They were then taken to the paint department where they were given baked enamel or lacquer, air-dried paint finishes in various colors. Die castings were broken off, trimmed, and tumbled in revolving cylindrical machines. In 1936 Hubley started casting in multiple cavity steel dies. All toys were designed by John Hubley, who had remained deeply interested in children’s playthings since the time he first made his own children’s wooden toys. After the Korean conflict ended and regulations on metal were suspended, cast iron toy production resumed.įollowing common manufacturing methods of the time, Hubley toys of the 1890s, and for a time thereafter, were cast in sand molds in two parts which were then riveted together to form the toy. During World War II scarcity of metal forced the company out of the toy business and into war-related items. Besides making their cast iron toys, the company made castings for other companies in Lancaster which were without foundry equipment.īy 1940 increased freight costs and foreign competition forced the company to look for other materials. Included in the 68,000 square feet of floor space in the Hubley plant were a die-cast room, warehouse, tool room, paint room and all the special assembly machinery.
Among the first toys produced were a coal range, circus wagons and mechanical banks, all collector’s items today. At this time the electric train business was discontinued and the cast iron toy business started. Hubley to manufacture equipment and accessories for electric trains. “The Hubley Manufacturing Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest and largest makers of toys in the United States, was founded in 1894 by John E. In its earlier years, the company made a line of “metal art goods,” which included lamps, tables, bookends, doorstops and knockers.Ĭonditions Governing Reproductions: Collection may not be photocopied. Please contact Research Staff or Archives Staff with questions. The first miniature toys were made of cast iron later, plastic became the prominent material. The primary products were toys and decorated repeating cap guns, rifles and holsters. Scope and Content Note: This collection contains catalogs and price lists of the items made by the Hubley Manufacturing Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Shelving Location: Archives South, Side 12 Video below.Repository: LancasterHistory (Organization) PV7 The 1934-1937 Chrysler/DeSoto Airflow line might be one of the more notable flops in Motor City history, but it wasn’t for the lack of sound and innovative engineering, as this fascinating film illustrates. There are also demonstrations of tufting, oil and lampblack testing, and the other techniques used to understand aerodynamics in the early 1930s.Īlong with the aero, the film explores other aspects of the Airflow’s advanced design, including its innovative packaging and semi-unitized construction. The film also shows the 1/10 scale wind tunnel at Chrysler’s Highland Park engineering lab, a potential first in the auto industry that was developed with guidance from aviation pioneer Orville Wright. We see that principle illustrated here, and we are also treated to a glimpse of Breer himself at work.
The clip is great viewing today on a number of counts, but we especially enjoyed seeing the state of the art in automotive aerodynamics circa 1934.Īs Chrysler engineering guru Carl Breer liked to point out, early automobiles were often more aerodynamically efficient when they were turned around backward. Produced by the Chrysler Corporation in 1934, this short promotional film is titled Fashioned for Function, which also happened to be an Airflow advertising slogan. This original 1934 factory film explores the ground-breaking engineering that produced the fascinating but doomed Chrysler Airflow.
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