Here's a story about a recently restored Twin Pines Divco milk truck. Nick Tisch, the truck's owner, plans to visit all of the car shows this season, and will give you a ride in it if you ask politely.
http://detroitkidshow.com/twin_pines_truck.htm
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Here's a story about a recently restored Twin Pines Divco milk truck. Nick Tisch, the truck's owner, plans to visit all of the car shows this season, and will give you a ride in it if you ask politely.
http://detroitkidshow.com/twin_pines_truck.htm
My dad's third cousin had a Twin Pines route and he used to deliver to our house in Center Line during the 1950s and 60s. If we weren't home, he'd leave our order in the milk chute next to our side door but if we were, he'd come inside and place it on the floor near the refrigerator while we chatted. During the hottest part of the summer, us kids would hit him up for some chips of ice from the back of of his truck. Our cousin's brother also had a Twin Pines route in the Warren area during that same time period. Both of them had their own Divco trucks and I can remember back in the early 1960s seeing all the new trucks at the Divco plant on Hoover Rd. as my mom drove me to my weekly music lessons.
I'm almost sure this was the truck i saw parked in the former Wild Woody's on Gratiot last summer and couldn't turn fast enough into the parking lot to check it out. Even my 15 year old son thought it was cool. :)
Does it look like this?
Maof,
There are only two restored Twin Pines trucks. One is Nick's and the other is in a museum in Port Huron.
When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s I lived in the I-94 and Cadieux area and we had a milk chute and home delivery from Twin Pines. And before Twin Pines, I even remember we had home delivery from Sealtest. We got not only milk, but half-and-half and butter and perhaps other products as well, in these deliveries.
I believe the Twin Pines warehouse was located on Outer Drive near Lappin. Just about immediately east of the curve between the Polish Century Club and Holy Cross Hospital.
We had regular deliveries of Twin Pines and Sealtest products in Grosse Pointe in the 60's. When you think back how times have changed, I really think we had a better sense of community with local products, which employed local people, and benefitted businesses based locally.
This is the real secret behind getting back to a default position in the way we think of community, when we know the choices we make have local impact.
Thinking about it, we really had more retail choices, and better quality ones until the "one global economy" took over. :[[
I saw the truck at Autorama.When did Twin Pines go out of bussiness? I used to drink it at school in the mid 80,s. Got into a fight when someone poked a hole in Milkys face and spilled my milk. Nice Job on that truck.
GREAT book about a driveaway guy who drove DIVCO's from Warren to out here[[they used 'em for Helms Bakery Trucks) he wasn't blown away by DIVCO's when they were factory-new...maybe they need to sit in an Ohio field for 30 years;
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book...king-for-Wages
Helms;
http://www.lilesnet.com/memories/past/helms.htm
Is that Milky the Twin Pines Magic Clown in the photo?
Was his catch phrase, "Just keep smiling," I have a vague memory of his picture and that slogan on Twin Pines [[paper) milk cartons. Can anyone confirm?
This thread brings back some good memories. A friend of mine owned a DIVCO in the early 70's and he painted it flat brown. Believe it or not three of us drove that truck from Port Huron to Daytona Beach over spring break. Top speed was 45 MPH. Needless to say it was a leisurely non-stop trip. One of the cool things about that truck was the ability to drive it while standing up. The driver's seat swung out of the way allowing you to stand. The back of his truck was converted into a sleeping area and we rotated driving duties while someone slept. Definitely received a lot of looks on the road.
We lived on Wayburn between Morang and Casino. Our milk was delivered by Rosebud Creamery..in a Divco truck, of course.
Hardhat,
That is indeed Milky in the photo, but I think you have your catch phrases confused. Milky's catch phrase was "What's the magic word? Twin Pines!" Bozo's was "Just keep laughing!"
You can read all about Milky here.
http://www.detroitkidshow.com/Clare_Cummings.htm
The guys that did this truck seemed to have the most fun at Autorama. They were stuck out in the back but they did generate the most smiles.
