1938 NEW York Central advertisement poster by Ragan

from http://www.posterplus.com/product.asp?deptid=2291&pfid=PSP02125

Chrome and leather drawer pulls sitting on a vaulted base with a raised lip back edge. Jacked with style for a modest piece, and how about that effin' lamp.

Okay, I literally squeed with delight when I saw this streamlined old McCrory's Building. For those not who may not know, McCrory's was a five and ten cent store, ala G.C. Murphy's, Woolworth's, or Kresge's (And if you don't know what any of those are, then you're young!) The red sign and the light brick is a feature I've encountered on several McCrory's stores, but I've never seen one in this streamlined style. Unfortnately, I'm sure this place died long ago, as it is currently a thrift shop... I bought a hand held juicer for like 25 cents haha. :) I've been in one that was nearly original inside (with snack counter), but this one was pretty bland... and uh.. not original.

Canonsburg, PA

The New York Central K-5b Pacific Class 4-6-2 steam locomotive #4915 with Henry Dreyfuss' streamline design. Originally manufactured in 1926 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), no. 4915 and her sister no. 4917 were streamlined in 1936 to lead The New York Central’s most luxurious experience on rails.

This project is my first MOC and has taken about a year and a half to complete with many challenges arising in trying to obtain the beautiful "streamline moderne" styling. Perseverance paid off however and through 1/2 steps, 1/3 steps and even 1/6 steps I have ended with a final version that I hope you all will enjoy.

The model is 8-wide, built to 1:48 scale and is designed to fit all standard lego track geometry. The locomotive is powered by two Power Functions M motors.

Directions to the build can be found here:

www.etsy.com/shop/ChristopherLocoWorks

Steamtown, USA display of former Canadian Pacific non-streamlined 4-6-4 H1b Hudson (Empress) # 2816, with son Jeff standing by the rear 75" driver at the museum in Riverside, Vermont, August 1982. Jeff almost made to the height of the driver at his present height of 74 inches tall.

Preset Style = Streamlined

Format = 8" (Large)

Format Margin = Small

Format Border = Sm. Rounded

Drawing = Technical Pen

Drawing Weight = Medium

Drawing Detail = Lower

Paint = Natural

Paint Lightness = Darker

Paint Intensity = Normal

Water = Tap Water

Water Edges = Medium

Water Bleed = Minimal

Brush = Natural Detail

Brush Focus = Everything

Brush Spacing = Wide

Paper = Plain

Paper Texture = Medium

Paper Shading = Light

Options Faces = Enhance Faces

Streamlined art deco van. This design is a slightly modified version of Flickr user snaillad's van, which you can find in his photostream. The delivery man seems to like it, so I guess it's not too bad. First created in MLCad, then built with real bricks.

Preset Style = Streamlined

Format = 10" (Giant)

Format Margin = None

Format Border = Straight

Drawing = Technical Pen

Drawing Weight = Medium

Drawing Detail = Lower

Paint = Natural

Paint Lightness = Auto

Paint Intensity = Normal

Water = Tap Water

Water Edges = Medium

Water Bleed = Minimal

Brush = Natural Detail

Brush Focus = Everything

Brush Spacing = Wide

Paper = Plain

Paper Texture = Medium

Paper Shading = Light

Options Faces = Enhance Faces

This former roadside diner built in the 1930's to resemble a Union Pacific streamliner at one time was located just north of Perris, CA on U.S. 395. Seen at the Southern California Railway Museum.

These are a few Streamlined and Semi-streamlined steam locomotives in HO scale. All are brass, except the two British LNER locomotives. Pennsylvania RR (PRR) 4-6-4-4 Q-1 Streamlined Locomotive by Daiyoung Korea for NJ Custom Brass.

There are hundreds of these interwar blocks of flats in inner London. Most are of unremarkable design, but when I came upon this one I thought it looked a cut above most. Then I remembered reading in Pevsner of some flats somewhere around here by one of the more distinguished Modernist practices. I looked it up when I got home. Yes, Henriques Street, south of Commercial Road, by Burnet, Tait & Lorne, 1934-5, Modernist flats for the adjoining Bernhard Baron Jewish Settlement, founded by Basil Henriques. The only trouble is Pevsner refers to Basil House, but this is called Batson House. This must be it though. I've been up and down Henriques Street on Google Street View and there is no other candidate. It adjoins the Jewish Settlement. There are, I think, three blocks like this ...so perhaps one of the others is Baron House. I like the pillars running through the landings, with an especially chubby one at ground level. The windows must be replacements. Henriques Street, by the way, used to be Berner Street, site of one of Jack the Ripper's murders. I think it was still Berner Street when I last visited in 1970.

Tram Blackpool English Electic Railcoach 680

Wikipedia description

The English Electric Railcoach cars were 45 streamlined enclosed single deck trams built by English Electric between 1933-1935. They were numbered 200-224 and 264-283. None of these remained in their original form, with 10 cars (272-281) rebuilt as towing cars for the Progress Twin Set cars in the 1950s and 1960s, 2 cars rebuilt as illuminated cars in the 1960s (209 as the Western Train Locomotive and 222 as the Hovertram), No. 264 rebuilt in 1964 with flat cab-ends and rounded corners, No. 618 (271) rebuilt in 1968 with tapered cab-ends and the last 11 surviving cars as well as Nos. 264 and 618 (220-221, 224, 264-271 and 282-283) rebuilt as the One-Man Operated (OMO) cars in the 1970s. The other 20 cars were scrapped.

English Electric Railcoach car No. 264 was rebuilt in 1964 with flat cab-ends and rounded corners, resembling the Coronation cars and the Twin Set cars. No. 264 was also given exterior plastic panelling to reduce its weight, but was returned to aluminium panelling due the plastic warping and becoming discoloured. No. 264 became No. 611 in 1968. English Electric Railcoach car No. 618 was rebuilt in 1968 with tapered cab-ends, increasing its capacity from 48 to 56. Prior to being rebuilt as the OMO cars, the last 11 cars remaining in their original form, as well as Nos. 264 and 618 (271) were renumbered in 1968: 220-221 became 608-609, 224 became 610, 264-271 became 611-618 and 282-283 became 619-620.

The former Twin Set towing cars 678–680 (278-280) were converted back to single trams with cabs at both ends. English Electric Railcoach tram No. 679 was given an all-over advert for Mecca Bingo in 1994, which featured two big fibreglass bears fitted to the roof, with one on each end. The advert and fibreglass bears were removed in 1995. The last of these in the active fleet, No. 680, was withdrawn in 2008. 678 was preserved by Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust in 2011. 679 was preserved by the Lancastrian Transport Trust until 2013, when it joined the retained heritage fleet in Blackpool and will eventually be restored into original condition and regain its original pre-1968 number of 279. 680 was preserved at the Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester in 2011. During December 2013, 680 was transferred to Beamish Museum for an operational loan deal and entered service there. In April 2015, No. 680 was transferred to its permanent home at Heaton Park Tramway and entered service there. In August 2015, No. 680 was transferred to Blackpool for an initial 2-year loan and was repainted into 1990s green and cream livery with black window surrounds.

