Baldwin on parade

John K. Brown, The Baldwin Locomotive Works 1831- 1915, John Hopkins University Press, 1995

In 1887 Philadelphia held a parade to celebrate the Centennial of the US Constitution. One of the larger corporate citizens, Baldwin Locomotive Works, put on a great show. On a dozen horse-drawn wagons, finished locomotive components from wheels to cabs and cylinders were displayed but the climax was an entire narrow gauge locomotive on a wagon pulled by 32 horses. With steam up, the engine's drivers revolved slowly on rollers. Must have been quite a spectacle moving through the streets. 

Western Electric Picturephone

 In development from the the mid-fifties, Western Electric engineers managed to transmit black and white images through regular copper phone lines.  The ad above is from 1969 when the big marketing push began, with new pushbutton phones and a futuristic cathode ray screen. Although released with great fanfare it found few customers, reaching a total of only 453 in 1973. Part of the issue was expense, but people also found it intrusive, the market was not ready for the concept. More here.

EAAC Sport Aviation Convention 1982

 Sponsored by the Experimental Aviation Association of Canada. Did anyone attend? How was it it?

"Bathtub" Triumph, 1958

 The enclosed body panels, perhaps inspired by the Vespa and other motorscooters, were not popular.

Champion spark plug

 A genuine NOS 5-M plug made in Windsor, On. Canada ready for fitment in your Goggomobil, Messerschmitt, Nash or Saab. 

Detroit Historical Society

Guests of the fair

 A nice shiny Plymouth convertible is used to transport special guests to the Fair, in this case, Lucille Ball!

 

Sidecar Sunday

 

deHavilland Dash 7, 1982

 

Bottle opener, Frontenac White Cap

 Some things should be bought simply for their sculpture value. 

Frontenac Brewery was founded in 1913 in Montreal, Quebec by Joseph Beaubien. A vote on prohibition in 1919 banned hard liquor, but not beer and wine, and another vote in 1921 abolished prohibition altogether, Despite that, the brewery closed in 1926 due to heavy competition in Quebec's beer industry. Their products were Frontenac Bleue, White Cap, Olde Brew Special Reserve and Export Ale.

1993 Yamaha YZF750R

 

Allen screws

Allen set screws, 110 years old!

 

Textile manufacture in Canada

 Post World War 2 in Canada one third of women employed in manufacturing worked in the textile industry. Boring repetitive work, weavers earned $1.09 per hour, 4¢ less than their male equivalents, spinners, 92¢ to the males $1.26. That work has been long exported. At the time, the work week was between 40-48 hours and the average income was $55 per week, making these jobs reasonably paid...

Bread van

 I want it!

Evans Auto-Railer

Nice ad for another peoplemover idea that never caught on, more here.

One of my vices is vises, Fuller 4 inch.

 This is another antique store find, I've never seen that name on a vise before. We did a post on a Fuller company some time ago, they had an extensive variety of tools in the sixties and seventies, but I've seen no mention so far, of a vise specifically.

Earls Court Show edition! 1948

 

Box end wrench

Here we have an elegant box end 1 3/4" wrench, presumably designed for a specific use, no makers name or markings other than the size.

 

1968 Sno Jet project

Well, it looks like it's mostly there... but needs everything...

 

Blackburn Beverley

If there ever was a cartoon airplane, this is it. It looks even more ridiculous in flight because the landing gear does not retract. The Beverley was designed as a heavy lift transport for the RAF and first flew in 1950. Despite its size and ungainly appearance, it worked well. There were 50 built before production ended, the last aircraft was retired in 1967. 

Sports car production, the sixties

Ford Mustang

 

Lamborghini Miura

Sidecar Sunday

 1968

BSA No 7 wrench

 This looked like a nice heavy Whitworth BSA wrench, too bad about the rust and the hole drilled through the 7/16 marking. 

Yamaha 350 for 1970

 Another all-time great and underrated motorcycle...

James McKay Forgings

 James MacKay was an Irish immigrant to the US who (according to Wikipedia) after succeeding in such diverse ventures as the grocery business, oil industry, and a Colorado silver mine, built up a chain-making company in Pittsburgh in partnership with others. He eventually bought out his partners and the company was passed onto his sons while he pursued banking interests as a vice president of the Duquesne National Bank. Obviously an overachiever.

 For the Canadian content, we'll mention he maintained a summer residence on Lake Muskoka in Ontario.

All this background information, just for an image that would make a great shop poster. 

Canadair CL-415

Larry Milberry, Aviation in Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson 1979

 The Canadair CL-215 was the first aircraft designed specifically to be a water bomber. Introduced in 1969, 125 units were constructed  before this modernized variant, the CL-415, was introduced in 1993. 

Sunbeam motorcycle toolkit 1927

The Classic Motor Cycle, March 1991

 

Impress the girls! Moto Garelli Mosquito

This is another clip-on motor using the same friction-drive idea as the Solex but mounted below the bottom bracket and acting on the rear tire.

Thanks, Rolf!

 

https://cyclemaster.wordpress.com/page-14-the-mosquito/

Or start a revolution... 

 Che Guevara holds the unofficial record for riding his Mosquito equipped bike over 4000 km around South America long before his more famous motorcycle ride. thanks Pzak!

Attempted reincarnation of Indian Motorcycles

 

Floyd Clymer owned the Indian name after the company went bankrupt in 1953 and he planned to reintroduce the brand during the sixties. Along with his attempts with Royal Enfield and Velocette engines was this unlikely combination, a side valve 1950 Indian Scout replica engine in running gear designed by Friedl Munch. Unfortunately he passed away before the project came to fruition.

Sable Island save

Sable Island is a small sand island located in the main shipping lanes 300 km southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, it is the location of some 350 shipwrecks in the last 450 years. But on Feb 12 1945, it must have seemed like a miracle for the crew of this RCAF Liberator, which after experiencing engine troubles managed to land on the beach. 

Shipwrecks on Sable Island

mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com

 

Clothing drive

 

A truckload of collected clothing donations for arriving Jewish refugees, Montreal, late forties.

Aluminum level

Just a cheap old level, picked up because I liked the geometric frames holding the vials. The 45° vial may or may not be replaced, has anyone ever used a level for 45°? 

Triang ride-on truck

This looks like a great toy for a small boy, an all-metal ride-on truck 2 feet long! I'm not sure they were ever sold in Canada, the only Triang products I remember were the OO scale trains.

thanks Rolf!

 

Mystery roller

This assembly was found at an antique store in Eastern Ontario, probably part of some piece of farm equipment, what appears to be a roller with two sprockets, a baseball sized cast iron receptacle with a hole in the bottom- and what could be some provision for a wooden handle or mount. My first guess would be a seeder but the receptacle seems inadequate, guesses welcomed!

  Anyways there was a whole line of the things, if someone wanted to corner the market...