Polish fire vehicles

A Mercedes van and a Magrius Deutz fire truck seen in Legnica (Liegnitz).  Feuerwehr is actually German for fire brigade, so these may have been bought second hand from Germany. A row of pre-war German buildings can be seen in the background.  This was another city which survived the war with little damage, but civic vandalism of both the old town and the city park by its Polish council in the 1960s has significantly reduced its visitor appeal today.  (Geoff Churchman)

Görlitz tramway, Germany

Some historic scenes of this south-eastern German city's tramway system which began in 1882 with horse trams.  It has been as long as 21 km but today consists of two lines extending about 9 km in metre-gauge.  Up to 1945 there was a line across the Neisse River to what was called Moys, but after Stalin's border changes of that year making German terrority to the east of the Oder-Neisse line part of Poland, it was closed.  Last year discussions were held with the Polish authorities about recreating this link.

Many of the old scenes can still be repeated, albeit with recent Tatra trams, as Görlitz was one of the few German cities which survived WW2 almost unscathed.  More on this website (German)

A terminus of Line 2, showing the Landeskrone hill, which has a hotel at the top

The equivalent view today (Geoff Churchman)

An aerial plan of the system until 2004 when Line 1 was closed.

"choose Thälmann"

Seen on a wall in Görlitz.   Ernst Thälmann was the Communist leader who stood against Hitler in the presidental election (actually won by Hindenburg) of  1932.  When the Nazis came to power in 1933 he was imprisoned and eventually executed in August 1944.

It's unlikely this sign is original, probably it was created for a DDR movie.

steam engine sculpture, Boston

Relevant to the theme of the previous post is this sculpture-artwork seen on a wall next to a platform at Boston Back Bay Station, Massachusetts.  The lighting conditions here are poor: this is about as a good a pic as can be got.

Winnipeg, Canada - 100 years of trains

To commemorate the centennial of Winnipeg's Union Station, VIA Rail Canada commissioned the production of an original work exploring the historical significance of trains and train travel, from station to railway, in Winnipeg as well as in the building of Canada.

This National Film Board of Canada presentation has been compiled from more than 70 years of material archived in the NFB vaults.

From acclaimed Director/Editor Yves Chaput.

1952 Jeep

A 1/4 ton M38A1 model to be precise.  The 4x4 Jeep was designed for the US Army during  WW2 by Willeys-Overland Motors Inc. and has a high ground clearance, but the overall height is low and the windshield can be folded down onto the hood.  There are no doors and the fuel tank is tucked behind the driver's seat.  Basic shelter is provided by a fold-away canvas hood.  The top and the wheels can be removed and the vehicles can be arranged like boxes for easy transport.  This version is slightly larger and faster than the original.

Manchester, England, trams then and now

at the same location. See earlier posts.


Größere Kartenansicht

anti-immigrant feelings soar in Greece

We mentioned in an earlier post that Greece should be a cheap travel destination next year; however, it may not be the safest, at least in Athens, if you don't look Greek.  According to a report on the Russia Today channel, street manifestations of hostile feelings are now commonplace, and directed not only at Muslims, but all ethnic minorities.

According to a spokesman of the 'Golden Dawn' party, which advocates deporting all immigrants, Greece has the highest number of unauthorised Muslim immigrants in the EU, most of whom come through Turkey, and if they move elsewhere in the EU and are found, they get sent back to Greece.

That may well be the case, but to put all the blame on them for Greece's current economic predicament is clearly unreasonable.  Furthermore, as everyone knows, some Muslims readily resort to terrorist acts when they feel insulted.  It all means that Greece, certainly Athens, may not be a good place to go for a while.

Citroen & Renault group in trouble

Many unsold cars, losses, layoffs, bankruptcy protection needed: this time not GM and Chrysler in the US but one of Europe's biggest auto manufacturing concerns.  The surprising factor is that Citroen and Renault both dominate the small car market in Europe which given the price of fuel in Europe is no surprise.  Yet a report on French TV pointed out that fewer and fewer French are buying French cars, and Germany is the country whose cars have most prestige.

In fact, among mechanics in NZ, as well as the authors of the Dog and Lemon Report, Japanese cars are much better than European cars, per se ... however, to avoid debate, we'll simply stick to the news.

streetcar in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec

A scene from the francophone province of Canada, northeast of Québec Ville.  The buses of the Quebec Power Company gradually replaced the tramways - considered a public nuisance - from 1937 and the last closed in 1948.