circa 1950 Firestone tires poster

This one has Danish text.

'Speed, Comfort, Safety' art

Which of course was the slogan of greater L.A.'s Pacific Electric. This is another artwork by Christopher Jenkins available commercially in different forms.

Polish PKP Ty45 2-10-0

Seen in Pyskowice in 1976, this is one of 448 built between 1946 and 1951.  Detailed info here

1958 Daimler Conquest Century

'I like a real good book.'

cars on Hollywood Boulevard, 1970s

1957 Chevrolet 3100 pickup

Swedish 4-4-0

A member of the SJ steam locomotive class C7 numbered 1814 (originally Berglager's Järnväger or BJ as number 52; BJ was nationalized in 1948).

This was built by Nohab in 1905 and was withdrawn in 1967. In 1972 it went to Nohab's steam club in Trollhättan where it remains, preserved.

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1934 Morris Sedan 10/6

KiwiRail releases new 'Interislander' ferry designs

KiwiRail has unveiled concept designs for a pair of greener, technologically-advanced ferries it plans to roll out within the next five years.

On Wednesday, KiwiRail said the ferries -- which would operate as Interislander services on Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton -- would increase capacity for the vital transport link.

A request for a proposal to find a preferred shipyard to build the ships was issued on Wednesday.

"The new ships will strengthen and enhance the vital transport link between the North and South Islands and represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the Cook Strait crossing," KiwiRail group chief executive Greg Miller said.

Interislander operates three ferries at the moment, moving about 800,000 people and up to $NZ 14 billion worth of road and rail freight between the North and South Islands per year.

A $NZ 400 million contribution from the Government's Budget this year had enabled KiwiRail to go out to international tender to build the new ships, it said, which were intended to arrive for service in 2024 and 2025.

The funds would also go towards KiwiRail's infrastructure at ports in Wellington and Picton.

When the new ships arrive, it will have been more than 25 years since New Zealand last introduced a purpose-built ferry to its fleet.

Read the rest

For the history of NZ's interisland ferries, see the book Strait Crossing by Victor Young

What to do with a withdrawn Boeing 727? Take it into the woods and turn it into a home

1939 MG TA

That's what it was registered as despite what the custom plate says.

1928 Chevrolet National

1980 Bristol VRT double decker bus

Seen in Auckland, imported from the UK.

Partybus website

a Df from English Electric with a goods train between Porirua and Paremata, 1954

Most likely the class leader 1500 and a test train as the electric locomotives were normally used on trains between Wellington and Paekakariki in that era.

With the realignments of both the road and railway in the decades since it's a bit hard to identify exactly where this was taken.  An NZR photo considered for but not used in the book Wellington Transport Memories.

1950 MG Midget

a horseless carriage frightens donkeys and camels, Tunisia, circa 1905

vessels at the Tauranga shore, circa 1905

There was obviously no railway at that stage; this wasn't opened to Tauranga along the waterfront until 1927.  For lots more, see our books.

Dornier Do-18 amphibian drawing

On a Vietnam stamp for the Hafnia 87 stamp exhibition in Copenhagen (Hafnia is the Latin name for Copenhagen).

The Do-18 was first flown in 1935 and 170 were built for both civilian and military use.  More

2008 Aston Martin DB9

1971 Saab 96 V4

1974 Chevrolet Camaro

"Hey babe, I'd love to sniff your bicycle seat."
"Ooh, you are so naughty."

1974 Dodge Charger

1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Canadian Scenic Railway in London, England, 1908

In other words a roller-coaster through papier-maché mountains and as a marketing ploy was probably quite a good one.  This was during the period of the 'Entente Cordiale', hence the 'Franco-British'.

'I like a real book, not a little screen'

Rhodesia locomotive stamp from 1955

Featuring a class DE2 from that year.  A total 35 of these 1-Co-Co-1 type were built between then and 1958 and if they looked like the NZR Df class (2-Co-Co-2 type) of 1954, it's because they had a lot in common, including the same manufacturer.

