Roger's 1951 Federal
Roger's Fourth
1951 Federal
This truck was featured on pages 68 through 72 of Rolling Homes
Text: Sharkey :: Photos: Roger
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This housetruck built on a Federal chassis is Roger's fourth portable home, the first being a 1950's Mercury sedan with a structure built on the back. His travels in this truck have taken him all over the Western United States, often caravanning in groups of trucks shuttling between crafts fairs. Today, this truck is a comfortable guest house and occasional retreat for visiting relatives. |
| The kitchen features the requisite antique gas stove, mason jar food storage, and dual beer tap water faucets. To fill the fonts of the kerosene lamps, Roger devised a pump system from the reservoir under the frame that delivered a flow of fuel to a filling station under the sink. An icebox which contained 50-pound blocks of ice is located just under the drawer to the right of the sink. |
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The cozy sleeping loft includes two skylights as well |
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A view to the rear. Roger's craft at the time was stainless steel jewelery, which he could make inexpensively, sell cheaply, and thereby fund his travels around the region with the Northwest Trading Company. His work bench in the truck clearly shows thought and ingeniuity. Unlike a potter or blacksmith, his tools, materials and inventory were light and easily transported. |
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Roger and fellow traveling partner, Sam, on the road in the desert. |
| News! Roger's truly staggering collection of house truck and bus photos has been turned into a self-published picture book, Some Turtles Have Nice Shells. Check out this review of the book! also be sure to check into Roger's web site, housetrucks.com |
Original material ©1996-2024 Mr. Sharkey | All rights reserved