Westinghouse Jr Chest Cooler Machine Information

About the Westinghouse Jr Chest Cooler

The Westinghouse Junior chest cooler is an antique machine. It was introduced by Westinghouse in 1935 and was produced at least until 1941. This was a chest-type cooler that had two, very simple cooling systems. The first was simply putting ice in it, so it worked in rural areas that didn’t have electricity yet. The second was a “sweet water bath” – basically, the bottles were submerged in water that was cooled using an electric cooling system. There were several versions made of this machine and you can learn how to identify them here. 

You can buy parts for the Westinghouse Jr Cooler here

Features

• The Westinghouse Junior chest cooler is a very simple machine introduced in 1935 and produced for seven years.
• This machine was solid red, with white “Drink Coca-Cola” embossed in the front and in the back, as well as the Coca-Cola logo embossed on both sides. It also has the words “ICE COLD” below the logo on the front and the back.
• This was a very simple machine that was not meant for vending because it was a self-serve type of cooler. Yet, Vendo created a coin-operated top so it could be used as a vending machine in later years. Since they didn’t have a vending mechanism, they could hold almost anything, including food that needed preserving.
• There were several models created of this machine – some even had a drinking fountain that was cooled electrically.

Specs:

• • Vends: 51 bottles and 40 lbs of ice.
  • Tank: Galvanized steel tank.
  • Size: 35 ¼” tall, 25 ¼” wide, 17 ¾” deep.
  • Refrigeration Specs: Electrical cooling system: Frigidaire or Westinghouse. It also cools with ice.

Serial Number Information: 

• The machine’s manufacture date can be identified by cross-referencing several details like checking the liner for embossed serial codes, checking the type material and paint of the inside of the lid (it had galvanized lid liners before 1940 and the words “Drink Coca-Cola Ice Cold” embossed from that year on), and checking distribution of the embossing in the front and the back.
• The code of a Westinghouse machine from that era would start with a “W”, to signify it was made by the company, followed by a date code. The code can be deciphered using the letters from the words “Radio Tubes” – the “R” is 1, the “A” is 2, and so on until 0. Then, the date code would be comprised of three letters, the first being the month of manufacture, and the second two being the last two numbers of the specific year.
• Machines made between 1935 and 1938 had the word “Drink” very close to the Coca-Cola logo on the front and the back. After those years, the word “Drink” was embossed a little, but noticeably higher.