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1940s Tennessee State Patrol car colors?

p51

One Too Many
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1,119
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Well behind the front lines!
Does anyone here have any idea what color and markings would be on a Tennessee State Patrol car during the WW2 era?
I've tried several internet searches, have emailed the TN state museum, the State Patrol and even some private website contacts for police collecting, but nobody seems to have a clue how their cars were painted and marked during (and immediately prior to) WW2...
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
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33,763
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
http://www.statetrooperplates.com/tennessee.html

This site has quite a bit of general information, but the earliest mention of color is that the cars were cream and black by 1959. No specifics on whether this was an innovation of the fifties, but the context makes it sound like the color was already established by the end of the decade.

Note that the only cars owned by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1943 would have been six-cylinder Fords, a model introduced in 1941 and manufactured briefly into 1942 before the war put an end to production. Skim down the page for a photo of the markings.
 
Last edited:

p51

One Too Many
Messages
1,119
Location
Well behind the front lines!
The reason I'm asking about all this is because I'd love to have an accurate model of a TN highway patrol car parked in the gas station I have on the layout. I have seen a commercial model made but I have no way to know how accurate it could be:
mwGBYVLlhc6TR08z3tyGV-Q.jpg
 

Stearmen

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,202
Just stumbled onto this photo, while researching Harley VLs. Don't let the date fool you, it is actually a 1934 Harley Davidson VL! Pretty stunning paint scheme for the time.
%201934_zpsqrxkke1u.jpg
 

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