Southern Pacific in Pantano, Arizona, 1993

A train headed by a GP-60.

Clinchfield Railroad train in Breaks Interstate Park, Kentucky/Virginia, circa 1975

 

The Clinchfield line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina.  The successor today is CSX. More info, a map and pics on this webpage.

'I like looking at photos on a printed book page'

new $100 note to be released on 8 October

Generally it looks as before but more colorful, like the other new notes.  The Federal Reserve estimates that about two thirds of $100 notes are held outside the US. All notes issued by the Federal Reserve since 1865 are legal tender in the US and its territories. Old notes can, of course, be worth more than their face value to collectors.

Incidentally, 'note' is the official term even though most people call them bills. Video

1938 White bus, San Francisco

As preserved by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni as it is popularly known.

1935 Cadillac Service Car, Nelson

Operated by the Newmans Coach Lines, this Cadillac 353FF could seat 13 passengers. The bodywork was done by Crawley Ridley of Taranaki Street, Wellington who built many coach bodies for Newmans from the 1930s to the mid-1950s. For more, see our books.

former Auckland trams at the Museum of Transport and Technology

A postcard from circa 1980. See earlier posts and of course our books.

blog audience stats, July

by country, top 10:

United States  41.8%
Germany  5.4%
France  4.8%
New Zealand  4.2%
Russia  4.2%
United Kingdom  3.9%
Australia  3.0%
Romania  2.2%
Canada  1.7%
Netherlands  1.0%

Central African Republic fire trucks stamps

 

1958 Mack Bulldog Type B-85; 1916 Seagrave; 1927 Ahrens-Fox Model JS-2.

Nicaragua railcar stamp, 1983

Mack truck and trailer on a flat car, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1972

What in Europe is termed a rolling highway.

Santa Fe 'Super Chief' at the Devils Footstool, 1969

 

An often photographed landmark near Los Cerrillos in New Mexico.

Hungarian Railways V63 class stamp

Issued  in 1979.  A total 56 of these Co-Co type electrics for 25 kV AC were built between 1974 and 1988. Power output: 3,600 kW (4,800 hp); length: 19.5 metres; weight 116 tonnes; top speed 120 km/h (75 mph) (10 units with modified transmission capable of 160 km/h).

'I like to be well-read'

the 'Oosterdyk' 1913-1918

This was a 8,251 grt cargo ship built in 1913 by Irvines in West Hartlepool, England, for the Nederlandsche-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Mij. N.V. (NASM, Holland-Amerika Line, HAL), of Rotterdam. She had a three-cylinder triple expansion engine and a stated speed of 13 knots. The ship was seized at Baltimore by the United States Government on 20 March 1918 under the right of angary, which allowed a belligerent power to use the property of a neutral nation subject to full indemnification, and was lost in a collision with the S.S. San Jacinto in July 1918.  Here she is seen from the Maasdam, another HAL ship. (painting commissioned and owned by the Holland America Line)

train crash in Switzerland

 

The latest to make the news after well reported incidents in Canada, France and Spain.

Two regional trains have collided head-on at Granges-pres-Marnand in Switzerland, a country where everything is supposed to happen with perfect precision.  Report

steam train in the Andes at Ramal de Morococha, Peru, circa 1911

cars in St Malo, France, 1960s

 

Including a Peugeot 403, 404 Break, Triumph Vitesse Convertible, Ford 17M P3, Simca Ariane, Citroen Ami 6, Citroen DS, Citroen 2CV.

cars in Mandraki, Greece, circa 1974

Including a BMW 1800, 1968 Skoda 1000 MB, Opel Rekord, Hillman Imp, Mercedes W110, Citroen DS, Renault R8, VW Beetle (Cox Käfer).

Tasmania railways, Australia, centenary First Day Cover, 10 February 1971

This was a private 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge railway that opened between Deloraine and Launceston to ship agricultural products to port for markets in Victoria.  It was taken over by the Government two years later and dual gauged for 3'6" (1067 mm) in 1876 and converted completely in the 1880s.

1911 Vauxhall 20 hp model

Fairbanks-Morse H15-44 on the Central Railroad of New Jersey

Unit 1512 was one of 12 H15-44's delivered to the CNJ in 1949, seen here at Communipaw, New Jersey with a passenger train in 1966. A total 35 of this road switcher were built. They had a 1,500-hp (1,100 kW) eight-cylinder opposed piston engine as the prime mover, and a Bo-Bo axle arrangement. The H-15-44 featured an offset cab design that provided space for an optional steam generator in the short hood, making the model versatile enough to work in passenger service as well as freight duty.

yellow car in Broadway, Los Angeles, 1950s

Yellow car was the popular name for LA streetcars, here a PCC car, see earlier posts.

