Thursday, October 31, 2013
a ding at Timaru, 1927
Illinois Terminal Railroad car 1576
Seen in September 1954 with "Buy war bonds" still on the side. This interurban system lasted 1896 to 1962 but in the last 6 years it was freight only, operated as a diesel powered shortline. It's clear this boxcab car wasn't used for passengers at any time. A pic of a similar unit now preserved in St Louis is here
interurban doubledeck V set from Newcastle arrives at Hamilton, NSW
En route to Sydney. Hamilton is basically a suburb of Newcastle. For lots more, see the book Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand. (Geoff Churchman pic)
nice KiwiRail Scenic commercial
It's pleasing to see some money being spent on promotion. This is totally filmed on the TranzAlpine route between Christchurch and Greymouth, but the other two journeys are also very good - see our books.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
electric narrow gauge industrial train of Sankt Egidien near Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany
No date. There was a nickel smelter at Sankt Egidien in DDR days; narrow gauge trains were commonly used in mining because they enabled tighter curves than standard gauge.
Alger to Capetown Rally, 1956
Poster for the third rally, 9,500 miles or 15,200 km from Algiers to the Cape via the Sahara, Congo Belge, Rhodesia and finally South Africa - it looks like quite an adventure, particularly in those days.
phosphate freight cars at Redeyef, Tunisia, late 1900s
The station, the terminus of the 44 km railway from Métlaoui, was opened in 1907, and this postcard probably dates from not long after. Redeyef's main revenue comes from the mining of phosphate, about 8 million tonnes a year and the world's 5th largest producer. Redeyef also sees a daily passenger train, popular with tourists because it traverse the scenic Gorges de Selja, info and pics here
Firestone tires advert, early 20th century
This is another transport word which has an interesting etymology. It comes from the French tirer, to pull, and originally referred to iron hoops or thick wires bound to carriage wheels and pulled onto the rim. This is still the case with older railway wheels; basically the tire prevents the need to replace the whole wheel and axle set when worn spots develop - the old tire is removed by heating (steel expands when hot) and pulling it off. The new tire is likewise heated by fire and pulled/hammered on. However, tough monoblock wheels have become increasingly common.
Where the British developed the 'tyre' respelling from isn't clear, it first emerged in the 1900s but wasn't generally accepted until the late 1920s.
Car tires were typically made of solid rubber until the pneumatic tire became the norm. The French word for a tire is pneu from pneumatique.
the Heinkel Tourist scooter
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| 'our dream [is] a Heinkel Tourist' |
The Heinkel Tourist was an upmarket motor scooter made by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke from 1953 to 1965. It was heavier, more comfortable, more stable and more expensive than a Vespa or a Lambretta. It was available with a speedometer, a steering lock, a clock, a luggage carrier, and a spare wheel. Marketing referred to it as "The Rolls-Royce of Scooters" in England and as "The Cadillac of Scooters" by a dealer in Massachusetts. More than 100,000 were sold.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monaco Grand Prix, 1929
This limited edition art print Monaco Grand Prix 1929 by Alfredo De la Maria shows race winner William Grover-Williams in his green Bugatti T35B and second placed Georges Bouriano in his yellow Bugatti T35C, followed by Rudolf Caracciola in his Mercedes-Benz SSK.
giant wave surfing off Nazaré lighthouse, Portugal
Yesterday's superstorm that hit Europe created some spectacular surfing opportunities, none more so than at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal. Webpage with the story and a 4:20 video (full screen mode recommended!)
tram near the Willis Street and Lambton Quay corner, Wellington, late 1900s
What has long been known as Stewart Dawson's corner. The Grand Hotel in the background was one of the many buildings demolished and replaced in the 1980s. For lots more, see the book Wellington: a Capital Century.
Northern Pacific 'North Coast Limited' in Montana poster, 1920s
by Austrian artist Gustav W Krollmann
trams in Christiania, Norway, 1910s
0-6-0 steam locomotive hauling wool in NSW, 1922
The precise location is not given but probably Sydney and near a wharf. For details on this loco and others the book Locomotives of Australia by Leon Oberg is a good place to start.
Monday, October 28, 2013
sightseeing paddle steamers on the Oder River, Breslau, Germany, 1900s
With the cathedral island in both scenes.
Jeffrey Smart transport art themes
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| 'Bus terminus' (1973) |
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| 'Motor dump Pisa I' (1971) |
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| 'The traveller' (1973) |
German post coach on hand powered ferry art, 1832
Produced for a Schlesien (Silesia) postal traffic exhibition in Breslau (today Wroclaw in Poland) in 1932.
1956 Riley Pathfinder advert
According to the UK inflation calculator £940 in 1956 is about £19,900 now and £471 PT (purchase tax?) is £10,000 (ouch!).
website dedicated to the ill fated 'Wahine'
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| Seen in January 1968, nearly at the Inter-Island wharf in Wellington harbour at the finish of a daylight voyage from Lyttelton. (Warwick W.G. Pryce photo) |
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Wellington Head
It is? Whether Pencarrow, Breaker Bay or Sinclair on the south coast, we ponder whether the artist of this, published in The Picturesque Atlas of Australasia from 1886, had even seen a photo let alone visited in person. Totally unsuitable for navigation purposes...
Fiat railcar in Vevi station, Greece
On a single track standard gauge line from Florina to Thessaloniki and Bitola in Macedonia.