cars in the luggage

This recent special issue of Eisenbahn Journal looks at the transport of passengers' cars on long distance trains in West Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the past and what is done today - known as Autoreisezüge.  It seems a sensible way of reducing cars on the highways, although how popular the practice is isn't clear.

As usual with Eisenbahn Journal, it is a high quality production with a glued spine instead of 2 staples, and a laminated cover - it could qualify as a book.  The photos and period adverts, nearly all in colour, are quite nostalgic both from a railway and a car enthusuast's viewpoint as there are lots taken in the 1950s and 1960s.  The phenomenon was largely the preserve of the upper middle class; even in Germany the Mercedes and the Oldsmobile in the cover scene were probably beyond the reach of the average worker, although smaller cars are also shown.  100 pages in A4 format, including cover, of which about 6 are adverts for other publications.

Gisborne Mayor takes petition to save the railway to Parliament

An article from the NZ Herald site below.  The people of Gisborne are up against Steven Joyce, but 10,000 unhappy voters might be enough to persuade PM John Key...


Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon has taken his city's plea to save its railway line into his own hands, travelling to Parliament today to appeal to the Government.
Mr Foon presented a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to Cabinet Minister and East Coast MP Anne Tolley, telling her that Government support for the region's transport was crucial.
The Gisborne to Napier rail line was already under review by KiwiRail when slips caused by heavy rain at the end of March forced it to close.
KiwiRail has said it will cost up to $4.3 million to fix the slip damage, but other maintenance work required on the line had to be factored into considerations about whether to do the repairs. A decision is expected this month.
Mr Foon said the city would struggle to do all freight travel with trucks if the line did not reopen,
"The roading costs will be horrendous, and we need to be competitive," he told APNZ.

"We need line security and transport support from central Government ... we hope the current Government will listen to our call, and we think we deserve transport options to be saved."
Mr Foon said Gisborne's business community had worked hard to increase the freight travel from five wagon loads a week to 60, and it was important for him to come to Wellington to represent them.
Accepting the petition, Mrs Tolley said she understood the importance of ensuring secure transport links for the region.
"You're a critical part of New Zealand's economy, and I'm happy to forward this petition to the House," she said.
Along with Mrs Tolley, Labour, Green Party and New Zealand First MPs turned out to watch the presentation today, and Mr Foon said it was pleasing to see broad support for the cause.
Labour's Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Parekura Horomia said export was huge part of Gisborne, and getting transport organised as soon as possible was essential.

1998 International tank truck

A Mobil tanker at Kuripuni Motors near Masterton.(Wallace Trickett painting)

plan for a monorail-trail in Sydney

Sydney's 3.6 km monorail which circuits the CBD and Darling Harbour, opened in early 1988 for the bi-centennial year, has always been controversial among locals; now the NSW government plans to remove it soon. In its place, a proposal is - by adding a boardwalk and railings - to turn the track into a walkway similar to New York's High Line.  More on this Sydney Morning Herald page

For a technical history of this monorail - Australia's only public one (two private ones were built for Jupiter's Casino and at Seaworld [ex the 1988 World Expo] on the Gold Coast) - see the book Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand.

2011 Chevrolet Volt model

We did a post on this hybrid car when it first appeared; now a 1:18 detailed scale model is available from Kyosho.

another distinctive bus stop - Athens, Georgia (USA)

Vrutky station, Slovakia

On the left can be seen a 183 class Co-Co type electric loco (3 kV), of which 44 were built by Skoda in 1971. Of these 6 are now used used in Poland, the rest in Slovakia.  Their continuous output rating is 3,795 hp, length is 18.9 metres, and weight 120 tonnes.

Western Railway Offices, Bombay, India, 1960s

Also known as Mumbai, it is today the biggest city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million.

ALCo Century 415 switcher

One of 10 of the American Locomotive Company or ALCo Century 415 switcher (what we call shunter) units that Chicago, Rock Island & Pacfic (usually just referred to as Rock Island Line) acquired, is seen at Blue Island, Illinois, in the late 1960s.
  

This was a Bo-Bo type diesel equipped with a raised cab mounted slightly off-centre, with a lower, narrower hood on either side. The longer hood contained the engine, a 1500 hp (1,100 kW) eight-cylinder turbocharged Alco 251-F, while the shorter contained auxiliaries. 

The C415 could be ordered with three different cab heights; a low one for minimum clearances, a regular height one, and an extra-height one for maximum visibility. Trucks (bogies) fitted were either AAR Type B or ALCO Hi-Ad (high adhesion).  A total of 26 of C415 units were built between 1966 and 1968 for seven different owners and a few are still in use today. 

RNZAF stamps, 1998

Issued to mark the 75th anniversary of the Wigram base in Christchurch.  For details of the aircraft on the stamps, see the book NZ Aircraft Illustrated.