a Pacific Electric interurban car on Van Nuys Boulevard, L.A., looking north, 1952

a vintage spacecraft for juveniles

Seen in a Wellington NZ café, this was built around the late 1950s or 1960s, possibly by Edwin Hall and Company

vessels in the Le Havre, France, harbor early 20th century

The whole of this area and much of the old town was destroyed by allied bombing in September 1944 and had to be rebuilt. (colorized)

British Rail Class 33 (also known as BRCW Type 3 or 'Crompton')

In the classic two-tone British Rail green with a white/cream band and red buffer beams.

This was a Bo-Bo type ordered in 1957 as part of British Railways' Modernisation Plan.  A total of 98 units were built between 1960 and 1962 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW). They were designed specifically for the Southern Region to replace steam locomotives on passenger and freight lines that were not slated for third-rail electrification. They quickly earned the nickname "Cromptons" due to the electrical equipment inside supplied by Crompton Parkinson. 

Prime mover was a 1,550 horsepower Sulzer 8-cylinder engine. The Class 33 was the first BR diesel design to come standard with Electric Train Heating (ETH) instead of older steam boilers. This made them innovative for their time, though early on they had to be paired with older locomotives during winters because standard passenger carriages still required steam heating. 

Three distinct sub-classes emerged under the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) in 1973: Class 33/0 (Standard): The baseline fleet of 86 locomotives used for general mixed-traffic duties across passenger and freight lines.
Class 33/1 (Push-Pull Fitted): 19 locomotives modified in 1965 with advanced control systems. This allowed them to work interchangeably in "push-pull" mode with electric multiple units, famously operating the high-speed boat trains and the Bournemouth-to-Weymouth line.
Class 33/2 (Slim Jims): 12 locomotives specifically engineered with a narrower body profile (reduced by 7 inches). This modification was essential for negotiating the exceptionally tight tunnels on the Tonbridge-to-Hastings line. 

While initially built exclusively for the Southern Region, high reliability and dual-braking capabilities (air and vacuum) saw their footprint expand across the UK by the 1980s. They regularly crossed boundary lines into the Western and London Midland regions, handling express passenger services from the south coast all the way to North Wales, Cardiff, and Manchester. Mass withdrawals began in 1985 as British Rail modernized its fleet. Even after the privatization of the rail network, a tiny handful continued working heavy freight as far north as Scotland until 2001.

29 Class 33 locomotives were preserved. Today, mainline charters are still operated by mainstays like West Coast Railways, while numerous others run regularly on heritage lines across the UK, including the Swanage Railway and the Bluebell Railway. 

Video

https://youtu.be/7TUAV2IuwBQ?si=wxhvlVHNjBe-yT0y

The Old Patagonian Express, Argentina

This 750-mm narrow gauge steam train has brought life to numerous towns since its origins in 1922. With wooden carriages, wood-burning stoves, and vintage locomotives, this famous train it provides tourists scenic travel along slopes, curves, and at varying altitudes.

See earlier posts.

ships at the docks of Santos, Brazil, mid 20th century

This is the port for the major city of Sao Paulo.  (Colorized.)

'I love looking at and feeling a big good real book'

PCC cars of the Den Haag, Netherlands, tram system, 1972

Seen in Stationsweg outside the appealing frontage of Den Haag HS (Hollands Spoor) station, The type is now used for the Den Haag tourist tram.

Approximate view today

a Pacific Electric interurban at Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, L.A. circa 1950

This was known historically as Crescent Junction. This building that housed the Crescent Drug Co. and its adjacent storefronts was demolished decades ago. Today, this corner is occupied by a Whole Foods Market (Whole Foods Market West Hollywood) and its parking lot.

The location today

Pacific Electric interurban in Pasadena, greater L.A., late 1940s

Looking east along Colorado Boulevard at the intersection with Marengo. (colorized)

Approximate view today

1999 Toyota Yaris

This was the first year of the model.  More pics and info

bathtub transport in Bangkok

There was a bit of a deluge from the sky recently.

cars in Vine St, Hollywood, L.A., July 1948

This is looking north along the west side of Vine Street between Sunset & Hollywood Blvd, with Tom Breneman’s at 1539 N. Vine.

