The Lightning Calculator, 1954

The New Wonder Book Cyclopedia of World Knowledge.  Philadelphia & Toronto:  International Press, 1954

At this date, Oppenheimer was in the middle of his fall from grace in the ultra-paranoid, anti-communist political climate of the time.

Von Neumann had only a few years to live, dying of cancer possibly caused by his presence at the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests.

Another job you wouldn't want to do: die grinding giant tires, 1950's

The World Book Encyclopedia.  Chicago:  Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1958.

Carlisle PA 1982

Perth and Amboy Railway

Louis T. Henderson;Trains, A Children's Picture Book; M.A. Donahue & Co.1935

As it looked in 1935, more than a hundred years after it was built. The rails are supported on stones cut and shaped by prisoners at Sing Sing. No word on who the dapper dude is.

Berkshire 765 at the Lima Locomotive Works

Railfan & Railroad.  Nov. 1980.  Vol 3 No 7.

The locomotive was rescued from a static display in a city park and has been restored to operation by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. 

Grobet-Swiss files

Last summer, I picked up a few Barrette files at a yard sale.  I'd never heard of the maker, but I liked the rabbit trademark.

F.L. Grobet founded Grobet Frères in 1812 in Vallorbe, Switzerland.  He was the first to bring mass production techniques to the manufacture of Swiss precision files. In 1836, he designed and built the first file cutting machine to improve the accuracy of the files being made by his company. Today, the company offers more than 1000 types, sizes and cuts.

Interestingly, the American side of the firm uses a different logo, which says something about cultural values:

The Grobet USA catalogue has an interesting history on the development of files, as well as a useful page on how to use Swiss pattern files.  Below, a drawing from the history page:

Sidecar Sunday

Thanks, Fred!

Then and now...

Flying Yankee resurrection!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Yankee

In 1957, after twenty two years of service in New England the Boston and Maine Flying Yankee (a virtual clone of the Burlington Zephyr) was retired and donated to the Edaville railroad.

I took this picture of the deteriorating train at Edaville in 1984. Windows were cracked and discoloured, it was sinking into the ground and it was obvious there was not enough money to maintain it. I wondered what would become of it. 

But good news, in the early 90s the train was sold and moved to New Hampshire for restoration. In 1997 the restoration was started at the Claremont Concord Railroad at Claremont Junction, NH. and in 2005 the train was moved to the shops of the Plymouth & Lincoln (Hobo) Railroad in Lincoln, NH where the restoration of this historic streamliner will be completed. http://www.flyingyankee.com

Electric model heart, 1967

Canada One Hundred 1867-1967.  Prepared in the Canada Year Book, Handbook and Library Division, Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Ottawa.

What they had to do before computer simulations.

William Henson's steam airliner

Machines, Power & Transportation.  Science Universe Series.  Arco Publishing, Inc., 1984