Lincoln Zephyr (1937)

* Designer: John Tjaarda

* Displacement: 4380 cc

* Power: 110 CV

* Top-speed: 130 km/h

Henry Ford's sun Edsel, who was in charge of the company's LINCOLN division, was the first to introduce a marketable, mass-produced streamlined automobile: the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.

Sweeping the market like a storm, the aerodynamic design suddenly turned into an international fashion trend.

Zeithaus Museum

Autostadt Wolfsburg

17 February 2014

Nikon D90/AF Nikkor 1:3.5-4.5 28-105 mm

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe or Sturmvogel (English: "Swallow"/ "Storm Bird") was the world's second operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944.

Anyway, only about 20 Me 262 G-1 were delivered to NJG 6 at all, and probably less than a dozen were operational when Germany surrendered. The G-3 recce variant remained on the drawing board, while two prototypes with radomes for the FuG 240 were under construction and underwent wind tunnel tests.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length overall: 11.67 m (38 ft 3 in)

Wingspan: 12.60 m (41 ft 6 in)

Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)

Wing area: 21.7 m² (234 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,795 kg[101] (8,366 lb)

Loaded weight: 6,473 kg[101] (14,272 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 7,130 kg[101] (15,720 lb)

Powerplant:

Aspect ratio: 7.32

Powerplant:

2× Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 900 km/h (559 mph)

Range: 1,050 km (652 mi)

Service ceiling: 11,450 m (37,565 ft)

Rate of climb: 1,200 m/min (At max weight of 7,130 kg) (3,900 ft/min)

Thrust/weight: 0.28

Armament:

2x 30mm MK 103 cannon in the lower front fuselage with 120 RPG

2x 30mm MK 108 cannon "Schräge Musik" installation with 80 RPG,

angled 70° upwards, between the cockpits

2x hardpoints under the wings, each able to carry up to 250kg (550lb), including bombs, drop tanks or unguided missiles (rarely used)

The kit and its assembly:

Connoisseurs will immediately recognize this kitbash - and the Me 262 G was spawned from the thought that the Japanese Ki-46 was such an elegant aircraft - wouldn't a jet version somehow make sense? So, initially this was supposed to become a Hikoki '46 model, but when I held some Me 262 parts next to the Ki-46's fuselage the idea of a Luftwaffe night fighter was born.

And this actually worked better than expected. This whif is a kitbash of an Airfix Ki-46 fuselage with wings, tail, engines, landing gear and Hirschgeweih from a Revell Me 262 B-1a.

Mating the parts went pretty straightforward, even though I made a mistake when I measured the position of the wing under the fuselage. Somehow it ended up 4-5mm too close to the nose - while the flaw was acceptable I decided to add a 5mm plug behind the pilot cockpit to compensate... And the added length just underlines the elegant Ki-46 lines.

In order to keep the model on its three feet lots of lead beads were hidden in the fuselage, the nose tip and even the front ends of the engine nacelles. Since the Ki-46 fuselage is considerably smaller than the Me 262's I had to fill the wing roots with putty, but that was a rather easy task.

Painting and markings:

I wanted something different from other German night fighters/bombers I had already built, yet a simple livery. Since many German night fighters left the factories in an overall RLM 76 finish I used this as a basis and just added mottles in RLM 75 on the upper surfaces - inspired by a Ta 154 Moskito night fighter prototype.

The cockpits were painted in very dark grey (RLM 66) while the landing gear and the respective wells were painted with RLM 02. Everything very conventional.

The markings were puzzled together - the national markings and stencils come from the Revell Me 262 B-1a sheet while the registration was created from single aftermarket letters, matching a hypothetical aircraft from 4. Staffel, II./NJG 6 in code and colors.

The kit received a light black in wash and some dry-brushing to emphasize panel lines. On the fuselage, however, I painted some panel lines with a pencil, since the Airfix Ki-46 is completely bare of details. Some soot stains around the guns were added with graphite and finally everything sealed under matt acrylic varnish.

A simple kitbashing project, and I am amazed how plausible the Ki-46/Me 262 mix looks, despite the mistake I made with the wing position. I wonder how a Ki-46 III with its streamlined cockpit would look in this case?

The Shape of Speed, Streamlined Automobiles and Motorcycles, 1930–1942. Portland Art Museum. Форма Скорости. Автомобилейи и Мотоциклы Будущего - 1930-1942. Музей Искусств, Портланд, Орегон, США.

The modern looking streamlined Peugeot 402 series was presented at the 1935 Paris Motor Show. In the early 1930s revolutionary aerodynamic theories were applied for the first time to mass produced cars. Avant-garde cars like 1934 Tatra 77 and the 1934 Chrysler Airflow gained a lot of positive attention. The 402 was Peugeot's answer to its direct competitor the streamlined 1934 Citroën TA.

The 402 was developed by the Département Études Carrosseries, under supervision of Henri Thomas.

The Peugeot 02-series was also called Fuseau-Sochaux.

The 402 series replaced the predecessors 401 and 601 (from 1934-1935).

Many body variants were available.

The 402 B with an increased engine, followed in Summer 1938.

Note the lack of a running board, and this convex boot lid. It appeared with the renewed 402 B, and it covers the spare wheel.

Besides several Art Deco details, the headlamps placed behind the grille were very remarkable.

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_402

2142 cc L4 petrol engine.

Performance: 60 bhp.

C. 1200 kg.

Production Peugeot 402 series: Sept. 1935-July 1942.

Production Peugeot 402 B Berline this version: Oct. 1938-June 1940.

Original first reg. number: June 30, 1936 (according to RDW, but that's not correct).

New Dutch pseudo-historical reg. number: April 20, 2009.

With current owner since June 22, 2024.

Seen in car museum Visscher Classique. It's a new car museum originated from a large car collection of director Henk Visscher, mixed with a lot of passion and ambition.

The collection focuses on the French brands that fall under the Stellantis group (formerly PSA).

More info: visscherclassique.nl/museum/

Buren, Visscher Classique Car Museum, Schuilheuvelstraat, Aug. 5, 2023.

© 2023 Sander Toonen Halfweg | All Rights Reserved

4468 Mallard is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built at Doncaster, England in 1938. While in other respects a relatively typical member of its class, it is historically significant for being the holder of the official world speed record for steam locomotives.

