First Westinghouse Laundromat

[kb0nes]

Awesome find! I'm vicariously following the rebuilding process closely, keep the updates coming Jeff!

Anxiously awaiting the first video, I suppose we can all speed it up on playback so it looks like it spins at 1500 rpm...

 

[jetcone]

so Cool!!

now i know which patent to read thanks Jeff

 

[westyslantfront]

One of my aunts had that machine except there was a detergent shoot in the glass door. One day it broke and my aunt replaced it with a Norge Timeline.

Ross

 

[tomturbomatic]

One thing to note about this machine was that at the time, the Laundromat spun much faster (500rpm) than the bolt down Bendix machines. Bendix machines were a little less effective than a good wringer at extracting water so women used to a wringer were not too disappointed in the Bendix's extracting ability, especially when measured against the amount of labor involved. Bendix had this line about the clothes being left with enough water in them so that when hung out in the sun bleaching would take place. Maybe it was just that they were so wet they had to hang in the sun longer. Whatever.

 

[circlew]

Interesting machine, and glad it looks to be repairable. We had one of its descendants, the '55 DeLuxe for about 9 years.

 

[in2itdood]

WOW ....

Now that is super duper cool! =)

 

[bvf]

what ever happened to baby jane

whats up with this great machine,,,,update please……….would love one for my collection

http://bvf

 

[stricklybojack]

The machine that ended..

.
the stale old debate over old fashioned center post agitators vs revolving post agitators in automatic washing machines.



Can any one guess the three "masked off washers" humiliated in this competition?

 

[swestoyz]

Left to right - Norge, 1957 Frigidaire and a 1957 GE. All solid tub washers. Who in their right mind would load clothes with that much sand on them? Lol

Ben

 

[combo52]

The Test That Proved The Best Type Of Washer

This was really a very fair test, yes most people would never have that much dirt and sand in one load, but it proves how much better a well designed machine can be.

 

Of course they left out the best selling Automatic Washers of the day { and today Whirlpool built machines ] in this test. Had they included a 57 KM and WP washer the results likely would have matched the WHs performance. The WP designed Neutral Drain and perforated wash basket was superior in performance to any solid tub washer in this type of test and is the reason that EVERY top load washer  maker today makes neutral drain machines with perforated wash baskets.

 

[maytog77]

Is this the one that played the tune....

after the load was completed? I watched a Westinhouse documentery on youtube one evening, and there was snippets from a short animated film about electric, and advertising some of westinghouses new products. The vid mentoned that the machine played a tune when the load was completed..Here is a pic from the litle book that was released off the flim..

 

[revvinkevin]

Did this one play the tune...?

 

 

It depends on which "one" you are referring to.   If it's the one in the ad you posted, no it's too old.   They didn't add the music box to the dryer until I think 1953 or 1954... and I believe they only had it a couple years (not sure how long).

 

Kevin

 

[bvf]

music box

aug 1952 to aug 1953….only the v shaped machines 1954 had chime

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember when a neighbor family went to a lake with a sandy beach, Lake Spivey, for you Atlanta area residents of a certain age, and they came home with sand in their suits. The mother ran them through two warm rinses in the AMP, but they still had sand in them so she said she was just going to hang them out to dry and that they could shake the sand out of them when they were dry. I am sure subsequent loads had sand in the fabrics.

 

[ea56]

My Aunt Imogene had a 1953 Westy slant front set just like the pair at the beginning of this post. I don't recall that her dryer played "How Dry I Am" when the load was dry. But I do recall how mesmerized I was by being able to watch the clothes tumble through the windows. It was almost as good as TV. These machines were part of my beginning journey of my love for appliances, washers in particular. Her dryer was electric, but ran on 120V, not 220V. I remember that Grandpa was always after her to hook it up to 220V, but she preferred the more gentle heat that she got from 120V. She used to say that it didn't shrink the clothes as much.

 

[tomturbomatic]

WOW! Drying laundry out of a slant front WH in a 120 volt dryer; that is the definition of a long term commitment, but she was onto something. Those old Westinghouse dryers ran hot on the auto dry cycle and the low heat setting was drying on 120 volts.