What company made roy branded refrigirator like in this family picture

[pierreandreply4]

Hello to all aw members,

I would love to know what appliance company made roy branded fridge like in this family picture was it made by ge (general electric) whirlpool and what year and area did this particular brand of fridge was made and existed thank you for any given info

 

[philr]

Roy was made by Hupp Canada. At the L'Assomption plant that closed last year. These refrigerators were probably like Gibson refrigerators. Gibson used to be sold by Fairbanks-Morse in Canada but that was in the 1950s and probably early 1960s. I don't know if they were closely related to Roy refrigerators back then.

Roy was a low-price brand. In the 1970s I recall models like "Roy Satellite" being the cheaper models and the "Roy Apollo" having more features, like a butter conditioner.

 

[petek]

I don't recollect ever seeing a Roy branded appliance around here. Maybe they were only sold under that name in PQ? 

 

[philr]

Maybe they were only sold under that name in PQ? 

Probably.

I know that in the late 1970s or 1980s, they were making Eaton's Viking appliances, probably Gibson and other makes too.

Here's one Roy refrigerator for sale in Oshawa, it probably moved a few times since it was built!

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-refrigerator-fridge/oshawa-durham-region/vintage-refrigerator/1042840809

How about Belanger? Did they ever sell their brand in other provinces than Quebec? I have seen some of their late-1970s products in other provinces but they were mostly branded as Gurney. Belanger bought that name from Tappan-Gurney in the 1970s and they made clones of their own products sold under that name here in Quebec and in other provinces too. I have a Gurney ceramatop cooktop and it even shows the Belanger logo next to the name Gurney on it's badge. Other appliances I have seen sold under the name Gurney also carried the French-language model names from the Belanger lineup like Bon Appetit! They probably thought an English-sounding brand name would help sell their appliances elsewhere in Canada but they didn't even bother to replace their own model names that were in French too! I also think Gurney was a funny name to use on cooking appliances or refrigerators but at least that name was already known elsewhere in Canada both as an independant brand and as Tappan-Gurney.

At least Roy (who's manufacturing plant was located near Montreal) did use space-age model names like Apollo and Satellite which sounded OK in both French and English! Belanger's plant was in Montmagny near Quebec city...

There was also another local brand, "L'Islet" that made some nice-looking electric cooking appliances in the 1950s-1960s . Their plant was also near Quebec. I don't know how far from Quebec city they distributed their products! There are currently none of their ranges for sale on Kijiji but there's a L'Islet wringer washer : http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-image.html?adId=1043244903

Anyone knows if this was a rebadge? They made their own stoves but I'd be surprised if they made their own washers! I haven't seen automatics from Roy, Belanger or L'Islet...

 

[philr]

Tonight, I went to a friend's house and she has a basic Gibson Elite range (not as nice as a GM Frigidaire Elite!). I took a picture of it and the model tag.   This one is a WCI Canada product and the tag says Roy & Gibson. Doesn't mention "Hupp Canada" like on older models.

 

[turquoisedude]

Roy & Bélanger

I'd love to track down some of the marketing information these companies produced, particularly regarding their distribution.   I've seen some Roy refrigerators crop up for sale in the Prairie provinces, but never a Bélanger... 

 

I know Roy also made electric ranges (had one in my 2nd apartment and it was really, really awful...) and I think they had a couple of automatic washers and dryers.   

 

I've seen Bélanger wringer washers, but never an automatic washer or dryer.  At one point, they had a line of dishwashers - when I was in high school (pre-1980...) a friend's family had a brand-new one which had to be an Inglis/Whirlpool clone.  

 

And those L'Islet electric ranges were kinda cool - I remember seeing one model where all the surface unit controls were on the top of the control panel backsplash.  The guy I knew who had it hated it 'cause he had nowhere to put his salt & pepper shaker! 

 

[philr]

I know someone who still had a L'Islet range with the controls on top. It's been in storage for about 20 years. I should take some pictures of it someday! 

 

[circlew]

Phil, I noted that the tag rates it for 120/208 volts. Is this located in a large apartment building? It's very unusual for a single family home to have 208 volt service, as this is derived from a 3-phase system.

 

[philr]

I didn't notice that. I can tell you it's currently not plugged on 208 volts! I didn't even know we had 208 volts here in Canada!  The broil element is bad, maybe this is why?

 

[tolivac]

3Ph home service-some large mansions are equipped with 3Ph 208/120V service.The three phase is used for the HVAC systems.Some of those large homes have HVAC demands that require a 3ph commerical type HVAC unit.And some farms have 3Ph service.

 

[philr]

I know one person who has 3 phase at his home but that's because he used to have a welding shop next to it. But I think he also has a 240 volt panel with a separate electrical entrance next to it (all the main electrical panels are in the garage that's attached to the house but the shop was in a second detached garage).

 

My friend who has the house where the Gibson range is also has 3 phase in his garage but that's in another location! This house is a former camp that's quite small where his son lives. He wants me to find a replacement broil element for it. I think they do like my grandmother used to do, they use the oven as a space heater sometimes in winter!