"Station Wagon" minutia of the day

I was in a car museum in Branson today and read I thought a seldom if ever discussed reason for the naming of station wagons.

Basically, at the turn of last century when powered vehicles first began to appear, resorts and hotels needed a suitable impressive method to transports their arriving guests from the the train "station" to the hotel.

Being many powered vehicles at the time often had custom wood body work, those specially designed to haul passengers and luggage for the train passengers, were labeled "station wagons".

Sounds reasonable to me.

Known that for decades, thought it was common knowledge...

JCC, was that Branson Fl.?

See also, "Depot hacks"...

"Depot Hack"... doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as station wagon. "Honey, get all the kids in the depot hack, so we can get started on our camping trip" or how about: "this is my 1967 fully loaded depot hack complete with woodgrain and special drivetrain".....doesn't sound too good does it.

I just learned that recently while watching a show on Motortrend. Interesting and I used to wonder as a kid

On a related note...anyone here know where the rock band... REO Speedwagon got their name from?

Hint: Ransom Eli Olds (of Oldsmobile fame) designed a new truck, and came out with the REO Speed Wagon in 1915...a four cylinder 1 ton model that aimed to be faster (speedy) than contemporary trucks of the time period.

Yeah, "depot hack" just has an unsavory air about it in contemporary English...
I'm thinking that would be what became a taxicab, cluing in on "hack".
In that case, the hack would be for hire, the wagon would be private, would be my semi-educated guess.

The genesis of rock band names can get pretty funny, but quickly become a discussion Tom doesn't want here

New to me, but that's not surprising either.

I grew up in rural Vermont, a long way from any ocean beaches, a child of the 50's.

For some unknown reason, wagons were commonly called "beach wagons", not every one called them that, but enough so that I still remember it.

Just learned that too somewhere on Motortrend also!!! I think it was there!!! Is that where you learned? It was only about a week ago and I saw it somewhere on TV I'm pretty sure and I was thinking "Ohhhh, that's where they got their name"! Was it something with Jay Leno and/or My Classic Car?

beach wagon...

That one has been "stuck" in the sand a very long time.
I can see it now, party on the beach. Time to leave, but spun the tires and left the car sitting on the frame. Buddies decided to come back in the morning to get the car, but by morning, it was under water because the tide came in. Oops...

Interesting.

I never knew that.

Cool fact.

I understood the term to go back even further, when hotels and ranches had a specific horse-drawn vehicle for picking people up from the railroad that had the ability of carrying passengers (like a carriage, but open) and cargo (like a wagon). The wagon for going to the station became known for it's specific purpose, the Station Wagon.

Missouri, didn't know we had a Branson? Florida

Nice patina on that wagon. Don't waste sellers time he knows what he's got.

How about 'Shooting Brake'? LINKY

You taught me something…sure as hell never heard of that before.

Well, that's another new one for me.

Me three.

Station wagons are also known as a "Shooting Brake"

https://mycarquest.com/2017/06/station-wagon-estate-car-or-shooting-brake.html

Where have I heard that before?

i was trying to think of what the other word for station wagon was, and "shooting brake" was it.
don't the british use that term frequently ?

Yes, it's a uniquely British name.

Must be the Coast of Catalina

I've heard the British refer to station wagons as 'estate cars'.

Or Fantasy Island, with a surrey top on a doorless Volare...

Yes, also another name for them.