WHAT....is this??

[collecture]

I'm watching this, but do not know what I'm watching!...a V-56...a smokestack?
I have all the parts to complete a 56 shell - but the split front door??,..the cylindrical vent that extends into the compressor area?

[Sodaman101]

Looks to me that someone made it into a " smoker" for Meat at one point...... people apparently do that with old fridges too........

[collecture]

Looks to me that someone made it into a " smoker" for Meat at one point...... people apparently do that with old fridges too........

Wouldn't there be soot inside and everything be black?

and why the split main door??

[johnieG]

Looks like they got busy on the door with a die-grinder & a cut-off wheel, they probably split the door in an effort to isolate the "firebox" , no soot just means they never got to put it use , which may be a good thing. could be worse, it could have been turned into a hen house! 

[sodaworks]

They went through a lot of trouble just to screw up a great machine.

[coke_and_stuff]

Ive been watching this one as well its 65 miles from my house, Ive seen 56s, and 81s turned into smokers. Hillbillys will do anything around here!

Joey

[Ocelp]

It's a shame to see a nice old machine carved up like that

But you have to admit, restored that would be the coolest smoker on the block

[SIGNGUY]

YEP
It's a SMoker... My Grandfather had and 81b made into on YEARS ago up at the cabin... (by the time I was into machines, it was long gone, but remember seeing it in action...

Fire in teh firebox below, Meat in the cabinet , vented out top!  They actually used to do this to several machines when he owned the old Coke plant and these machines where going to the dumps in the 70's 80's....

We had an 81 in our Garage to keep worms cool....a few beers of my Dad's too but mainly used for fishing worms!

[GreginNM]

Amazing what they did with the old machines back a few years ago.  When I was here in Del Rio the first time, back in 1990/91, I was told of a dump about 2 hours from here where the Coke distributor disposed of their old machines when they took them out of service.  The guy had been out there a few times himself to see them.  He said they didn't want folks to get ahold of their old machines, so they would take them in a truck to this dumpsite, push them off the truck, and then run them over with a dozer so they couldn't be used.  They wouldn't salvage anything off them.  He remembers seeing MANY 44s, 81s, 39s and the likes.  I can't remember where it was or how to get ahold of the guy to find out where it is.  Can you imagine seeing someone do that?!?         

[collecture]

Stories like that abound!
I talked to guys who worked at a distributorship that said their boss told them to just clear out the back room full of old signs - take it all to the dump!
Can you just imagine though if all this didn't happen??
There would be tons of it around and not a lot of collectibility and that is the bright side.

[Larry]

Can you imagine seeing someone do that?!? 

They did the same to all the slot machines back in the 30's, 40's or 50's.  I remember seeing pictures of these guys destroying slots and dumping them in the lake or ocean.  I don't remember if the pictures were from New York or Chicago, but anyway a lot of Watlings and Mills met an early watery grave.   

The funny part of the pictures is seeing guys posing proudly next to the ruins like one would stand next to a buck after shooting it during a hunt.

[SIGNGUY]

I've told the story before, but since where one topic. My Grandfather and his brothers owned 3 bottling plants after the war up until 1989 when they sold the whole lot. My Father worked there since a kid and was the sales manager of our local plant for years. Coke was our life growing up, Pepsi was a swear word in our house!
but the stories of tossing stuff, I'd hear would make you sick, when I started collecting I was able to get about 5-6 original advertising items out of the old plant and my fathers basement, just stuff they hung onto as they thought it was kinda neat.  Then to hear my Grandfather tell of the getting rid of inventory. Coke would send out a book (we've all seen them) with the new era advertising , they would order a bunch of the slogan stuff and then send My Dad and some of the other guys upstairs to the ad room and clean the out the shelves, they would haul it all to the dump. Same for old machines...

But Like Tom said, if this did not happen, we would not have the Hobby we know and love today! so it's bitter sweet!!

[coke_and_stuff]

Well I won the machine today for $25.00 I wonder how bad she really is??

Joey

[Creighton]

Hope some parts can be saved. Nasty buisness when zinc or galv. is heated to smoker temps with food inside.
Creighton
 

[loman4ec]

Well at least the bottle door and side stainless are worth more than you paid for it. Good deal. If you could save that Vendo 56 with the completely rusted out bottom you can fix this.

[coke_and_stuff]

Well I picked it up today, This is a cakewalk compared to the one with the rusted out bottom. The cabinet with the exception of the hole for the smoke stack is in very nice condition. Front door needs some work but still savable. Well worth $25.00 one of the best roundtop buys ive had.

Joey