POD 1/20/05

Hi,

I know that I'm a staunch Westinghouse admirer, and love to talk about them. I have in fact seen these very machines years ago stored in a warehouse that used to be owned by Eschtruth Appliance Co, in Grand Ledge Michigan. It was in fact a complete set and it was the machines shown. It was eleven years ago in fact this year.

However they were NOT brown as you see in all illustrations but were a yellow hue with all that woodtone applique slathered on it. These were combined also with what looked to be an older IMHO maybe an L-3 series early Laundromat with two red dials on it, a couple of old grey aluminum Maytag Wringers ( one ironically with a water pump on it???), a new on crate Maytag Wringer Washer from the last batch they had delivered to them in 83'; and finally a whole slew of old Hoover vacuum cleaners...which at the time was my main concern when I was in there.

I have in way past blogs told you all about how Eschtruth's used to be a bigtime Westinghouse dealer along with Maytag and Hoover products. They also sold RCA and Zenith televisions. This was the same store that I have explained had a partition wall with a built in Westinghouse sign that lit up, individually; all the letters in the name then three times flashed the entire sign before starting over in sequence.

The reason that I have brought this up was becasue these machines are rare. Whomever said that they were 1959-60 was absolutly correct. Becasue in 1961 the design was gone replaced by a new control panel that was used until 1963. I have a Westinghouse published repair manual for the 1961-63 Laundromats and it mentions breifly the Program Computer model in which it states that the top panel must be removed VERY carefully to not disturb the electrical contacts of the "Electronic brain mechanism" or like wording.

What happened to the set or what was in the warehouse? Who honestly knows, and sadly have no solid info on what happened either....After Eschtruths decided to sell out in 1999, another chain store in the mid Michigan area G&W Maytag bought out the store and they sold the warehouse where they kept new product, and expanded the original store to do likewise there.

One rumor that I had heard is that everything that was old was sold to someone near the area who had close ties to the Eshctruth family, another was that they were uncerimoniously junked along with all the other past stuff that G&W gave a care less about. In fact I became owner of a few things from them becasue they did a housecleaning a few years back and got some things..

One is this neat sales promotional thing. It's a thick hand held job, rectangular about 4 1/2 inches long and about 2 inches wide which shows a very early Laundromat, with the hinged outer door that shielded the glass look in door. It was for the new water level control and it has a actual switch on the front of it...that looks just like the switch on the machine.

When you move it to different positions, it tells you how much water the Laundromat uses for the entire load and how much total it uses in hot and cold seperatly, and how as you move it from high to low the water consumption lowers (of course), but this advertising gimmick made it seem like you were saving the holy grail.

What I have heard form the late staff of Eschtruths is that the Program Computer series had many problems electrically and besides the other fact that the device was overcomplicated to justify it's limitibility for different nescescary selections, few actual sets were sold. Exact records were NOT kept unfortuatly after the housecleanings happened after the new owners stepped in....and memories come and go...but MR. Eschtruth ..or Walt as I knew him estimated that probably six or seven sets were sold during the period, most of the rest of the sets being Middle of the line machines. Grand ledge being a working class/ farm town in 1959, not the surburban sprawl west of Lansing like it is today. I also know from him that this was the last set they recieved which very well could have made it a 1960 set instead of 1959.

What a beautiful machine tho...I'm entirely suprised that no one has one of these either? I 'm sure someone has spotted one or at least a MOL machine before...anyone???

Thanks

Chad

P.S. Why was I ever in that warehouse? Well my dad being of unsound mind purchased..."oh this is so emotional" a cheap set of BOL White Westinghouse washer and dryer for his second ex-wife and we went there to pick them up. When we got there to get them... Walt happened to be there as well, and I saw along the nearest wall a museum of sorts, dry and maintained with every relic that they ever sold in rows. I about died but mainly just focused on the vacuum cleaners...He had a few Westinghouse vacuum too...GOD WHY DIDDN"T I GO BACK AND SWIPE THEM!!!! THERE ALL GONE NOW!!!!

I need to lie down....


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Post# 54001 1/20/2005 at 06:45 (7,034 days old) by retromom ()
Checkrate/Likes WOW :) Slanted front, hidden control panel, automatic lint ejector.....I'm there! What year were these beauties manufactured?

Post# 54076 , Reply# 1 1/20/2005 at 20:52 (7,033 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Venus it was 1959 I'm pretty sure. 1960 at the latest. Lucy & Ethel made an advertisement about it. I think it's in the commercial videos.

Post# 54084 , Reply# 2 1/20/2005 at 21:35 (7,033 days old) by compwhiz ()
Checkrate/Likes *Pfffffft* Program computer??? Thats incredibly stupid. no washer then could think it should be called one touch cycle Now if this were invented today it could think!!!

Post# 54093 , Reply# 3 1/20/2005 at 22:19 (7,033 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Well compuwhiz you have your opinion, you simply dont' want to place yourself back in that time period and what actually was considered as new ideas or a new marketing gimmick for the time.