"Tom Breneman’s Hollywood Restaurant, a restaurant and live radio broadcast venue on Vine Street. Radio personality Tom Breneman became enormously popular as the host of Breakfast in Hollywood, an audience-participation morning radio program. By the mid-1940s, the show reportedly reached about 10 million listeners.
"After Breneman’s era, the building at 1539 N. Vine Street served as ABC’s West Coast studios from 1949 to 1956. Merv Griffin later acquired the Streamline Moderne complex in the 1970s, and it became the TAV (Trans American Video) Celebrity Theatre, where The Merv Griffin Show was taped."

(Pic from the Huntington Library photo archive via Vintage Los Angeles)

Present day view

1966 Austin Mini Moke

Info

NZR Ja 1267 with an overnight passenger train at Timaru, 1950s

Ja 1267, a 4-8-2 type, was built in 1950 and is now preserved by Mainline Steam.  For lots more get the book New Zealand 1950s Steam in Colour.

1948 Hudson Commodore sedan

Info 

viking longboat display in Vyborg, Russia

Vyborg is close to Finland and once belonged to Finland.

'would you like to read a good real book on my bed with me?'

a scene on Mexico's famous Copper Canyon Railway

 More pics with info. Chihuahua is Cartel territory but this probably isn't something they care about.

visiting Machu Picchu, Peru, in a car adapted for rail, 1959

In America these had names like Galloping Goose, Toonerville, Skunk and Putt Putt.  The Machu Picchu line is 3 ft gauge and still operates for the many visitors to this famous attraction in the mountains.

The approximately 110 km (68 mile) line runs from Cusco and stations like Poroy and Ollantaytambo down the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo).

the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway - Britain's most appealing miniature railway

A 7-mile (11.2 km) line on 3-ft gauge through Lake District scenery using steam engines, now in its 151st year.

https://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/

a Baldwin-built 2-6-0 from 1908 in Tacna, Peru

This was being restored at the Peruvian National Railway Museum (Museo Nacional Ferroviario) there a few years ago.

1955 DeSoto Diplomat Delux

 

a DB Uerdinger Schienenbus (railbus) in Uruguay

The State Railways Administration of Uruguay (AFE) bought a complete fleet of these two-axle passenger vehicles from the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) consisting of 56 total vehicles: 28 powered units (16 from the single-engine VT 795 series and 12 from the dual-engine VT 798 series) as well as 28 trailer cars (including both standard trailers and a trailer cab). They became iconic fixtures of Uruguayan passenger rail, serving regional and commuter routes fanning out from Montevideo's Central Station. 

They had an exceptionally long second life in Uruguay, staying in regular passenger service for over 30 years before being phased out, the last one in 2012.

About the only obvious external changes were the diagonal stripes over the added yellow patch on the front, and altered windshields.

1972 Opel Manta A (or Opel 1900)

1967 Volvo models

1949 Packard Eight Station Sedan

More pics and info

'I like to experience a good real book, would you?'

 

Pennsylvania Railroad MP54 electric train in Philadelphia, early 1950s

See earlier posts and here. (colorized)

1948 Studebaker trucks advertisement

1946 Ford Bond Bread Delivery Van

 

a look at FS's old electric glory machines in the La Spezia depot

See earlier posts for details. No comentary.

B & O E8 set travels through Wayne Junction, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1949

 Likely hauling a prestige passenger train.

1960 Edsel Ranger

an NZR Da class diesel with the Wellington-Auckland 'Scenic Daylight' train at Peka Peka, 1960

For info and lots more, get our books (colorized).

cars in Surfers Paradise south of Brisbane, Australia, 1963

A great array of colors! We think the red and off-white car in the foreground is a 1953 Holden FJ Special Sedan. (National Archives of Australia collection)

1957 MG MGA

'I get so much more from a good real book than a little device'

1972 Saab 95

 

cars on the then US 75 in Houston, Texas, circa 1959

Now part of Interstate 45 at Allen Parkway.

1972 Saab Sonett III