Progress is fine, but it's gone on for too long.: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Submarines defending the Panama Canal

Hood ornament

I saw this at a local auction. I thought it would look great on the hood of my 1953 Ford Golden Jubilee tractor, but I missed out on it.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The Curtis R3C was designed to raced in two configurations, on wheels (R3C-1) and on floats (R3C-2). Above, pilot James (Jimmy) H. Doolittle with his R3C-2, winners of the 1925 Schneider Cup race held in Baltimore Maryland that year.

Below, a week earlier after winning the Pulitzer race, the same airplane in R3C-1 form with pilot Lt. Cyrus Bettis.
On a 100km course he also piloted the plane to 249.342 mph, a new world speed record. The plane was tiny, 20 feet long with a 20 foot wingspan and weighed under 2200 lb. The watercooled V12 produced over 600 hp. The airplane is still around, on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

US Air Force Photo

Reach for the Top: Designing space capsules in the 60's

Arthur C. Clarke. Man and Space. Life Space Library. NY: Time Inc., 1964, 1966.

Vintage Airhead

Living Mambas Plus Strings. MacArthur Park and Other Favorites. RCA Camden CAS 2283. BMW Motorcycle courtesy of Butler & Smith, Inc., NY, Exclusive US Importer.

From an old vinyl album cover. Unusual shot. The rider appears far more arrogant than he has a right to be.

Hydra-Glide Vacation!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Alfa Romeo Carabo by Bertone.

Prototype (detail from top picture).

Below, the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Battery checker or cattle prod?

Photographed at a local auction:

Below, another one, much better made, being advertised on Kijiji.

On the Level: Twix

Silly wabbit, Twix are for kids!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Triumph TRW

500cc sidevalve twin built as an military motorcycle from 1950- 1964.

Miss Syracuse Diner

Located at 258 E Water St at Montgomery, the diner sits incongruously among the substantial buildings of downtown Syracuse. Sad to say, it was closed when I stopped by.

Dominion Government Immigration Office

Canada Year Book 1988. 120th Anniversary. Published by authority of the Minister of Supply and Services, 1987.

VeloSolex

Seen at a local auction. See the Wikipedia entry for more information on this bike. Since it was French, I think that the white plastic container on the side was for wine.

See The Solix at Salbris for more information on the machine.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Barr and Stroud Sleeve Valve Four Stroke Engine.

Barr & Stroud were the first British company to build sleeve valve engines for non-vehicle application, based on the Burt McCallum patent. The valve was designed to rotate and reciprocate between the piston and the cylinder barrel. Sleeve valve engines held an advantage over poppet valves in the early years but the reciprocating mass restricted engine speed to about 3000 rpm.
The company began production of this engine just after WW1 as a stopgap measure when demand slowed for their regular business of telescope and optical equipment. As this business returned to normal, engine production tailed off and by 1926 had ceased completely.

Lightnings on Patrol

Gene Gurney,The War in the Air, Crown Publishers 1962

Over France shortly after D Day.

Lots Road Power Station, Chelsea, 1922

J. Arthur Thomson. (Ed.). The Outline of Science. A Plain Story Simply Told.
Third Volume. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press, 1922.

King George's Navy chewing tobacco

Rock City Tobacco was started in 1899, producing the Craven A and Sportsman Brands. It was bought by Rothmans in 1963, then Rothmans, Benson & Hedges in 1986.

As for King George's Navy chewing tobacco, how could anyone resist "Moist, tough, full-flavoured"?

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The excitingly new Cushman for 1959

Tudhope Postcard

In 1910 the Tudhope carriage company of Orillia On. teamed up with the Metzger Motor Car Co. of Detroit to produce a Canadian version of their Everitt 30.
Production started in 1911 but the high price point resulted in poor sales. By WW1 the venture was finished and the last few cars were converted to ambulances for the military.
From the Globe and Mail.

A Practical Treatise on the Steel Square

Published in 1903, two volumes on the steel square would certainly seem to qualify as "exhaustive." Nevertheless, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, this tool could be very versatile. You also needed to be able to handle the math.

I was given my copy by a friend, but you can read the book online.

Fred Hodgson was born in Duntroon, Ontario but spent much of his life in Collingwood, writing his many technical books on architecture and house building. There he bought and remodeled a beautiful house for his son, who was a circus agent. (John Ringling spent the off-season in this Ontario town.)

Hodgson also produced various house plans which were available for purchase, ranging from plans for simple houses for those with limited means, to quite impressive residences. A House Plan Supplement was included in his Steel Square book, with several examples reproduced below.