Mallard was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as an express locomotive to power high-speed streamlined trains. Its wind-tunnel-tested,[1] aerodynamic body and high power allowed it to reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), though in everyday service it was relatively uncommon for any steam hauled service to reach even 90mph, much less 100. Mallard was in service until 1963, when it was retired, having covered almost one and a half million miles (2.4 million km).

It was restored to working order in the 1980s, but has not operated since, apart from hauling some specials between York and Scarborough in July 1986 and a couple of runs between York and Harrogate/Leeds around Easter 1987. Mallard is now part of the National Collection at the United Kingdom's National Railway Museum in York. On the weekend of 5 July 2008, Mallard was taken outside for the first time in years and displayed alongside her A4 sisters, thus reuniting all four A4s extant in the UK for the first time since preservation. She departed the museum for Locomotion, the NRM's outbase at Shildon on the 23 June 2010, where she was a static exhibit, until she was hauled back to York on 19 July 2011 and put back on display in its original location in the Great Hall.

The locomotive is 70 ft (21 m) long and weighs 165 tons, including the tender. It is painted LNER garter blue with red wheels and steel rims.

Mallard is the holder of the official world speed record for steam locomotives at 125.88 mph (202.58 km/h). The record was achieved on 3 July 1938 on the slight downward grade of Stoke Bank south of Grantham on the East Coast Main Line, and the highest speed was recorded at milepost 90¼, between Little Bytham and Essendine. It broke the German (DRG Class 05) 002's 1936 record of 124.5 mph (200.4 km/h).

Mallard was the perfect vehicle for such an endeavour; one of the A4 class of streamlined locomotives designed for sustained 100+ mph (160+ km/h) running, it was one of a small number built with a double chimney and double Kylchap blastpipe, which made for improved draughting and better exhaust flow at speed; the remainder of the class were retro-fitted in the late 1950s. The A4's three-cylinder design made for stability at speed, and the large 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) driving wheels meant that the maximum revolutions per minute was within the capabilities of the technology of the day. Mallard was five months old, meaning that it was sufficiently broken-in to run freely, but not overly worn. Selected to crew the locomotive on its record attempt were driver Joseph Duddington (a man renowned within the LNER for taking calculated risks) and fireman Thomas Bray.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard

Warren is a World War II-era GS-6 Daylight. He is very insecure about his older cousin, who is a famous GS-4 steam loco who is much more famous (and loved, according to Warren) than him. This cousin is painted in red, orange, and black and features full streamlining, while Warren is a smaller engine who only features basic streamlining and no fancy paint job. Despite these insecurities, Warren does his jobs well, and even manages to take time to mentor Otto, a younger steam loco.

1930's Micheline streamlined railcar at the Citi du Train (National Railway Museum) in Mulhouse, France. These cars utilized a set of special flanged rubber tires with aluminum safety rings inside.(see the 3rd and 4th photos in this set) The concept was also trialed in America, see this interesting page on the Classic Streamliners website:https://www.classicstreamliners.com/rpc-budd-michelin.html,

A very interesting film from the Micheline archives about their rubber-tired railcars can be found here: www.michelin.com/eng/innovation/fields-of-innovation/tire...

These are a few Streamlined and Semi-streamlined steam locomotives in HO scale. All are brass, except the two British LNER locomotives. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul - Pacific RR - The Milwaukee Road - Class A 4-4-2 by Nickel Plate Products.

An impressive streamlined diesel train. Unposted card, but 1930's I think.

Strasburg RR/PA Misc Aug 2013

SAR streamlined 'Northener' 520 exiting the tunnel in the Belair National Park

© Henk Graalman

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The P-51H (NA-126) was the final production Mustang, embodying the experience gained in the development of the lightweight XP-51F and XP-51G aircraft. This aircraft, brought the development of the Mustang to a peak as one of the fastest production piston-engine fighters to see service in WWII.

In July of 1943, U.S. Army approved a contract with North American Aviation to design and build a lightweight P-51. Designated NA-105, 5 aircraft were to be built and tested. Edgar Schmued, chief of design at NAA, began this design early in 1943. He, in February of 1943, left the U.S. on a two-month trip to England. He was to visit the Supermarine factory and the Rolls Royce factory to work on his lightweight project.

In 1951, when New Zealand’s Territorial Air Force (TAF) was established, only the stored P-51D Mustangs were revived and entered service in the newly established 1 (Auckland), 2 (Wellington), 3 (Canterbury), and 4 (Otago) squadrons. Due to the small number, lack of spares and communality with the P-51D, the remaining mothballed RNZAF F-51Ms were eventually scrapped, too.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 33’ 4” (10.173 m)

Wingspan: 37‘ (11.28 m)

Height: 13‘ 8” (4.17 m) with tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade

Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.83 m²)

Airfoil: NAA/NACA 45-100 / NAA/NACA 45-100

Empty weight: 7.180 lb (3,260 kg)

Gross weight: 9,650 lb (4,381 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 11,800 lb (5,357 kg)

Fuel capacity: 255 US gal (212 imp gal; 964 l)

Aspect ratio: 5.83

Powerplant:

1× Packard (Rolls Royce) V-1650-9A Merlin 12-cylinder liquid cooled engine, delivering 1,380 hp

(1,030 kW) at sea level, driving a 4-blade constant-speed Aeroproducts 11' 1" Unimatic propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 465 mph (750 km/h; 407 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (583 km/h, 315 kn)

Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)

Range: 855 mi (1,375 km, 747 nm) with internal fuel

1,200 mi (1,930 km, 1,050 nmi) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 30,100 ft (9,200 m)

Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s) at sea level

Wing loading: 30.5 lb/sq ft (149 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.19 hp/lb (315 W/kg)

Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6

Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament:

6× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with a total of 1,880 rounds

2× underwing hardpoints for drop tanks or bombs of 500 pounds (227 kg) caliber each,

or 6 or 10 5” (127 mm) T64 HVAR rockets

The kit and its assembly:

A relatively simple project, a whiffy color variant based on RS Model’s 1:72 P-51H kit – which I quickly turned into a P-51M, which was planned as mentioned in the background, but never produced in real life.

The model was strictly built OOB, and while this short-run kit goes together quite well, I encountered some problems along the way:

- There are massive and long ejector pin markers, sometimes in very confined locations like the radiator intake. Without a mini drill, getting rid of them is very difficult

- Somehow the instructions for the cockpit are not correct; I put the parts into place as indicated, and the pilot’s seat ended up way too far forward in the fuselage

- The canopy, while clear, is pretty thick and just a single piece, so that you have to cut the windscreen off by yourself if you want to show the otherwise very nice cockpit.

