Sunday, September 13, 2026

at the SNCF Depot de Thionville, 1960


The blue engine is an SNCF BB 12000 class electric locomotive, nicknamed "fer à repasser" or flat iron. The green engine appears to be an SNCF CC 14100 class heavy freight electric locomotive. The dark engine is an early diesel shunting locomotive.

Soviet LAZ-695 and LAZ-699 bus models, 1980s


LAZ-695 and LAZ-699 models manufactured by the Lviv Bus Factory in Ukraine and here being used by InTourist which was the state-owned tourist industry for foreigners.

International Harvester AR-160 series medium-duty truck, 1960s

Seen on what was obviously a dicey road between Taihape and Hastings NZ in those days.  The cargo looks like freshly clipped wool sacks. (colorized)

Saturday, September 12, 2026

'I love to go shopping for good real books'

1979 Volvo 240 260 Series Sedan sales brochure cover


PKP Class EN56 electric multiple unit of Poland, early 1960s


A total 36 of these sets were produced by VEB Waggonbau Görlitz in the DDR between 1954 and 1957. The following class was the EN57 produced by the Pafawag factory in Wrocław (Breslau) between 1961 and 1993 -- with 1418 sets the longest-produced railway vehicle in Polish history.

Axle arrrangement: 2′2′ + Bo′Bo′ + 2′2
Total Train Length63,100 mm (61,880 mm excluding couplers)
Width 2,950 mm
Height 4,200 mm
Total Service Weight 135 tonnes (Motor car: 60.5 t; Trailers: 37.2 t each)
Electric System3 kV DC (Overhead line)
Traction Motors 4 × LEW Hennigsdorf GBM185 motors
Continuous Power Output 580 kW (145 kW × 4)
Maximum Speed 110 km/h

Friday, September 11, 2026

Route 66 centennial medallion

Available commercially, about $18 in the US.

SNCF 232-S streamlined steam locomotive, late 1950s


This was a group of four streamlined 4-6-4 "Hudson" (or Baltic) type express passenger steam locomotives designed by Marc de Caso. They were ordered by the Chemin de Fer du Nord but delivered directly to the newly formed SNCF in 1941. 
They were built alongside the mechanically simpler, 3-cylinder 232-R class to directly test the efficiency of 4-cylinder compound expansion against simple expansion at high speeds. 
They were originally planned in the 1930s  to haul heavy, high-speed express trains. Their service life ended in 1961.

a 1980s AVM DAF bus in Zimbabwe


These front-engined buses were locally built and assembled in Zimbabwe by AVM Africa (Pvt) Ltd (formerly known as W. Dahmer & Co.).

the SNCF railyard at Avignon-Champfleury in 1959

The locomotive looks like a 2-8-2 or in French categorization a 141.

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