Tricycle Fetish Blog

Q: Back in the early1950′s to 1957 I got a tricycle for Christmas .It was a black and white police tricycle with windshield bell and I think a siren The windshield was lettered with POLICE at the bottom section. I can’t recall who made the tricycle it was one of the larger tricycles back then If you could help me find a picture and or the maker of this tricycle I want one in almost any condition to restore for my grandson tanks for any help you might give me.

A: Garton produced one that seems to fit that description in the early 1950′s. Visit our Garton manufacturer’s page for some more info and pictures. The problem that you’re likely to encounter is finding one that is intact with all of the accessories. They were basically a standard Garton tricycle with a siren and windshield and then some stars applied on a police blue paint scheme.

They have showed up on eBay occasionally intact and complete and windshields for them also show up occasionally. You can also always get a similar Garton tricycle and add a siren and windshield as well as the proper paint colors when restoring it. Would not be completely accurate, but it would look good and be fine for a child to ride.

Q: Can you tell me what brand/model my “police Tricycle” is? I was born in 1954 and I suppose I was 3-4 years old in this picture. I am the one in the front on the seat. Note the wood blocks for the proper pedal reach.

A: Your tricycle was made by Evans (some Evans tricycle info). Those tricycles were probably made for a few years during the mid-late 1950′s and possibly into the early 1960′s. We don’t seem to have any images of ads or catalogs with that type of tricycle. They are pretty scarce, but you can occasionally can find one on eBay from time to time…usually in pretty crappy condition.

Q: I am interested on who made it, year and if and where I could/should get it restored? Thanks, Jennifer

A: Your tricycle is a circa 1960 Evans Police tricycle. You can find a bit more info on Evans tricycles on our Evans manufacturer page.

As far as getting it restored…it all depends on how much the tricycle means to you. The condition that it is in would not be worth restoring it to try to sell and make a profit, because the restoration would cost more than the tricycle was worth. If you want the tricycle to be restored for nostalgic reasons you’ll likely spend quite a bit of money, but it would look like new once you were done.

We have a couple of individuals listed on our Tricycle Services page that do tricycle restorations. You might also have luck with general bicycle or pedal car restorers. There are more people that do those than specifically tricycles. If you are looking for a way to make it look better without spending a fortune, there are things you can do yourself that will make it look much better. There are some tips in this article about refurbishing.

Q: Hey, I had this amazing police trike made of heavy-duty steel when I was a kid back around 1959 0r 60. It was metallic navy blue with a red and white metal seat and a pressed steel body. White spoke wheels, typical hard rubber tires. It resembled the Harley-Davidson “Servi-car” Police and delivery trikes. The storage box had a white rubber grommet in a whole to open the lid. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! Anyway, the box was tack welded to the frame and it broke off when some bigger kids were abusing it. Can you tell me ANYTHING about it? Never seen another anywhere.

A: I’ve posted a couple pictures of tricycles that might be the same thing as you once had.  The one on the left is an Evans and the one on the right is a Murray that is available for sale right now at Juvenile Automobiles.  There were other manufacturers that made similar tricycles – though I cannot find pics of them right now.  Garton was one such company.  The main body of these tricycle was usually cast aluminum.   If you watch eBay for police tricycle, you can usually find similar tricycles at least once every month.