Honoring the Abderdeen Farm

[peterh770]

Austin:

I got an early Skinny Mini and a late 60's Philco dryer. Both are unrestored and in storage. When I went with Jimmy and Greg, since we all met in Omaha with Jimmy driving his own van and me flying in and riding with Greg, I went home with the least amount of machines. I did, however get a few agitators (Hotpoint Siloette and Blackstone) and some parts, including the variable speed Rollermatic mechanism. All this was shipped to me from Omaha.

 

[gregm]

great pics Robert

amazing before and after pics Robert of those machines ........ those are true keepsakes ...........

 

[bpetersxx]

I have a question to ask

If u could turn back the clock to when Robert and the gang went to aberdeen washer farm in its pristine form:

How many of the appliances that were there could have been brought up to working status with a cleaning and the fixing of the parts that killed them in the first place

Might be 50% or more

 

[jetcone]

What vivid memories I have

ROBERT, just seeing it all again I could hear the wind rustle through the grass and I can smell it too. I was high as a kite the whole 3 days we were there. Imagine finding 7 acres of your favorite thing with no one around to bother you??

It truly is a timeless moment in my mind.

It took me 2 years to restore my Control Tower machine you found me!!

Bpetersx: The restoration rate would not be that high. Although Aberdeen gets 19 inches annual rain fall, all the solid tub machines held their water to winter and in that winter with the deep extremes the water acted like a hammer on the machines distorting the inner and outer tubs.
That combined with the clear skies (19 inches rain/year) just turned all the plastic to yellow crust which just crumbled to the touch.
Funny enough the steel was in good shape, easily repaintable.
I saw frigidaire tubs pushed out in the bottom so deep by the ice that the tub lifted the tops right off the machine cabinet! That tub steel was very heavy gauge.

Its nice we have the pictures here!

Nice job Robert,nice addition to the site!
Good on ya!

jon

 

[foraloysius]

Great to see those pictures again. What a piece of history!

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Robert,
The pictures in the album are great! It is exciting to see them over and over again.
Thanks
Brent

 

[alr2903]

wow I had forgotten some of the cool things.

Robert thanks for that tour down memory lane. That poor pink westy has always tugged at my heart. Thanks for the Great pictures and all you do for us. alr2903

 

[bpetersxx]

I am glad that you guys were able to save of these vintage classics

 

[trainguy]

Re-chrome Pieces

Robert, all your work is outstanding. But how did you get the chrome redone?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hi Rich, thank you. Actually all the chrome pieces needed was a good cleaning and polishing. The part on the WCI-58 that would have needed to be rechromed was the control panel top. That was rusty and pretty much ruined, but I got really lucky, I found another one that, for whatever reason, was thrown inside a Filtrator dryer out on the farm that was protected from the elements and it was just mint!

 

[bobbyderegis]

Wow!
Seeing this farm in person must have been like Dorothy walking into Oz. I wish I could have been there.
Bobby in Boston

 

[frontaloadotmy]

What a Jolt

it must have been seeing that place the first time. I would
have been weak in the knees! All one would need is a huge supply of color coded pennant flags on long sticks to mark
certain treasures, and then return with trucks and trailers!!!

 

[Unimatic1140]

All one would need is a huge supply of color coded pennant flags on long sticks to mark certain treasures, and then return with trucks and trailers!!!

We tried that Darrel, but the prarie wind would make them take off like the Flying Nun.

 

[mayken4now]

jon Jetcone

Love the part about "with no one there to bother you".

Yes, I bet that was a wonderful feeling to have been present at the farm.

When a scavanger hunt takes place for me, I always feel like I am doing something wrong or someone is watching me with an evil eye of sorts.............

Steve

 

[helicaldrive]

Another appliance farm?

From the late '80s to the mid-'90s, my former job used to take me past an appliance graveyard on State Route 108 just outside Carlinville, Illinois, a cute little town about 45 minutes North of St. Louis. It wasn't nearly as big as Aberdeen, but there were plenty of vintage washers and dryers all lined up in curving rows. I don't know if it still exists, and if so, whether access and treasure removal are possible. I'll try to find out one of these days when I have time for a day trip. Otherwise, for the rest of you St. Louis residents in Applianceville, check it out, and while you're at it, go to the town square, check out the HUGE turn of the century courthouse with cast iron doors, and have some Taylor's Mexican Chili. It's awesome stuff, and well worth the 45 minute drive, even if you don't find any appliances.

 

[kenmorepeter5ab]

My Favorite

Hi Robert & Jon!!

Hello....how are you doing?

I saw some picture about the Aberdeen Farm, it's my favorite about Kenmore any no matter of the different programs (top or front load)....I really like that!! And, it's different of the Kenmore's agitators.

-- Peter ;-D (my friend at you!!)

 

[helicaldrive]

It's gone

My curiosity got the better of me, so I spent my day off by going up to Carlinville. The appliance graveyard is gone. No 1958 aqua Frigidaires for me. In its place, the countryside has been despoiled by a subdivision of ugly new trophy homes, a golf course and a business of some sort.

(And Taylor's Mexican Chili was closed, too. On weekdays, they close at 2 pm, I discovered. Open until 7 pm on Friday and Saturday. Fellow St. Louisans, it's still worth the trip just for that. And while you're there, check out Standard Edition, which is a neighborhood of homes that people purchased from the Sears Catalog in the early 1900s. All the building materials and assembly instructions were delivered via the railroad that runs through town, and everybody helped everybody else put their homes together. They're cute little 2-story cottages. I think there are 3 or 4 models. You'd never know they came out of a catalog unless somebody told you. To find it, just ask anybody on the street for directions).

 

[jetcone]

Austin

We scoured that farm in 1997 for an APEX, I was dangling finding it FIRST over Robert's head all weekend!! He was nervous with my height I would spot it first so he followed me around all weekend!

We never did see any sign of an Apex that I recall. I really think that machine is all in UNI's head NO ONE has really ever seen one -- ONLY him, and yet its the one machine not in his collection.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..........

slapped in newengland

 

[oldwasherguy]

apex

i know where you can get a apex wringer from the 40s,but i have never seen an automatic.its like none survived,or aliens kiddnapped them all! don