Saturday, October 17, 2026

NZR Ab 608 and MV 'Pateke' in Dunedin harbor, 1964

Ab 608 (now preserved) was taking a local passenger train from Dunedin to Port Chalmers.  For lots more, get the book New Zealand Maritime Images: the golden years.

The 800 grt Pateke was built in the Netherlands in 1954 for the Union Steam Ship Company’s Napier subsidiary, Richardson and Company. For 18 years she ran between New Zealand’s two main islands, carrying up to 1,100 tonnes of general cargo. In the days before the Cook Strait rail ferries, coasters often also carried vehicles on deck. The ship was withdrawn and sold from NZ service in 1972.

More info here

Top pic by Jack Creber.

narrow gauge 0-6-0 colliery loco in Serbia


Built in 1899, this 760-mm (2'6") gauge engine was based on design styles like the MÁV Class 325 (Hungarian State Railways). It is preserved by the mining company at the Resavica coal mine yard as an emergency standby machine. If the local industrial diesel switchers suffer a breakdown or maintenance failure, the steam engine can be fired up to manage yard shunting duties. Tour agencies and rail enthusiast groups (like FarRail Tours) periodically book it for special heritage excursions, keeping it maintained and certified.

Jeremy Clarkson's 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider



Top Gear UK was a juggernaut, vastly exceeding the broadcaster’s viewing projections. Each episode drew a worldwide audience of 300 million, making it the most successful automotive show in television history. When the BBC decided not to renew Jeremy Clarkson’s contract in April 2015, his fellow hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, resigned, and the trio signed a contract with Amazon Prime to deliver a new program called The Grand Tour. 

The chemistry from the Top Gear days was clearly visible in The Grand Tour, but after working together for over twenty-two years, the team decided to retire on a high. The final episode, titled “The Grand Tour: One for The Road,” which aired in September 2024, featured a road trip across Zimbabwe, with each presenter choosing a classic car they had always wanted to own. Clarkson chose a 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider, and when filming ended, he bought it from Amazon to add to his private collection. However, Clarkson has decided to downsize his collection and is offering the Montecarlo here at Iconic Auctioneers in Birmingham, UK. It is set to go under the hammer on November 14th in a No Reserve auction.

Friday, October 16, 2026

DSB class K 563 4-4-0 steam switcher


An undated pic of Odense Harbor (Odense Havn) with the DSB Litra K 563 steamer which now belongs to the Danish Railway Museum (Danmarks Jernbanemuseum) located nearby. In the background, you can see the distinctive concrete harbor grain silos and a large industrial port crane.

Specifications of the engine:
Year Built: 1899 
Length: 14.82 meters (including tender)
Weight: 69.3 tons (in working order)
Max Speed: 100 km/h (originally 90 km/h)
Fuel & Water: 3.5 tons of coal and 10,800 liters of water

Service Life: Operated in active service for the Danish State Railways (DSB) until 1956. Retained as a veteran operational museum train and housed as one of three surviving Litra K locomotives (alongside K 564 and K 582).

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4, #765



Nickel Plate Road's No. 765 is a restored fully operational 2-8-4 "Berkshire" built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works. Famed for its high-speed freight performance on the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (the Nickel Plate Road) during its service from 1944 to 1958, it is today owned, maintained, and operated by the non-profit Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) out of Indiana.

Class: S-2.
Driving Wheel Diameter: 69 inches (1.75 neters).
Tractive Effort: 64,135 lbs. (285 kN)
Total Weight: 404 tons (locomotive and tender combined).