OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AUSTRALIAN Rotary Models PARK LANE - c1958

Hello ODK History Lovers

The main focus of the ODK History Forum is to record as many vintage lawnmowers as is possible.
I have given priority to Australian-made mowers, but also to the diverse range of imported lawn
mowers sold here.

One particular mower has had me stumped for years -the Park Lane rotary. It does not appear
in any spark plug catalogues I had; nor in any engine component catalogues of the period
(Repco; ACL). I only had one reference ... a listing in a 1963-64 Trade-In Price List.

That list (extract below) says that the Park Lane came in two widths: a smaller die cast 15"
machine with a Trojan engine; and a 16" pressed steel base with a Boundy engine.



Searches over many years failed to find any reference to a Park Lane mower.
However, recently, I had one lucky break. I now know what the 15" machine looked like,
and I think I know who made it and for whom...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO

I found a couple of advertisements in the Canberra Times from early 1958 for a Park Lane
rotary mower and a Park Lane push mower (a hand-mower).



This confirmed the Trade-In Guide reference was correct - but with no illustration or photo,
we still had no idea what one looked like! I did note that the ads were all for Waltons-Sears,
a nation-wide department store, a company with a long trading history in Australia.

The lucky break came with the finding of a full-page ad for Waltons from late 1958, for the
opening of their Fairfield, Sydney, store. The little Park Lane now had an identity:-




TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - COMMENT

The illustration of the Park Lane (above) is consistent with the 15" mower powered by
a Trojan engine and with a die cast base as listed in the Trade-In Guide (Part One).

The first point to make is that the whole-page ad (in Part Two) also featured a Park Lane
washing machine. This, combined with all the ads found having been for Waltons Stores,
suggests that this was a store-brand lawnmower - a mower made by a manufacturer for
Waltons-Sears.

The second point I make is about the name 'Park Lane' itself. Park Lane, the famous
London road, made more famous in the American board game, Monopoly, suggests a
deliberate store brand name - possibly originating with Waltons' then association with
the American giant retailer Sears.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

The most obvious feature is that this machine appears to have a Trojan Minor engine
with a non-Trojan kick start mechanism. The handles are not foldable; the fuel tank
mountings are distinctive. The base appears to be die cast and the height is the older
4-point arrangement, with a nut and bolt on each wheel (tool required). This suggests
a cheaper, entry-level lawnmower for 1958.

MANUFACTURER
For me, this mower screams ... Atom Mofast. I believe this was a lawnmower made by
Mofast, sold & distributed by Atom, for Walton's exclusive use. The Park Lane is
similar to the rare Atom Mofast 15" mower with kick-start.

Here's a rare photograph and illustration of that rare lawnmower. Note that the base is
different, but the tank and brackets, and the kick-start mechanism appear to be identical.
The photo is courtesy of the State Library of NSW.




TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - SIGNIFICANCE

I have argued here that evidence suggests that the 15" Park Lane was made by Mofast
for the exclusive use of Waltons' Stores. The Park Lane is not identical to the Mofast
15", but there are enough similar features to say the Park Lane now has an identity.

The 16" machine listed in the 1963/64 Trade-In Guide (Part One) is problematic. That its
base is steel, and that it has a Boundy engine, suggests another manufacturer ... perhaps
Boundy Lawnmowers themselves - but not necessarily so.

The Park Lane is a rare lawnmower: I do not know of any collector owning one, nor have
I seen any contemporary photographs of one.

The Park Lane is important. It was not simply a re-branded lawnmower (the base seems
unique). I hope one will be found one day, as another record of the diverse lawnmowers that
appeared in the explosion of the rotary design, in the Golden Age of 1950s Australian
lawnmowers.

The rest is history.
------------------------------------------
JACK

History Record - Mofast:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=74358#Post74358



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