The first actual tour day of the 2021 MTFCI National Meeting was an unparalleled success by any standard. Great weather. stunning roads, well planned things to do and see. Trouble trailers had a busy day with several drivers running out of gas while a group of others had to ride home on the trailers of shame. Ours ran great and what a day. Thank you MTFCI!
Our day started with a check of fluids, topping off the gas tank, grabbing a few bottles of water and out we went. Several little towns were encountered. Big hills were made easier by our Ruckstell.
Our first stop of the day was about 1 1/2 hours into the trip. Dennison Depot Railroad Museum —America’s last remaining WW2 Canteen.
The Dennison Depot began in the 1970’s as a water stop for steam locomotives. By the 1920’s it had become a repair yard for some of the biggest railroads in the nation. In WWII it was a debarkation point for servicemen going overseas to win the war for us. WWII themed items abound here like this reproduction of a famous poster of that era.The original depot has been restored. A museum is contained in restored rail cars from the WWII era. A lot of work and thought went into this exhibit.Of course the Model T people were also interested in bathrooms, free coffee, and donuts.I did not take any photos inside the museum. You can find more information here: The Dennison Railroad Depot Museum – Dennison Railroad Depot Museum (dennisondepot.org)Our next stop was Midvale Speedway in Midvale Ohio. Check out our video of driving around the track in our T here:More about the track is here: Midvale Speedway – Thunder In The ValleyWe had a great time driving on the track. It is a very well maintained 1/4 mile asphalt oval.About an hour’s drive on spectacular country roads found us at our lunch stop, Schoenbrunn Village was an outpost established by missionaries from Europe to establish Christianity in the northern Ohio region. The park / museum grounds are stunning, with ancient elm and oak trees providing lots of shade. Lunch was catered and provided by the club. We explored the restored village and the museum before getting back on the road.Our next stop was a private museum at a man’s house. I did not get his name, but he has amassed a very important collection of cars. This one is in the garage under the main house – a 1950 Nash Ambassador.Next to the Nash is a spectacular 1934 Lincoln V12 convertible sedan. The collection has several mannikins and this one is apparently fixing the big Lincoln.The grounds were unbelievable. All of our Model T’s parked with ease behind the house on the lawn.Miles of concrete roads were built on the property wide enough for cars to pass. Gigantic mined stone blocks were on the sides of the roads.The garages are massive, palatial, and many. A Model A fordor sedan was in one garage near the house,Each garage was multi level with a downstairs area as big as the upstairs. This is a 1930 Chrysler Imperial convertible coupe. For many this would be a significant car to own and enjoy.
