Tom,
My hometown used to have several dealers, but even if you bought orange,
red or green every farmer would take the day off for John Deere Days.
It was a day where the dealer would unveil the newest equipment. But
more than that everybody including the wives would gather to chat,
brochures handed out, prize drawings held, and little freebie's flooded
the area. Small towns thrived on the farmer's business.
John Deere always rented the local movie house. They sponsored short
live segments for the wives and then unveiled the movie you are talking
about. My guess is, they produced dozens like that.
The first girl I ever kissed, father was a JD dealer. The girl I
married father had been an IH dealer. I also picked rocks on a farm
that had only Allis Chalmer's tractors. A girl in my class dad was the
MM, Case and Oliver dealer. Another classmates father became a Ford
dealer but sold Chrysler products. Not much happens in a small town!
My S scale town of Madra does have an implement dealer, so lots of
weathered tractors are in the used lot! This also gives you the excuse
to remove wheels and stage repair scenes. This also lets you take some
of those really old units and put them under a shade tree to rust in peace.
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
On 10/5/12 6:15 AM, Thomas Baker wrote:
Steve, your reference to green tractors brought up a old 16mm film
that must have been produced by or at least heavily sponsored by John
Deere. It featured a grandmother, her son who farmed, and his son who
was a seven oreight-year-old. The scene was set on the D&RGW on the
line that ran south from Denver to Colorado Springs and then northwest
to Salida and on to the mainline.
I have tried to locate that film but have never been able to find it.
It is worth having just for the photography of Colorado scenery, the
depot--cannot recall exactly where--the trains, the John Deere stuff,
and the old pickup the family had. Until that time I had never seen a
film devote so many shots to a railroad and to farm equipment as that
one did.
Tom
