Friday, October 17, 2025

Erie railway



An action photo of an Erie local passenger train rolling along in northern New York State in the early 1880s. 

Volkswagen Cabriolet, 1984


              
Cute little ride, very much a "girl's car" back in the day...

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Marsland Pipe wrench


We've covered  the Canadian company Marsland before, both as an electronics company but also their vise. These heavy tools seemed out of place in an electronics company product line but they had a division that supplied equipment for mining companies. It appears Marsland acquired the Whitehall Machine & Tools, Ltd of Hespeler and the A. B. Jardine companies of Galt in the 1940s. Jardine was making a pipe wrench under the Ridge tool patent and this must be the same product under the new name. Looks like it could last for centuries.
 

Know your Lucas K2F magneto...

 

Found on most British postwar twins, apparently.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

GM Bumper Jack Wheel Ratchet Wrench

No. 15659721. Part of a GM scissor jack system, in use from the mid eighties till 2007.


 

Bikes in the 'hood, RV90

I never saw these oddball fat tire Suzukis back when they were new, but they must have sold enough of them because they keep turning up, and Suzuki has reintroduced the bike as a VanVan. I still don't get them. 



 

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

How use a "real" phone...



 

The very first Brough Superior

The new marque wasn't quite ready to show at the Olympia show in late November 1920, but by Christmas it was in the weekly motorcycle magazines. Powered by a 980 OHV JAP V twin, it was presented as a fast sporty solo mount and George Brough was eager to promote his "specially ordered" components in his "assembled" motorcycle.


 

Monday, October 13, 2025

Russian Oil Products


 Hope this was less cryptic to the informed consumer of 1933 than it is to me...