Names and location
My name is Randy Cummins. I live with my wife, Melanie, and our two children, Ava and Aiden. We live in Alpine, Utah.
Trailer and tow vehicles
The trailer is a 1958 Shasta Airflyte. It came with a refrigerator, water tank, Princess stove and a porch light! The tow vehicle is a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood. This is the top-of-the-line Cadillac four door for 1959. It was factory painted in Mountain Laurel pink and came with every option available with the exception of cruise control.
Where did you find your trailer/tow vehicle?
After several years of searching, in October of 2012, I found the Shasta on an internet classified site. It was located in Logan, Utah – about 120 miles from my home. The owner was given the trailer from his father who bought it new in California.
When and who did the restoration?
It took us one full Winter, Summer and Fall to restore. The previous owners had taken pretty good care of it, but it had suffered some terrible water leaks. This had caused some wood rot which meant we had completely strip the interior down, replace some panels and refinish all of the wood. We also replaced the sub floor and installed all new plywood. Then we covered it in ‘Starry Night’ Marmoleum. The Yellow Glacier counter tops had been damaged by wear and tear and didn’t match the planned ‘new color scheme’. I found some original 1950s boomerang Formica and bought the very last sheet in stock. The sofa/bed was replaced with a custom fit pillow top mattress and a fixed frame was created underneath. The Princess stove was originally dark gradated brown. We stripped it and had it porcelain painted gradated pink.
The exterior had been painted with a brush and roller solid white with a blue belt around the center. Not Shasta branding! We stripped it down and had it painted it with auto acrylic enamel to match the Cadillac Mountain Laurel pink. The wheels had plastic wheel covers held on by coat hanger wire. We put white walls and baby moons to give it a 50s look. The wings had been long gone and the previous owner had some porcelain signs painted white to replace them. I found some smaller aluminum wings and mounted them on to the porcelain for a unique two tone look.
What is unique or interesting about your trailer?
What is most interesting is when we drive down the road, people stop what they’re doing and take out their cell phone cameras. This can be dangerous and has caused a few near miss accidents at intersections. We love the attention but sometimes its embarrassing how people act on the roads while gawking.
What do you like about vintage trailers?
I love everything vintage. We own several classic Cadillacs. We hope to own a larger vintage RV someday.
Have you been to many rallies and what do you like about them?
We have been to two rallies so far. The last one in Crystal Hot Springs, Utah was amazing. Loved everything about it! We even got two other families to join the TCT and they really enjoyed the last rally too!
What clubs do you belong to?
I have been the President of the Intermountain Cadillac Club for the past 15 years.
Can you share an interesting bit of information that most people don’t know about yourself?
I have always been a car enthusiast, but ended up being a traveling, recording and performing rock musician in my earlier years. Settling down to be a family man, I became a creative art director in the advertising industry for the last 25 years. I have to admit, though, I am addicted to classic and vintage cars and trailers.
So glad we joined TCT and look forward to a long relationship with our new friends!