Before the Impala! Also made a track inspection car!
Russell Motor Car Company
CCM experimented with gas-powered tricycles and quadricycles, the steam Locomobile and the electric Ivanhoeautomobiles. The Locomobile had a short range of only 20 miles and froze up in winter. It was discontinued in 1902. The two-seat Ivanhoe had a range of 40 miles and could reach 14 miles per hour! It was designed by H.P.Maxim, son of Hiram Maxim, inventor of the famous Maxim self-powered machine gun and other things like the mouse trap! CCM formed the Russell Motor Car Company and expanded the CCM plant on Weston Road for auto production. It was named after Thomas Alexander Russell (1877-1940) CCM's general manager and later its president. In 1905 it produced the Russell model A, a two-cylinder gas engine automobile, sturdy and powerful with pneumatic tires and a three speed transmission it was an instant success even at a price of $1,300 ($500 more than the Ford Model C) which was a lot of money a century ago when workers were paid 25 cents and hour, ten hours a day, six days a week. The model A was followed by the Model B as well as police cars, fire engines and delivery trucks.
The Canadian Magazine April 1906
Russell obtained exclusive Canadian rights to the Knight gasolene engine, a quality engine noted for its quietness and used in the famed Daimler. One prominent owner was John C. Eaton who drove around (or, was driven around!) in one bearing license plate number 1! Russell automobiles were provided for the 1911 Royal Tour of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, thereafter earning them the right to use the highly sought-after By Royal Appointment statement.
It didn't last long, in 1915 Russell was bought out by Willys-Overland Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio, which saw no need for a Canadian-only automobile.
First public display of the Russell Model A at Toronto City Hall, 1905.Toronto Reference Library 966-1-6
Russell No.12 Railway inspection car. Advertisement 1907.
Links to more resources
http://legionmagazine.com/en/2002/01/rolling-out-the-russell/
http://www.lib.uwo.ca/business/cr-russell.htm
http://www.mbautomuseum.com/Tour/Russell-Knight.htm
http://www.mbautomuseum.com/Tour/Overland.htm
http://www.legionmagazine.com/features/canadianreflections/02-01.asp
Of course all Canadians instantly recognize CCM as the manufacturer of hickey sticks and equipment, not to mention bicycles!
But ... they also handled this weird thing for farming. The Moline Tractor
Late fix--- That should be hockey sticks not hickey sticks. I cannot 'reach it' in Edit Mode. Mind you they were made of hickory sometimes.
Adverts for the Russell auto.
To M636C--I noticed Melbourne along the bottom of listings locations. So you had Russell's down under! British Commonwealth and all that.
From this interesting tidbit article. Hard work for sure.
M636C-- Indeed these autos did go to Australia. Sheep treks? Kangaroo bushes? Can you enlighten a bit?
Also my Alma Mater, the University of Toronto, Rugby Team. T.A. Russell was on the team.
Historic information on the Russell and T A Russell
I tried Mike, I really tried, no luck, it won't work for me.
He knows what it's about.
https://books.google.com/books?id=TfjkcHnt9m8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true
Hot stuff! It worked this time!
Check it out folks, some nice wheels from the "Wheel" himself!
Yeah, he's still out there, lurking around and making use of his minions like myself and others!
Thanks for persisting Firelock. Nice book for my collection. Thanks to you know who as well, of course. No kid growing up in Canada didn't have something from CCM.
It's still that way.
Miningman M636C-- Indeed these autos did go to Australia. Sheep treks? Kangaroo bushes? Can you enlighten a bit? Also my Alma Mater, the University of Toronto, Rugby Team. T.A. Russell was on the team.
I've spoken about this on the AA20-1 thread.
The terms "sheep trek" and "kangaroo bushes" are unknown in Australia.
As I indicated, sheep stations are generally open grassland with very few trees. The Russell cars might indeed have been used on sheep stations, but the photo is likely to have been taken on a road through a thick forest area, possibly to give a background for a publicity photograph.
