small commercial vessels in Crete, Greece, 1961

steam action on Boston & Maine, 1953

Location not given.

'I love to call into the library for a good real book'

mid-1930s advertisement for rail-road containers, Britain

A principle which a few decades later revolutionised shipping.  

Advertisement for Danish railways, 1935

Showing a Lyntog (see earlier posts) and the first Lillebæltsbro (Little Belt Bridge) which was opened in 1935, supplemented by another in 1970.

The Vauxhall Victor story

 

Cuba narrow gauge sugar cane railway with a fireless steam loco

This is a narrow gauge (2'6" or 760 mm) Baldwin 0-4-0F fireless steam locomotive built in 1916, shunting (switching) at C.E.Sugar Mill, Central Espartaco Railway, in 2000. (pics credited to A. Young)

An explanation of 'fireless' technology is here.

steam passenger train in Nanpiao, China

The Nanpiao railway system was known for its steam-powered passenger and freight trains. No date.

riding on a tramline in Alexandria, Egypt

We posted about them earlier, but they deserve more coverage. This is a complete trip on the Raml line No. 1 from Raml Station to Victoria / Nasr in 2024. 

It's not the highly maintained sophistication of a First World city but it's not the chaos of a country like India either. Along the way you see exotic architecture of varying attractiveness and a glimpse of economic activity.

Dutch mouse nose from 1946

See earlier posts.

King George Dock, Hull, England, art, late 1920s

Featuring an 80 ton floating crane.  

King George Dock was officially opened to much fanfare by King George V and Queen Mary on 26 June 1914.

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Captain Cook's ship 'Endeavour' wreck found after 250 years

from Metro

The remains of Captain Cook’s ship, the HMS Endeavour, have finally been located off the US coast, after sinking 250 years ago. For two centuries this ship has been lost, but now the wreck has been found in Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. The finding of the ship was announced in a report by the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) where the experts have identified the wreck as RI 2394 (Picture: MoL)

Captain James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and led the ship to be the first European vessel to reach eastern Australia between 1768 and 1771. It was also the first ship to circumnavigate New Zealand's main islands. But in 1775, it was sold and renamed the Lord Sandwich before it sank off the US coast in 1778 during the American War of Independence. This image shows a replica of the ship pulling into Sydney Harbour (Picture: Getty)

'in my breaks I like to read a good real book'

Alco's DH643 model, a 4300 hp diesel hyrdaulic

from American-Rails.com

Southern Pacific DH643 #9802 runs light through the engine terminal at Oakland, California, circa 1970. 

The DH643, also known as the "C643-H" or "C643DH," was one of Alco's most powerful locomotive designs, built for Southern Pacific. It resembled UP's C855 design by combining two locomotives into one but used a diesel hydraulic main generator. Both SP and UP experimented with powerful single-unit locomotives to cut costs and had a long-standing relationship with American Locomotive. 

However, the C643DH faced issues similar to the C855, including problems with aluminum wiring that replaced copper, which often caught fire. Southern Pacific retired their fleet of three C643DH units in the 1970s after about a decade of service.

Read more

Poster for the 47th Grand Prix of the ACF at Reims, France, 1961

ACF = Automobile Club de France.

British Railways Class 35 Hymek, Type 3 with a passenger train

It looks like the coastline near Dawlish where winter storms have in the past closed the line.

These B-B type locos were hydraulic and popular, but BR got rid of them along with all the hydraulics by the late 1970s. Several are preserved.

Info here

M.A.N. 2-axle tank car advertisment, Germany

 The little 'sentry box' suggests it's early to mid-20th century.

steam train art on a soap tin, France

double-headed steam excursion today in NZ

Locomotives Ab 608 of Steam Inc. and Ja 1271 of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway power north with a 14-total passenger car train with 526 passengers onboard.  The wires indicate that this is on the North Island Main Trunk cenral section. (Photo credted to Riley Coleman)

booklet marking 50 years of electric railways in the Netherlands, 1958

Published by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) showing a hondekop (dog head), also known as a Mat '54 electric multiple unit. 

See earlier posts.

early 1950s International Harvester Metro van

A still from the movie The Ice Cream Truck (2017). These were built from 1938 to 1975.

Lots more pics of different models are here

1965 Renault Gordini

 More pics

'would you like to read my real book with me?'

1975 Dodge 1800 Deluxo

Made for a decade, between 1971 and 1980, the ultimate in badge-engineering could have been Chrysler’s Rootes Group version of the Hillman Avenger in the form of the Dodge 1800, made for the Brazilian market in Brazil. Did any of that make sense? As if the 1970s weren’t confusing and unusual enough with politics, fashion, and music, Dodge’s take on the Hillman Avenger created a stylish car as seen here in this 1975 Dodge 1800 Deluxo edition. This one is located in Pacifica, California, which appears to be the main reason it’s for sale. 

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Marklin catalog 1964 featuring an E94 crocodile

an iced over fishing boat in Christianshavns Kanal, Copenhagen, 1971

Winter life above the 50th parallel is cold. (berlingske.dk)

the biggest HO scale model railway layout on the French Cote d'Azur

This is some seriously impressive modelling, including special effects such a wildfire, New Year fireworks and of course, lots of trains. No commentary.

Another video featuring the same layout; this one has dialog in French.

German 2-6-0 type steamer

The Baureihe 24 comprised 95 units built between 1928 and 1939.  This example was seen in Duisberg in 1962. More details

It was reproduced as an HO model by Marklin with catalog number 3003.

an NZR 4-8-2 JA class rolls through Hornby, Christchurch, 1965

For lots more, see our books on NZR steam. (Credited to D. Albrechtsen)

1978 Dodge Magnum XE

More pics and info

the world's first steel warship -- the French 'Redoutable' (1876)

Redoutable was a central battery and barbette ship of the French Navy. She was the first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material. She was preceded by the Colbert-class ironclads and was succeeded by Dévastation-class.

