Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs,
the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the
United States in a recreational vehicle.
Recollections of WBCCI – Airstream factory
Dale (Pee Wee) Schwamborn
My Mother told me that the Airstream was first
manufactured in Wally's garage on St. Andrew's Place. How many
Airstreams he built there is unknown. Supposedly a neighbor, or
passerby saw Wally working and went over and talked with him about
the trailer and bought it. This is the story of another garage
product making it big. I know the prints that I have for the Airlite
or Torpedo, and the single Torpedo print are all marked 134 St.
Andrews. Humble beginnings, ingenuity, stick-to-it-iveness, sweat,
brains, and dreams...yes Wally had it all.
I found two interesting pictures at WBCCI. They
were donated to the Club. I don't have the man's name at the time the
pictures were taken he lived in Ontario, CA. The two pictures were
taken in 1934. They represent the earliest pictures I have seen of an
early Airstream production line.
Click on image for larger view
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This picture shows a sidewall being put in
place
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This picture is appears to be the wood shop.
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There are three interesting objects in this
picture taken in the 1950's
The first is the trailer with the white roof.
That is the plastic prototype, that my Mother and I used on the
first Eastern Canadian Caravan in 1955. We towed it from the Los
Angeles plant. The second point of interest is the yellow
Suburban carryall. When my Mother and I left California we
reached Holbrook, AZ and Wally's green Mercury broke down. We
were stranded there several days until Tom (no last name) drove
from Jackson Center to Arizona with the Suburban. Then my Mother
used it as her tow vehicle on the 1955 Caravan.
The last point of interest was the
semi-circular, cut-off Quonset hut next to the building. Wally
used it for storage. It had a bathtub, a wash basin and possibly
a toilet. It was my first introduction to sulphur water. Whoeee!
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The Airstream plant in 1952
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Plans for a 1930's Airstream Torpedo
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Pee Wee holding the plans for the Torpedo
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Pictures courtesy of Airstream and
WBCCI
Pee
Wee main page -|- family -|-
Early WBCCI -|- Airstreams -|-
Caravans
The documents provided and the
pictures in these photo galleries have been used with permission of
Dale Schwamborn. They are intended for personal viewing and enjoyment
only and are not to be used in part or in full on other websites, for
commercial purpose, or for any other use. For information on this
material you can contact Dale at peewee@sierranevadaairstreams.org
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