- The separated windscreen section itself includes a piece of the cowling in front of the window panes, which makes its integration into the fuselage a tricky affair. However, this IMHO not-so-perfect construction became a minor blessing because the separated windscreen turned out to be a little too narrow for the fuselage – it had to be glued forcibly to the fuselage (read: with superglue), and the section in front of the window panes offered enough hidden area to safely apply the glue on the clear piece.

- While there are some resin parts included like weighted wheels, it is beyond me why tiny bits like the underwing pitot or most delicate landing gear parts have been executed in resin, as flat parts of a resin block that makes it IMHO impossible to cut them out from.

- The tail wheel is a messy three-piece construction of resin and IP parts, with a flimsy strut that’s prone to break already upon cutting the part from the IP sprue. Furthermore, there’s no proper location inside of the fuselage to mount it. Guess and glue!

- The fit of the stabilizers is doubtful; it’s probably best to get rid of their locator pins and glue them directly onto the fuselage

- The propeller consists of a centerpiece with the blades, which is enclosed by two spinner halves (front and back). This results in a visible seam between them that is not easy to fill/PSR away

On the positive side I must say that the engraved surface details, the cockpit interior and the landing gear are very nice, and there is even the complete interior of the radiator and its tunnel included. PSR requirements are also few, even though you won’t get along well without cosmetic bodywork.

The only personal modification is a styrene tube inside of the nose for the propeller, which was mounted onto a metal axis for free rotation; OOB, the propeller is not moveable at all and is to be glued directly to the fuselage.

While the kit comes with optional ordnance (six HVARs or a pair of 500 lb bombs, both in resin), I just used the bomb pylons and left them empty, for a clean look.

Painting and markings:

Even though the model was a quick build, finding a suitable color concept took a while; I had a whiffy P-51H on my agenda for a long time (since the RS Models kit came out), and my initial plan was to create an Australian aircraft. This gradually changed to an RNZAF aircraft during the last weeks of WWII in the PTO, and evolved from an NMF finish (initial and IMHO most logical idea) through am Aussie-esque green/brown camouflage to a scheme I found for a P-40: a trainer that was based in New Zealand and (re)painted in domestic colors, namely in Foliage Green, Blue Sea Grey and Sky. This might sound like a standard RAF aircraft, but in the end the colors and markings make this Mustang look pretty exotic, just as the P-51H looks like a Mustang that is “not quite right”.

The Foliage Green is Humbrol 195 (Dark Green Satin, actually RAL 6020 Chrome Oxide Green), which offers IMHO a good compromise between the tone’s rather bluish hue and yellow shades – I find it to be a better match than the frequently recommended FS 34092, because RAL 6020 is darker. The RNZAF “Blue Sea Grey”, also known as “Pacific Blue” or “Ocean Blue”, is a more obscure tone, which apparently differed a lot from batch to batch and weathered dramatically from a bluish tone (close to FS 35109 when fresh) to a medium grey. I settled for Humbrol 144 (FS 35164; USN Intermediate Blue), which is rumored to come close to the color in worn state.

The undersides were painted with Humbrol 23 (RAF Duck Egg Blue), which I found to be a suitable alternative to the more greenish RAF Sky, even though it’s a pretty light interpretation.

Tail and spinner were painted white, actually a mix of Humbrol 22 (Gloss White) and 196 (Light Grey, RAL 7035) so that there would be some contrast room left for post-shading with pure white.

The interior of cockpit and landing gear wells was painted with zinc chromate primer yellow (Humbrol 81), while the landing gear struts became Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope). The radiator ducts received an interior in aluminum (Revell 99).

In order to simulate wear and tear as well as the makeshift character of the camouflage I painted the wings’ leading edges and some other neuralgic areas in aluminum (Revell 99, too) first, before the basic camouflage tones were added in a somewhat uneven fashion, with the metallized areas showing through.

Once dry, the model received an overall washing with thinned black ink and a through dry-brushing treatment with lighter shades of the basic tones (including Humbrol 30, 122 and 145) for post-panel-shading and weathering, esp. on the upper surfaces.

The decals are a mix from a Rising Decals sheet for various RNZAF aircraft (which turned out to be nicely printed, but rather thin so that they lacked opacity and rigidity), and for the tactical markings I stuck to the RNZAF practice of applying just a simple number or letter code to frontline aircraft instead of full RAF-style letter codes. The latter were used only on aircraft based on home soil, since the RNZAF’s frontline units had a different organization with an aircraft pool allocated to the squadrons. Through maintenance these circulated and were AFAIK not rigidly attached to specific units, hence there was no typical two-letter squadron code applied to them, just single ID letters or numbers, and these were typically painted on the aircraft nose and/or the fin, not on the fuselage next to the roundel. The nose art under the cockpit is a mix of markings from P-40s and F4Us.

The white ID bands on fuselage and wings are simple white decal strips from TL-Modellbau. While this, together with the all-white tail, might be overdone and outdated towards mid-1945, I gave the Kiwi-Mustang some extra markings for a more exciting look – and the aircraft’s profile actually reminds a lot of the Ki-61, so that they definitely make sense.

Towards the finish line, some additional dry-brushing with grey and silver was done, soot stains were added with graphite to the exhaust areas and the machine gun ports, and the model was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

After the recent, massive YA-14 kitbashing project, this Mustang was – despite some challenges of the RS Models kit itself – a simple and quick “relief” project, realized in just a couple of days. Despite being built OOB, the result looks quite exotic, both through the paint scheme with RNZAF colors, but also through the unusual roundels and the striking ID markings (for a Mustang). I was skeptical at first, but the aircraft looks good and the camouflage in RNZAF colors even proved to be effective when set into the right landscape context (beauty pics).

Majestic Apartments (Irwin S. Chanin with Jacques Delamarre, 1930-1931). Same developer-architect team as at the Chanin Building, here doing a less floral, more streamlined Deco for an almost-twin-tower apartment scheme, set on Central Park West (between 71st and 72nd Streets). Fantastic.

Shallow Water

Streamlined and spreading

sirenian tails,

dugongs in shallows

weave bubbles in trails

through warm turquoise waters

spangled with sun

into the sea grass

where crystal tides run,

herding and grazing,

for coral and shell

have built a great bulwark

that holds back the swell,

but now there's a dredger

that spews a great plume:

a thick cloud of silt

and a shadow of gloom.

The sea grass turns yellow

and dugongs turn tail,

a man-made calamity

out of all scale.

