Dunlop, 1967

 "Crummy" is a technical term...

Yachting Magazine, January, 1938

 Yachting, then as now, "If you have to ask, sir..."

Adel Precision Products

I'm not sure what the decorative RCMP uniform had to do with an aircraft fastener company in Burbank, California in 1942, but it must have helped sales? Weird.

 From Facebook, a history of the company... After attending Marshall College for two  semesters in 1924, Huntington, WV native Henry Ray Ellinwood moved to California, where he went into business making camera equipment. While taking flying lessons, Ellinwood noticed how loosely the wires in his plane fit together. He devised a better way, designing an aluminum and rubber clip that held the wires in place. In partnership with a man named Adler (his first name has been lost in the mists of history),  Ellinwood opened a Burbank plant to manufacture his clip design. The two men named their company Adel, taking the first two letters of their last names. Adler parted with the company shortly after its inception.  The company struggled in its early years, but with the outbreak of World  War II, Adel found it couldn't produce its clips fast enough. In addition, military leaders worried that the California plant was in danger should there be Japanese air attacks. They urged Ellinwood to  build a second plant somewhere inland. And so in 1942, Ellinwood built a  plant in his hometown of Huntington, WV. At the height of the war, the  plant employed as many as 500 workers on three shifts. After the war,  the plant had its ups and downs. Meanwhile, it had passed out of  Ellinwood's hands. In 1965, Adel was acquired by Transamerica Delaval Inc. In 1993, the company closed its Huntington plant, returning all operations to California. Left suddenly jobless, many of Adel's veteran employees had never worked anywhere else. Enter Huntington businessman Rick Houvouras and other local investors, who teamed up and raised  $800,000 to start a new company - Star Technologies. The new venture began operation by hiring a half-dozen former Adel employees and pledging to them that, once the company reached a given level of profitability, they could become partners in it. Today the Star Technologies plant, located in the 2400 block of Fourth Avenue in East Huntington, produces millions of aircraft fasteners and other precision parts each year.

Glamour puss

Ken W Purdy, The Kings of the Road, Little, Brown and Company 1952

It appears that the door seams, fender skirt and fender vent door have been airbrushed out to accent the flowing lines.

 The Jaguar XK 120 was presented at the British International Motor Show at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre on October 27, 1948. The marketing campaign was centered around guaranteeing it would reach a speed of 120 miles per hour. The campaign worked, between 1948 and 1954 12,055 units were made.

M1 Carbine

 By early WW2 there was an awareness that the full size military cartridge was overly powerful and the rifles ungainly. The Germans developed the STG 44 with a necked down 7.62x33 cartridge, America designed this compact rifle using a 7.62x 33 straight case round developed from the earlier .32 caliber Winchester self loading round. The M1 carbine started production in July 1942 and went to war immediately. Millions have been manufactured by dozens of manufacturers.

No more Vincents

 

Previous post.

As reported in Motor Cycling magazine, Sept 15 1955

Fonzie's motorcycle found!

Because everyone knew that Fonzie rode a CB750! 

In uhmmm... 1958? 

 

Drafting error

 Side elevation of a Baldwin-made 4-6-0 made in 1860. Note the decorative head light and drive counterweights. What this drawing was intended for isn't clear but the draftsman made a mistake. Look where the main rod meets the side rod. It seems to have been installed inside the main rod, which would prevent a full rotation of the wheel. Apparently no one checked the drawing before it was published.

Central Petroleum Co.

At that price, I assume people must still be collecting oil cans. I had to look around on the can to find what product it was! As they say at the bottom, Central Petroleum has been in business since 1911 and are still around today. 

 They must not make it north of the border but they're located in Cleveland and are proud sponsors of the National Tractor Pullers Association. 

 

1950s Olympic Tape Measure

 This is interesting, a linen measuring tape in a nice Bakelite case from the mid 20th century Peoples Republic of China. Looking online, the length  apparently is either 20 or 30 meters. The brand name Tricle, probably doesn't translate well from the Chinese.