Marion Freight House This was in the last days for the freight house, but you can tell by the 5 doors that it had been a busy place at one time. The two pipes at the right of the picture were for the scales to weight cars. When the Crosley automobile, was built in Marion after WWII, they would bring them down to the freight house and load them in box cars. Ted Tobin Collection
Actually the Crosley was larger than the Smarts and little Fiats on the road today. My best friend's father owned one. Also Crosley engines were very popular as inboard power for small hydroplane boat racing during the '50s. I'm sure Ken (BoxcabE50) can fill us in on that subject.
Not so much. The Smart Fortwo does have a wheelbase almost four inches shorter, but is taller and heavier. The new Fiat 500 rides a wheelbase a full ten inches longer than the Crosley--and there are versions longer than that. I saw a Crosley at a classic car auction a couple of years ago, and it was smaller than the golf carts. You may have been smaller back then. Maybe that accounts for the perspective of your memory.
What was in the upstairs portion of that building? Billing clerks, etc? I doubt that was living quarters,
Don't be surprised if it's storage. In this age of fine, functional, common forklifts, warehouses have gone strictly horizontal. But once upon a time, moving loads horizontally was more difficult than lifting them with a block and tackle, and pulling them into location with ropes as they are lowered to the floor
That could easily be true. But as originally designed and built, I would believe there was another use before any storage.
My guess is an office...as for the Crosley, I worked for a car collector that had one with less than 10,000 miles
Yes the upstairs was office . They would bring them down ,(Crosley), to the freight house, push them into a box car and with ropes and frame work in the car stack them at an angle . I don't remember the amount to each car . LEW
