Monday, August 17, 2026

'I much enjoy a good real book in bed'


French diesel railcar Bugatti Présidentiel XB 1008 from 1933

Originally used by the CdF de l'Etat then the SNCF after nationalisation from the beginning of 1938. They had a relatively short lifespan due to high fuel consumption and the last was withfrawn in 1958. 

Of the 88 Bugatti railcars only one was preserved: number four of the first Présidentiel series, built in 1934. It was used as an inspection vehicle until 1970. In 1980 the Bugatti was restored to its original condition and nowadays stands in the Cité du Train museum at Mulhouse, not far from the place where it was built over 90 years ago.

1950 Mercury Monarch


1956 Bedford A2 truck


2004 Daihatsu Copen 660 TP Conv Coupe 5M


Saturday, August 15, 2026

MLW RS-18 locomotives on a train in Howe Sound, BC, Canada 1971


Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) was a major regional carrier in British Columbia which later became BC Rail.

Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) built these Bo-Bo type engines between December 1956 and August 1968 under license from the American Locomotive Company (Alco). The RS-18 was powered by a 4-stroke V12 diesel rated at 1,800 hp (1,340 kW). It replaced the RS-10 in MLW's catalog and production totalled 351 units to 8 customers, of which PGE took 29.

Canadian National Railway, by far the largest buyer of the RS-18, continued to specify the long hood as the front. By contrast, while all of Canadian Pacific Railway's RS-10s were long-hood-forward, all of their RS-18s were short-hood forward. All of CN and CP's locomotives were delivered with full-height short hoods, as were the first four Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and first Roberval and Saguenay Railway unit. The remaining production was for unitss with a low short-hood, giving the train crew much better forward vision.

Tobu railway train, Japan. 1966

This 1966 advertisement features the Tobu Electric Railway Deluxe Romance Car (DRC) 1720 series operating the Kegon limited express service from Asakusa (Tokyo) to Nikko National Park.

Dimensions for each car. 

Trainset Configuration was 6-car permanently coupled formations (all cars motorized) with a total seating capacity of 284 passengers.

Maximum Service Speed: 110 km/h (designed for up to 165 km/h on straight sections) Power Output: 75 kW per motor (4 motors per car, total of 1,800 kW per trainset)
Acceleration Rate: 2.3 km/h/s
Deceleration Rate: 3.7 km/h/s (service), 4.5 km/h/s (emergency)
Track Gauge: 1,067 mm (3'6") Electric System 1,500 V DC via overhead catenary
Traction Motors: Toyo Denki TDK-824A series-wound DC motors
Control System: Multi-notch resistance control with dynamic braking
Braking System: HSC-D electromagnetic straight-air brake with dynamic braking
Bogie/Trucks: Sumitomo Metal FS334 (all-foil spring bogies for an ultra-smooth ride.

spaceaero2 - 本人撮影 西新井駅付近


Tobu is one of the oldest railway companies in Japan and excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's 463.3 km (287.9 mi) rail system is the second longest in Japan after Kintetsu. It was established in November 1897 and began operation between Kita-Senju and Kuki in August 1899. The Tojo Railway was founded in 1911 as a separate company, but shared its president and head office with Tobu.


Inside the DeHa 1 Class No. 5, the first electric train of Tobu Railway

In 1924, Tobu began operating its first electric train on the Isesaki Line between Asakusa (later Narihirabashi, today Tokyo Skytree Station) and Nishiarai.

Tobu was the first railway in the Kanto region to adopt quadruple tracks, on the Kita-Senju to Takenotsuka sector in 1974.[5] 

Tobu Zoo, a combination of a zoo and an amusement park, opened in 1981.

Friday, August 14, 2026

Nankai 21000 series electric multiple unit, Japan


The EMU, built for the Nankai Electric Railway, was nicknamed the "Zoom Car" (or Maru Zoom). Introduced in 1958, these units were specifically engineered for the challenging, steep mountainous terrain of the Nankai Kōya Line leading up to Mount Koya. 

After retirement from regular Nankai service in 1997, some units were transferred to other operators like the Ōigawa Railway, where they continue to run as heritage tourist trains. 

Maximum speed: 100 km/h on flat plains and 30 km/h on steep mountain sections.
Length: 17,725 mm per car.
Width: 2,720 mm
Height: 4,000 mm
Weight: 37.0 tonnes per car.
Track Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge.
Electric System: 1,500 V DC overhead line.
Traction Motor Output: 70 kW per motor.
Total Train Power: 280 kW per car. A standard 4-car set generated 1,120 kW because every single car in the formation was an all-motor vehicle
Motor Model: Toyo Denki TDK-820-B.
Control Method: Resistor control via the Toyo Denki ACD-10 system.

Acceleration Rate: 3.1 km/h/s
Deceleration Rate: 4.0 km/h/s
Engineered to descend and climb extreme 5.0% gradients on the Mount Koya line.

FS E424 with a passenger train on the Sicily coast, 1966

 See earlier posts.

1937 International Pickup originally owned by Southern Pacific Railroad

 More pics and info