More info

German railyard critter

In DB service these 2-axle squat switchers, of which 1114 were built and date from the 1930s, continuing in production until 1965, were given the series classification 323. They weighed 15 tonnes and had engines with outputs of 37 kW–44 kW (50--60 hp).

More info

car pool heater

the paddle-steamer 'Schiller' on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

This is still in service and considered to be one of, if not the oldest, paddle steamers still running in the world at around 114 years old. The oil painting by Wallace Trickett was produced for an exhibition in 2009 and sold to a collector.

Length: 63 metres
Engines: compound diagonal : 750 / 1120 x 1300 mm : 864 HP : by Sulzer (1906)
Built by Gebruder Sulzer at Winterthur, Switzerland
Launched on 15 February 1906
Wheelhouse added in 1921
Received her first major overhaul in 1976-1977 during which the original boilers were re-tubed.
Back in public service on 1 May 1977
Relaunched on 14 February 2000 after a complete rebuild at the SGV dockyard at Luzern
Webpage on the paddle steamer

1970 Ford Torino

1968 Pontiac Catalina

1974 Wolseley Six

2016 American 1950s car themed Rolling Stones poster

Specifically for their concert in Havana, Cuba, their first time there.  Cuba is of course known for the large number of American cars from before the 1959 Communist revolution, although many have been re-engined since.  This looks to be based on a 1958 DeSoto.

Union Pacific 4-8-2 in Weber Canyon, Utah, 1937

"Union Pacific engine number 7002 pulling a passenger train called the "Forty-Niner," an all-Pullman hotel-on-wheels that made a round-trip from Chicago to San Francisco every six days (via Omaha, Cheyenne, Ogden, and Reno). In 1937, Diesel-powered "Streamliners" were still a rarity, and Union Pacific had no extra Diesels available for this new service, so they streamlined two existing steam locomotives to go with the lightweight cars. This burly 4-8-2 engine handled the train over the mountainous terrain between Cheyenne and Ogden, while a similarly-styled 4-6-2 was assigned to the more level territory between Cheyenne and Omaha. They were the only two steam locomotives given this styling and paint scheme. The train here is seen thundering eastbound up Weber Canyon, Utah, east of Ogden. They left Oakland Pier late yesterday morning, and they will be in Chicago early tomorrow afternoon. The designers and stylists got it exactly right-- this engine exudes determination, and unstoppability."

Colorized b/w photo by Imbued with Hues, from its FB page

1940 Packard 180 Custom Super Eight Club sedan

Fokker F-28-1000 from 1971

This regional jet was first flown in 1967 and 241 were produced from 1969 to 1987.  More

NSB themed stamps, Norway, 1954

The middle one features a BM 66 type electric multiple unit of which 4 sets were built in the mid-1940s. Info

Company International de Wagon-Lits poster, circa 1930

From England through Belgium with the SNCB and the Deutsche Reichsbahn to Germany. 

"I prefer a real book."

1974 Plymouth 2-door hardtop

1928 Dodge Sedan

With a 1929 Chevrolet International on the left.

SNCF BB electric with a regional passenger train arrives at Nice-Ville, 1981

Unit 25620 probably with a train from Menton or Ventimiglia. The supports for the Voie Pierre Mathis elevated road, then being constructed, are obvious.

A total 194 units of the dual current (1.5 kV DC and 25 kV AC) 25500 class were built by Alsthom betweem 1964 and 1976.  They had a continuous power rating of 2,940 kW (3,920 hp) and a service weight of circa 80 tonnes.  More

1974 Commer CE TS3 truck

1960s Daimler Fleetline bus

Info

1970 Peugeot 304

1930 Cord L-29 Roadster

More pics

1953 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

"What do you think of it, dear?"
"It's nice but you'll have to keep it in the garage."