As was featured in this TV mini-series from 1986.
Friday, July 31, 2015
the 'Stella Polaris' (1927)
This was built as a cruise ship, delivered from AB Götaverken, Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden, in February 1927. Original specs: dimensions: 110 metres (360.5 ft) x 15 metres (50 ft) x 9 metres (30 ft), propulsion: 2 x 8 cylinder Babcock & Wilcox 5,250 bhp output, maximum speed 15.64 knots, 199 passengers. The ship still exists as a floating hotel in Japan.
Lots of details here
Dutch double-deck DD-VIRM electric multiple unit
DD-VIRM stands for DubbeldeksInterregiomaterieel or Verlengd InterRegio Materieel and 178 four or six-car sets were built between between 1994 and 2009 by De Dietrich or Talbot. More here (pic via wallpaperswide.com)
there are only two certainties in life...
"The FinanzAmt (tax office)
The FinanzAmt always takes from my papa all his money away and gives it to the state. The state needs the money to build more tax offices.
The FinanzAmt emerges once a year and then everybody whines. It is like the flu.
The tax explanation is therefore so important and one can not understand the tax laws without explanation.
With workers the tax is always immediately withdrawn from their pay, thereby they don't pay taxes so seldom as prominent people.
Cordula-Juliette Mehlhorn, 3a"
Thursday, July 30, 2015
railway theme bande dessinée cover
The front and back covers of Avatars from about 3 years ago, joined by us with Photoshop, although the two parts of the cover don't perfectly align.
the whaling ship 'Samuel Enderby' departs for the Auckland Islands, 1849
The Auckland Islands are uninhabited sub-antarctic islands belonging to NZ. One of them is named Enderby after the Samuel Enderby & Sons whaling family of England which operated from 1775 to 1854.
electric operation on the Ferrocarril Mexicano, 1923
This Alco/GE built electric locomotive from 1923 and the electrification was to enable better performance on the steeply graded (up to 4.7% between Esparanza, Puebla and Paso del Macho it is stated) line from the Gulf Coast at Veracruz over the Cumbres de Maltrata to the Central Plateau at around 2,500 metres altitude.
The 10 boxcab locos ran on 3000 Volts DC from overhead catenary.They were equipped with regenerative braking -- when going downhill the traction motors generated power to feed back into the catenary that could be used to power ascending locomotives. Returning much of the power used to climb the grade reduced the cost of operation and allowed for a smaller central power plant.
These electric locomotives drastically reduced cost and time. While 2 steam locomotives were required to climb a 4.7% grade at 12 km/h pulling 300 tons, 2 electric locomotives could pull 600 tonnes at 25 km/h - more than 4 times the tonne-miles per hour.
Type: Bo+Bo+Bo -- 3 trucks (bogies) with 2 motorized axles each
Maximum output power: 2,736 horsepower
Weight: 150 tonnes
Length: 16.12 meters
The Veracruz via Orizaba route, extensively upgraded, is still heavily used for freight traffic, but now diesel-operated. At least one of the boxcab electrics is preserved, unit 1001, at the Mexican national railway museum in Puebla.
roll-on, roll-off ferry rail and road vehicle loading, Sweden, 1950s
Exactly where isn't stated, but likely Malmö, Helsingborg or Gothenburg (Göteborg), all crossing points from Denmark.
double Fairlie loco on 'the Great Bridge of Maltrata', Mexico, art, 1875
See an earlier post on the Double Fairlie in Mexico.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
the 'Arahura' inter-island ferry sails for the last time
The Danish-built ferry Arahura for service between Wellington and Picton arrived in December 1983 -- after nearly 32 years, 52,000 crossings and 13 million km, she sailed for the last time today to Picton. Stuff story and video.
For comprehensive details on this and every other Cook Strait ferry between Wellington, Lyttelton, Picton and Nelson, the book Strait Crossing: the ferries of Cook Strait through time is your only reference.
'Toehold on a Harbour' - Wellington in 1965
Toehold on a Harbour (1966) [CC available] by SchleyYosef
The two of us based in Wellington saw a restored print of this 10½ minute NFU documentary from 1965 at the Wellington Film Festival yesterday.
It starts off with a flyover including a view of Tinakori Road pre-motorway and has some good if brief shots of Wellington buses and a few electric multiple units. There are views of the Northern Star in the harbour and some conventional cargo vessels.
For locals the main difference from how Wellington looks now is the massive replacement that has taken place of buildings in the central business district. And while most government departments and agencies are still based in Wellington, nearly all business head offices have gone to Auckland.
The above version is unrestored (apart from the fluff, the main problem is the magenta cast); let's hope the Archives NZ will upload a copy of the restored version soon.
In the meantime, make sure you see our two books on Wellington.
Google's cookie message
Readers in European Union countries will have noticed a message from Google (which Blogspot is part of) about cookies it uses.
This is Google's thing and has nothing to do with us; nor do we have any idea what Google (the 21st century Big Brother) does with the all data it collects. We have noticed such messages in numerous EU-based websites.
This is Google's thing and has nothing to do with us; nor do we have any idea what Google (the 21st century Big Brother) does with the all data it collects. We have noticed such messages in numerous EU-based websites.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Angelenos now pay around 50% more for gasoline than the US average
The graph shows the movement in the price for a US gallon (3.82 litres) of regular gasoline over the past 12 months, the average price in L.A. is the red line. Article in the L.A. Times
action at New Plymouth station, early 20th century
Apart from a single track line to the wharves, the rest is history. For lots more, see our books.
'Ganymede' barque
In Greek mythology Ganymede was a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. Homer describes Ganymede as the most beautiful of mortals. He was the son of Tros of Dardania, from whose name Troy was supposed to derive, and of Callirrhoe.
This ship was built by Doxford in Sunderland in 1868 for Jackson & Co. of Liverpool.
The ship was later sold to Thompson & Co of Liverpool and, in the 1880s, to H.C. Fletcher of Adelaide, Australia. About 1893 the ship was sold to Waterston of Invercargill for the New Zealand-Tasmania timber trade.
This ship became a hulk in 1912 and was eventually broken up in Nelson in 1934.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Montreux Oberland Bernois poster, Switzerland, 1968
With a relief route depiction. See earlier posts on the MOB.
Brisbane trams, 1954
From the bunting this must have been at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's visit that year.
The Hotel Daniell is on the left: according to the National Library of Australia: "Situated upon the south west corner of Adelaide Street and George Street, Brisbane, the Hotel Daniell was a revamped version of the Imperial Hotel, erected in 1885, with Charles H. Daniell as the first proprietor. By 1902 it was known as Daniell's Hotel, by 1906 the Hotel Daniell. It was renovated to this appearance, ca. 1932-1933. The building was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the City Plaza."
Vauxhalls parked in George Street, Dunedin, 1957
Is that a Standard behind them? (Ray Hargreaves pic in the Hocken library)
rural steam freight train near Athens, Georgia, 1958
shooting rabbits from the Otago Central Railway, circa 1900
This was obviously a posed photo, but the gentleman was clearly travelling and collecting his rabbits by rail. It demonstrates just how much a problem rabbits had become by then -- and they are still a big problem, just like possums are. It's good for shooters, though: they can indulge their pastime and help the environment at the same time.
For lots more, see the book The Otago Central Railway; a tribute
Sunday, July 26, 2015
friendly picture
"When nothing else goes, being friendly always works". There is just a slight problem, however, in brandishing those tools like that... From a German health business calendar.