SNCF X-5500/5800 class autorails in Pont-d'Hérault station in 1952

Diagrams of the X-5500/5800

This is located in the commune of Sumène in the Gard department of France, along the former Quissac-Le Vigan railway line at kilometer post 6 from Le Vigan on the single-track 46.2 km standard-gauge line. The line opened for the Ganges-Le Vigan section in July 1874, and the station building later found new life as a local school after passenger services ceased in 1969. Closure for freight took place in 1989.

More info

Present day view

British Rail class 76 electric locomotive seen in 1953

The prototype named Tommy was completed in 1941, followed by 57 units built in the early 1950s. Tommy was oiginally classified by the LNER as Class EM1. 

Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, they were 1.5 kV DC electric Bo-Bo type mixed-traffic locomotives built specifically to operate on the steeply graded Woodhead Line connecting Manchester and Sheffield via the Woodhead Tunnel. They hauled heavy coal and industrial freight trains over the Pennines until the entire class was withdrawn when the trans-Pennine section of the route closed in July 1981.

More on the class

The pic was was taken at the eastern portal of the Woodhead Tunnel, near Dunford Bridge in South Yorkshire.

traffic in Flinders Street, Melbourne, 1953

The W class trams were almost as much an icon as the Flinders Street station building. The main color today is more creamy and the VR sign with occupations available has gone. See earlier posts.

green, turquoise and yellow small gas station colors, Ukraine

Rather eyecatching.

an empty ore train hauled by two IORE electric locos from Narvik to Kiruna, Norway-Sweden, 2010

Passing through the Tornetrask station, obviously in autumn. This was once Dm3 locomotive territory, see earlier posts.  

"IORE is a class of 34 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and its successor, Bombardier Transportation, for the Swedish mining company LKAB's railway division, Malmtrafik. The class is a variation of Adtranz's Octeon modular product platform, thus related to Bombardier's later TRAXX platform. The locomotives are considered to be one of the world's most powerful locomotives and haul iron ore freight trains on the Iron Ore Line and Ofoten Line in Sweden and Norway, respectively. The 8,600-tonne 68-car trains are hauled by two single-ended Co′Co′ locomotives, each with a power output of 5,400 kW (7,200 hp)," says Wikipedia (more here)

From an old calendar, pic credited to Mikael Lundberg.

driver's cab view of the tracks, pulling out of Modane, France, towards the Mont Cenis tunnel

The Arc river is on the left. See earlier posts.

'I much enjoy a good real book in bed'

French diesel railcar Bugatti Présidentiel XB 1008 from 1933

Originally used by the CdF de l'Etat then the SNCF after nationalisation from the beginning of 1938. They had a relatively short lifespan due to high fuel consumption and the last was withdrawn in 1958. 

Of the 88 Bugatti railcars only one was preserved: number four of the first Présidentiel series, built in 1934. It was used as an inspection vehicle until 1970. In 1980 the Bugatti was restored to its original condition and nowadays stands in the Cité du Train museum at Mulhouse, not far from the place where it was built over 90 years ago.

1950 Mercury Monarch

1956 Bedford A2 truck

2004 Daihatsu Copen 660 TP Conv Coupe 5M

MLW RS-18 locomotives on a train in Howe Sound, BC, Canada 1971

Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) was a major regional carrier in British Columbia which later became BC Rail.

Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) built these Bo-Bo type engines between December 1956 and August 1968 under license from the American Locomotive Company (Alco). The RS-18 was powered by a 4-stroke V12 diesel rated at 1,800 hp (1,340 kW). It replaced the RS-10 in MLW's catalog and production totalled 351 units to 8 customers, of which PGE took 29.

Canadian National Railway, by far the largest buyer of the RS-18, continued to specify the long hood as the front. By contrast, while all of Canadian Pacific Railway's RS-10s were long-hood-forward, all of their RS-18s were short-hood forward. All of CN and CP's locomotives were delivered with full-height short hoods, as were the first four Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and first Roberval and Saguenay Railway unit. The remaining production was for unitss with a low short-hood, giving the train crew much better forward vision.

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Tobu railway train, Japan. 1966

This 1966 advertisement features the Tobu Electric Railway Deluxe Romance Car (DRC) 1720 series operating the Kegon limited express service from Asakusa (Tokyo) to Nikko National Park.

Dimensions for each car. 

Trainset Configuration was 6-car permanently coupled formations (all cars motorized) with a total seating capacity of 284 passengers.