It was refreshing to see somebody having and causing fun at a car show. Most of the people that get caught doing that are banished to the land of small trophies. I ought to know.
I grew up in the Six and Van Dyke area of Detroit. As an young lad, I worked as a "jumper" on many of those Twin Pines Divcos. The East Side Yard [[ One on the West Side, too, I believe) was located at the big bend on E. Outer Drive near Holy Cross Hospital.
Kids would arrive at the yard early around five am. looking for a chance to make some spare coinage.The drivers would often pick the biggest kids or the ones that appeared to be the most awake.The jumpers job was to deliver the dairy orders as pointed out by the driver to their alloted houses.The pay was paltry, but the jumper could eat and drink his fill of those wonderful Twin Pines products [[even potato chips and dip)
I worked on a regular basis with a Mr. John Brooks who was an owner operator of his route as many were. Lots of Italian names like Tringali owned those routes.
Often times the driver would take an unusually long time inside one of his customers homes. When this occurred, I was usually instructed to help myself the the merchandise and to watch the truck. At that tender age of 13, I knew very little of the ways and means some of those driver's "collected" on what was owed them. A lot of kids born in the 1960's bear a slight resemblence to Milky the Clown rather than their father.
Honing up on learning to drive, I would mess around with the truck's mechanics while the boss was "occupied". Lots of fun going a few feet forward and back while standing up and operating the clutch and brake, which was on the same floor pedal.
Hamtramck's own Incredible Mohawk Brothers put out a song entitled "Milkman's Son" and it is an ode to the Twin Pines Milkman.
Unfortunately, crime and urban decline put an end to "Worry Free Home Delivery".
Attachment 1251 Not a Twin Pines, But still cool :D
You know these days the UPS and Fed Ex trucks are the replacement for the milk trucks.
Bet the drivers hate that the trucks they drive so many times have GPS tracking.
I remember when I drove and old independent ice cream truck. Too bad for me I had too many morals.
Milkys mug was on the cartons,at least the ones we got at school.
i remember Milky. But who is Pierre, the guy who appears to have a baguette, in the photo?
Pierre assisted Milky with the games. He is holding a balloon.
The book "Poletown: Community Betrayed" has this photo of a Twin Pines milkman in his Divco truck while making a delivery in a Detroit neighborhood.
back in the 40's and 50's We had Twin Pines, in Highland Park. They used a Divco truck. A delivery man named Carl Norlene. The milk use to overflow the cap in the winter if you let it sit on the porch too long. Also I remember before they had homogenized, and the cream would be at the top.
The people next door had Sealtest ,and they still were using horses. His horse would stop just in our driveway entrance and it would usualy take a crap at the entrance of our driveway. My Dad would inveriably drive through it and pull up to the porch. Sitting on the porch in the summer with horse crap on your tires didn't smell too good. My Dad had words with the milkman to clean up after his horse if he took a dump in front of our drive.I remember him telling the Sealtest milkman to get into the 20th century, get rid of the horse, and buy a Divco truck.
Funny thing about horse drawn delivery men . My U ncle who was born in 1952 tells me about the horse drawn carts the milkman , sheeny, and etc had. I do remember the funny {DIVCO} trucks that were around when I was a kid. I might have told the milkman to get a Divco if he was using a horse in the 50,s/60,s/.
Yep! We had a milk chute, too, at I-94 and Moross. When my parents moved to Warren, they had Twin Pines there, too. The milkman's name was George and he'd have to ring the bell; no milk chutes in Warren! He was our milkman for 18 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by EMG
We also went to the dairy once, with my Girl Scout Troop. Though I don't know if that would be the location you mentioned. I was born at Holy Cross, and I'm sure my mom would have mentioned that we were near there.
Good times, people! :D
Pointe Dairy has a Divco truck.
http://www.pointedairy.com/photos.htm
Them Divcos are pretty neat.This has got me thinking
Speaking of Milk chutes, my family would send one of our kids through it when we got locked out of our house, that was cool.
