why are they called STATION wagons?

kinda was wondering.

if you dont have a legit answer, start off you post by saying....
"Well, as the legend goes..." and then make something up.
here is mine...
Well as the legend goes, most cars produced could go for miles on a tank of gas. when wagon versions were first made, because of their large size, they needed to stop at every gas station along the way.

lets have some fun ....be more creative than me.
now its your turn.

 

Before there were airports, trains were the way people got around.

 

Id guess in the early days Tv and or radio crews would use these as get arounds to do news reports. Then came thoes old delivery vans and the media used thoes instead. People as well as small businesses wanted thoes wagons for their personel use after seeing the media use them. To solve this delema the big 3 auto makers used their truck frames and added a roof to the truck and retained the name " Stationwagon " , until their own molds were made for each line that is. Then once that happened Id think thats when they started using the front clips of cars to add style to these wagons. In sme cases the front clips were also used for the trucks so no changes were made as far as style. A luggage rack was later added and a 3 row seat was added as an option.

This is just my own theory

 

HandyAndy has the real meat and potatos on this one

 

I don't know for certain, but I will have to agree with HandyAndy. From what I've always heard when they first began production of the vehicles that we would come to know as "Station Wagons" they were used by train depots, or stations. Their main purpose was to cart people and luggage to and from said station to their destination.

 

They now should be called soccer hacks but the wimmins just wouldn't go along with that one.

 

Right after I got my wagon I was stopped by a TV crew. They were doing a story on just this. Unfortunately the video on their site is down. I will have to see If I saved my copy and then i'll put it on youtube. But essentially it's because they were wagons used to move people and goods from the train "station".

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3704&highlight=the+stickman

 

For picking folks and packages up at the train station. Trains, unlike today in flying & truckin' USA, were the main transportation for interstate travel and cargo.

 

DEPOT HK

Might have to get that as a custom plate....

 

Home Kong Depot?

 

Handy andy has this one down. That's the way it was always explained to me, and it makes sense.

 

When I was younger, they were also known as "Beach Wagons" as they were the ideal vehicle to go to the beach in.

The name might have been created by or influenced by the surfer generation who normally owned Woodys back then.

It was kind of an icon to have a surf board out the back of a wagon. I almost thought about buying a surf board to put out the back of my '56 Nomad when going to the beach. Altho not totally crazy about the idea, the lack of money made the final decision for me.

Bill

 

There is a local car dealer here in town that is real into Mopar. Most of the stuff on his lot at "All American" is just that, American and mostly Mopar. He's always got something cool. His daily driver for the last few years is a 51 (I think) two door Dodge wagon he's slowly restoring. In the summer he has a surf board on the roof rack. In the winter he swaps it out for a vintage wooden sled.

 

Yep! And here's proof positive of the motorized stage coach. Check out the carpentry detail on the wooden door latches (manual door locks?) too.
http://www.mtfca.com/books/MParry.htm

The company offered customer special order models from this 'catalogue'. Some of those would qualify as Station wagons today, too.

 

It is my personal opinion that the term Station Wagon was coined to show what Station In Life a person had reached.

You could have a sedan

Then move up to a 2 dr anything sedan'ish

Then a hardtop

Then a covertible

But you and everyone around you knew you'd reached the highest and most important and dignified Station in life when you got yourself a Wagon.

Because, after that, there was the hearse, and it was also a long roof, just a tad longer, so then you'd hit the final Station.

Or that's my story and I'm sticking to it........

Barry