Missing the West Allis Orange! 06/08/2016
Hello,
I was delightfully surprised to find your website. I was born in West Allis, WI and am very familiar with the AC Company. The company hand an incredible reputation; its feats of producing some of the most unreal machines and parts. That it produced more parts for the atomic bomb than any other company in the world. My father was born and raised in West Allis. Some of my family members worked at AC and my father as a plumber that would be called in to perform work on the AC grounds. My family also knew many of the AC workers as friends and acquaintances. I would like to share some of the interesting stories from the AC era in West Allis, WI.
In 1979, my father came home from work with his pants pulled up extra high and with his chin riding high. When we greeted him my mom asked him how was his day? He proudly proclaimed that he shook the president's hand today at AC! He said it was a good country that would let a plumber or a poor slob like him (often described himself in these terms) to shake the president's hand. My brothers and I had a laugh. Even back then we wanted to send Jimmy Carter sent back south without an AC to farm peanuts. Carter was running for re-election against Ron Reagan. Another great story was when my dad arrived at home with two tractor tire tubes from AC. They were both in the garbage at AC when my dad saw that he could easily have the air valves replaced. They were twice as tall as we were; very large. We were the only kids on the block with two AC tractor tire tube trampolines. We spent countless hours jumping on them and rolling down the road while riding inside the center holes for blocks at a time. One scary time at AC was when my father was called in to close the plant down in the early eighties. He asked his crew to seal off some pipes and take others out. My dad asked if they cleared or purged the pipes of gas. One of the workers stated they were clear. My dad said he got a bad feeling about it and asked for a hacksaw. He cut the pipes open and so much gas leaked out they got sick. If he would have cut the pipe with a torch AC would have been my father's grave. Later during the shutdown of AC--a sad day-- my father was watching the workers throw out tools, equipment as well as the last tractor molds. That day was a summer day, and brothers and I were eating breakfast when my mom received a call. I was my dad telling her he was going to have something dropped off on our front lawn. He warned her not to worry. No longer than fifteen minutes later two dump trucks pulled up in our suburban neighborhood of New Berlin--just west of West Allis. We stood on the lawn as they trucks dumped the last two truckloads of Allis Chalmer's tractor molds! I am hesitant to continue with the AC molds story. The rest of the day or until my father came home, my brothers and I climbed all over the molds and made them into tunnel like forts; much like the ones you see at McDonald's playlands today. When my dad arrived at home he told my mother that he asked the drivers where they were taking the molds. They stated to the dump in Waukesha. My dad handed them both a twenty and told them that his home was half the distance than the dump was and that he would save them time and buy them breakfast. They agreed. My dad also brought home brass hammers that the workers would use when working on the engines and a variety of other tools; all found or going into the garbage. Some of the tools are still in the possession of my brother. After dinner that night(steak and potatoes with real butter), my dad, my brothers and I grabbed the wheel barrow and wagon and started moving the molds behind my dad's barn. I am a bit hesitant to continue the story for my father explained to us his plan for the molds. He stated that the ones that were made out of walnut, apple wood or exotic rainforest wood were going to be burned in our homes fireplace. The others will be burned on our bonfire pit over the next five years. Many Christmases my father would ask the guests how they liked the smell of walnut burning or Applewood, etc. It was not until years later that I realized the magnitude of our stupidity. I was working at a flea market south of Milwaukee in the early nineties when I realized the collector value of AC mementos. Farmers or collectors continued asking if I had any AC matchbooks….matchbooks or hats or little AC trinkets. I often would tell them my mold story and they would walk away muttering swear words under their breath. My last and saddest story regarding AC happened last summer. I was working a second job and the company was renting space in the building that used to employ over ten thousand workers during WW2 (the old AC building). It is currently being used as a drug and alcohol rehab center, as well as a center were parents who lost custody of their children come for supervised visits. I walked the halls in search of signs of the mighty iconic company. I spotted some old Milwaukee cream city brick walls, the echoing sounds that only heavy industry could create; tracks, railroad tracks most likely that carried out thousands of finished products. Are any of you riding one of those orange machines of yesteryear? Sometimes I am at the stoplight on 70th and Greenfield Ave. in front of the old AC site, shielding my eyes from the sometimes orange sunset. The orange sunset causes me too ponder if there is a tractor heaven out there, is it ruled by the mighty orange Allis Chalmers machines!
Wayne Wacker, Milwaukee. WI
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