We used to get Sealtest milk delivered to our house when I was a kid.It Mr.Harland Dilly's route.He used a Divco as did the Home Pride Bakery and Awrey's drivers,John and Tom.Even the Home Juice delivery guy had one.He used to spend looooong afternoons with the woman across the street!Hmm,I wonder why?
I saw a restored Twin Pines Divco truck in the St. Clair Shores memorial day parade. Snapped a photo, too. Don't want to attempt an upload...
My gosh - if I could count the number of times I crawled through the milk chute when I forgot my key!! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Rumblefish
My mom has a fantastic plastic replica of that truck that she played with as a child in the 50's - it's plastic and in perfect condition. It's plastic with working wheels.
Spotted a Hot Rodded DIVCO friday afternoon. Looked like a great way to spend its retirement
Two questions:
The link in the original post above indicates that Twin Pines went out of business in the 1970s. Unless my mind is playing tricks with me I remember TP trucks operating well into the 1980s. Can anyone confirm?
I also seem to recall TP using trucks larger than Divcos in my boyhood neighborhood [[Riverview). Does anyone one know of non Divco trucks in the TP fleet?
According to the state's corporation site it appears Twin Pines' last year may have been 1978 and the name dissolved in 1980:
http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/bcs_corp...20DAIRY,%20INC.
The Twin Pines brand was sold to C.F. Burger Creamery. In 1990 they sold the brand to Melody Farms. Twin Pines milk, with Milky the Clown on the side of the carton, was still being distributed to area schools well into the 1990s.
I'm thinking how cool a Divco would be with a 440 Mopar in it and maybe a 4X4 transfer case... what a toy that would make!Quote:
Originally Posted by reddog289
We had Johnson's Creamery deliver our milk. The driver had a Divco truck and parked in the alley behind our house. We lived by a C.F. Smith grocery so we had a commercial alley in the back. When my sister and I would hear him, we would run to the basement landing and open the inside door to the milk chute. When he would open the outer door to put the milk bottles in he would see 2 small faces smiling at him. Still have a few of those multi layered paper caps that had the staple in it that sealed the milk bottles.
During the mid to late 40's we had a Sealtest delivery in Sherwood Forest. I can remember helping the route man deliver milk along the route, till the time I tripped over a step on a customer's sidewalk, fell, and broke six bottles of milk. What a mess!
During the mid to late 40's we had a Sealtest delivery in Sherwood Forest. I can remember helping the route man deliver milk along the route, till the time I tripped over a step on a customer's sidewalk, fell, and broke six bottles of milk. What a mess!
I worked for a printing company throughout the 90's. We did the printing for Melody Farms. When I would deliver the printing I recall there were a couple of older Twin Pines trucks in the yard. As for when Twin Pines branded products dissapeared I cannot say. I do know that Garden City schools sold Twin Pines in 83/84 cause I bought a milk at lunch. Also I am pretty sure that Wayne/Westland sold their products also in the 80's. Because my lunch at school was KingDons and chocolate milk.
Yeah 440 in a Divco would work.
I crawled thru our chute many times, as a kid and a teenager. I had to bang on the inside chute door a bit to get it to open up. I still have a very clear memory of crawling thru the chute very late at night when I was about 16 or so and having dad walk into the kitchen as I was halfway thru the milkchute [[the chute was next to the side door, where there were a couple of steps up into the hallway leading into the kitchen) - busted!Quote:
Originally Posted by lizaanne
I worked for my uncle back in the early 60's delivering Sealtest milk and other dairy products in Warren [[12 mile and Schoenherr area) while finishing high school and then a few years while at U of D night school. It was a great job because my workday ended early, kept me in good shape and I had time to study before night classes.
I drove a Divco truck but never thought to take any pictures.