Maximum Service Speed: 110 km/h (designed for up to 165 km/h on straight sections) Power Output: 75 kW per motor (4 motors per car, total of 1,800 kW per trainset)
Acceleration Rate: 2.3 km/h/s
Deceleration Rate: 3.7 km/h/s (service), 4.5 km/h/s (emergency)
Track Gauge: 1,067 mm (3'6") Electric System 1,500 V DC via overhead catenary

Traction Motors: Toyo Denki TDK-824A series-wound DC motors
Control System: Multi-notch resistance control with dynamic braking
Braking System: HSC-D electromagnetic straight-air brake with dynamic braking
Bogie/Trucks: Sumitomo Metal FS334 (all-foil spring bogies for an ultra-smooth ride.

spaceaero2 - 本人撮影 西新井駅付近

Tobu is one of the oldest railway companies in Japan and excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's 463.3 km (287.9 mi) rail system is the second longest in Japan after Kintetsu. It was established in November 1897 and began operation between Kita-Senju and Kuki in August 1899. The Tojo Railway was founded in 1911 as a separate company, but shared its president and head office with Tobu.

Inside the DeHa 1 Class No. 5, the first electric train of Tobu Railway

In 1924, Tobu began operating its first electric train on the Isesaki Line between Asakusa (later Narihirabashi, today Tokyo Skytree Station) and Nishiarai.

Tobu was the first railway in the Kanto region to adopt quadruple tracks, on the Kita-Senju to Takenotsuka sector in 1974.[5] 

Tobu Zoo, a combination of a zoo and an amusement park, opened in 1981.

Company website

Nankai 21000 series electric multiple unit, Japan

The EMU, built for the Nankai Electric Railway, was nicknamed the "Zoom Car" (or Maru Zoom). Introduced in 1958, these units were specifically engineered for the challenging, steep mountainous terrain of the Nankai Kōya Line leading up to Mount Koya. 

After retirement from regular Nankai service in 1997, some units were transferred to other operators like the Ōigawa Railway, where they continue to run as heritage tourist trains. 

Maximum speed: 100 km/h on flat plains and 30 km/h on steep mountain sections.
Length: 17,725 mm per car.
Width: 2,720 mm
Height: 4,000 mm
Weight: 37.0 tonnes per car.
Track Gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge.
Electric System: 1,500 V DC overhead line.
Traction Motor Output: 70 kW per motor.
Total Train Power: 280 kW per car. A standard 4-car set generated 1,120 kW because every single car in the formation was an all-motor vehicle
Motor Model: Toyo Denki TDK-820-B.
Control Method: Resistor control via the Toyo Denki ACD-10 system.

Acceleration Rate: 3.1 km/h/s
Deceleration Rate: 4.0 km/h/s
Engineered to descend and climb extreme 5.0% gradients on the Mount Koya line.

FS E424 with a passenger train on the Sicily coast, 1966

 See earlier posts.

1937 International Pickup originally owned by Southern Pacific Railroad

 More pics and info

'I like to enjoy a good real book at home'

SNCF Class BB 2550 locomotives on a trans-Jura train, 1973

The Class BB 25500, of which 194 were built between 1964 and 1976, were dual-voltage variants designed to run across France's 1,500 V DC and 25 kV AC networks. They were equipped with variable gear ratios that allowed them to easily switch between pulling heavy freight loads and handling regional passenger services. 

More info

1922 Studebaker

an NZR Wb working uphill enters the Parnell tunnel to Newmarket, Auckland, 1906

 A 2-6-2T type. Over 1914 and 1915 engineers built a new, parallel double-track tunnel next to the existing tunnel to handle the city's growing rail traffic. (Colorized)

New York Central railroad freight loaders next to boxcars, 1948

The vehicles are first half 20th-century electric or gasoline-powered industrial platform trucks and burden carriers used for moving freight in railroad terminals. Some are labeled as Elwell-Parker or Clark equipment.

CFR class 41 electric locomotive with a passenger train, Romania

The Căile Ferate Române (CFR)'s Class 41 units are high-speed variants of the iconic LE 5100 'family'. 

The 5,100 kW Co-Co type were built by Electroputere under ASEA license -- derived from Swedish SJ Rb design -- and capable of speeds up to 160 km/h.

Halta Posada (Posada stop) in Prahova County along the scenic Prahova Valley is situated in the Carpathian mountain region between Comarnic and Sinaia on the main electrified trunk line (Line 300) connecting Bucharest to Brașov.  The platform doesn't seem to have had any maintenance for many years.

More info

the Bassin du Commerce in Le Havre, 19th century France, art

A dense forest of masts rises from the moored ships. Le Havre was heavily bombed by the Allies in 1944 and had to be largely rebuilt after the war. It is one of only two post-World War II cities to be recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

360 degree pic today

two NSW SRA 86 class electrics near Bell in the Blue Mountains, 1988

NSW's electric locomotives all now belong to history, because the system is 1500 V DC rather than high voltage AC.  For lots more info, get the book Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand.

el coche motor Ferrostaal, Chile, late 1960s

Seen at the Constitucion terminus of the 88 km, meter gauge Talga--Constitucion branch line is a Ferrostaal SB-56 diesel railcar of German origin from 1961. It had a maximum speed of 60 km/h, a 180 hp diesel engine, pneumatic brakes, and was composed of a power car + trailer with a capacity of 80 seats. Total total weight was 30.3 tons, length 25.5 meters and was Economy Class only, 1 WC with toilet and sink.

