Sunday, June 3, 2012

0-4-0 narrow gauge forestry loco, 1922



A "Neumeyer" 600 mm gauge (approximately 2 ft) tank locomotive. This was until the beginning of this year based at the Chemin de fer Froissy-Dompierre in France, however, this webpage states four machines left the network including this one, saying they went to Le Tacot des lacs, situated between Fontainebleau and Nemours.
 

railways take freight off the highways - Norfolk Southern commercial



In the USA that is happening - but not in NZ under Steven Joyce.

1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk


One of the American icon cars of the 1950s, and it didn't just come in gold. For the 1957 model, the raised hood and grille were added to allow space for a larger engine, Packard's big 352 cubic inch (5.8 litre) V8, which delivered 275 bhp (205 kW). This big, powerful engine in such a light car gave the Golden Hawk a high power-to-weight ratio (and thus performance) for the time; of 1956 American production cars, the Golden Hawk was second only to Chrysler's 300 B by that measure — and the expensive Chrysler was a road-legal NASCAR racing car. The Golden Hawk can be considered, like the Chryslers, a precursor to the muscle cars of the 1960s. (Geoff Churchman)

ANZCAN Cable - Australia-NZ-Hawaii-Canada - stamps, 1984


Laid as a replacement for COMPAC, ANZCAN followed the same route from Australia and New Zealand to Canada, with the addition of a landing at Norfolk Island. The cable was 8,250 nautical miles long, with 1,213 repeaters and a capacity of 1,380 telephone circuits.

Cable operations on ANZCAN began in 1982. CS Cable Venture laid 6,300 nautical miles of cable from Vancouver to Sydney. CS Mercury laid the Norfolk Island - Auckland section of 730 nautical miles as well as 1,220 nautical miles of the Vancouver - Sydney cable. HMNZS Monowai surveyed the route and CS Retriever undertook the rerouting of part of the Fiji - Auckland COMPAC cable. CS Cable Enterprise laid the shore ends at Hawaii, CS Retriever (5) the Fiji shore ends, MV Chantik those at Norfolk Island and CS Mercury at Sydney and Auckland.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

1937 Terraplane pickup


Terraplane was a brand of Hudson Motors and sold at a lower price than the Hudsons.  One of the vintage truck photos on this webpage.

senior truck transports junior?


Possibly Internationals. Seen in Long Beach, Los Angeles.

the 'Clunepark' in Venice, 1960s


The Clunepark of the Denholm Shipping Company arrives at Venice, Italy, in the 1960s. The ship was 9,753 gross register tons, built 1957, broken up 1982. An oil on canvas panel by Wallace Trickett.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Greyhound bus in the Cumberland hill country, late 1940s


What looks like a White bus. Photo taken in the Cumberland hills of Tennessee.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

San Francisco's historic rail vehicles - today a civic cash cow

a preserved Pacific Electric PCC car on the 5-mile (8 km) F Market line, seen here on Embarcadero.
although most of the fleet on the F Market line comprises PCC cars, it also has some ex-Milan trams and even a Melbourne tram in original livery.

If you think the $5 or $US 4 it costs to ride the historic Wynyard Quarter tram in Auckland is dear, the one-way fare on the San Francisco Cable Car lines of $6 is even higher, although you can substantially reduce that by buying a 1, 2 or 3 day "go as you please" city Muni pass.

It was fortunate that San Francisco's railed public transport vehicles were spared the "if it runs on rails close it and rip it out" thinking that prevailed 50-60 years ago, and which is still found among politicians like NZ's Steven Joyce.

One of the things that a dummkopf like Mr Joyce and his sycophants fail to appreciate is that having visitor attractions will attract visitors; even if something doesn't make a nominal bean-counter profit, it can be considered a tourism"loss leader" with overall spending on other things more than compensating for it.

the first Renault car


The first Renault car, the Renault Voiturette 1CV, manufactured in different models 1898 - 1903.