cars on Hollywood Boulevard, L.A. December 1954

With Christmas decorations in place.  

This is in the block between Vine St and Ivar Street -- approximate view today

only in California?

 

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- LAX's long-awaited Automated People Mover system will begin running without passengers Monday, marking a visible step forward in a project years behind schedule.

Airport officials said the 2.25-mile electric train will operate on a full schedule for roughly two months as part of ongoing testing designed to prepare the system for public use. The trains will circulate through the airport's central terminal area, linking terminals with parking facilities and pick-up and drop-off zones.

Continue reading

SNCF 241 P

In French notation 241, counting axles, is a 4-8-2 counting wheels, namely a 'Mountain'. 35 of these were built by Schneider et Cie., of Le Creusot between 1948 and 1952. It is widely considered the largest and most powerful steam locomotive class in France.

The 241.Ps have a 17 meter (55.77ft) long chassis, slightly longer than the one of the PLM Mountain locomotives. the chassis side rails are 28mm (1.1in) sheet metal, and their flexibility is compensated by a network of cast steel spacers. They have a bogie with bearing wheels at the front with wheels of 1m (3.28ft) diameter, four axles coupled to wheels of 2m (6.56ft) diameter, and a rear axle with wheels of 1.33m (4.36ft). The boiler is stamped at 20 bars (290psi). The coal is charged by a system of storage screw without end. The water supply is provided by a loaded injector and an ACFI pump, located behind the chimney of the engine.

The 241.P is a compound engine with four cylinders, and whose arrangements where identical to no. 241.C.1. There are two high pressure cylinders interior to the chassis, causing a slack that influences the third axle, which can get moving, and there are two low pressure cylinders exterior to the chassis, attacking the second coupled axle. The gear change is made, since the 1960s, with a servo motor taken from decomissioned 141.R class locomotives.

The hook power is of the order of 1,900 hp (1,874 imp. hp). The speed limit is 120 km/h (74.5 mph).

In its entire general aesthetics, the locommotive is a style synthesis of the major railways that preceded the SNCF. Generally, the 241.P had PLM appearance, because of their model being a PLM mountain locomotive, with the cutter wind driving cab. The smoke box door and the tender, came from the Nord company. The double exhaust chemney had a marquee cap, which came from the PO-Midi railway.

Four have been preserved.  Read more

30 years jubilee of the Netherlands Open Air Tram Museum

 
No commentary.

'I like to relax with a good real book, not a smartphone'

PKP class EU07 Bo-Bo electric

493 of these were built between 1965 and 1994; a stated power output of 2,000 kW (2,680 hp)

"The EU07 is strongly connected with the EU06 locomotive. The EU06 was a Polish derivative of the Class 83 locomotive built for the British system. In 1959 an agreement was signed with the producer of the EU06, English Electric, under which Poland bought the license for the EU06 and started its production in Pafawag Wrocław, under build number 4E. The first item was finished in 1965, and by 1974 a total number of 240 locomotives had been built. The EU07 locomotives differed slightly from EU06 due to some minor improvements that had been made in comparison to their predecessors.

"In 1983 the production of EU07 locomotives was re-opened in Cegielski works in Poznań. This new series of locomotives was based on ET41 freight locomotive (which had been built by joining together two EU07 locomotives of first-run production). Bringing several modifications production number changed to 303E. A total number of 243 locomotives were built and the production continued until 1994 despite relatively outdated construction."

More

American locomotive depot atmosphere, 1938

Some diesels were already in use by then, but weren't yet dominant. This was the New York Central depot in Jackson, Michigan.

Deutsche Reichsbahn class 52 Kriegslok 2-10-0 in Oppeln

Except that by the time of this pic it was a class Ty2 of the PKP (Poland) and Oppeln had been transliterated to Opole. Circa 7794 of these were built between 1942 and circa 1950 of which about 1,425 in Poland. Of these 54 are left in Poland.  See earlier posts.

Kosovo railway stamps, 2007

 

According to InternationalSteam.co.uk the steam loco, a 2-6-2 that was in the JZ fleet of Yugoslavia "is outside Kosovo Polje station, Kosovo Railways' headquarters, a couple of km from Obiliq. It's JZ no. 01-043, Schwartzkopff 7953/1922. You can get to Kosovo Polje without the need to return to Pristina, which has horrendous traffic congestion. Carry on along the dirt track beyond the depot. It winds around a bit and after about 1km it reaches a T junction with a road which must once have been properly tarred. Turn left and keep going for another km or so, crossing the Kosovo Polje to Pristina railway en route, and you'll reach the centre of Kosovo Polje. Turn right for the station."

1952, 1953 Märklin model railroad catalog covers