Cute! More pics here
Sunday, February 15, 2026
cars in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, mid-1950s
In the oncoming lane there is apparently a parade of beauty contestants riding in the backs of convertibles.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in the future location of Battery Park, NYC
Taken in August 1976. Why is the guy having a nap on a cot? Presumably it's someone sleeping, not a mob hit who was too heavy to dump in the river. (Mitch Epstein pic from RetroNYC Facebook)
a minature T-bird race in Chicago, 1965
And who ae the dudes driving them? Shriners—members of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Why? Just a bit of fun?
Friday, February 13, 2026
1955 Chrysler Ghia ST
This was an ultra-rare luxury coupe powered by a Chrysler Hemi V8 engine and result from a collaboration between Chrysler and the Italian coachbuilder Ghia. Only four units were produced, all sold in Europe to French and Italian customers. It was a standout model at the 1955 Turin Motor Show and represents a significant "idea car" of the era.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Ford V8 buses with NZMB bodies in the Palmerston North Square in the immediate post-WW2 years
A reader or two will know what the colors were. The old hotel building in the background on the Church Street corner is still there.
a long passenger train descends the Rimutaka Incline, NZ, November 1955
One of the special trains run just before closure of the line, at the Siberia Curve. This was later washed out with a build-up of water from blocked drainage.
When ascending tthe 3-mile (5-km) inclined section there were 4 Fell engines spaced through the train, but when descending they were all placed at the front. For lots more, see the book New Zealand 1950s Steam in Colour compiled from the Derek Cross collection.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Monday, February 9, 2026
1961 Ebro B-45 2 truck
Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles between 1954 and 1987 when it was absorbed in Nissan.
an NZR Fiat railcar model
Sydney double-decker Leyland Titan bus in 1969
El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina is considered the world's most beautiful bookstore
None of us have visited it in person, but the photos cause a 'wow' reaction. Lots more here
Sunday, February 8, 2026
1960 Morris 702 bus in Palmerston North NZ
It's unclear if it was a municipal-owned bus, but that's likely. It has Hawke B35D bodywork and the driver stands with Omnibus Manager Reg Crutchley (right) in The Square, where buses operated from.
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Wellington trams on Waitoa Road, late 1950s
The motorman or conductor standing by the tram on the left suggests this was especially posed. This is on the eastern side of the former tram tunnel (now bus tunnel) under Mt Victoria. For lots more get the books Wellington Transport Memories and Wellington: a Capital century.
Greek Mikado
It was designed for the United States Army Transportation Corps (USATC) and used in at least 24 countries. Greece's 7108 was used on the meter-gauge lines of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE).
Friday, February 6, 2026
the end of NZR's Foxton branch, 1959
The end of the 31 km branch line in both senses.
A Bb with a handful of goods wagons and a guard's van (caboose) sit beside the station building at Foxton. A ceremonial last run was made with passenger cars.
The below aerial pic of May 1951 shows where the station and the goods shed were at the north end of Harbour Street in relation to Main Street (on the left) and the Manawatu River which has since silted up a lot — as a result the big red shed on the edge of the river, which still exists, is now about 30 metres from it.For lots more see our books, particularly New Zealand 1950s Steam in Colour compiled from the Derek Cross collection.
mid 20th century railcars at stations on the Peloponese meter-gauge railway, Greece
The first tram in Novosibirsk, Russia
Baboushkas inside the first tram.
The maximum length of the tram tracks was reached in 1987 at 191.4 km. There has been no tram connection across the Ob river since 1992, when tram tracks on the Kommunalny Bridge were dismantled (there was the same situation in the period 1940-1955 before the opening of the Kommunalny Bridge).
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Soviet poster featuring the Tupolev ANT-14
"The ANT-14 was a larger version of the ANT-9, with a 40.4 m wingspan, compared to the 23.8-meter span of the ANT-9. Powered by five 358 kW (480 hp) Gnome-Rhône Jupiter 9AKX radial engines, it was capable of carrying a crew of three, as well as 36 passengers, at a maximum speed of 236 km/h (147 mph). However, its cruise speed was only 195 km/h (121 mph). Empty weight was 10,650 kg (23,480 lb) and the maximum takeoff weight was 17,146 kg (37,800 lb). The ANT-14 had a range of 900 km (559 miles), and an operational ceiling of 4,220 meters (13,845 ft). It had a non-retractable tailwheel undercarriage whose main gear consisted of dual (fore-aft) wheels."
Soviet aviation propaganda poster, interwar years
“Proletarian woman, master aviation equipment! Join the schools, colleges and technical universities of the civil air fleet!”
meter-gauge Zurich tram line-up, 1982
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
private bus company buses, Penrith, Sydney, 1970
Nearer the camera is Hunters Hill Bus Company Leyland Leopard 5377 with a body built by Coachmaster on 24-4-1970 showing Hunters Hill Coaches, with a Charter sign.
Bales of Penrith's Bedford SB5 4827 Custom Coaches from 10-9-1964 on Route 215 to Bel-Air is alongside outside the railway station, Jane and Belmore Streets, Penrith. (John Ward pic via City of Sydney Archives)
1935 Leyland Cub Parlour Coach
A pic taken on a Wellington wharf, who by is unknown. This was typically built on a Leyland Cub KPO3 chassis, featuring a 4.4-litre diesel engine and seating for around 20 passengers.
For more, see here
an 0-4-4T 'Forney' type steam locomotive displayed outside the main station of Havana, Cuba
Locomotive 1205 is displayed in a park area near the main railway terminus (Havana Central Station/Cristina Station). It was built in 1905 by H.K. Porter Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, construction number: 3345.
"It served for approximately a century at the Central Toledo sugar mill (later renamed the Manuel MartÃnez Prieto mill following the Cuban Revolution), where it was designated as No. 6.
"While it has been painted and restored for display, it is missing some original components such as internal plumbing, its bell, and certain decorative jewelry." (via Google Earth)
Monday, February 2, 2026
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