They do it for profit,

though profit can't buy

the health of our Mother,

the sea or the sky,

and boors sit in offices

wearing their ties

spreading the silt

of their lucre and lies

and sly politicians

leave the sea rank

on their way to the ballot-box

via the bank -

but give me a glimpse

of those flukes in the surge

and I'll spurn all their wealth

and swallow the urge

to rail as we squander,

to weep as man fails:

there's hope in those rising

sirenian tails.

(Poem by Giles Watson, 2015.)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Lavochkin La-7 (Russian: Лавочкин Ла-7) was a piston-engine Soviet fighter developed during World War II by the Lavochkin Design Bureau (OKB). It was a development and refinement of the Lavochkin La-5, and the last in a family of aircraft that had begun with the LaGG-1 in 1938.

Even though a sub version of the La-7, the type received the separate Air Standardization Coordinating Committee (ASCC) code "Flake" as it was initially mistaken as a new Lavochkin type.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 8.89 m (29 ft 1 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 10,16 m (33 ft 3 in)

Height: 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 19.59 m2 (210.2 sq ft)

Gross weight: 3,315 kg (7,308 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Shvetsov ASh-82FN air-cooled 14 cylinder radial engine with a two-stage supercharger and

fuel injection, 1.380 kW (1.850 hp), driving a 4-bladed VISh-110V propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 680 km/h (422 mph; 367 kn) at 6.000 meters (19.685 ft)

Range: 665 km (413 mi; 359 nmi)

Service ceiling: 11.500 m (37.667 ft)

Rate of climb: 17.25 m/s (3.410 ft/min)

Time to altitude: 4.8 minutes to 5.000 meters (16.404 ft)

Armament:

2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannons, 150 RPG, plus 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs

The kit and its assembly:

This whif was a bit of a spontaneous use of a Hobby Boss La-7 kit, part of a kit lot, for which I lacked any good idea. Anyway, I always had an eye on kits for the more streamlined La-9/11s – and then the idea was born to convert the leftover La-7 into something that would come close to the later types.

Biggest surgery concerned the aerodynamic surface; everything was modified:

• Outer wings from a Matchbox P-51D

• Stabilizers from a Heller P-51D

• Fin tip from an Academy Fw 190A

Wings were cut just outboard of the landing gear wells, while the Mustang wings were cut at the 2nd machine gun. Depth fits surprisingly well, only the La-7’s trailing edge had to be adapted, but that only a small effort.

Another mod is the new, for-bladed propeller, scratched from the spares box, and I added some cockpit details and a pilot torso (the canopy was to remain closed). I also removed the original tunnel oil cooler and moved this device into the wings’ leading edges, for a cleaner fuselage.

For the same clean look I left away any ordnance. Actually, when all major parts were in place, I even considered to make a race aircraft (Reno Unlimited?) from the kit, since the Lavochkin looks really fast, but then I reverted to the military use option. A North Korean whif was still missing!

Painting and markings:

When I started building there was no clear idea which country should use the La-7bis – I did not want Soviet markings, though. After some search in the decal stack I found spare North Korean markings, and from there things unfolded naturally.

The odd paint scheme was derived from real Korean La-11 fighters – a kind of tiger stripe pattern, dull green over a grey background with pale blue undersides. I used Humbrol 64 (light Sea Grey) and FS 34096 from Modelmaster, and FS 35414 from Modelmaster, too, for the undersides. Later, these colors were shaded with lighter tones. A yellow fin tip is the only color marking.

North Korean roundels come from a Print Scale MiG-15 decal sheet, the tactical code comes from the scrap box; the fine silver trim around the cowling and the black stripe under the yellow fin tip are decals, too, from generic TL Modellbau sheets.

All interior surfaces were painted with Humbrol 240 (RLM 02, plus a black ink wash), and to add some Soviet style the wheel discs were painted in dark green. The panels on the fuselage flanks were painted in a Metallizer Mix of Steel and Titanium.

The kit received a light black ink wash, plus some soot stains around the cannons and the exhaust shields. Finally, all was sealed with Revell’s acrylic matt varnish.

In the end, the La-7bis looks like less work than it actually was - one can argue if the effort has been worth it? The major transplantations are hard to discern and you have to look at least twice to recognize the differences between a La-7 and the later La-9 and -11. But that was intended – subtle and unspectacular.

Norfolk Southern operated Norfolk & Western streamlined J class 4-8-4 Northern steam locomotive # 611, with it's railfan train is seen in the yard at Atlanta, Georgia, October 1989. This is big time Eastern steam power at it's best. Located on the left side of the photo is a fire hose providing water to top off the tender for the trip. The train provided two weekend railfan trips.

The New York Central K-5b Pacific Class 4-6-2 steam locomotive #4915 with Henry Dreyfuss' streamline design. Originally manufactured in 1926 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), no. 4915 and her sister no. 4917 were streamlined in 1936 to lead The New York Central’s most luxurious experience on rails.

This project is my first MOC and has taken about a year and a half to complete with many challenges arising in trying to obtain the beautiful "streamline moderne" styling. Perseverance paid off however and through 1/2 steps, 1/3 steps and even 1/6 steps I have ended with a final version that I hope you all will enjoy.

The model is 8-wide, built to 1:48 scale and is designed to fit all standard lego track geometry. The locomotive is powered by two Power Functions M motors.

Directions to the build can be found here:

www.etsy.com/shop/ChristopherLocoWorks

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Dornier Do 319 was directly inspired by the (modest) successes experienced by the Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but problems with engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944.

Production numbers remained low, though, reaching roundabout 20 aircraft (even this number is uncertain) until the end of the war, and no Do 319 survived the hostilities.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1 pilot plus up to 2 passengers

Length: 10.80 m (35 ft 4 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 12.60 m (41 ft 6 in)

Height: 3.78 m (12 ft 4 1/2 in)

Wing area: 26.8 m² (288 ft²)

Aspect ratio: 7.32

Empty weight: 4,120 kg (9,075 lb)

Loaded weight: 6,830 kg (15,044 lb)

Max. take-off weight: 7,385 kg (16,266 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 820 km/h (510 mph)

Range: 1,200 km (652 mi)

2,100 km (1,300 mi) with extra internal fuel cells

Service ceiling: 10,850 m (35,538 ft)

Rate of climb: 1,000 m/min (At max weight of 7,130 kg) (3,275 ft/min)

Armament:

Provisions for 4× 30 mm MK 108 cannon in the nose, but rarely mounted

The kit and its assembly:

Another entry for the “Flying Boat, Seaplane and Amphibian” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com in late 2017, and the result of a spontaneous inspiration from a drawing of a Luft’46/fantasy creation of a Me 262 fuselage with a planning bottom, a parasol(!) wing and a single jet engine exhausting right above the cockpit, and no (visible) stabilizing floats at all. Rather spurious.

