Lord_k's Article – September 2010 Archive (13)

Sunday Streamline #2: Churchill's Red Arrow

In 1930s, the Swiss Federal Railroad (SBB) decided to build the most unusual "flagship" - high-speed electric motor twin carriage. In 1938, two carriages of the SBB CLe 2/4 class (dubbed Roter Pfeil in German, i. e. "Red Arrow", also known as Fleche de Jura, i. e. "Jurassic Arrow") were rebuilt into…

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Added by lord_k on September 26, 2010 at 8:30am — 2 Comments

Wrist Computer

On January 13, 1946, Dick Tracy received his 2-Way Radio aka Wrist Communicator.

Six years earlier, a small Swiss company applied for a patent for Wrist Computer design, humbly called a slide-rule wristwatch, christened Breitling Chronomat. It was not the first slide rule watch in history and of course not the last one. If you want to know what the slide rule watches are for and where they come from,… Continue

Added by lord_k on September 25, 2010 at 6:30am — 2 Comments

Lord K's Garage - #56. 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Bertone Coupe

This is one of only 40 Alfa Romeos built on the lightweight Super Sport chassis during World War II. Mario Revelli di Beaumont designed this unique coupe and the body was built by Bertone. This year (by coincidence, the year of Alfa Romeo 100th anniversary), the car completed a major restoration in Italy and made its world concours debut at Pebble Beach.…

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Added by lord_k on September 24, 2010 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Bell Airacuda

In 1936 Bell started under supervision of chief-engineer Robert J. Woods with the design of their first own airplane: the FM-1 Airacuda*.

The FM-1 was a twin-engined heavy fighter totally designed according to the philosophy of the air-cruiser: a well-armed plane with a multi-headed crew that could stay airborne for a long time, meanwhile creating havoc under enemy bomber formations with well-aimed fire… Continue

Added by lord_k on September 21, 2010 at 7:00am — 7 Comments

Sunday Streamline #1: Commodore Vanderbilt

The United States was recovering from the Great Depression in the 1930's and the railroads decided that it was time to create a new impetus to increase travel.

Streamlining was the latest advent in industrial design and plans were made in 1934 by the New York Central System to produce their first streamlined locomotive, which would be named after the founder of the…

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Added by lord_k on September 19, 2010 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

Lord K's Garage - #55. Flxible Clipper

The Clipper, an undisputable Golden Age icon, was born in the Diesel Era.

In 1938, the Flxible Company presented its first rear-engine bus, a 25-passenger streamliner with Buick engine. Next year, the number of seats was increased to 29.

Here are some pre-war Clippers:…

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Added by lord_k on September 17, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Armored Trains, Part II

With the fall of Poland the armored trains story wasn't over.

Nazi Germany reintroduced them into its own armies, just in time for confrontation with the Red Army and its diverse fleet of armored trains and carriages.

In the meanwhile, the British forces revived…

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Added by lord_k on September 16, 2010 at 12:00pm — 3 Comments

Silver Pilot

This shining diesel streamliner is probably less famous than classic Burlington Route Zephyrs but no less important.

The EMD E5 was a 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors'…

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Added by lord_k on September 13, 2010 at 6:30am — 7 Comments

Knights of the Air: Gottfried von Banfield

Gottfried Freiherr (Baron) von Banfield (6 February 1890 – 23 September 1986) was the most successful Austro-Hungarian naval aeroplane pilot in the First World War.

He was known as the 'Eagle of Trieste', being probably the only flying ace who flew a flying boat fighter to nine or more victories.

Of Norman origin, the Banfields were an Irish family in the…

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Added by lord_k on September 11, 2010 at 6:00am — 6 Comments

Lord K's Garage - #54. AutoArt

Philippe Charbonneaux (1917-1998) was a French product designer, best-known for car and truck design, but also known for other products such as television sets.

Many of his works are now exhibits in places such as Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, or Museum of Modern Art in New York. He specialised in car design studies, so he has left many inventive prototypes. The prototype Ellipsis, released just two… Continue

Added by lord_k on September 10, 2010 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

Armored Trains, Part I

Last year we talked about railways guns. Today, it's the time of armored trains.

Tank vs. Train? Not a vicious fantasy, but a WWII reality. The story of armored trains begins in the mid-19th century. Most sources will tell you that that the trains saw their first combat in the Boer War. Don't you believe it, ever - they were used by the Austrians during the 1848 siege of Vienna,… Continue

Added by lord_k on September 7, 2010 at 6:00am — 7 Comments

Flying Americans v2.0

Nothing new today - just a re-issue of my old blogpost with different images:

The Comet, built by Goodyear-Zeppelin for NY, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, was powered by two 400 hp Westinghouse diesels.…

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Added by lord_k on September 4, 2010 at 7:00am — 7 Comments

Lord K's Garage - #53. 1937 BMW 328 Wendler Coupe

Back to German Streamline:

Ordered as a rolling chassis by German industrialist Hans Klepper, this BMW 328 was sent to coach-builder Wendler for an aerodynamic Coupe body. Using the principles defined by Paul Jaray, the design was penned by… Continue

Added by lord_k on September 3, 2010 at 6:30am — 2 Comments