American cars were very popular in rural Australia up until the 1960s.
Of course many of these cars were Canadian, particularly Fords, Ford Australia being a subsidiary of Ford Canada, but I recall Pontiac Parisiennes, Fargo trucks and so on. By 1960, locally designed Ford, GM and Chrysler cars were being built with relatively high ground clearance.
The cars had to be strong. Someone, possibly in Windsor Ontario, decided that the Ford Falcon was just right for Australia. It looked good and was the right size but fell to pieces on rural roads. The engineers had to use thicker sheet and more welds and more subtle changes to keep the cars in one piece. The suspension components needed changes too, of course.
This wasn't confined to Ford. Years later, GM decided to use the German Opel Commodore (an Opel Rekord with a six cylinder engine). The GM engineers all knew about Ford's problems and an unexpected change was made. The German car had a counterbalanced engine hood, pretty standard for the period. But this involved recesses in the firewall that turned out to be highly stressed. To meet Australian requirements, the counterbalance was removed and replaced by a folding strut to hold the hood open (which took some strength to open, too).
But the customers appeciated a car that didn't fall apart...
Peter
Fascinating.
'Lets go on a sheep trek in the kangaroo bushes' has a ring to it.
Someone talented should write a tune.
No "sheep trek" songs I'm aware of, but here's something close courtesy of the incomperable Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TEACjM8RNs
That will do! Had me hopping all over the kitchen. Throw in some strong fiddle stuff and it could be a tune from up here with French origins. Music truly is universal and timeless.
Vince, if you liked that you'll love this, nothing to do with sheep, it's a fisherman song done by Liam Clancy. Liam tells the story.
Haunting and timeless with an undercurrent of pride, it could be about fishermen anywhere, the British Isles, the Canadian Maritime provinces, New England, the Chesapeake, just anywhere.
"Shoals of Herring."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYQrWVSV5Ag
Miningman'Lets go on a sheep trek in the kangaroo bushes' has a ring to it. Someone talented should write a tune.
But isn’t “kangaroo bush” referring to a particular sort of country, not to a bunch of shrubs? As in. ‘Out in the bush’?
Even Monty Python didn’t have a song about the shrubberies.
Ah yes, the shrubberies, not to forget the Lupins.
Australia, Australia, we luv ya, Bruce!
....won't go into the next line..no way.
Overmod Miningman 'Lets go on a sheep trek in the kangaroo bushes' has a ring to it. Someone talented should write a tune. But isn’t “kangaroo bush” referring to a particular sort of country, not to a bunch of shrubs? As in. ‘Out in the bush’? Even Monty Python didn’t have a song about the shrubberies.
Miningman 'Lets go on a sheep trek in the kangaroo bushes' has a ring to it. Someone talented should write a tune.
Monty Python did have a song about lumberjacks in British Columbia...
M636C Overmod Miningman 'Lets go on a sheep trek in the kangaroo bushes' has a ring to it. Someone talented should write a tune. But isn’t “kangaroo bush” referring to a particular sort of country, not to a bunch of shrubs? As in. ‘Out in the bush’? Even Monty Python didn’t have a song about the shrubberies. Monty Python did have a song about lumberjacks in British Columbia... Peter
Thanks a lot Peter! Now that bloody "Lumberjack Song" is going to be running though my head all night!
Well if I have to suffer with it so does everyone else!
Ahem...
"I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK, I sleep all night and I work all day..."
Didn't know I could sing, did you?
Wayne
" ... I wish I was a girlie, just like my dear Papa ..."
Firelock76 Didn't know I could sing, did you? Wayne
Lorne Park, girls gathering lupine, train passing. – June 12, 1927
Miningman... girls gathering lupine ...
But where is Dennis Moore?
https://youtu.be/qLkhx0eqK5w
Here he is! Lupine's and all.
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter