Tuesday, July 07, 2015

a big uncommon truck, custom made Kenworth


This truck is a 1928 Kenworth SP-55 custom built for the City of Seattle Street Department. It was used by their shop division and had a wrecker set up mounted on it. Although this truck resembles one of today's dually pickups this KW was rated at 2 tons.

This is the only pick-up that was built in the factory for a customer. The truck included special cab/bed, full length running boards, canvas top and a blue and cream paint job.

Found on http://truquetructruk.tumblr.com/ who is about the most discourteous, unpolite, selective dickhead I've ever seen at only giving credit to every other website he finds trucks on.... he just can't seem to get his shit together when he reposts every cool truck he steal off my site.

thanks to Steve for the background info!




this 1927 and 2 1928 trucks are all Seattle Street Dept and sent to me by Steve!

ordnance department truck, seems to be on a hell of a rough piece of terrain for 2 wheel drive

the truck was invented, but the horse was still the more dependable transportation until they figured out how to pave roads

animals pulling carts... seems to have been a trend



Found on Facebook

new billboard decal I've never seen before... Dart Sport, 340 in England

Heinz Meixner defects from East Germany by driving through Checkpoint Charlie after removing his windshield 5 May, 1963



One evening Meixner met Margarete Thurau at a dance in East Berlin. As love grew, they made plans for marriage, and Margarete asked permission to emigrate to Austria. East German authorities denied her request.

Undeterred, Meixner decided to drive under one of the steel beams that stretch across the narrow exits in the Wall. He chose Checkpoint Charlie, and riding a borrowed motor scooter, stalled it while the guard checked his passport. Meixner managed to measure the height of the barrier. It was only 37 1/2 inches above the pavement.

Meixner began a painstaking survey of West Berlin`s car rental agencies to find an automobile low enough to slip under the barrier. He selected a sports car, a red Austin-Healey Sprite. Without its windshield the sports car measured 35 1/2 inches in height. He chose a Sunday, shortly after midnight, for his run.

A few hours before starting he removed the windshield and, for added insurance, let some air out of the tires to lower the car even further. Margarete huddled in the tiny section behind the driver`s seat. Meixner`s future mother-in-law was crammed into the cramped luggage area. For protection against possible gunfire, Meixner had surrounded her with 30 bricks.

Sunday, May 5, 1963. It was time for the run. In the early-morning darkness, Meixner drove to the first barricade on the East Berlin side of the checkpoint. He displayed his passport to the guard, who motioned him on to the customs shed. Instead he gunned the motor, whizzed around the vertical bars and skidded past the startled guard.

Before the guards could fire their submachine guns, Meixner raced to the last steel bar, ducked his head, floored the accelerator and rocketed into West Berlin. He was traveling so fast that when he finally hit the brakes the tires left 96-foot-long skid marks.

After the American guards recovered from their shock at this apparition that had materialized out of the early-morning gloom, they welcomed Heinz Meixner, Margarete Thurau and her mother.

Meixner told the Americans, ``I figured it would take the guards three seconds to draw their weapons once they knew what I was doing. I knew Margarete`s mother was protected by the bricks. I felt I could make it with about three inches to spare . . . Now we can get married.``

http://www.vintag.es/2015/07/heinz-meixner-defects-from-east-germany.html

cool kid with dreams

a documentary about Evel Knievel is about to hit theaters

Belgium speed camera news

The vans are in Belgium accounted for a quarter of the speed fines, even though they make up only fifteen percent of all vehicles on our roads.

Police wrote last year 3.34 million speed fines. About 836,000 of them were drivers of commercial vehicles.

Truckers and commercial vehicles are such a big percent, because the govt can just fine the company that owns the vehicle. I'm guessing they have to get the driver of a pov, not the owner, to pay a speeding find. It was the way the monkey costume guy in Arizona beat 45 tickets. He left the monkey mask in his car, and no matter who was driving, they wore the mask, and the speed camera was unable to show police who the driver was

 http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20150707_01765991?_section=65502283&utm_source=nieuwsblad&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=regio-nb&M_BT=3781870152613&adh_i=3de794afb14ea0722b0b81f1031e37c7&imai=b4042c0b-1f99-4ca2-9f1b-0d24f755e957

Daniel Simon went to Houston's NASA center and they let him play with the rover... sigh

Bullwinkle Down! Hyundai totalled... people, do NOT take out a moose with your Hyundai...

Monday, July 06, 2015

wow, might be the best bunkbeds yet

a steam punk train station in Paris, the Arts et Métiers





Found on https://www.distractify.com/ticket-please-1197797377.html



thanks to James for letting me know about the Wikipedia page with these bottom two photos

BRM Nomad and a bus hauler... that is one beautiful race car

parking ticket tossed on appeal, for the technicality of a missing comma in the law as written

An appeals court has agreed with an Ohio woman who said her parking citation should be tossed because the village law was missing a comma.

Andrea Cammelleri says she shouldn't have been issued a citation in 2014 based on the wording of the law enacted by the village of West Jefferson.

The law lists several types of vehicles that can't be parked longer than 24 hours, including a "motor vehicle camper," with the comma missing between "vehicle" and "camper."

Cammelleri says her pickup truck did not fit that definition.

The village says the law's meaning was clear in context, but Judge Robert Hendrickson of the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals says in last week's ruling that West Jefferson should amend the law if it wants it read differently.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Womans-Parking-Ticket-Tossed-Because-Missing-Comma-311642131.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_LABrand







this 1913 International Harvester was bought new and used on a Modoc county farm until 1916, when it was parked in a barn and replaced by a new truck. It has sat inside for 99 years.


the 1916 mud still covers the two cylinder crankcase. The wooden body has not aged much, but the canvas curtains have perished a bit. Even the solid rubber tires are the factory originals.

found on https://www.facebook.com/highwheeler

two Martin Mars firefighting flying boats are still flying, but their future is uncertain, as do the stats. Depends on who you refer to as to what they claim is better at putting out fires



The Coulson Group has signed a contract with the province of B.C. for the use of Mars waterbomber, according to CEO Wayne Coulson.

http://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/311789601.html?mobile=true

According to some: The Mars Bomber has for many years, been one part of an effective arsenal of fire -fighting in the province of BC, but last year the decision was made to stop their direct-award contract, and the Mars are sitting idle on Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island – much to the confusion of many who have seen the plane in action. The Mars is capable of a large payload of water and, in some situations, can knock back a fire with incredible effectiveness, yet it sits after years of service to the province.

http://lailayuile.com/2014/07/21/why-exactly-is-the-mars-bomber-sitting-idle/

but according to
https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/factsheet-bcs-airtanker-fleet-and-the-martin-mars

In 2013, when the Wildfire Management Branch last used the Martin Mars, the season rate was $672,300 with a flying time cost of $4,000 per hour for the first 45 hours and $18,800 per hour for any additional hours. This rate does not include fuel. The hourly operating rate (including fuel) for all four Fire Bosses combined is $2,000 per hour less than that of the single Martin Mars. This cost difference becomes a $17,000-per-hour disparity if the Martin Mars was flown over 45 hours per year.

The cost of fuel per hour for all four Fire Bosses combined is less than half the cost of fuel per hour for the single Martin Mars. The cost of repositioning four new Fire Bosses combined is about $1,200 per day. The cost to reposition the Mars was about $12,000 per day, or 10 times that amount.

The Martin Mars' operational limitations make it difficult to sell surplus availability of this aircraft through mutual aid agreements. In contrast, the Fire Boss aircraft have already been in demand for deployment outside of B.C. earlier this season when they were not needed here. The Fire Bosses were deployed to the Northwest Territories earlier this summer, which recovered $287,000 for the Province.
Although the Martin Mars has a tank capacity of 27,250 litres, the average drop volume is 19,000 litres with an average turnaround time of 19 minutes. The average turnaround time for the Fire Bosses is seven minutes.

