Some of the most interesting vehicles at Hershey aren’t on the show field, aren’t for sale and might or might not be easily spotted, but they’re appreciated.
1946 Spartan Manor
“I bring it down here,” said Jim Armstrong, of Rome, N.Y., “and it gets packed in amongst the other vehicles and a lot of people don’t see it. But as the show dwindles down, as people start moving out, then a lot of people notice it.”
What they’re noticing is the 1946 Spartan Manor trailer tucked into his flea market space, which says a lot about both the trailer and Armstrong himself.
“It was built by the Spartan Aircraft Company after World War II,” he explained. “The government had a contract with them to produce these to house the GIs when they came home. They’re built just like an airplane fuselage; there are aluminum trusses all the way around. It’s skinned, very similar to an airplane....
“I found it in a junkyard. I kicked out the raccoons that were living in it and we’ve been bringing it to Hershey ever since.”
“Ever since” means the 35 years that he’s owned it, but restoration required more than evicting its tenants. Mechanically, the 26-foot Spartan needed only new tires and a change from six-volt to 12-volt electric brakes, but other work included rewiring, insulation and new mahogany paneling, as well as removal of the partitions as the trailer now provides space for cots and a basic kitchen in addition to transporting flea market wares. Armstrong has the original floorplan and before making the modifications, he documented the factory interior.
“We had it polished
