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The International Harvester Company of Chicago, Illinois started offering
modified sedan deliveries to hospitals and municipalities in the late 1930s. These all-purpose emergency vehicles
were built using the standard wheelbase IHC chassis and included all the necessary emergency equipment and could be
used as funeral service vehicles as well. International built a line
of 16-20 passenger school buses using modified Metro bodies during the
1950s.
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International Harvester Travel-All Ambulances - Most if not all
International Travelall ambulances were built by Springfield Equipment Co.
International marketed these units through IH dealers, so until the very end
of production, Springfield didn't market them, only built them. They were
quite popular in certain regions, and PA was one place where they were used
quite a bit.
There were several variations, they could be built in standard wheelbase or
lengthened (as the one in John K.'s photo is) and with or without a raised
roof. There was even a panel rescue version. Most did not have four wheel
drive.
That's the one I just bought. I have two others, a '68 low-top not
stretched, and a '70 stretch high-top. The '70 is pretty much junk (I bought
it out of the junkyard), but it was the first ambulance in Pennsylvania to
carry a cardiac monitor and medications, though at the time (1969), they had
to be used by a nurse (pre-Paramedic). :rolleyes: Right idea, wrong
execution.
By the way, these were built by Springfield Equipment Co. for International.
There are no Springfield logos on these ambulances. They were marketed
through International truck dealers, not through ambulance or fire apparatus
dealers. They were popular in areas where folks bought IH farm equipment.
That said, they were also used for quite a few years in Washington, DC
(where there are no farms) and in other large cities.
Known Travel-All ambulances from 1961-1976
Travelall made from 1957-1980?
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