Locomotive Catawissa

  The Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad & Coal Co. was incorporated in 1826. Amazingly, that was 200 years ago.  As that time predates the common use of photography there are no photographs of the first locomotives.

 This one, the Catawissa, was made in England by Edward Bury of Liverpool and was one of two ordered by the company. By 1832 it was running a 28 mile track in Pennsylvania from Port Clinton to Tamaqua. This photograph of unknown age shows the locomotive later in its career with an added cab, stack, pilot and sandbox. The locomotive was still on the property in 1863 and was sold  to the American Dredging Company in 1871. 

Fashion Friday, riding gear

Norton Commando, for the space race?

 

Motor Cycle May 1967

Developing the Triumph Daytona bikes...

Grapple Hook

 

  This hook is actually shown upside down. The hooks are intended to grab into the sides of a barn beam to give a hooking point for a pulley system. It was patented by Seymour Rogers of Pittsburg, and made by Aaron J. Nellis & Co.  

 A.J. Nellis & Co. manufactured hay hooks and track systems in the late 1800s as farmers started to move to quicker methods of filling barns with loose hay. They became widely known as a "Manufactory of Harpoon Horse Hay Forks" and heavy iron barn grapples. The company faded as the hay harvest shifted to balers. 

US100330A   

Today's big job

 Admittedly not a good photo, but you get the idea. A  full size Excello Bridgeport-type lathe has a new home. Its too heavy to lift with the tractor bucket but we did get it out and up, on and off the trailer and into its new home. 

  I clearly would have to work on my camera skills if I wanted to start a Youtube channel.

We used to make things in this country #380; Hornet chainsaw

 Here we have a chain saw from the late 1940s made in Guelph, Ontario. This saw had a two stroke engine that used a float type carb. The problem with a float-type carb is that it only works in one orientation. In order to make a horizontal cut, some means of feeding the engine had to be devised. The Hornet's solution was a longitudinal crankshaft with the shaft out the front. A right angle gear mechanism allowed the blade to rotate 90 degrees while the power head stayed in place. That's one way of doing it!

  Hornet Industries was started by a John J Smith after WW2. The company manufactured one and two man saws. In 1950 the Mall Tool Company bought the company and sold the saws under their own name. In 1958 Remington bought the Mall Tool company, moving chainsaw manufacture to Desa Manufacturing which closed in 2008.

One of my vices is vises, machinist milling vise

No name on this one that I could find...

 

Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe sedan

 

 Best guess, maybe 1951? 

Le Costaud jack

A French-made sturdy (translation of costaud) little jack made to lift heavy furniture, appliances or doors just enough to get rollers or moving pads underneath. 

 

William Hjorth wrench- pliers

 The "Lightning" wrench-pliers by the William Hjorth company.  The company was founded in Jamestown NY in 1902 to made a line of hand tools for plumbing and other trades. They were known for their multi-function tools like this one but also made pipe and adjustable wrenches. The company lasted about 30 years.