Well, nevertheless, the Me 262 jet fighter has a very shark-like profile and shape, and it has already been converted into flying boats or even submarines by modelers, and I decided to create my personal interpretation of the theme. I remembered a lone He 115 float in my stash (maybe 35 years old or even more!), and when I held to a Me 262 fuselage the parts had almost the same length and width. So, creating a flying boat jet fighter seemed like a realistic task.

Things started straightforward with an 1:72 Smer Me 262 fighter, which is actually the vintage Heller two-seater night fighter with a new fuselage and canopy. My kit of choice would have been the Matchbox kit, but the Heller kit is also O.K., due to its simplicity and simple construction.

Creating something amphibian from a Me 262 is not a trivial task, though. With its low wings and underslung engine nacelles there’s a lot to be changed until you get a plausible floatplane. Another challenge is to integrate some form of stabilizer/outrigger floats, what also influences the wings’ position. Placing the engines where they are safe from spray ingestion is also a serious matter – you have to get the high and the intakes as far forward as possible.

Doing some legwork I found some similar builds, and they all did not convince me. And, after all, I wanted to create my own “design”; in order to incorporate some realism I eventually settled on Dornier’s typical WWII designs like the Do 18 and Do 24. These elegant aircraft had a common, elegant trait: low stub wings as stabilizer floats, paired with high wings (in the case of the Do 18 held by a massive central pylon) which carried the engine out of the water’s reach. This appeared like a feasible layout for my conversion, even though it would mean a total re-construction of the kit, or rather assembling it in a way that almost no part was glued into the intended place!

Work started with the cockpit, which had to be moved forward in order to make room for the wings behind the canopy, placed high on a pylon above the fuselage. For this stunt, the cockpit opening and the place in front of it (where the original front fuselage tank would be) were cut out and switched. The cockpit tub was moved forward and trimmed in order to fit into the new place. The nose section was filled with lead, because the stub wings/floats would allow a retractable landing gear to be added, too, making the aircraft a true amphibian!

The He 115 float was cut down in order to fit under the OOB Me 262 fuselage, and a front wheel well was integrated for a tricycle landing gear. Once the fuselage was closed, the planning bottom was added and the flanks sculpted with putty – lots of it.

In the meantime the Me 262 wing received a thorough re-arrangement, too. Not only were the engine nacelles moved to the upper wing surface (cutting the respective wing and intake sections of the nacelles off/out and turning them around 180°), the original connecting ventral wing part with the landing gear wells were turned upside down, too, the landing gear covers closed (with the respective OOB parts) and the inner wing sections modified into a gull wing, raising the engines even further. VERY complex task, and blending/re-shaping everything took a lot of PSR, too.

Under the central wing section I added a pylon left over from a Smer Curtiss SC Seahawk kit, because a massive Do 18-esque construction was out of question for a fast jet aircraft. The gaps were filled with putty, too.

In order to keep the stabilizers free from water spray they were moved upwards on the fin, too. The original attachment points were sanded away and hidden under putty, and the OOB stabilizers placed almost at the top at the fin.

Finding suitable stub wings/floats became a challenge: they have to be relatively thick (yielding buoyancy and also offering room for the retractable landing gear), but also short with not-so-rounded tips. It took a while until I found suitable donor parts in the form of the tips of an 1:32 AH-64 Apache (!) stabilizer! They were simply cut off, and openings for the main landing gear cut into their lower sides.

Once glued to the lower flanks and the stabilizers in place it was time to place the wing. In the meantime the moved cockpit had been blended to the fuselage, and initial tests indicated that the pylon would have to be placed right behind the canopy – actually on top of the end of the clear part. As a consequence the canopy was cut into pieces and its rear section integrated into the fuselage (more PSR).

However, the relatively thin and slender central pylon from the Curtiss SC indicated that some more struts would be necessary in order to ensure stability – very retro, and not really suited for a jet-powered aircraft. And the more I looked at the layout, the more I became convinced that the wings and engines were in a plausible position, but placed too high.

What started next were several sessions in which I shortened the pylon step by step, until I was satisfied with the overall proportions. This went so far that almost everything of the pylon had gone, and the wings almost rested directly on the Me 262’s spine!

However, this new layout offered the benefit of rendering the extra struts obsolete, since I decided to fill the small gap between wing and fuselage into a single, massive fairing. This would also mean more internal space, and consequently the original idea of a jet-powered combat aircraft was modified into a fast multi-purpose amphibian vehicle for special tasks, capable of transporting personnel behind enemy lines with a quick move.

More PSR, though, and after some finishing touches like a scratched landing gear (front leg/wheel from an Italeri Bae Hawk, main struts from a Mistercraft PZL Iskra trainer, wheels from an Academy OV-10 Bronco and with improvised covers), several antennae and mooring lugs made from wire, the aircraft was ready for painting. On the downside, though, almost any surface detail had been lost due to the massive, overall body sculpting – but the application of the light zigzag pattern helped to recreate some “illusionary” details like flaps or panel lines. ;-)

Painting and markings:

Originally, when the Seeschwalbe was still conceived as a fighter, the model was to receive a daylight scheme in typical German naval aircraft colors (RLM 72/73/65). But this plan changed when the aircraft’s role became a ‘special purpose’ transporter for covert operations.

Nocturnal operations appeared plausible, so that the scheme became much more murky: from above, a splinter scheme with RLM 73 and RLM 74 (naval dark green and dark, greenish grey, both from the ModelMaster Authentic enamel paint range) was applied as a basis, and the undersides became black – as if standard daylight colors had been overpainted, a frequent practice.

Since this black paint was made from soot, it easily wore away and many Luftwaffe machines with improvised black undersides quickly gained a rather shaggy look. I wanted to re-create this look, and built up the lower paint accordingly: In an initial step, RLM76 (I used Humbrol 87, which is a tad darker than the RLM tone, for less contrast with the black) was painted on the lower wing surfaces, the fuselage with a medium waterline and the fin. Once dry, the national marking decals were added. Then a coat of thinned Revell Acrylics 6 Tar Black was applied on top of the lower surfaces, including the lower decals, and later wet-sanded in order to reveal some of the grey underneath for a worn look.

In order to break up the aircraft’s outlines, esp. at low altitude, a disruptive meander pattern in light grey (RLM 76) was painted on top of the upper surfaces. For this task, I thinned Humbrol’s 247 enamel and used a simple brush, painting the curls free-handedly. The finish looks pretty convincing, and it mimics well the technique with which those improvised patterns were applied in the field in real life: quickly, with anything at hand. The way the finish turned out, the pattern could have been applied with a broad brush – the use of a spray gun was rather uncommon, and IMHO the use of an airbrush on a model to recreate such a zigzag pattern rarely leads to convincing results?