The Martin Mars cannot drop long-term fire retardant, which is critical in B.C.'s terrain and firefighting conditions.

In spring 2014, the Province acquired the contracted services of four Air Tractor AT-802F "Fire Boss" amphibious airtankers that can drop water, foam or retardant on a fire. They can skim up to 3,025 litres of water in 15 seconds from over 1,700 water bodies in B.C. and land at airports, including the Province's 17 airtanker bases. This airtanker group also includes a Cessna Grand Caravan bird dog aircraft.

Because of its size, the Martin Mars can only land on and scoop up water from about 113 bodies of water in B.C.

From 2007 to 2013, the Martin Mars was only deployed on 20 wildfires, or about 0.5 per cent of the 3,476 airtanker missions flown during that period (at a cost of about $4.8 million).

When drawing a comparison between the Martin Mars and the Fire Bosses that worked the fires in Kelowna in 2003 and in West Kelowna in 2014 respectively, the Fire Bosses delivered more volume and were more cost-effective than the Martin Mars. On the Smith Creek fire (West Kelowna), the Province's Fire Boss group dropped 586,000 litres over 11.3 hours, at a cost of $0.19 per litre. In contrast, on the 2003 Kelowna fire, the Martin Mars dropped 690,000 litres over 28 hours at a cost of $0.63 per litre. The suppressant delivery rate for Fire Bosses in West Kelowna was twice that of the Martin Mars in Kelowna.

The Coulson Group, the company that operates the Martin Mars, did not respond to the Province's offer of an "as when needed" contract for the 2014 fire season.

Over the past six weeks, ‎the new Fire Boss aircraft have actioned more fires than the Martin Mars did in six years.

which is something http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/mars-water-bombers-make-most-sense-1.1214063 couldn't find with a map a book for dummies when they asked Why exactly, is the Mars Bomber sitting idle?

Despite it's world-renowned ability to scoop up and drop 27,200 litres of water at time and a 53-year legacy of dowsing forest fires across North America, this year the provincial government opted not to renew its contract with Coulson Flying Tankers, the Hawaii Mars' owner. Instead the province looked to Abbotsford-based Conair for aerial fire suppression, gaining the services of four smaller turbinepowered aircraft instead of the massive Hawaii Mars.

According to Coulson Group of Companies CEO Wayne Coulson, the Mars bomber's firefighting contract in 2013 amounted to $750,000, yet this year the province decided to go with Conair's smaller, more modern aircraft for $1.8 million. After the deal was made Steve Thomson, minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource operations cited the bomber's "operational limitations" with respect to performing multiple drop patterns in B.C.'s mountainous terrain. The decision to with the Abbotsford company was made while considering the "more cost-effective, efficient options available due to advances in airplane technology," Thomson said. But the price disparity between the two options warrants a more detailed explanation of why the government chose the costlier contract. - See above as to why.

They sum up with: The provincial government has decided to go with a more expensive group of water bombers on the Lower Mainland, and when more help was needed called on the Yukon for more support. A capable firefighting asset sits still on Sproat Lake, sparking many locals to wonder if there is much more than cost effectiveness and efficiency involved in the province's decisions around controlling forest fires.
http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/mars-water-bombers-make-most-sense-1.1214063

the province is reported by http://globalnews.ca/news/1472281/petition-to-keep-martin-mars-in-service-to-be-handed-to-b-c-premier/  s saying that "the Martin Mars is not cost effective when compared to other options currently available.

The ministry of forests says the Martin Mars cannot drop long-term fire retardant and can only land on and scoop up water from about 113 bodies of water in B.C.

It says from 2007 to 2013, the Martin Mars was only deployed on 20 wildfires or about 0.5 per cent of all missions in that time frame."

