TOW-ter, don't MO-ter, with an Airstream

In 1937, 400 trailer manufacturers were competing against each other — Airstream survived the Great Depression and World War II, and is, in fact, the only one on that list still in business today.

Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, great-great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a good pal of Wally Byam, the Airstream’s inventor and, unsurprisingly, wanted a larger model. Called the Airstream Commodore Vanderbilt, it was the first 30-footer style manufactured. This was back in 1955, 3 are still known to exist.
http://www.ourstate.com/airstream/

Out Of Doors Mart in North Carolina is the oldest Airstream dealership still in business, http://www.outofdoorsmart.com/

http://www.solidsmack.com/design/american-retro-caravans-a-refresh-on-vintage-airstream-design/

the oldest existing trailer/caravan, The Wanderer, has been restored and put on display at Cotswolds Caravan Club

Dr William Gordan Stables, right, in 1885 just after he designed and built the Wanderer. It was pulled by two horses, Captain Corn-flower and Polly Pea-blossom back then.

Custom-made in 1884, this 30ft caravan is more like a palace on wheels.

Commissioned by Scotsman Dr William Stables, The Wanderer was the first caravan to be made purely for the pleasure of travel. Made from mahogany and maple wood, and painted black and gold, former naval officer Dr Stables wanted the life of a gypsy while traveling in style - spawning the nickname 'Gentleman Gypsy'.

The Wanderer has clocked up tens of thousands of miles and was inspired by traditional horse-drawn Romany wagons.

It boasts a bookcase, china cabinet and even musical instruments to entertain campers when it rained outside.

But the world's first caravan has been gathering dust for years and was only wheeled out on special occasions. Beverley Larion, of the Caravan Club, said: 'We would prefer to keep it at the Caravan Club rather than in a storage facility so our members can enjoy it. 'It’s the most beautiful display of craftsmanship internally and the upholstery is all original.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2480291/Worlds-oldest-caravan-makes-final-journey.html

http://www.timetoroam.com.au/new-home-for-uks-oldest-caravan/

Unfortunately, no one did a decent job of taking photos of the outside of it before they stuck it in a glass room

40' Airstream coming to auction, it's a pair of 20 footers stitched together

Believed to be 1 of 5 in public possession
 Mounted onto 50 foot flatcar for railroad service
 Dismounted from flatcar in 1989
 Restored by Timeless Travel Trailers

https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/DN0615-215789/0/1962-Western-Pacific-40-Airstream/

Bowlus Road Chief

Goes for about $120,000 depending on how much you personalize the interior with what cloth, wood type, etc. Made in California, by hand, all aluminum, a lot less weight to tow than an Airstream

Work SM and Race SM, and a cool trailer too

I'm guessing the batteries in the trailer are for an airbag suspension, but I don't know for sure

August Fruehauf and Otto Neumann, blacksmith and wagon makers invented the semi-trailer in 1914 for a local lumber tycoon in Michigan, hitched it to a modified Ford Model-Tand founded an industry

The Fruehauf Trailer Historical Society (FTHS) announced today the opening of an exhibit on Sunday, June 7, at the Detroit Historical Museum

http://www.truckersnews.com/history-of-fruehauf-trailers-on-display-in-detroit/

The Fruehauf Trailer Company operated from 1914 to 1997 across the United States, Europe and Asia introducing such revolutionary inventions as hydraulic dump trailers, bulk tanker trailers, the automatic fifth wheel hitch and the shipping container in 1956.

“Over 1,000 inventions, 150 for the military alone, helped the Fruehauf Trailer Company attain the rank of 75th largest company in the world

DHM exhibition will feature photographs and company memorabilia from the family’s collection focusing on the key Fruehauf patents and innovations to the trucking industry. The exhibition inaugurates a new DHM gallery and will remain on view for the next nine months.

Over at the Ford Piquette Model T plant they have a 1916 trailer on exhibit, and a Model T restored by Randy Shelton, a Ford powertrain engineer  http://www.at.ford.com/news/cn/Pages/Ford%20Employee%20Restores%20Model%20T%20to%20its%20Original%20Splendor.aspx

Have a look at this incredible restoration project from Members Randy Shelton and Jim Basile.  It's a Smith Form-A-Truck Model T and represents the world's first 5th wheel tractor trailer.
https://www.facebook.com/techshopdetroit/videos/995135267172890/

http://www.singingwheels.com/the-detroit-historical-museum-presents---fruehauf-history.html

By the mid-1920s, trailer sales passed the million-dollar mark, and by the mid-1950s, Fruehauf had expanded into nine plants across the United States, Canada, Brazil and France. Along the way, the company secured hundreds of patents for trailer innovations, including the automatic coupling, hydraulic dump trailers and bulk tanker trailers. In 1956, Fruehauf even had a part in developing what we now know as the intermodal shipping container, designed for simplified shipping of goods on train, truck or ship.

After the company fell out of the family’s hands in the mid-1960s, Fruehauf began to diversify, eventually buying up subsidiaries such as Kelsey-Hayes. But by the 1990s, power struggles and financial problems within the company forced Fruehauf into bankruptcy, leading Wabash National to buy Fruehauf’s main U.S. business in 1997.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/06/05/fruehauf-exhibit-to-highlight-the-history-of-semi-trailer-titan/

https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfTheFruehaufTrailerCompany/timeline
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FruehaufTrailers/

on the job, looking like Andy Capp

found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/654324954604252/?fref=nf

going in style, with camper, and both heavy and flyweight off roading abilty

Found on https://www.facebook.com/COP4x4

Something new in trailers, by IPD

Skip the first 3 minutes 25 seconds of garbage, then you get some info about the trailer, and done by 4:35

2CV with a 5th wheel hitch

Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/313451686245/

this looks like the way to vacation...

flat bottom boat, canal or river, and your trailer... Diving off the roof!

Found on https://www.facebook.com/CaravanTurkey