60s Westinghouse color console found; left it for the bulldozer

[kx250rider]

I got a call from a friend last week; "OLD tube type color TV set in a shed at a house under demolition". I can't resist calls like that, so I took time away and went out to Riverside County yesterday. Indeed, there sat a 23" Westinghouse color set in a shed, among all kinds of debris, and the shed had been caved in by fallen trees and bad weather decades ago. Too bad, as Westinghouse color TVs aren't too common at all. This one has the copper chassis, and does not appear to be an RCA clone, although the control panel is very close to a CTC-12. I made a judgment call to leave the set there, where it will (sadly) meed the blade of a Caterpillar D3 some time today... Better luck next time!

Charles

PS: Check out the cataract on the tube!!!!!!!!!

[firenzeprima]

more than the cataract seems to me that the air entering in to the kinescope.

[zenithfan1]

Should have checked the CRT, it might have been worth taking. Or, at least pull the chassis for parts, these are rare like you said.

[bgadow]

A real shame, but really not much left to do with at this point. The crt might still be good, but having to deal with dragging that hulk out and loading it (without the cabinet falling apart) and then dealing with all you'll have to toss...I don't blame you for leaving this one. I hope it's not the last of these we see!

[zenith2134]

Yeah, that type of cataract does remind me of the type that occurs when the end of the tube is knocked off and air rushes in

[Steve D.]

Charles,

Long drive on a somewhat vague discription of an old tv. You never know tho. It could have been a 22" Westinghouse from the '50's. That crumbling shed is prime rattlesnake territory. You did the right thing.

-Steve D.

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by bgadow

having to deal with dragging that hulk out and loading it (without the cabinet falling apart)

Bugs, termites, dirt, rats, bats, mice, & the whole works... But believe it or not, I have thought about whether I should have pulled it out of there. NOT.

Charles

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

Charles,

Long drive on a somewhat vague discription of an old tv. You never know tho. It could have been a 22" Westinghouse from the '50's. That crumbling shed is prime rattlesnake territory. You did the right thing.

-Steve D.

True; you never know. Last time I got a call like that, it was a room with a CTC-16, a Packard-Bell color set (early 23"), and 2 nice B&W sets. And I needed a get-away day. I've been working construction & playing electrician out in the sun for a week (part of my responsibilities on our avocado ranch), and this venture yesterday was a welcome relief.

The demo contractor was tearing that shed apart when he spotted the TV, so he laid off, and called me. Much better than if he had reported later that he had flattened a shed with "some sort of REALLY old color TV in it". That's happened to me many times, including an entire TV collector's house which was bulldozed with 100s of TVs in it, in North Hollywood, in the late 80s or early 90s. It was a county estate/probate thing with no family. I heard it & saw photos from a real estate agent who had shown the house before the county tore it down.

Charles

[AUdubon5425]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

Much better than if he had reported later that he had flattened a shed with "some sort of REALLY old color TV in it". That's happened to me many times, including an entire TV collector's house which was bulldozed with 100s of TVs in it, in North Hollywood, in the late 80s or early 90s. It was a county estate/probate thing with no family. I heard it & saw photos from a real estate agent who had shown the house before the county tore it down.

New Orleans rarely ever tore abandoned houses down - they had to be falling onto the house next door or into the street for the city to demolish them. I never did find anything worthwhile, because the old TVs & stereos were either heavily vandalized, had been rained on for several years or fallen through the rotted floor, or it simply was too dangerous to poke around in the neighborhood.

I did see an old B&W console set in an apartment after the storm, simply because the entire side of the building collapsed. It was like looking into a dollhouse. I wish I had a camera on me that day.

[Sandy G]

Snakes I don't worry about too much; You make enuff noise & Mr. Snake will generally do his best to put real estate between you 'n' him. Wasps 'n' hornets, Yellow Jackets, OTOH....And that whole place just looked REAL "Waspery" to me...

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Snakes I don't worry about too much; You make enuff noise & Mr. Snake will generally do his best to put real estate between you 'n' him. Wasps 'n' hornets, Yellow Jackets, OTOH....And that whole place just looked REAL "Waspery" to me...

Snakes yes, but generally they're king snakes. A few rattlesnakes, but usually they're more out in the sun, not hiding in a shady place. But you forgot about black widow spiders... I saw plenty of those in that place! Wasps & hornets will turn up around August. At that particular place, there are aggressive billygoats. Watch your rear!

Charles

[julianburke]

You should have at least saved that convergence board. Those pots are getting harder to find as is suggested/wanted in another thread.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by julianburke

You should have at least saved that convergence board. Those pots are getting harder to find

I'd doubt that those pots would be any good after being exposed to the weather. About the only parts that might still be worth stealing would be the small tubes...

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by julianburke

You should have at least saved that convergence board. Those pots are getting harder to find as is suggested/wanted in another thread.

I thought about that, but they had been exposed to the weather and dirt for so long, that I'd be shocked if any of them were any good. Probably work fine until you go to turn them ... As for the small tubes, it's a political thing. I think the offer was to take the whole set, or nothing. I guess in that particular case, it might have been rude to pick it over.

Charles

[edison64]

A tough call here, but myself, I've been in worse places for less... One time I rescued a Zenith console radio from an old barn loft with a 2x4 and a tire iron duct taped to it because i almost fell through the loft floor.