New rolling stock for the line was announced in 2024 and was reported arriving in 2025.

Rio Grande 2-8-2 in a Rocky Mountains canyon in Colorado digital art

Impressive nature and impressive man-made creations!

'I love big good real books'

preserved narrow gauge Swedish 2-8-0

Designated by SJ as Gp 3119, this an historic 891 mm (Swedish 3-ft) narrow-gauge 2-8-0 built by Motala Verkstad in 1937 for the Västergötland-Göteborgs Järnvägar (VGJ) narrow-gauge network.

It was taken over by the state-owned SJ in 1948, reclassified and transferred to Småland's narrow-gauge lines in 1954 before being retired from active commercial service in 1965. It was bought by the Skara local authority in 1967 (prompted by Föreningen 29:an) with initial intentions to serve merely as a static monument.

Enthusiasts restored the heavily-worn engine back to working order, bringing it under steam by 1971. The efforts to save and run VGJ 29 directly sparked the creation of the Skara-Lundsbrunns Järnvägar (SkLJ) museum railway, keeping the spirit of the old Västergötland narrow-gauge network alive.

Philippines National Railways GE UM12C road switcher, MRR 2000 class

These were Co-Co type and had V12 turbocharged prime movers rated at 1,320 hp. Seen at San Fernando, Pampanga Station in 1959. 

Kenworth Australia K200 cab-over semi-truck

On NZ's 'Desert Road' (Waiouru to Turangi) with a snow-covered Mt Ngaruhoe in the distance. (Suzanne Vetter pic)

Philippines tram and railway stamps

Manila Railroad Class 2000, 20 built 1955-1956, GE UM12C model

The top one is from 1971 and the others from 1984.

Bristol Lodekka FS double-deck bus

The model had a flat-floor, short-wheelbase, and a rear-entrance, built with bodywork by Eastern Coach Works (ECW). The British bus operator, Eastern National is historic. On the left is a Bristol MW or Bristol RE single-deck bus (also featuring ECW bodywork).

streetcar in Ruthven, Ontario, Canada 1911

Perhaps "rural lane car" would be more appropriate. 

The historical "streetcar" connected to Ruthven, Ontario refers to the Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore Rapid Railway (WE&LSR). This historic electric radial interurban railway operated through Essex County, connecting small rural communities with larger urban hubs. The electric interurban rail line operated from 1907 to 1932. 

The railway spanned 37 miles (60  km) of single track from Windsor through Maidstone, Essex, and Kingsville, heading right into Ruthven before terminating at Leamington. Past Kingsville, the track followed the shore highway until it reached a point just south of Ruthven. It then made a sharp turn north directly into the heart of the town, swung southeast back toward the lake, and continued straight north to enter Leamington via Erie Street. The postcard captures one of these classic electric cars turning off County Road 45 just north of Union, facing east toward Ruthven and Leamington. 

The majority of the heavy, wooden-bodied interurban electric motor cars and trailers used along this route were manufactured by the Niles Car and Manufacturing Company out of Niles, Ohio, as well as cars sourced from the Ottawa Car Company in Ontario, Canada.

This network provided crucial passenger and freight transit for farmers and commuters in southern Ontario who were otherwise unserved by major steam railroads. Due to the rise of personal automobiles and the Great Depression, the line permanently closed in September 1932. Today, nearby Windsor preserves this regional transit history with its fully restored Streetcar No. 351 on display along the waterfront.

Mr Spock and his 1970 Pontiac GTO

Actually the late actor Leonard Nimoy who played Mr Spock in the classic orginal series of Star Trek and several later movies.

cars in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada, 1950s

Then Main Street, now Manitoba Street.

Equivalent view today

vehicles in Auckland, mid 1950s

A couple of tram cars on the left, these ended in Auckland in 1956. For lots more see our books.

'I like to read a good real book at home, not a tiny screen'

for VW fans: a 4-slice toaster

In the US it costs $37.

SJ rälsbuss (railbus) at Lesjöfors, Sweden, 1960s

Specifically from the famous SJ Y6 / Y7 / Y8 class family. At one time this town was on the Inlandsbanen. Today the tracks have gone, but the station still exists and is a café.

Russia's first entirely domestically produced airliner, the MC-21, has its maiden flight

Configured for 163-211 passengers. After NATO members imposed sanctions on Russia in 2022, Russia had to build its own airliners using entirely domestically produced components.

Technical information

traffic in Paris, 1950s

 Looking from La Place de la Madeleine down Rue Royal.