Wagons in vintage Street scenes

Which is impressive considering that it would have been quite new when the photo was taken.

 

Aaaand when was the photo taken? Look before you leap....

 

There's no date, but everything I see in the photo indicates 40's or early 50's.

 

It's during the war, as both driver's are female RCAF. Back then, females did most of the work on the home front only during the war, so as to allow the men to be on the front lines. Not to mention, that tractor would've been no later than a 1942, as all civilian production ceased in early '42, and all civilian production not yet sold, was given over to the military for their use. So that poor tractor was likely worked hard during the war, hence the shabby condition despite its young age.

 

Precisely.
Which is why I replied that it is impressive considering that it would have been quite new when the photo was taken.
That tractor couldn't have been more than a few years old when the photo was taken, so they clearly beat the living daylights out of it during that short period of time.

 

Market Square, Houlton, Maine This facility isn’t a parking lot, instead, it actually is one extra-wide two-way street divided in the middle by a parking island.



The present-day street view of Market Square shows that the Houlton Cinema, the first of two movie theaters closest to the camera on the far left has been torn down. Other than updates to the storefronts the remaining buildings have all survived. Betty Grable in “Wabash Avenue” was playing at the Houlton Cinema at time the photo was taken and the film was released in 1950.

-Courtesy of The Old Motor.

 

I learned from Dad why some old streets were that wide, way back when:

It was to allow a Teamster to turn a horse team and wagon around 180° in the street.

 

Random Lawrence of Arabia quote on the side of the building...

 

I saw that. I may have to incorporate it into a building model in HO.

 

What in the world is the statue-lookalike thing between the garbage truck and camera? It looks like it shouldn't even be in the picture, like it was added in later.

 

Looks like an animal made of snow.

 

I was wondering the same thing when I first saw the post. I agree that it looks like it wasn't part of the original image.