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Covers a 1966 VC Valiant sedan that was on display at the show.
Taken at RUSH Show n Shine, Swan Hill, Victoria in 2018.
EOS 5D Mark III+TAMRON SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD (F017)
* If you have requests or comments, please describe these in photo comment space.
Greenham Common, 23 July 1983.
A VC-140B Jetstar of 58th MAS at Ramstein. A real classic.
61-2491 was scrapped.
This is VC Tower, an interlocking rail station located slightly one block east-ish of Portland, OR's Union Station. My husband worked there during the 90s, and was present for its last throes of life.
The Tower finally closed in November of 1997, when the Union Pacific changed the operations of this tower from a local manual system to the automated process controlled by the huge centralized UP dispatch center in Omaha, NE. VC Tower at one time also served as a telegraphing office. The top floor contained all the big brass handled controls for signals and switches, as well as a direct phone line to the Steel Bridge, which was accessed by an old-timey style phone mounted to the interlocking machine on an accordion arm. The bottom floor contained the bulk of the interlocking machine.
The window at top left in the photo was used back in the day (before modern communication technology) to pass paper messages via pole to the train engine crew. The window came so close to the engine cab it seemed like you could almost reach your arm out and shake hands with the engineer. Sure, the engineer was separated by feet rather than inches, but I'd never been that close to a working, moving train in my entire life. It was nearly like a drive-thru window at Taco Bell - reflective of just how short the distance viscerally felt between the window and the cab.
The roar of the oncoming trains was awesome, sounding like doom pouring down a mountain: an avalanche of metal machinery bearing towards you over the tracks. The early 20th century brick building would shiver and shake as trains approached; it felt like the little tower was trembling in fear. It was amazing, really - experiencing the sensational rumble and energy-rich vibration from a train without physically being upon it impressed itself forever upon my memory. Previously having seen the engineers of trains solely pass by only in a blur, it felt unreal to me to examine their faces as something concrete and specific.
One of the neatest features inside the building was an old transit board, hanging above the windows, displaying the surrounding track that fell within VC Tower's control. It showed a bit of local rail history, containing mentions of switches and tracks that no longer existed, as well as prominently labeling the contents of the board as Northern Pacific property. The board would light up individual LEDs when and where a signal was active. There was also some sort of needled meter on the board, but not being a railroad employee myself, I can't say what the lighted meter was for - I only took notice of "oooh! shiny lights!" (I'm shallow, sadly, what can I say?)
The interior surfaces of the building were rather richly coated in the accumulated grease and dust of the century, and while exuding an ostensible tidiness, the room upstairs simply could not escape the dirt and grime of being railroad property. The guys who worked there didn't take any especial notice of this, so it's perhaps telling that I, as a female and an outsider to the job, DID notice this particular detail.
The guys who worked there in the 90s put up with one oddly similar working condition that film actors I've known do when they're on set - long periods of interminable boredom and waiting, punctuated by bursts of over-busy activity and hustling to get the work done. Those VC Tower guys unfortunately were also charged with chasing off trespassers/vagrants who might want to sleep on the tracks, which could be a scary and risky endeavor indeed.
One of the former VC Tower employees sued for injuries resulting from falling asleep and tipping over in his chair on-the-job, and he did so successfully.... It was a long-standing pejorative joke about the particular employee himself, which is why I think I got to hear of it.
This is actually the second VC Tower. The original was a wooden structure, with the brick structure built to replace the first. The scuttlebutt is that the wooden building burned down, thus necessitating a new tower. Railroader gossip also holds that VC Tower was one of the last of its kind, if not THE last, in the United States.
The real pity about the preservation of this building comes down to the utter neglect of the Tower's interior contents - while VC Tower was initially supposed to be preserved in whole, the contents of the structure were ultimately left to the homeless squatters who slept in the building rather than by the historical society officially charged with its preservation. This means much of the old documents and diagrams/blueprints were used up as toilet paper and/or scrapped material long ago by those myriad trespassers. Some of the old blueprints showed old city street/line planning and technical specifications that are now lost into the mists of history because they were not immediately conserved into a library. Instead they were left to sit inside the unguarded (officially protected by railroad police, but unofficially easily trespassable for anyone able to break a window) building for casual destruction. As it turned out, the only thing remaining inviolable is the brick structure itself. Lots of stuff is now disappeared, representing a real loss to both railroad history buffs and to historical preservationists of the City of Portland.
