Progress is fine, but it's gone on for too long.
with apologies to Ogden Nash...
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Powr Kraft V58 anvil
Sidecar Sunday
Wartime R75 BMW with drive to sidecar wheel . The helmet shaped thing on the tank is an air filter. 18,000 units were made before production ended in 1944.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Excelsior 2 stroke twin
How do you create two separate airtight crankcase chambers with an inline twin throw crankshaft. Most Japanese engines were simple horizontally split crankcase halves with a drop-in built-up crankshaft.
Excelsior did it earlier by bolting three sections together vertically and coupling two crankshafts together. In 1958 the engine was developed into a 500cc triple that was used in the Berkley sports car.
Packard V8
Ohlsson and Rice Model 1 chainsaw
A cute little chainsaw from the 1960s. Ohlsson and Rice were manufacturers of a line of tools, utilizing a 22 cc 3/4 hp gas engine as an interchangeable powerhead. This is an adaptation of that concept. a chain saw with a 9 "bar.
Power Transmission system
Thursday, February 26, 2026
The wreck of the T. P. Leathers
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| Joan and Thomas Gandy, The Mississippi Steamboat Era in historic photographs, Dover Pub. 1987 |
Sailing down the Mississippi river on October 22, 1896, just north of Natchez, the hull of the overloaded T. P. Leathers opened up and started filling with water. The pumps couldn't keep up and the crew was jettisoning bales of cotton as it ran onto the river bank where it sank. A nearby steamboat, the J. B. O'Brien, arrived on the scene and took the passengers into Natchez. Much of the cotton was rescued. The boat was raised on the 29th, and by November 21, the boat was back in business, hull repaired, boat refurbished and freshly painted.
1934 Hupmobile
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
West German padlock
These things turn up all over the place online and seem to be considered collectable. They're stamped with a size 35mm or 45mm and Made in West Germany (which means between WW2 and 1990) but no manufacturer name. Too bad this one came without a key.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Wapwallopen
Candidate for the best locomotive name ever. This freight engine was built by Baldwin in 1865 for the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad. Note the auxiliary roof over the coal section of the tender, probably provided for the fireman's protection.









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