Survivors at Divco’s Centenary

Jay Crist in front of his 1938 Walker Dynomotive courtesy of Jim Haklar

The first Divco milk trucks rolled down the streets in 1926, and Jay Crist’s Divco museum in Manchester, Pa., has several significant Divco vehicles from that century of history.

Jay knows a lot about multi-stop delivery trucks. His father and uncle started Rutter’s Dairy in 1921, and Jay’s first job was delivering milk to homes. Later, he worked in the garage servicing the company’s vans and came to manage a fleet of more than 100 vehicles. At one point, Jay began collecting milk trucks for himself and today, examples can be seen displayed in his museum. The firm that started it all for Jay is also still in business selling milk to convenience stores throughout the Keystone State.

George Bacon was the chief engineer for the Detroit Electric Vehicle Co. He suggested to his superiors the prospect of producing a gasoline-engine delivery vehicle. This would overcome the limited range of electric vehicles and their problematic performance during cold weather. When Bacon’s bosses refused, he left the firm and founded the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Co., aka Divco.

The oldest known Divco is this Model A, which is number 10 of 25 prototypes made in 1926. courtesy of Jim Haklar

Jay has the oldest known Divco. It is the 10th of 25 experimental 1926 Divco A trucks. Detroit Creamery tested the prototypes to provide feedback to Divco. The Model A could be driven with a steering wheel, clutch, brake, throttle and gear shift. In addition, it could be operated from the left side standing on the running board with an outboard mounted clutch, throttle and gearshift. The Model A used an L-head four-cylinder Continental engine that produced 24 hp.

The Model A had a steel frame with solid axles front and rear and leaf springs. The body was wood with a fabric roof. Items could be loaded from a rear door, and there was plenty of glass in front for safety when driving.

The engine on the Model A was in the cabin and partly under the front seat. The heat generated from the powerplant could spoil milk and become very uncomfortable for drivers. As a result, Divco placed the engine ahead of the cabin encased in a hood for 1929. This design became the Model G. The body and components became all steel, and it now also used an L-head four-cylinder Continental engine that generated 38 hp. The Model G could be driven conventionally by sitting or standing within the cabin, or from either running board using a tiller for steering.

1929 Model G placed engine in front of the cab. courtesy of Jim Haklar

Jay bought a Model G that was restored to perfection by Douglas and Ted Merritt. This Model G is one of two known to exist and is the fourth-oldest Divco known. The cabin is wider than the Divco Model A so that when the Model G is driven for stop-and-go deliveries, the operator is more under the roof than in the Model A. On the Model A, the windshield wiper was operated by hand. In contrast, the wipers on the G are mechanical.

Most readers remember the fabled Model U Divco that was introduced in 1937. It had a drop-frame chassis for standing inside the van. A swing-away pedestal seat allowed drivers to operate the Model U while sitting or standing. There were semi-automatic flexible doors to enter and exit. The hood looked like a 1934 Chrysler Airflow with a snub-nose. Initially, the Model U came with a four-cylinder Continental engine. In later years, various power plants were available. In 1940, insulation and refrigeration were available. In 1946, two wheelbases were offered. The model remained essentially the same with minor updates until its end in 1986. Most suffered the effects of use, age or the environment and so few survive. Jay has the 15th 1956 Divco made and the 10th 1962 Divco produced.

A Hercules six-cylinder engine that makes 68 hp is in Jay’s 1956 model. It has a standard start-and-drive mechanism. When standing, the brakes and clutch are operated by the same pedal. The clutch is disengaged when pushed half-way down. When the pedal is released, the clutch is engaged. The pedal is pushed all the way down to apply the brakes. At the end of the manual shift lever is a gas throttle rotating bar. The operator can pull back a hand lever to slow the Divco by applying the rear brakes.

A four-cylinder Continental engine that provides 38 hp is in Jay’s 1962 Divco. It has the same start-and-drive mechanism as his 1956 Divco. Surprisingly, they both have different reverse-gear positions on their transmissions. Stepping in and out on both Divco vehicles is easy, because of their drop-frame construction. Jay’s 1956 Divco employs the graphics and colors that Rutter’s Dairy used in the 1950s, while the fictional Sunshine Dairy is advertised on his 1962 model.

A 1956 Divco with Rutter Brothers livery. courtesy of Jim Haklar

A route through many owners

The delivery van division of Twin Coach was sold to Divco in 1936. These vans were then called Divco-Twin and continued to look like they did under Twin Coach. (Some say they looked like miniature buses.) The four-cylinder Continental engine created 38 hp and was mounted to the front within the cabin and covered by a doghouse. A Warner four-speed transmission was used. The Divco-Twin’s left pedal was a combination of clutch and brake similar to Jay’s 1956 Divco. The gas pedal was to the right.

Jay’s 1941 Divco-Twin has internal and external sheeting made of aluminum. The only steel is the grille covering the radiator. Its rear door is a rare feature; it is similar to a refrigerator door in that it wraps around to the sides.

This 1962 Divco is decked out in fictional Sunshine Dairy livery. courtesy of Jim Haklar

There were several owners of Divco. The grim economy of the Great Depression put a squeeze on manufacturers. As a result, in 1932 Divco was bought out by Continental, which supplied most of the engines to Divco. After 1936, Divco was spun off from Continental and became Divco-Twin until 1944. When “Twin” was dropped from the name, the company was called the Divco Corp. up to 1956. Divco then became part of the Wayne Corp. in 1957. During this period, Divco built buses until 1961. In 1968, Divco was part of Hy Way Products that made tarps and chains for semi-trucks. In 1972, Divco was associated with Correct Manufacturing Co. until it went bankrupt over liability issues with its area lifts in 1986. Divco also made a garbage hauler during this last period of existence.

Back door of Divco-Twin is like a refrigerator door that wraps around the sides. courtesy of Jim Haklar

Front of 1941 Divco-Twin has nine panes of glass for panoramic vision. courtesy of Jim Haklar

Besides Divcos, Jay has other milk trucks, including a 1910 Walker LA Electric, 1936 Thorne C-1 gas/electric prototype, 1937 Stutz Pak-Age-Car, 1938 Walker Gas/Electric Dynomotive and a 1949 Marmon-Herrington DeliVR-all. If it were not for Jay collecting these milk trucks, they may have been scrapped. At best, they may have just survived as a footnote and a photo. At worst, most people would have never known that they ever existed.

To visit Jay’s museum, contact him at jay@jcristmuseum.org as Jay doesn’t have regular hours of operation. To enjoy a virtual tour of the museum,
go to jcristmuseum.org.

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