transpress nz: February 2020

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

1967 Fiat Dino Spider convertible

Indonesian transport theme First Day Covers, 1964, 1998

The diesel locomotive in the 1964 envelope is a GE CC200: (slightly edited) info taken from the YouTube post:-

"CC200 15 was the last CC200 locomotive in running condition. It was used to haul cash collection service between Cirebon to Tanjungrasa. The type was the first mainline diesel locomotive to see service in Indonesia commissioned in 1953. Built by General Electric of USA, it was powered by an Alco 244 engine (when the GE-Alco partnership was still in place) and have "shovel nose" cab design, with carbody body design. The locomotives also had the unique wheel configuration of Co-2-Co, the only one of its kind in the world. The addition of the idle bogie in the middle was necessary as most mainlines in Java were lightly laid when the loco was introduced. When new, it was frequently employed to haul premier express trains on Java island on routes between Jakarta-Surabaya, Jakarta-Bandung, and many more. The locomotives's usage began to decline when spare parts supply for Alco 244 dried up, owing the decline and cessation of American Locomotive Company itself, added to by competition from newer types of diesel locomotives. The turbulent political situation in 1960s also hastened its decline from mainline work. For the remainder of 20th century the locomotives were employed to haul local or freight trains around Cirebon area. In the early 21st century, a preservation movement spearheaded by Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS), led by Widoyoko, successfully led to the saving of last 3 locos from the scrapper's torch. One loco (number 15) was even repainted to its (near) original livery, and kept in running condition with cannibalized spare parts from the other two (number 8 and 9). For several years, it was the mascot of the railway preservation movement, and burgeoning railway enthusiast activities in Indonesia. But the infighting within IRPS which led to expulsion of its founder, Widoyoko, plus ignorance among the younger generation meant the preservation of the CC200 was in limbo. Even no.s 8 and 9 were moved to Pengok locomotive works in Yogyakarta, allegedly to be scrapped. But thanks to caring railway employees, the locomotives soldiered on for several years before being withdrawn to the Indonesian Railway Museum in Ambarawa in 2016, where it is displayed now."

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

General Motors announces the end of the Holden brand

from the ABC (Australia) website:

About 600 Holden employees will lose their jobs after parent company General Motors announced it would axe the iconic Australian car brand by the end of the year.

Key points:

The company pledged to provide at least 10 more years of customer service for Holden owners
GM executives said the brand was struggling in a fragmented right-hand drive market
Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews said it was "unacceptable" the decision was made without consulting the Government

GM said the brand was no longer competitive in the current market and would be "retired" from sales, design and engineering across Australia and New Zealand by 2021.

The announcement drew criticism from the Government, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying he was angry the brand was allowed to "wither away".

Holden ended its Australian manufacturing operations in October 2017, forcing hundreds of job losses.

About 800 Holden employees had remained in Australia, including 600 Melbourne workers focused on designing cars for the Australian market.

Full story

'An e-reader? No way.'

1963 Cadillac deVille

Sunday, February 16, 2020

NZR J class 2-6-0 steam locomotive with a train from Dunedin to Christchurch, early 20th century

The 33 of the 2-6-0 type that were built in 1874 and designated J class were the first engines in NZ to have a tender; the previous classes were all tank engines.

The original caption of this press photo stated it was taken near Pelichet Bay, an inlet of the Otago Harbour which frequently silted up, especially after the causeway was built for the South Island Main Trunk Railway between Dunedin and Port Chalmers.

Reclamation began in 1913 and continued after WWI, at which time the area was linked with the central city by a tree-lined boulevard, Anzac Avenue, leading straight to Anzac Square and the Dunedin Railway Station. The area is now known as Logan Park.