This pattern was painted tightly around all the upper markings, and the markings themselves were kept at a minimum. For instance, the tactical code only comprises the aircraft’s individual letter “Blue O” behind the fuselage cross, which indicates an air staff machine. This would, following the official German squadron code system, be confirmed by an “A”, following as a fourth digit. The squadron’s code (“P7”, which is fictional, just like the aircraft’s sea reconnaissance squadron itself) was omitted, too. Such minimal markings became a frequent practice towards the final war stages, though, and it fits the aircraft’s special duty role well. The only individual marking is a squadron badge under the cockpit – lent from an Italian night fighter and placed on a dark blue disc. Another, subtle indicator for the aircraft’s operator are the blue air intake center bodies, repeating the staff flight’s blue color code.

Only some light weathering was done, with dry-brushed light grey on the leading edges, and finally the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri). In a final step, some very light dry-brushing with aluminum was done on some of the fuselage edges, esp. the spray dams, and the position lights were painted with translucent paint over a silver base.

A messy project, in many ways, but I am happy with result. Most stunning is IMHO the fact that all major parts for this compact flying boat actually come from a single, simple Me 262 kit – but visually there’s not much of the left from the jet fighter. But it’s also amazing that the proportions look right, and the whole thing quite plausible and Dornier-esque! Turned out better than expected.

V12 White truck engine

replaced after 250000miles by a 300hp Cummins 6 cyl diesel in 1953

5th wheel permanently attached 10000 lb trailer

Ultra streamlined. Petersen Automotive Museum, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA

The Peterson Museum’s Aerocar was originally constructed for Dr. Hubert Eaton, the owner of Los Angeles’ Forrest Lawn Memorial Park and its exhibit featured the following description:

“Eaton Reo/Aerocar Rig

“This ultra-streamline Reo tractor was specially built to tow a Curtiss Aerocar, on one of the earliest production fifth-wheel trailers. Custom built for Dr. Hubert Eaton of the Forest Lawn Memorial Parks, its innovative cab-forward aluminum and leatherette body was constructed by Standard Carriage Works of Low Angeles, a coachbuilder that specialized in bodies for trucks and other commercial vehicles. It featured a large storage area, sleeping quarters for the driver, and a separate four-cylinder engine for auxiliary power. A Williams air-brake and dual rear-wheels accommodate the permanently attached 10,000 pound trailer. First equipped with a flat-12 White truck engine, the Reo tractor was fitted with a 300-horsepower Cummins 6-cylinder diesel in 1953 when the original engine wore out after more than 250,000 miles of use.

“The luxurious and expensive Aerocar trailer was built by Curtiss of Coral Gables, Florida, a firm also known for motorcycles and pioneering aircraft. Nicknamed ‘Vagabond’ by Dr. Eaton, it was outfitted for hunting excursions and to transport company executives on trips to inspect various real-estate holdings. Special features include a self-contained restroom and kitchen, comfortable seating for eight, cup holders, and an observation deck equipped with a speedometer, compass, and intercom for communication with the driver. Though currently set up for day travel, the interior can be modified to sleep up to six passengers. The dramatically styled rig was in regular use until retired by Forest Lawn Memorial Parks in 1991.”

For my video; youtu.be/KquPTwf3WoA

I wonder, given the winter that lay ahead, if the Borough of Darwen's Transport Department had any second thoughts of abandoning their last tramway in October 1946, and completing the replacement of their system with diesel buses given the state of the roads? I suspect it is unlikely as Darwen's system was likely in poor condition after years of wartime demand and neglect and I suspect the trams would have gone some years earlier if war had not intervened.

It was a small system although it was, for a municipal electric network, an early started as the first car ran on 16 October 1900, a year after the Council had acquired the privately owned steam tram lines. This first route ran to neighbouring Blackburn and indeed joint operation of the 'main line' took place when that town electrified its share of the steam tramways that appears to have been the case from 1901. In that year Darwen opened the line to Hoddlesden and it was to be the first to close in 1937 and be replaced by buses, Darwen having first introduced such vehicles in 1926.

In 1940 the tramway service between Whitehall and Circus went but by then, with wartime controls on the delivery of new buses and also of diesel fuel, the tramway was expected to 'carry on' as it did. Blackburn's last tram ran in 1949. The fleet interestingly included some very modern, streamlined cars with central entrances, that look very "Blackpool" in style. The booklet however is suitably "edwardian" in style to match the opening of the system with a gothic style typeface and much use of printers decorations. It also carries, with suitable municipal pomp, the names of the Mayor, the Chairman of the Transport Committee, that of the General Manager G Beckett, and the Town Clerk.

The pictures show a 'standard' top covered tram - Darwen had started to cover the original open topped cars, and buy new with enclosed roofs, by the mid-1920s with some difficulty presented by the presence of low bridges on the routes. The 'modern' car is indeed that - one of the final two cars purchased in 1936 from English Electric and carrying the stylish 'streamlined' bodywork.

By the end of the war the operational fleet was down to seven cars, including the two streamliners, and they were withdrawn in 1946 with one being sold on to the then still operational Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Tramways in north Wales.

Little stream running along the path on the way to the Mahon Falls in the Comeragh mountains, Co. Waterford. The sea on the horizon laps the cliffs of the Copper Coast along the eastern part of the county.

The Nebraska Zephyr is the most famous train at the Illinois Railway Museum. It is an articulated streamlined train built entirely of stainless steel. The train is known as the “Train of the Goddesses” because each of its five cars is named for for a classical deity. It is the only complete Zephyr train from the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad in operation today.

The Nebraska Zephyr was constructed by the Budd Company of Philadelphia in 1936. Originally it was used between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul and was one of two identical train sets known as the Twin Zephyrs. In 1947 the Twin Zephyrs were replaced on the Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul route with more modern equipment. At that time, the train set was put into service between Chicago and Lincoln, Nebraska and renamed the Nebraska Zephyr. The train is articulated, meaning that adjoining cars share the same truck and are therefore permanently joined. This five-car train was originally built with six cars; had a seventh car added shortly after construction; and then had two cars removed from its consist in the mid-1960s.

When it was built, the Nebraska Zephyr was pulled by a two-unit set of “shovel nose” diesels. In later years it was commonly hauled by stainless steel E5 passenger diesels, and today the train is still hauled by the last surviving E5.

My streamlined 4-8-2 is finally finished! it was inspired by the South Australian Railways 520 class 4-8-4 and the hover mono-rail engine from the Legend of Korra TV Show, as described to me by a friend. This loco features a detailed cab and a Art Deco look.

