Impermanence

"Oh, you brought the barn I ordered? Just put it over there...."

 

Production line

 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Production Line at Flint, Michigan.

Ocean Hiway

 From a 1950 National Geographic. I smiled about the dangers of Big City Congestion, but it's all relative. I'd love to see the 1950 route, I expect it's now endless stoplights, hotels and fast food outlets. The association (also known as the Ocean Highway Assoc.) was apparently started in the twenties, long before there were Interstates, in an effort to promote tourism. More here and here.

Monday Mystery, logo on modern axe

A friend sent this logo to me, having found it at a local thrift shop. Fibreglass handle with the usual warning imprinted in the grip, but no maufacturer name, it's probably (almost certainly) an import. He sees the logo as possibly an anchor, I suggest cTs. Other suggestions or guesses?

Thanks, Inno.

 

Commemorative bookends

I can't find any information on these but it seems to be a commemorative set of bookends for the event of the Canadian government's sell-off of the Canadian National Railway. 

I dunno,,,, "Buy a million shares,  get a set of bookends"? Anyways,  a nice piece of history for the railway historian.

 

Sidecar Sunday, Tours of Paris

I didn't get a chance to take one of these tours, but they look like a fun way to see the city!

 

Spoke shave

This looks like a handcarved/homemade spoke shave with a very nicely shaped wooden handle but I'm not sure how well the blade arrangement would shave or discard the woodchips, Maybe just buy the commercial one on the upper right if the intent is to make some spokes.

 

Scale traction engine

I don't know my traction engines but could this be a scale model of the Burrell Showman's engine? The craftsmanship and detail shown on this machine is incredible. 

 

Clark Bars promotion multi tool

I had never heard of the Clark candy bar so this tool was a complete mystery to me. Now that I understand the context I'm left wondering what a crate-opening multi-tool like this has to do with anything candy related...

ebay

 

Short Sperrin

Postwar experimental jet bomber that first flew in 1951.  The engine arrangement was the most original thing, four engines stacked in pairs on the conventional straight wings. The competing designs were more advanced with swept or delta wings and the Sperrin was reduced to a test role, Two units were built, both were scrapped by 1958.

Plane Historia

 

Mississippi steamboat engine crew

Joan and Thomas Gandy, The Mississippi \Steamboat Era in historic photographs, Dover Pub. 1987

 It wasn't always hard work, the engine crew of an unnamed steamboat poses with a checkerboard at the ready...

Oldsmobile 88

Make a date with a Rocket 8...

 

Indian engine

 Window dressing at the Paris Indian dealer.

Douglas Skyraider

One of my favorite airplanes during my plastic model kit days. Instead of building one version of a plane and having bombs, rockets or fuel tanks left over, this plane let you hang every bit of ordinance on the sprues. Also a single-engine plane so big it made that Duplex Cyclone look disproportionately small. Never seen one in real life until we visited the French Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget airport. 

 

BSA Thunderbolt, Irresistible!

Speaking of optimism; "Stop that grinnin', and drop that linen..."

 

Optimism in the 1950s...

 Atoms for peace

HiTop wrench

 With a name like that, you know it's going to be good quality....

Sidecar Sunday

 Fritz Scheidegger with John Robinson at the IoM, possibly 1965.

Oekmobil

This traffic stopper was designed by Arnold Wagner. a Swiss aeronautical engineer in the lmid 1980s. As a motorcyclist, he found that for commuting he usually took the car for weather and convenience reasons. So he built a fully enclosed two-wheeled vehicle powered by a BMW K bike engine. The outriggers are for stopping and low speed use. Then he went into(very small) series production. By 2009 about 90 had been built.

Then it grew up. https://www.peravescz.com/

Cycle World  Dec88

 

Sachs 1967

Even for the swinging sixties, this is a weird ad. Despite that, Sachs didn't seem to have much of a presence in North America... 
 

Charles Forschner's Improved Circular Spring Balance

If I had a need for a hanging scale, this one looks nice. 

Company history from the Smithsonian; Charles Forschner began making scales in New Britain, Ct., in 1855, and later moved to New York City. His son, Richard Forschner, renamed the firm R. H. Forschner, and began importing European cutlery, including the Victorinox Swiss Army Knives. The Forschner family sold the business in 1957.

 

1955 Chevrolet 2 door wagon

 A nice boxy car, a big styling leap from the previous year. In 1955, about 40,000 two door station wagons were built in the 150 and 210 series, the Nomad must have been slotted into the upmarket Bel Air line.

One of my vices is vises, Transogram

The name Transogram is more familiar as an American maker of toys and board games . Not sure where this light duty bench vise fit into that product line...

We used to make things in this country #353 Waterous Engine Works

 The Waterous Engine Works grew out of the P.C. Van Brocklin company that was founded in 1844 to manufacture ploughs, sawmills and other farm and industrial equipment. When Van Brocklin sold his shares in the company in 1894, Charles Horatio Waterous became the major partner, renaming the company as he did. Waterous started building steam engines as a complement to their other equipment. By the 20th century, following opportunities, they had shifted away from steam engines to making pulp and paper equipment as well as fire equipment. The company passed through several hands, finally disappearing in the mid 1990s. Complete history at the great Vintage Machinery site.

Moon Glow observation car

An ad surprisingly lacking in any information.

 

Delta File Works 1915

As perfect as will and skill can make...

 

BSA Starfire

Yes, Ms. Leopardskin truly has it all. 

Precision pedestal grinder

Precision Machinery of Shortsville New York. I don't see much info on this company, not even at Vintage Machinery! This grinder would date back to the turn of the last century, The small pulley would mean a high rotational speed but how fast? And would there be slippage? 

 

Jeepster Commando

Even the popsicle orange colour says, "Summer toy!"