GE Stratoliner Range - saved!

[swestoyz]

Hey gang,

Things have been fairly crazy around here lately, but I did take sometime the last few weeks to look for some furniture and cabinets for a possible future home I have in mind. While I was visiting Mid American Salvage in Dubuque, IA a few weeks ago, I was viewing some science lab table tops and pink bathroom equipment, when I gasped and fainted at the sight of this range. Never in my life did I think I would stumble upon one of these, as I fell in love with Greg's 40 in pink GE earlier this summer. I was able to get back to Dubuque this Saturday to pick up the GE, and spent a few hours this afternoon giving it a quick clean and test run. I thought I'd share a few photos:

As found in Dubuque:

http://www.midamericasalvage.com/

 

[swestoyz]

The remainder of the photos were taken earlier tonight, after I had replaced all the C7 bulbs and the F15T8 bulb, and spent some time with a toothbrush and 409. Not perfect, but damn cool looking!

 

[swestoyz]

3

 

[swestoyz]

4

 

[swestoyz]

5

 

[gadgetgary]

Gorgeous

Absolutely gorgeous. What a save~!

 

[swestoyz]

6

 

[swestoyz]

My favorite part is GE's obsessive use of the word Automatic. Does anyone know how many times that word is used on this gem? FOUR times!

Yes, the second 'L' is cracked, but I'm not complaining - I'm just a smiling fool ~

Ben

 

[maytagbear]

Oh, what a save!

Good job, Ben.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[westytoploader]

Congratulations Ben, what an awesome range! There's nothing like raised controls!

And is that an 80's White-Westinghouse washer I see behind the range? If it's still there and the top isn't all rusted out, you should grab it...fun machines to play with.

 

[appnut]

Ben beautiful!! Congratulations!! Have never seen a 30" version of this range. BTW, what's the Automatic Calrod feature for the 8" burner?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations BEN! What a find. What was the Frigidaire range like that was next to it in the warehouse? Have lots of fun with this. Tom

 

[toggleswitch]

what's the Automatic Calrod feature for the 8" burner?
~Looks like variable heat.

GORGEOUS STOVE!

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Fantastic Ben!
Looks Fantastic! And a super Range at that!
Thanks for the pictures!
Brent

 

[tlee618]

Ben that is a beautiful range!! One would just wonder why they can't or won't make anything to compare with that beauty today. Did it have a rotisserie?

 

[gansky1]

Beautiful range - one of the prettiest GE's (in my never-to-be-humble opinion ;-)

 

[thirtyater]

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for all the pics. I hope to have one that model in my collection one of these days. I hope to find a turquoise specimen but will settle for whatever I find.

 

[swestoyz]

Hey Guys - thanks for the kind thoughts!

Tom - that was a mid 60's Custom Deluxe Frigidaire 40". It had been rode hard and put away wet - I actually felt bad for it!

Terry - this guy doesn't have the rotisserie option. While it would have been a nice feature to have included in the package, I think I can live with the Meat Minder instead ;-D

Ben

 

[veg-o-matic]

Wow, great save, Benj! That'd sure look good in a MCM kitchen, dontcha think?

I don't remember ever seeing buttons that wide on a GE range.

veg

 

[sheerlookhomes]

Gorgeous!

I fully expect the burners to start revolving...and MUSIC can be heard!!

It's certainly music to the eyes

nice save, have fun!

 

[sudsman]

Beautiful

What a VERY nice job you have done

 

[tomturbomatic]

At this stage of the game, the "Automatic" Calrod had a thermal sensor and a two position TOGGLE switch to choose either a 6 or 8 inch heated area on the unit. The heats were still marked HI,2,3,LO&WM, but the manual gave settings to use for cooking different foods. Basically the unit came on full wattage until the pan bottom was the in the temperature range of a pan of food cooking over the selected heat on a push button unit. Vegetables were started on LO and the pan was brought just about to boiling before the unit cycled off. It would cycle on and off a couple of times before the food was cooking nicely. The cooking time was slightly longer, but you did not have to be there to turn down the heat. This was probably nice in the days when frozen vegetables were stuck together in a rectangular block.

The wide buttons were called "Keyboard Controls" and were on TOL GE ranges into the early mid 60s when the grand slightly tilted to the rear backsplashes on the self-cleaning ranges contained the push button switches on the front of the panel instead of along the top.

 

[pdub]

Wow

That is one beautiful range Ben. I just love the lights. You've really brought it back to life so to speak!
Congratulations!

Patrick

 

[toggleswitch]

TOGGLE switch to choose either a 6 or 8 inch

oopps did it have a sensor? I must have missed it.

 

[dalangdon]

Boy, that's a handsome stove!

Congratulations! I love those buttons and all those acres of chrome!

What is the origin of "Stratoliner"?

 

[tomturbomatic]

The name came from the Stratoliner, a type of Airplane, just like the TOL 40" double oven range was called the Liberator. The single oven version was the Stratoliner.

 

[nasadowsk]

In Home Ec in middle school, we had 60's intage GE's with a 'supermatic' feature, as the acient teacher called it. You set the temperature then punched in the pot size and it did something wonderful.

We made tacos once with it, and couldn't use the superhot sauce, instead having to get the wimpy mild ("Even MILD is too hot!!!" - yeah right, BTW, people over 60 shouldn't be allowed to wear form fitting pants and Depends at the same time) junk. Needless to say, we didn't eat them much (yuk).

Anyway, same type of keyboard controls as this one. But no light - hey, it was Home Ec...

 

[mickeyd]

Calrod

worked like Roper's BURNER WITH THE BRAIN--the gas would come on and off depending on the internal temp as sensed by a disc in the center of the burner. We had this stove in our kitchen in my youth, and it was fun to watch the gas flame igniting and diminishing--great for stews and sauces but not for fudge. The control was like an oven dial: You set the temp you wanted your dish ultimately to reach.

Cheers, to homemade fudge.