They even gave one away to a woman as a prize for her theory on the origin of the Kilroy legend. Gave it away, mind you -- all in the name of humiliation. That was about three years before the first traction group in LA was formed.
I understand that Orange Empire finally found and arranged for a sowbelly body in Baldwin Park to be retrieved and saved. I didnt see it myself, so I have no first hand knowledge. I do know that when we started saving cars long ago (early 1950s), we looked long and hard for a type C and followed every lead we could, and nothing materialized. That was not surprising, really, because LATL management did everything it could to disabuse the public of interest in the cars. They even gave one away to a woman as a prize for her theory on the origin of the Kilroy legend. Gave it away, mind you -- all in the name of humiliation. That was about three years before the first traction group in LA was formed.
Caption comment from Ken Harrison; Bob McVay photo courtesy the Joe Testagrose collection