My information here comes either from railroader (specifically via pre-'85 guys from Portland) lore or from my own observations both current and when visiting my then-boyfriend/now-husband and his co-workers at work at VC Tower.
The VC Interlocking Tower is now being given new life thanks to Portland's TriMet light rail line - an article on this proposal has been written up in a Portland Tribune article. In particular I love that the PT article makes sure to mention and define the railroader slang of "foamer." It used to drive those poor VC Tower guys nuts when the foamers would give them such idiotic grief that they couldn't get inside the Tower to take a million pictures. In Great Britain they have "trainspotters," but in the U.S., we have their less passive cousins, the "foamers."
VC-10 On Runway.
Dunsfold
Wings And Wheels 2016
The VC-10 is the second quickest plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Concorde being the fastest.
Just thought I'd have a go at the Sherman VC Firefly seeing as it's basically British and I was bored of my standard Sherman.
I may be no athlete of a particular beverage but I reckon it turned out OK, although the other side of tracks isn't complete. But sshh ;)
Front sloping idea by Rumrunner
Tickell's Thrush (Turdus unicolor) captured at Jutial, Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan with Canon EOS 7D Mark II
This plane is from the late 70 early 80s ... me being me i sat chatting with the retired pilot .. this plane we worked out has covered 18 million miles .
Swap was to make inchies for different celebrations in the month of July: National Hot Dog Month; Build a Scarecrow Day; Hug a Cow Day; National Blueberry Month; National Junk Food Day; Cousins Day; Independence day and National Ice Cream Month
The VC-09 is a heavy frame designed and fielded by the shadowy sect known as "The Dissident". Building upon the design of the VC-02 "Deacon", the Solstice functions as a heavily armored frame capable of bringing heavier weapons to battle, at a cost of mobility.
The Solstice is fitted with an "Eye of Isis", a larger, deadlier version of a standard Ijad Stingbeam Sphere, and comes with reinforced armor plating fitted with heavy field dampener shields.
Additional Shots:
LFOW's Note: I was messing with some Ijad parts and came up with a very large version of Soren's Stingbeam sphere, and immediately had to try my hand at scaling up his famous Scrambler to fit it. I think it barely fits in MFZ's Solar Calendar (it's currently the size of my largest Ecclesiarch frame) but a little larger and I think it's minifig scale!
John Daniel Hinton, (Jack) VC, was born in Southland on 17 September 1909. Hinton is remembered primarily for his bravery in Greece during WWII, which earned him a Victoria Cross.
Hinton served New Zealand as a soldier in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) during the Second World War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading an assault in Greece in 1941. The Victoria cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
At the outbreak of war, Hinton enlisted in Colonel Kippenberger's 20th Battalion 2nd NZEF (the Canterbury Regiment), and rapidly rose to the rank of sergeant. In Greece, during the Division’s first action, Hinton was attached to a group of soldiers who were to stay in reserve and provide reinforcements for the Division if needed. This group was sent to the Greek port of Kalamata when the Allied troops were ordered to evacuate Greece. On the night of 28 April 1941, Hinton fought his way down a narrow street, destroying several machine gun posts and attacking an armoured self propelled gun, before being severely wounded in the stomach. Attempts to evacuate Kalamata were abandoned, and the remaining Allied troops, including Hinton, were captured. Hinton spent the rest of the war in prisoner of war camps in Greece and Germany.
Medals are not normally conferred on soldiers while they are prisoners, therefore it was a major break with precedent when the announcement of the award of the Victoria Cross to Sergeant Hinton was made on 17 October 1941. Hinton was presented with the ribbon of his medal by a German general at a parade in a prisoner of war camp. Hinton at the time was being held in solitary confinement after one of several unsuccessful escape attempts.
The image above shows a group of Victoria Cross medal winners, including Jack Hinton, at a luncheon celebrating their awards. Hinton's signature can be seen second from the left. The photograph is part of the papers of Sir Walter Nash, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960. After defeat in the 1960 election Nash remained MP for Hutt until his death in 1968. Other images from the Nash papers have been digitised and are available to view in an online exhibition archives.govt.nz/events/walters-world-nash-collection
Archives Reference: AEFZ 22625 W5727 2596/3102/0021-022
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Material from Archives New Zealand
National Museum of the US Air Force
The Boeing VC-137C on display was the first jet aircraft built specifically for use by the President of the United States. During its 36 year flying career, it carried eight sitting presidents and countless heads of state, diplomats, dignitaries and officials on many historic journeys known as Special Air Missions (SAM).
