Sunday, January 31, 2021

Berninabahn, Switzerland, advertisement, 1939


SEPTA of Philadelphia shuts down Route 15 Streetcar

 from Railway Age--

For the second time in less than four weeks, a streetcar line in the United States has bitten the dust. This one is Philadelphia’s Route 15, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and which ran for 8.4 miles along Girard Avenue, an east-west street about one mile north of Market Street.

Not only did Route 15 run for the last time on Friday night, Jan. 24, but SEPTA gave little notice of its demise, having posted a “service advisory” on its website the preceding Tuesday, but no press release. The word got out, though. Streetcar advocates on the local scene, and from as far away as San Francisco, were appalled, and they heated up the blogs and other media with their concerns.

Read the rest

1937 Plymouth PT50 pickup


Saturday, January 30, 2021

Preserved industrial steam locomotive, Rockport, Maine




Rockport, Maine's 2.5-mile (4 km) long Rockport Railroad hauled limestone from the quarry to the lime kilns at the harbor for 10 years.  This loco is mounted as a monument.

Hungarian small locomotive stamps fom 2001

 2 steam, 2 diesel.

'I like to read a real book at the beach, not a little gadget''


Hamilton NZ: new Rotokauri Transport Hub gears up for opening


Hamilton’s new transport hub will be filled with buses and commuter bustle come February.

A blessing ceremony was held at the Rotokauri Transport Hub on Friday ahead of its opening early next week.

The hub will have 180 bus movements from day one, quickly ramping up to 400 bus movements daily.

The site will also serve as one of two city locations where rail passengers can jump on or off the Hamilton-Auckland passenger service. The Te Huia rail service is expected to be launched between mid-March and April.


1959 Buick promo

 


Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Batman and Bernie

One of the many memes that appeared last week after the Presidential inauguration..

Gore railway station NZ, circa 1927


Although Gore is a provincial town, this could almost be a city station and in fact Gore was once a busy railway junction; as well as the Main South Line, the Waimea Plains Railway ran west to connect with the Kingston Branch in Lumsden.  This NZR publicity view looks northbound, with the famous Creamota factory in the right distance.  For more, see our books.

mixed steam train in Argentina, 1973


A 4-6-2 type Alco-built series 12ª ex-Ferrocarril Santa Fe (province), then Ferrocarril General Belgrano, between Buenos Aires and Rosario.  They were acquired in two batches: 20 in 1919 and 10 in 1921. With a low axle weight of only 10 tons they could be used on lightly built track.  More  (John Kirchner pic)

Monday, January 25, 2021

Malayan Railway poster, 1930s


The (metre-gauge) system went under the name Federated Malay States Railways (FMSR) at that time. In 1948 it was changed to Malayan Railway Administration (MRA) and then to the current name of Keretapi Tanah Melayu in 1962 following independence from Britain in 1957.

This imagery was clearly intended to appeal to affluent Europeans and Brits in particular.


1957-1960 Imperials


From the Facebook group on Imperials 1955-1975.  The question of whether Imperial should be preceded by "Chrysler" is a contentious one, so despite feeling it should be, we've omitted it above.

1930s San Francisco traffic in color

 


1931 Ford Roadster

More pics and info

Sunday, January 24, 2021

South West Africa 600 mm gauge steam locomotive stamps


The country is now Namibia. These locos will be from the German colonial days which ended with the end of WW1.

train at Pukerua Bay station north of Wellington, 1930


It could be an original Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company passenger car which were clerestory roofed. The station building is the original WMR's 20 x 10 foot “shelter shed” built in 1886. This was a flag station, meaning it was not a timetabled stop -- passengers wanting to get off there had to let the train guard know by the previous timetabled station(s). 

The line was electrified through here circa 1940 and upon opening of the Wellington to Paekakariki electrification, steam-hauled trains became rare.

Southern Pacific MT-4 class 4-8-2


 Info