A test of the 'new' Speed Queen automatic

[turquoisedude]

Years ago, a used appliance dealer in Montreal had a '57 Speed Queen washer that he teased me with for ages.  I wanted it badly but he kept stalling and stalling... One day his store closed; a month later, it was demolished.  I thought I'd never get a Speed Queen ever.

 

Ha!!

 

I got one at last!  A '57 stainless-tubbed beauty.  These first photos aren't great but it sure fits into the Ogden Laundry nicely.  The Blackstone is unhappy about being in the garage however....

 

I still need to adjust the water valve - the low water pressure here in Ogden just isn't enough for it but otherwise it works beautifully!  I had forgotten that the drive motor runs all the time on these - to quote Jon Charles "it makes it's own water "... LOL   

 

I'll be having fun with this one!!

[this post was last edited: 4/30/2017-15:46]

 

[gyrafoam]

Beautiful. Congratulations to you on your find. These are great machines.

 

[washerlover]

So happy for you Paul! Always loved those solid tub Speed Queens! Great washing action and fun sounds. I had a '66 Coppertone set once but sadly the washer transmission cracked and leaked oil (beyond repair) so it went to the scrapyard. Thank you so much for posting pics and congrats on a great find!

Todd

 

[toploader55]

I Love when they make water : )

 

[mayken4now]

Congrats on the find.  Glad you finally got one.  Yep, the motor runs all the time.  Not a very quiet machine, but a wonderful toy to play with.

 

[washman]

Marvelous.

 

[brucelucenta]

Sure brings back memories. A guy with a used appliance store had this exact machine back in about 1971-72. He told me he was mad at speed queen for whatever reason and GAVE me this machine! I took it back to the cleaners and used it for a while. I had seen the speed queen washers similar to this one in the laundromats, so I was familiar with how it worked. I don't remember what I ended up doing with that machine, but I did enjoy playing with it and using it there. They were tough machines and built like tanks back then.

 

[pumper]

Is this the one recently offered in Madison WI?

 

[turquoisedude]

No, that one was a bit too far away for me!   And it didn't have the stainless steel tub...  

 

[retro-man]

Question for you. There is a toggle switch on the right where the controls are that has minutes on it. What is that used for? I have seen this on others and never saw one in person.

Jon

 

[turquoisedude]

Jon, this controls the wash time - in the upper position the 'regular' wash will be 11 minutes, and the 'short' wash will be 4 minutes.  In the lower position, 'regular' wash will be 7 minutes and 'short' will be 2 minutes.   I guess the idea was allow an automatic selection of wash time, which is not always possible on a time-fill solid-tub washer.  

 

I'll have to have a look at how this works - I wonder if it might be like the Frigidaires that used a solenoid to advance the timer (in the case of a Frigidaire this was for the fill time - large load VS small load).

 

So much exploration to do still!!!  LOL 

 

[gansky1]

Beautiful washer, Paul. Lucky guy!

Yes, do some exploring with that timer and the wash times. May want to bring a book along - hee hee. At least you'll have time to read the instructions on the detergent box in full, no more washday disasters!

 

[eddy1210]

That toggle switch just cuts power to the agitate solenoid for a period during the wash. So yes, you're getting 4 minutes agitation plus a soak period in the middle with only the pump running.

 

[turquoisedude]

Ah, ask the person who owns one, right?  Oh wait, that was Packard....  

 

Thanks Eddy!  Now I understand why I'll need a book.... LOL   Still, that's an interesting option for delicates (my 65 Lady K's "washable woolens" button will do something like that). 

 

It's surprising how many of these machines seem to have been sold in Canada.  Guess the average Canadian family didn't much care for the Blackstone Re-badged Vikings or the Inglis-Last-Years-Whirlpool automatics in 1957!  

 

[eddy1210]

Paul, you will love that Speed Queen! It has the older unique bowl shaped tub which is cool. SQ made so many interesting control panels throughout the years.