POD 6/1/2017

[brucelucenta]

Wizard Citation was built by the Franklin company for Western Auto. Franklin built machines for several other companies too. These machines cleaned and rinsed quite well, spun out adequately enough and held a fairly big load of clothes for a solid tub machine. They did cause quite a bit of linting with the rigorous washing, but things certainly came out clean. Another of the many matching sets that I once had. This appears to be a late 50's to early 60's set. They were very attractive looking sets.

 

[frigilux]

These machines were sold under the Coronado label at the local Gambles Hardware Store when I was a kid. They were relatively inexpensive compared to the Maytags, Frigidaires, GE's and Speed Queens available in our little town.

The Maguire family--friends of ours--had one. They never locked their doors, so young Frigilux used to waltz into their home when they were at work to play with the washer. It was the first time I'd seen an indexing tub. It made some really fun snorting/wheezing sounds during agitation and spin.

The water level control was automatic only if you wanted a complete fill; otherwise, when the required level was reached, you'd press the 'Partial Fill' button and agitation would begin.

 

[gyrafoam]

I got to play with a more MOL one back in the sixties. My best friends grandparents had one that lived out on the back-porch of their old shot-gun house on Woodward Ave. over in Cabbage Town. Remarkably, it survived a long time as it was still churning away into the 1980s. I don't think most of these machines were that long-lived.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I wonder when Western Auto was established; the ad shows the company to be 'in its 50th Year'...

 

 

-- Dave

 

[lesto]

One of our neighbors had a Western Auto Wizard. Their washer & dryer were in the garage and the door was always open so I used to go in there as a kid and watch it wash. It had a timed fill and the timer was almost identical to the one on a 57 and 58 Speed Queen - indicating the number of gallons along with a normal wash and a "short" cycle.

 

[DADoES]

 
The woman my dad's uncle married late in his life, her brother managed a Western Auto.  Uncle moved to their town upon the marriage.  Their merged property included her BOL Wizard washer.  Resembled one in a different PotD, with a different style filter/softener attachment.  I recall it was fairly badly rusted, not a porcelain top.  I never got to see the machine run, this uncle & aunt weren't the type to facilitate my interest.  He had a Westy slant-front Laundromat (and a newer 1960s Whirly toploader).  I recall asking several times to see the Westy run and was always refused.

 

[300c]

Year Established

I believe Western Auto was established in 1909, which would make the machines in this POD 1959 models.