Brisbane tram, 1966

The Brisbane River in the background.  A reader may be able to identify the street.

Fiat bus in Genova, Italy, 1950s

Peugeot Cycles advert 1952

how to over-report an earthquake, and things generally

We have commented before on the way TVNZ turns trivia in major news stories - although of course it's only one of many news organisations worldwide which does that - but here's another example from this evening from its website: "Number of quake injuries much higher than first thought" - a reference to the 6.5 magnitude Wellington earthquake on Sunday evening.

Wow - how many are we talking about?  Hundreds?  Nope, the reporter tells us the number has gone from 4 to 25.  And some of these were from people who fell over!  Others were from people who had objects hit them - but, one of the first reports was of somebody who had a TV set above him fall off the shelf and knock him out.   Did the reporter miss something important here?  Why didn't this person have that TV secured to the wall with a bracket like the Civil Defense authorities have been telling people to do for years ?

Is it not common sense in an earthquake zone to ensure heavy objects - such as water cylinders, bookcases, free standing cabinets etc - that can move from where they are, be secured to the wall behind them?  It only needs an L bracket and a few screws.

On the one year since the demise of TVNZ 7 post (see earlier), the writer lamented the loss of an in-depth local news program and we concur completely.  Sky subscribers have more choice - Sky News, CNN, BBC, Russia Today, Deutsche Welle, France 24, China TV News, even the notorious Fox News (which Sky has fittingly made channel 88 - code for Heil Hitler).  But none of these cover local stories.  One of the major losses that went with the Government's axing of TVNZ 7.

the NZ hospital ship 'Marama' World War 1

a painting of the Marama as a hospital ship depicted leaving Wellington off Sinclair Head by Frank Barnes in 1915

Marama was the second ship from NZ to be supplied as a hospital ship. A much larger vessel than the first vessel, the Maheno, this was fitted with 600 beds and equipped in 23 days, the result of hundreds of workmen working night and day during that period. She sailed from New Zealand on 5 December 1915 to Alexandria in Egypt to take wounded veterans of the Gallipoli campaign to Southampton, England, and continued in service for the rest of the war.

For full details of NZ ships used in WW1, the book Voyage to Gallipoli is essential.

Union Pacific passenger train advert, 1944

The system map was much smaller then than it is now.

'I like to find interesting books in the library'

1941 Buick advert

1963 Pontiac advert

Perhaps the Canal du Midi (France) was the inspiration for the background.

1950s Leyland Tiger Cub bus in Great Yarmouth, England

Lambton Quay, Wellington, circa 1940

Angle parking for cars but front into the street not the sidewalk. A ubiqutous tram trundles south along the street.  For much, much more, see the books Wellington: a Capital century and Wellington Transport Memories.

1946 Vickers-Viking

A poster issued in the year this twin engine performed its first scheduled commercial service between Northolt (London) and Copenhagen on 1 September 1946. Like the Dc-3 which it resembled it was a short range (2,740 km), low speed (338 km/h) non pressurized (ceiling 25,000ft/7,600 metres) plane for a small number of passengers (36) of which 163 were built until 1949.

Place de l'Église, La Membrolle, France ‎ 1960s

A 1950s Citroen van and a DS (what is that wagon in the centre?)

1934 Riley Imp

La Marsa to Carthage electric railway, Tunisia, 1920s

 

This standard gauge line was opened in 1874 and electrified in 1910 with a third rail. In 1923, wood bodied electric multiple units were placed in service. The sets had motors rated at 250 hp enabling speeds of 60-65 km/h.  The third rail system lasted until 1989 when it was replaced by overhead catenary.

Interestingly some of these pics also show trolley poles on the sets, perhaps because authorities were worried about people walking on the electrified rail in the termini.

the SS 'New York', a ship that had a close encounter with the 'Titanic'

 

As Titanic left Southampton 10 April 1912, the suction and wave action of her propellers and huge bulk tore New York loose from her mooring in tandem with Oceanic at Berth 38.  The tug Vulcan quickly tied up to New York and along with the Hercules, kept her in check until Titanic had passed.

More info and specifications on the New York here

1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Landau

(Official publicity photo)

1970 BMW R90S motorbike

the Sorrento steam tram, Mornington Peninsula, greater Melbourne

A view the other way to that above.

This was 1.85 km long, 3'6" or cape gauge, and operated from 1890 to 1921. A history is on this webpage

trams and a bus outside the Vienna Opera, 1960s

The bus could be a Mercedes. All the vehicles are museum-worthy now.

great Baden trip, Switzerland 1937

A poster announcing a steam train trip to mark the 100th anniversary of Swiss railways in 1937

The Malmköping Tram Museum, Sweden

A photo from 1976.  Info on the museum in English here