Compared to iron, steel allowed for greater structural strength for a lower weight. France was the first country to manufacture steel in large quantities using the Siemens process. At that time, steel plates still had some defects, and the outer bottom plating of the ship was made of wrought iron.

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crocodiles in Austria

Nothing to do with zoological gardens. The DR E94 electric locomotives were recategorized as the class 1020 in Austria.  This footage is from 1995 so not 4K but still reasonably good.

NZ inter-island ferry 'Aratika'

In the livery that was used 1962-1989. For details see the book Strait Crossing: the Cook Strait Ferries through time

'would you like to examine my good real books?'

1933 Packard Sport Phaeton in Yosemite National Park art

By Harry Anderson, apparently for a calendar of the time.

1964 Datsun 320 pickup

history of Paris suburban trains

 

The blurb

Before the First World War, Paris expanded and invaded the Île-de-France region. Suburban houses stretched as far as the eye could see along the railways, and the southeastern suburbs, served by the Paris, Lyon and Méditerranée (PLM) network, now reached Brunoy, Combs-la-Ville, Melun, Fontainebleau, and many other towns that were gradually losing their rural calm of the "provincial" towns they no longer were. 

The PLM, like other networks, did not like suburban traffic, which caused high wear-and-tear for the equipment and did not bring in any money. Before 1914, ancient side-door cars ended their careers there, and the network ignored the complaints of office managers and assistant directors who traveled between Parisian ministries and their pretty millstone villas near the Sénart forest or Fontainebleau. 

The PLM was wrong, and during the 1920s, it was clear that the suburbs had become a major traffic hub and, faced with public outcry, railway companies were finally investing large sums in specific, high-performance equipment. The 242 AT locomotive was part of the program, intended to replace less powerful tank locomotives which, until then, had performed poorly, failing to meet the demands of commuters who were always in a hurry. 

In the 1950s, some rather astonishing things were still being done in this rather chic suburb, whose clientele left their beautiful homes in Brunoy or Bois le Roi to come and scrape paper in Parisian ministries or investment banks and fully intended that the daily journey be smooth, comfortable, punctual and clean – all qualities that the steam locomotive would have to (badly) assume for some time to come. 

The fleet of cars inherited from the old Paris, Lyon and Méditerranée network by the SNCF in 1939 is the largest and also the largest in terms of two- or three-axle cars. With a total of 7,182 cars, including 5,098 with two or three axles, some of which were built in the 1880s, it is a veritable tide of harsh and noisy vehicles that still awaits the commuters of 1938, and will always await those of the 1950s and 1960s… These old cars are practically all three-axles, which is a very striking technical characteristic for this network. This arrangement ensures better ride comfort, because it prevents an axle from “falling” when passing over the rail joint, since there are always two other axles under the car to ensure the chassis is held in place. In fact, the rare cars with these axles are old three-axle cars from which the central axle has been removed, often for reasons of curve registration on small rural lines traveled at low speed. 

But things can no longer continue like this, because, in the 20th century, the growing expansion of suburban traffic requires a review of the game's data, especially since some brilliant Universal Exhibitions, notably that of 1900 in Paris, demonstrated to the general public the know-how of the railway companies in terms of progress, comfort and speed. The suburbanite forges a soul of grumbler whose tradition, moreover, continues to this day.

1983 Oldsmobile Regency 98

1960 Ferrari 250 GT Testa Rossa

1948 Leyland Merryweather Turntable Ladder fire engine

Originally used by the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board, now in MOTAT.

1988 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24

 

NZR promotional booklet, 1939

For lots more, see the book New Zealand Railway Memorabilia

Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 calendar art

 See earlier posts.

'after my morning shower I like to read a real book with my coffee'

1969 Dodge 3700 GT

S.S. 'North American' of the Georgian Bay Line in Chicago, 1950s

The 2317 grt steamship was built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse, Michigan, in 1913 for the Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Transit Company. The vessel was launched on 16 January 1913, and was the older of two near-sister ships, the newer one being SS South American.

North American was 280 feet (85 meters) in length, had a 47-foot (14 meters) beam, and drew 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 meters) She had a 2,200 indicated horsepower quadruple expansion steam engine and three coal-burning Scotch boilers. In 1923 the boilers were converted to burn oil.

Withdrawal from service happened in 1964.

More info

Hawker Siddeley HS 748

As used by Mt Cook Airlines in NZ

The HS 748 was developed during the late 1950s as a move to re-orient the company towards the civil and export markets. Powered by the popular Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, it was specifically designed as a modern feederliner to act as a replacement for the aging Douglas DC-3s then in widespread service. 

Originally intended to seat a smaller number of passengers, market research indicated that a seating capacity of around 40 passengers would be optimal for the type. As a means to differentiate the new airliner from competitors, it was designed to possess a high level of performance, including its short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities and overall ruggedness. First flying on 24 June 1960, the series 1 HS 748 entered revenue service in 1961. A total of 360 were built to 1988.

For lots more, see the book The Aircraft of Air New Zealand and affiliates since 1940.

an NZR Ew electric locomotive with a suburban train, 1979

Travelling alongside Wellington Harbor between Wellington and Petone. The locomotive hauled trains supplemented the EMUs in peak times. For lots more see the books Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand and Wellington Transport Memories. (Peter Moses pic)