I am now at age 66 into Toy Trains, O Gauge. I have some Divco trucks for my layout but I want to paint one as a Sealtest truck like I drove. I have been unable to find a color picture of a Sealtest Divco Truck. I have seen Twin Pines and Bordens but no Sealtest. Die Cast Direct has even come out with a beautiful model of the Twin Pines truck but I have never been able to find a Sealtest Divco truck. I would appreciate any help in finding a picture or the color scheme.
JohnHenry
Is this anything like you're looking for?Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnHenry
http://www.charleneclarkstudio.com/p...DairyTruck.jpg
I was saved from a house fire by our milkman, Raymond Hillock, in July, 1952, when I was seven months old. My 4-year-old brother was trying to light a cigarette when the flare of the match startled him and he dropped it onto some bedding in my crib. The bedding caught fire. Fortunately, Mr. Hillock was delivering milk into the side chute when he saw smoke coming out of the bedroom window. He rushed into the house and grabbed me and my brother. My Dad woke up, smelled smoke and tried to find us in the smoke-filled bedroom but was unable. When he went outside he saw us with the milkman. There was an article in the three daily newspapers about the incident. One of them had a photograph of me on my Dad's lap while my parents are wagging their forefingers at my brother in chastisement, head bowed in shame. Another photograph showed Mr. Hillock being congratulated by his sons for his heroic deed. A third photograph shows Mr. Hillock being given a leather secretary and a scroll made by local prisoners to honor his heroic act. This is just a guess, but I know that we had Sealtest milk delivered when I was older, so I assume Mr. Hillock was probably a milkman for that dairy company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumblefish
Yup. Had to have ours sealed shut when things started to change and thugs started using kids to crawl through to break in to houses.Quote:
Originally Posted by lizaanne
Interesting! I was wondering where Twin Pines is from. At work we carry their eggnog around the holidays.
I remember Twin Pines delivered when I was growing up in Dearborn in the early 60's. The milkman used to give us ice chips in the summer. If I remember right his name or nickname was Peaches. My Aunt lived and still does right behind the old Twin Pines plant over in Detroit.
Thanks to John Henry for posting the news about the toy Twin Pines truck from Die Cast Direct. I will have to feed my nostalgia addiction by buying one. Now, if they would only make a model Great Lakes Transit Co. GMC bus!
Some years back Special Interest Autos magazine had an article on the DIVCO [[Detroit Industrial Vehicle Co.) trucks. Said they were very heavy, crude and inefficient compared with lighter trucks like pickups. I can't imagine flogging one to Florida.
I sell the DIVCO Twin Pines truck thru my website.
http://www.detroitkidshow.com/get_yo...ines_truck.htm
They are being manufactured as we speak, for delivery by the holidays.
A smaller scale Twin Pines truck will be available for purchase next year.
Is Wilson's dairy still in operation?
On Farmbrook, in the 50s and 60s, there were several milk men.
Next door got their milk from Borden's - the Divco was yellow on the bottom half, white on the top. Elsie was centered on the truck panel, her head sticking out of a daisy, if I remember correctly.
Down the dtreet towards Southampton, one house had sealtest delivered. His Divco was painted with a gray background. I think the Sealtest oval was red, and the lettering was white.
The Twin Pines guy delivered to another home. I think he had the most attractive paint job for a Divco. Creamy white/yellow, dark green trim.
Two doors down toward Frankfort, they had Rosebud milk dilivered. But the Rosebud guy didn't have a Divco. He drove some boxy-looking rig.
We had Wilson's [used to be Schweitzer's] milk delivered by Erv Schewe. His daughter was my classmate at Bethany, Chatsworth and Outer Drive. Her birthday was February 22, so Mr Schewe delivered vanilla and chocolate ice cream cups for the entire class to enjoy.
Use to love entering the house thru the milk shoot-into the tiny broomcloset-because I could. Funny thing was, we never locked our doors anyway...
I may have spotted one of these truck rusting away in a small lot on McNichols just west of Davison.
