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The San Francisco Bay Area circa 1931. "Earth-moving equipment and trucks." Our second look at this diorama of dirt, and a glimpse of the surrounding terrain. 8.5 x 6.5 inch glass plate by Christopher Helin. View full size.
It is a Northwest Model 6. Reviled by some as its control levers were backward in relation to most cranes.
The low sloping hills, the sand dunes, and the large treeline (Eucalyptus?) makes it look like the coast. It reminds me of areas like Pacifica or Daly City.
I spotted an interesting detail on the truck under the shovel bucket. It appears the tires have white sidewall lettering "Goodyear". I have never noticed anything like this on tires older than the 1960's or so. It was all the rage among the fast car crowd then and raised white lettering was common on performance tires. I would wonder how long it would be visible in the service these trucks were used.
Sure wish we could see what it said, maybe give us an idea where this picture was taken. Looks like they're digging a foundation in an area that was once paved with concrete -- or dealing with a washout.
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