Sidecar Sunday

The Classic Motor Cycle January 1989

1903 Vindec Special 

Sikorsky SH-34

These pictures of this somewhat dilapidated Sikorsky SH-34 Sea Bat were taken at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. It's stored outside, which is unfortunate but I find missing parts and covers can make a more interesting display. My realization that the power came from a Wright radial engine mounted on an angle just below the crews feet with 1500 horsepower running up the drive shaft next to their elbows put the aircraft in a new perspective. 
I also immediately thought that this machine would be a perfect candidate for a turboshaft engine.  A little googling showed I was only about 60 years late with that idea. Westland helicopters built a turbine variant in 1958 as the Wessex. 

https://www.heli-archive.ch/en/helicopters/in-depth-articles/sikorsky-s-55h-19/

This is the earlier H19 with same engine layout but with quad landing gear and high tail. Below; the Westland Wessex.

http://www.airwar.ru/enc/ch/wessex.html

Production of the H-34 type ended in 1970 but the next year Sikorsky started doing conversions to a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6-3 Twin-Pac® Turbine engine.  This was a big step up in reliability and safety, though in my opinion, the longer nose didn't add to its looks. 

Twin-Pak Turbine powered H58-T 

Cell phones for everyone, 1989

Cell phone service for a dollar a day? Far too expensive for the average person 30 years ago.

That's approximately half what I pay today, and when you consider that the average income hasn't changed much since the 80s, how do we as the consumer afford them? It's not like the cost of living has stayed stagnant.

More County Commercial vehicles

Based on the Fordson Major, this 4WD conversion sported equal size tires. The drive was taken from the rear axles on each side of the differential. Production ran from 1961 to 64. I'd like to see an exploded or cutaway view of the drive.

Roadless County & Other Conversions, Allan T.Condie Publications, Nuneaton

Aircraft tug conversion.

Updated!

Know your Lucas battery

Fife Pier, Forth bridge

  Fife pier, plan view. 

Judging from the views below, some details might be missing...

thanks, Jon!

Fokker DC-2

Although Fokker purchased a license to build DC-2s, they in fact imported the aircraft from Douglas, had them shipped by sea and assembled them in Holland. 

Locomotive factory, 1859

This is a view of the Trevithick, a 4-4-0 being constructed at the Grand Trunk Railway shops at Point St. Charles in 1859. It had the distinction of being the first locomotive built by the railway. Below, completed and posed!

Another job you wouldn't want to do, Trolley car wire maintenance

Downtown Toronto, at Yonge and Queen St. workers of the newly-formed Toronto Transit Commission rebuild the intersection. The passing streetcar would indicate the power is not down. The foreman, dead center in a suit oversees the work. 
Meanwhile free enterprise is alive and well in the electrical utilities business. Each electric company erected and maintained its own system leading to forests of electrical poles and wires down each street,

International Nickel in Sudbury

Canadian mining company Inco was the world's largest producer of nickel during the 20th Century. In 2005 the company was bought by the Brazilian company Vale. Story here.