You can see the row that's a 45 degree angle starting with the white step van. just below the yellow car a red [[rust)roof with white sides.
Streetview shows alot of bushes in the way.
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r22...=yp.Wayne~pg.1
Too bad you can't zoom in, I'd like a closer look.Quote:
Originally Posted by M CD M
I may go Fallout Shelter sign hunting again this Saturday.
If I do, I will be going by that place again on my way into my search area.
And I'll get a pic this time.
Do you collect the signs or just take photos of them?
I have a few that are new, and one that is from a building[[saginaw area antique shop, was told it came from a building that was being gutted)
I tried to save one from the School building on grand river and canfield.[[name escapes me).But it was too far gone to be displayable. I'd like to get the one outside, but I would need a ladder and to know how to remove it without destroying it.
I mostly go to find them, I know that almost every building downtown was one, but few are still marked. Cobo was until recently, by the water front entrance towards the rencen.All the one's I've found are on waymarking.com [[under EL1998P71)
I'd post a link, but for some reason it doesn't work half the time.
Some interesting shapes, But I'm not sure any look like a DIVCO from all angles?:confused:
Attachment 4618
Attachment 4619
Attachment 4620
I circled the vehicle that I think is a divco truck
Twin Pines DIVCO...............get yours at Detroitkidshow:pcom
Attachment 4625
Attachment 4626
M CD M
I'm thinking it looks too large compared to the cars around it, I was looking for something the size of the white Aerostar looking vech. closer to the fence?
Hope someone can drive by and get some pic's if it is!
Around noon today I got to drive by that location.
I'm not 100% on it, but it looks like a divco truck to me.
Compared to every other picture on this thread, This one seems extended just a bit.
The painting and the toy models and this truck all seem to have larger windows forward of the door than the B/W photo of the Twin Pines truck.
Attachment 4657
Could have been different models built depending on the customer,or just different years? But I think you have found one!
It would be great if you can get some closer pic's , and of the inside.
I'd love to know the history of that truck.
Well if you can see the dog at the bottom of the photo, getting closer would not be a good idea. and it looks like just a lot of vehicles. No signs for a business. So I doubt i'd find any info on it.
lol, I see the dog now! nothing in that truck we need to see that bad.
That DIVCO has been sitting there for at least 10 years. The auto yards in that area have yeilded a treasure trove of remarkable vehicles over the years. 56Packman can probably name a few of the great finds.
M CD M,
I sent a link to your photo to Nick Tisch, the owner and restorer of the Twin Pines DIVCO. He says that it is definitely a DIVCO, and he even knew the location of the junkyard. The owner wants $1,000 for it, but it's in pretty rough shape.
Wow! $1,000 bucks?
I guess if someone wants it bad enough they'll pay that.
I wouldn't. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by M CD M
$1,000 is not outrageous and it could be a treasure trove of parts for someone restoring a better but incomplete vehicle. What it is worth to you might not be what it is worth to someone interested in that particular vehicle. I have spent more on a few hard to find parts for some of the vehicles I have worked on in the past.
What a tribute to your Dad!! My father was also a milk man for Twin Pines. To this day I meet people who say "Is Don Mudd your father? He used to be my Milk Man." It makes me so proud, as I'm sure it does so many people whose dads were the same..I wish I had a picture of his old route truck...God Bless you for being such wonderful dedicated sons!
My Dad used to work for Divco back in the 1950s and maybe early 1960s. For a while he was a test driver. He used to talk about running those trucks out into the Auburn Hills area and talk about all the mushroom farms that were out there [[I guess very little otherwise). He got very ill in 1995 and past in 1996. While he was in hospice we did get a call from a man who was writing a book about Divco's. My mom and I relayed what we knew and it ended up in the book.
I recall being a young child growing up in East Detroit in the very early 1970s. We were still getting milk deliveries by our milk man. My dad didn't want the service to go even though he had moved on to General Motors. I can still remember the metal racks and glass bottles.
