Wilford Taylor's 1922

1922 Milburn Light Electric
Front quarter photo Rear quarter photo
Owner: Wilford Taylor
Email: wilfordt-at-sbcglobal.net
Location: Canyon, Texas
Serial number (oval plate):  
Motor number (title): 1178250
Body number (square plate):  
Model: Brougham 27L
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Color: Light blue, with black upper body, black running gear, and blue wheels
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Motor: General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY, GE1085E1W, 46 amperes, 81 volts, 2100 rpm
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Owner's remarks: January 2, 2003. I really enjoyed looking at your web site. Reading the "manual" was really interesting. My Milburn is parked in front of and between other cars. Your motivation has stirred my enthusiasm to to "dig it out" photo it and extract the serial numbers. I did have the motor rebuilt several years ago and the car was an excellent driver.

April 19, 2003. This past week, we outfitted our 1922? Milburn with freshly powder-coated wire wheels, new white-wall tires and new batteries. We have also taken several very short rides and it seems to be doing very well! There is a plate below the driver's door : SC 5875 PA, "Special Number Plate".

April 26, 2003. I purchased this car in San Francisco, CA, in the late 1970's. The serial no on the title is H8252966.

Wilford Taylor

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Per Myles Twete (11nov2010): Mr. Taylor bought this Milburn from a guy in San Francisco and it had a weird non-Milburn "Overland" rear-axle and extra gearing connected to a GE motor. After purchasing his 1921 "burned" Milburn, he took the rear axle and motor armature from that Milburn and put it into this Milburn.
Given this car has what appeared to be a Pennsylvania registration plate on the inside of the car, I checked the 1957 registry for Pennsylvania owners of Milburns and found a Mr. Robert P. Ebisch who owned a 1922 "Model 30A" Milburn and that his Milburn also has the same MOTOR# 1178250. as this car!
Mr. Ebisch was contacted and confirmed:
1) His Milburn WAS a Model 27L, not a 30A as shown in the 1957 register
2) His Milburn DID have a Pennsylvania ID plate located just inside the driver’s door near the reverse pedal as Mr. Taylor’s Milburn has
3) His Milburn DID have a non-standard axle. In fact, he said that he replaced the axle himself with a Willy’s Overland axle plus additional gearing between the axle and the motor to get the desired ratio. He replaced the axle due to excess wear on the Milburn gears (his aunt had had a car accident with the car years before which had damaged the rear end) and the desire for more reliability.
4) His Milburn ID PLATE was missing when he got the car in the early 1950’s or so, but since it came from TOLEDO, OHIO, the registration ID in Ohio likely matched the S/N of the vehicle and he used that number for the 1957 Register of Antique Automobiles.   Robert mentioned that he was given the car by his uncle Leopold Petrot (aka Petrat) who lived in TOLEDO, OHIO and worked for the NY Central RR and retired as district supervisor. Since he and his wife could travel on the R/R for cheap or free and only needed a car for local travel, his uncle bought the Milburn Electric and they used it for years in Toledo. After retiring, his uncle had been storing the Milburn in a R/R yard building for some time and was finally asked to get rid of it….so he sent it on a train to Erie, PA to his nephew Robert Ebisch in the early 1950’s. Robert Ebisch said he personally drove this Milburn for at least 30,000 miles as he used it as his personal transportation. Robert sold the Milburn in 1957 to a gentleman from Milwaukie after Robert had purchased a Detroit Electric, which he says he drove for at least 100,000 miles!!! He sold the Milburn along with the original rear axle as a spare. In recent years he found and bought another Milburn rear axle and motor that he said he sold to a parts dealer or someone in Erie, PA.