Post# 54095 , Reply# 4 1/20/2005 at 23:04 (7,033 days old) by westytoploader ()
Checkrate/Likes *My $0.02* The 1959 Program Computer Laundromat was advanced for its day; it obviously had to have some circuitry in order to carry out a one-touch command without any "Selective Dialing," right? Not to mention BEAUTIFUL and streamlined. If I could go back to 1959 this Laundromat (and the Philco Automagic of course) would be the first machines on my shopping list! Compwhiz, think about it. If you were to advertise this machine, what do you think would sell more: "One-Touch Control" or "Program Computer"? Sure, it may be a little deceptive, but gimmicks like these sell. --Austin

Post# 54097 , Reply# 5 1/21/2005 at 00:10 (7,033 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes Many manufacturers came out with One Button or One Touch automatic washers and dryers in 58-59-60. Maytag, Whirlpool for Kenmore, on and on. The idea was to simplify operation for the user. What it did was make many of the machines LESS flexible in the way of cycle choices, temperature, speed and water levels, many of these options were pre-selected depending on the cycle chosen and often couldn't be modified (see Maytag ;-) I've heard these machines described as 'engineers coming up with a solution for a problem that didn't exist.' They are some of the coolest machines and the rarest as they were usually the top of the line and more expensive.

Post# 54103 , Reply# 6 1/21/2005 at 02:33 (7,033 days old) by programcomputer (Ann Arbor Michigan, USA)
Checkrate/Likes *Westinghouse Laundromat L-1000 series 1959-1960* Hi, I know that I'm a staunch Westinghouse admirer, and love to talk about them. I have in fact seen these very machines years ago stored in a warehouse that used to be owned by Eschtruth Appliance Co, in Grand Ledge Michigan. It was in fact a complete set and it was the machines shown. It was eleven years ago in fact this year. However they were NOT brown as you see in all illustrations but were a yellow hue with all that woodtone applique slathered on it. These were combined also with what looked to be an older IMHO maybe an L-3 series early Laundromat with two red dials on it, a couple of old grey aluminum Maytag Wringers ( one ironically with a water pump on it???), a new on crate Maytag Wringer Washer from the last batch they had delivered to them in 83'; and finally a whole slew of old Hoover vacuum cleaners...which at the time was my main concern when I was in there. I have in way past blogs told you all about how Eschtruth's used to be a bigtime Westinghouse dealer along with Maytag and Hoover products. They also sold RCA and Zenith televisions. This was the same store that I have explained had a partition wall with a built in Westinghouse sign that lit up, individually; all the letters in the name then three times flashed the entire sign before starting over in sequence. The reason that I have brought this up was becasue these machines are rare. Whomever said that they were 1959-60 was absolutly correct. Becasue in 1961 the design was gone replaced by a new control panel that was used until 1963. I have a Westinghouse published repair manual for the 1961-63 Laundromats and it mentions breifly the Program Computer model in which it states that the top panel must be removed VERY carefully to not disturb the electrical contacts of the "Electronic brain mechanism" or like wording. What happened to the set or what was in the warehouse? Who honestly knows, and sadly have no solid info on what happened either....After Eschtruths decided to sell out in 1999, another chain store in the mid Michigan area G&W Maytag bought out the store and they sold the warehouse where they kept new product, and expanded the original store to do likewise there. One rumor that I had heard is that everything that was old was sold to someone near the area who had close ties to the Eshctruth family, another was that they were uncerimoniously junked along with all the other past stuff that G&W gave a care less about. In fact I became owner of a few things from them becasue they did a housecleaning a few years back and got some things.. One is this neat sales promotional thing. It's a thick hand held job, rectangular about 4 1/2 inches long and about 2 inches wide which shows a very early Laundromat, with the hinged outer door that shielded the glass look in door. It was for the new water level control and it has a actual switch on the front of it...that looks just like the switch on the machine. When you move it to different positions, it tells you how much water the Laundromat uses for the entire load and how much total it uses in hot and cold seperatly, and how as you move it from high to low the water consumption lowers (of course), but this advertising gimmick made it seem like you were saving the holy grail. What I have heard form the late staff of Eschtruths is that the Program Computer series had many problems electrically and besides the other fact that the device was overcomplicated to justify it's limitibility for different nescescary selections, few actual sets were sold. Exact records were NOT kept unfortuatly after the housecleanings happened after the new owners stepped in....and memories come and go...but MR. Eschtruth ..or Walt as I knew him estimated that probably six or seven sets were sold during the period, most of the rest of the sets being Middle of the line machines. Grand ledge being a working class/ farm town in 1959, not the surburban sprawl west of Lansing like it is today. I also know from him that this was the last set they recieved which very well could have made it a 1960 set instead of 1959. What a beautiful machine tho...I'm entirely suprised that no one has one of these either? I 'm sure someone has spotted one or at least a MOL machine before...anyone??? Thanks Chad P.S. Why was I ever in that warehouse? Well my dad being of unsound mind purchased..."oh this is so emotional" a cheap set of BOL White Westinghouse washer and dryer for his second ex-wife and we went there to pick them up. When we got there to get them... Walt happened to be there as well, and I saw along the nearest wall a museum of sorts, dry and maintained with every relic that they ever sold in rows. I about died but mainly just focused on the vacuum cleaners...He had a few Westinghouse vacuum too...GOD WHY DIDDN"T I GO BACK AND SWIPE THEM!!!! THERE ALL GONE NOW!!!! I need to lie down....

Post# 54110 , Reply# 7 1/21/2005 at 08:08 (7,033 days old) by retromom ()
Checkrate/Likes *The ones that got away* So sad...is that like reverse serendipity?