SteadySky, Do you recall the name of the book?
i'd bet a nickel it's this: http://www.amazon.com/DIVCO-history-.../dp/0966075110Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragtoplover59
but it could be this...
http://www.divcothelittlemilktruck.com/
amazing what google plus the words "divco" and "book" can turn up...
looks like there are other discussions of divco truck restorations out there.
Ragtoplover59,
The book is titled: "DIVCO, A History of the Truck and Company," written by Robert R. Ebert and John S. Rienzo, Jr. I received an autographyed copy for the authors because of the information provided. My dad is referenced in Chapter 5, Note 34 on Page 147. I forgot, but as it turns out he was once Vice President of UAW Local 889 that was associated with the DIVCO-Wayne Corporation. The book was published by Antique Power, Inc.
Thanks SteadySky, I'm going to pick one of those up!
I wouldn't mind picking this up too!
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/...-truck/229318/
Long time lurker, first time poster I am so glad somebody posted something on Twin Pines, I have been looking for info on Twin Pines for a while without much luck. My Father & Grandfather were both milkmen with twin Pines. My Grandfather was one of the original 12 they called them. He was one of the first Twin Pines milkmen when they started. His name was on a plaque at the main offices on the westside, he retired from Twin Pines in 1968. My father started as a jumper when he was 16 years old in 1947, later he became a swingman who would pull peoples routes when they went on vacation and such. He finally bought his own route in the early 60's wich was Gross Pointe Woods & Harper Woods. I am sure there are a few people on this site who might remember [[ Nick the milkman ) He sold his route in 1980 when things got really bad. I have many fond memories of going to the creamery on Outer Drive & Van Dyke at 4:30 A.M., getting caught moving the truck back and forth at age 12, going to the Twin Pines picnic @ Kings Animal Land out at Gratiot & 32 Mile. MUDDPIT I believe your dad and mine knew each other very well. I had been hoping to meet other people who grew up with similar memories. I also remember taking my dads truck for repair at Eastland Truck Sales on Groesbeck, it was backed up to the Divco factory that was on Hoover. They used to have 100's of junk trucks for parts and while my dad was dealing with the repairs I would run from truck to truck to truck pretending to drive. Yes I have alot of fond memories of Twin Pines & Divco trucks
Bommer,
Welcome,
Long time lurker status revoked, One of the gang status initiated!
Thats the trouble with this site, at some point something comes up that you just want to be a part of!:rolleyes:
I wish I had more [[or anything) to offer on this topic, but I have no stories or fun memories of playing in the trucks? But hey, at least I got to be the first to welcome you in!:D
Ragtoplover59
Thank You for the welcome.
In one of your previous posts you asked about the difference in trucks. Yes there were different models. My Dads first truck was the smaller one like in the older pictures. He bought a new truck in 1970 wich was longer and had dual wheels in the back. He had 2 routes, Gross Pointe Woods & Harper Woods wich were both large routes, He needed the bigger truck because back then it seemed everyone got milk delivered
Hello !!! Anybody out there have any more info on Twin Pines. Any info would be greatly appreciated, that might lead me to some other sources. Thanks in advance.
Bommer,
Check out Nick Tisch's restored Twin Pines truck at Autorama this month. His brother Gary has a large collection of Twin Pines memorabilia, and the brothers love to talk Twin Pines.
There was a Twin Pines milkman who lived on Berkshire and Beaconsfield. His name was Bussang. His daughter was a nice looking nurse who had red hair. This was in the late 60's.
I saw the Pointe Dairy Divco driving around Troy two weeks ago.
The driver told me Pointe Dairy hopes to have ready for display
and promotions soon.
Just happened to run across this when I was looking for something else. Sort of a, everything Divco.
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Divco/
Here are some pictures of Twin Pines advertising.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jagoike/TwinPines#
Here is a new one . A Ford Econoline with a Divco front end on E-bay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...EF:MOTORS:1123