On Oct. 10, 1962, the Boeing Co. delivered to the Air Force a highly modified civilian 707-320B airliner, serial number 62-6000. Bearing the unique call sign “SAM Two-Six-Thousand,” this aircraft illustrated the Air Force’s commitment to providing safe, reliable and comfortable air transportation for the president and other key personnel to locations anywhere around the globe. Whenever the president was onboard the aircraft, the call sign changed to “Air Force One,” a special designation established in 1953 to avoid confusion with other aircraft in flight.
At the request of President Kennedy, a new paint scheme was developed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and famous industrial designer, Raymond Loewy. In addition to the vibrant blue and white colors, the words “United States of America” were emblazoned in tall letters along the fuselage and an American flag was placed on the tail. These distinctive markings reflect the stature of the Office of the President and serve as a highly visible symbol of American prestige.
One of the world’s most historic aircraft, SAM 26000 carried eight American presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton. SAM 26000 played an important role in American presidential, political and diplomatic history, and it remains an important national symbol from the Cold War. In June 1963, SAM 26000 flew President Kennedy to West Berlin, Germany, where he declared to the world that “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”), boldly assuring continued American support in the face of communist threats and the construction of the Berlin Wall.
SAM 26000 bears an intimate connection to one of the nation’s greatest tragedies, a moment that forever altered the course of American history. On Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated while traveling in a motorcade through downtown Dallas, Texas. Hours later, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new president aboard SAM 26000. The aircraft then carried Kennedy’s body and President Johnson back to Washington, D.C., and a grieving nation.
During the Southeast Asia War, SAM 26000 transported President Johnson to visit U.S. troops in South Vietnam. In 1970 President Nixon’s national security advisor, Dr. Henry Kissinger, traveled aboard the aircraft on 13 separate trips to secret peace talks with the North Vietnamese in Paris, France. In February 1972 SAM 26000 flew President Nixon to the People’s Republic of China on his famous “Journey for Peace,” the first visit by an American president to China. Three months later, it carried President Nixon on an unprecedented visit to the Soviet Union, where he signed two historic nuclear arms control agreements.
In December 1972 SAM 26000 became the president’s backup aircraft when the Air Force acquired another Boeing VC-137C (serial number 72-7000). However, SAM 26000 continued flying presidents, vice-presidents and other high-ranking government officials on important missions. In October 1981, it carried former Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter to the funeral of the slain Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. In March 1983 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom flew on SAM 26000 during her visit to the United States. When SAM 26000 left the presidential fleet in 1990, it continued to fly prominent government officials. Secretary of State James Baker flew aboard the aircraft prior to the 1991 Gulf War for talks with Iraqi leaders regarding their invasion of Kuwait.
In a nationally-televised event, the USAF retired SAM 26000 to the museum in May 1998. After 36 years of providing service and accumulating more than 13,000 flying hours, SAM 26000 began a new career, educating thousands of visitors each year about USAF presidential airlift.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Crew: Seven or eight (plus 40 passengers)
Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney TF33 (JT3D-3B) turbofans of 18,000 lbs. thrust each
Maximum speed: 600 mph
Range: 6,000 miles
Ceiling: 41,000 feet
Weight: 336,000 lbs. (loaded)
A new outdoor exhibit at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center, titled the "Astrobiology Walk," displays Goddard's role in probing the origins of life on our world, in our solar system, and in the deep reaches of space.
Goddard's Astrobiology Walk consists of ten stations. Each station sits atop a stainless steel pillar and features two informational panels. One, which visitors read as they overlook the Goddard campus, describes basic science concepts in astrobiology. The other, read as visitors face the Rocket Garden's massive Delta rocket, explains Goddard's contribution to that science. Quick-response (QR) codes at each station link visitors' mobile devices directly to related web content.
Each station is also crowned with a three-dimensional icon – a visual representation of the science concepts being presented, whether an amino acid, a stromatolite rock from Australia, or a detailed model of an early barren Earth. Two icons, depicting the topography of Mars and the nucleus of comet Hartley 2, are based on satellite images and laser altimetry measurements. Exhibitology fabricated these two models using 3-D-laser printing, with later refinements by graphic artists. Visitors are allowed – and even encouraged – to touch everything.
The Astrobiology Walk was formally unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 2, 2013 at 2 p.m. EDT at the Visitor's Center.
For more information about the NASA Goddard Visitor's Center, visit:
www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html
Credti: NASA/Goddard
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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