I think this was informative as to why such cool airplanes aren't cost effective to restore or use for fire fighting, and I thought you should know, as the Martin Mars will likely be i the news due to the 4 year long drought and higher than average temps on the west coast going into the summer fire season

Canadians are upset, and getting upset on Facebook about it


https://www.facebook.com/les.gardner.12

ever seen a battleship gun getting trucked across country?

first time I've seen a semi on train tracks

Before the Futurliners, the Parade of Progress got along all right, but not quite as stylish

cool and clever matching hauler FC Jeep and racer

Nice Jeep!


Golden Eagle edition CJ 7

Found on https://www.facebook.com/That70sPage

Titus/Godsall Firebird and AMC Javelin, the also rans in SCCA Trans Am Wars

Stefan Marjoram drawings from this past weekends races at Pendine sands

Striping cart, 1939 Oregon

Fangio, a quick history lesson


Juan Manuel Fangio, won 5 Formula One driver’s world championships

Fangio left school at the age of 11 and worked as an automobile mechanic in his hometown of San Jose de Balcarce, Argentina before beginning his driving career.

(try telling your 11 year old schools out for ever, time to get a job as a mechanic)

He won his first major victory in the Gran Premio Internacional del Norte of 1940, racing a Chevrolet along the often-unpaved roads from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru.


 In 1948, Fangio was invited to race a Simca-Gordini in the French Grand Prix, also at Reims, which marked his European racing debut.

In Formula One, the top level of racing drivers compete in single-seat, open-wheel vehicles typically built by large automakers and capable of achieving speeds of more than 230 mph.

Individual Formula One events are known as Grands Prix.

 Fangio signed on in 1948 with Alfa Romeo, and won his first Formula One championship title with that team in 1951.

Over the course of his racing career, he would drive some of the best cars Alfa-Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Maserati ever produced. Capturing four more Formula One titles by 1957, Fangio won an impressive 24 of 51 total Grand Prix races,  a winning percentage of 46.15%, the best in the sport's history. Alberto Ascari, who is in second, holds a percentage of 40.63%.

In the race on July 6, 1958, Fangio, driving a Maserati, finished fourth, in what would be the last race before announcing his retirement at the age of 47.

https://www.facebook.com/HistoricVehicleAssociation?fref=nf

How little do airlines care about their customers? It's cheaper to get a new passport, than the ticket change fee



On Facebook, the 19-year-old from England has his name as Adam West, and that's the name his girlfriend's stepfather used to buy the teen's plane ticket. The problem is, his real name is Adam Armstrong.

So to avoid paying Ryanair's $336 fee to change the name, the teen used deed poll, a UK service to change his name for free and rushed a new passport costing about $150.

http://abc13.com/travel/teen-in-england-changes-name-to-avoid-paying-airline-fee/770247/

it may be useful some time, how to "Fast Honk"

Austin Dillon's crash at Daytona



http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nascar-race-ends-austin-dillons-car-airborne/story?id=32243794



in slo mo



but the best coverage from multiple views, cameras, and times before and after, are at

from 3 to 93, a Model T and a pipe will set you well


same wonderful guy, 90 years later


Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fordmodelt/?fref=nf

"Lesson Number 40" Cathy Dubuisson


winner of Grand Prix of the Most Beautiful Photo of 2012 International Automobile Festival in 2013, this was the result of a chance night walk when she stopped to take pictures of the curves of a 1964 Ford GT 40, which then won the Grand Prix of the Most Beautiful Photo of 2012 International Automobile Festival in 2013.

 "The car was there for me to bring out the best photo. If I had gone a meter further, I may not have seen these curves that were available to me ... "she says.

Under the eyes of Cathy, the noble curves are similar to the Ford naked body of a woman. Romanticism and sensuality emanate from this photo that she called "Lesson Number 40", in a nod to Aubade. This is THE cliché of 2012, a lesson!

http://www.cathydubuisson.com/#!__classique

Found on http://www.retromobile.com/retromobile/Le-Salon/Actualites/Cathy-Dubuisson-femme-photographe-automobile