Fictional background info:

These twenty four 4-8-2 (4 leading, 8 drivers, and 2 trailing wheels) Mountain – type locomotives numbered 6840 – 6864 were built in the mid 1920's by Lima locomotive Works. One of these engines is 6847, which was shrouded in a streamlined casing shortly after being built and is painted in reddish brown with a fluted black side stripe on the engine and black box stripe on the tender to keep it in line with the passenger cars of the 909 National Limited, it's permanent assignment.

Magnum streamliner.......hit a low branch delivering to a local farm

www.palais.mc/en/museum-and-visits/the-cars-collection-of...

The Cars Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco

At the end of the 1950s, the car enthusiast Prince Rainier III began collecting old cars. His collection gradually grew over the years as he acquired more and more models, and the garage at the Prince's Palace soon emerged as too small to contain this collection of around a hundred stunning streamlined and sporty cars, from majestic body work to gleaming hoods and regal radiator grills!

In 1993, Prince Rainier III therefore decided to open his precious collection to the public.

Located on the Terrasses de Fontvieille, the exhibition spans 5 000 m2 and is unique in the world, bringing together around a hundred-odd different cars, from a 1903 DE DION BOUTON to the 2013 LOTUS F1 via HISPANO SUIZA, ROLLS ROYCE, LINCOLN, FACEL VEGA, DELAGE, DELAHAYE, PACKARD, HUMBER, NAPIER, FERRARI, MASERATI, LAMBORGHINI, ALFA ROMEO, the LEXUS used for the royal wedding in 2011, and without forgetting the racing cars seen at the Monte Carlo Rally and the Formula 1s from the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Car Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco will host a unique exhibition of Ferrari vehicles from 3 December 2018 to 15 March 2019.

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1947, in Maranello in Italy, the cars with the prancing horse have left their mark on automobile history on road and circuit. Manufacturer of race and sports cars, Ferrari quickly became an automobile benchmark, both technically and aesthetically.

At this exhibition, unique, around 50 of competition and sport cars, the most iconic of the brand, which built the Ferrari legend and which millions of fans dream about, will be brought together in the Principality for four months.

For more information, please consult the Website of the Cars Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco: www.mtcc.mc

On the left is my late 1930's red and blue GG-1 electric locomotive while in the middle is a early 1930's streamlined 4-8-2 Mountain type steam engine in reddish brown. The engine on the right is my early 1940's 4-8-4 Daylight loco in Southern Pacific War-time black.

I will be ordering the 4-8-2 next week, with the GG-1 (and matching passenger consist) hopefully coming in June. I already have the Daylight.

The loco you see here was cobbled together from my 2-6-0 and a lot of extra parts. The name of the railroad (Brick Railway Systems) is supposed to go on the tender walls, but the printed 1 x 1 tile parts haven't been ordered yet to do so. Also, this loco has a fictional backstory:

This 4-8-2 (4 leading, 8 drivers, and 2 trailing wheels) Mountain – type locomotive numbered 6437 was built in the mid 1930's by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The type 6437 belongs to was designed for both freight duty and passenger traffic and as such were not streamlined. This type are basically enlarged versions of the Mountain types of 1926, and are same mechanically though the heavier weight cuts the top speed down to about 95 MPH. The Emerald Express, pulled by a overworked 2-6-0 since 1917, was upgraded with 4-8-2 number 6437 in 1936 when another coach was added to the train, and was painted a dark green to match the heavy-weight rolling stock.

Two different yard jobs blur past my location at a whopping 10 MPH. One shoving back into the yard, and another pulling a cut of cars out. Meanwhile storm clouds seem to threaten the area, but produce no results.

©FranksRails Photography, LLC.

This Fox Theatre in Inglewood CA opened in 1949 and was built in a style that could best be described as Art Moderne meets Streamlined.

The theatre hasn't run any films since the late 70's and what is left on the exterior now is pretty much the architecture of the building and the outline of where the neon and marquee used to reside....... the interior isn't all that bad all things considered and with some funds and renovation this grand old theater would fit right in again with the rejuvenation that's been done on Market Street in Inglewood

Hauling the down Coronation Scot.

These are a few Streamlined and Semi-streamlined steam locomotives in HO scale. All are brass, except the two British LNER locomotives. New York Central (NYC) Class J 4-6-4 Hudson - Empire State Express by LMB Models

The modern looking streamlined Peugeot 402 series was presented at the 1935 Paris Motor Show. In the early 1930s revolutionary aerodynamic theories were applied for the first time to mass produced cars. Avant-garde cars like 1934 Tatra 77 and the 1934 Chrysler Airflow gained a lot of positive attention. The 402 was Peugeot's answer to its direct competitor the streamlined 1934 Citroën TA.

The 402 was developed by the Département Études Carrosseries, under supervision of Henri Thomas.

The Peugeot 02-series was also called Fuseau-Sochaux.

The 402 series replaced the predecessors 401 and 601 (from 1934-1935).

Many body variants were available.

The 402 B with an increased engine, followed in Summer 1938.

Besides several Art Deco details, the headlamps placed behind the grille were very remarkable.

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_402

2142 cc L4 petrol engine.

Performance: 60 bhp.

C. 1200 kg.

Production Peugeot 402 series: Sept. 1935-July 1942.

Production Peugeot 402 B Berline this version: Oct. 1938-June 1940.

Original first reg. number: June 30, 1936 (according to RDW, but that's not correct).

New Dutch pseudo-historical reg. number: April 20, 2009.

With current owner since June 22, 2024.

Seen in car museum Visscher Classique. It's a new car museum originated from a large car collection of director Henk Visscher, mixed with a lot of passion and ambition.

The collection focuses on the French brands that fall under the Stellantis group (formerly PSA).

More info: visscherclassique.nl/museum/

Buren, Visscher Classique Car Museum, Schuilheuvelstraat, Aug. 5, 2023.

© 2023 Sander Toonen Halfweg | All Rights Reserved

A cormorant cuts through the sky with focused precision, its wings beating strong against the shifting light.

HAPPY DAYS ! Very much more so..................................................

GM Buses saw fit to compare their new air suspension coach seated Olympians to icons such as Concorde and Sir William Staniers Streamlined Coronation pacifics and the VSOE! and these were some of the posters promoted the Express network.

Often considered the last of the great traditional Pony Cars before the 80's brought in either blandness or a more streamlined 'Japanese' look, the Camaro Z28 of 1970 was one of the longest running Pony Car generations in automotive history, with a production life of 11 years over which very little in the design changed.

Dubbed 'Super Hugger', the 2nd generation Camaro was developed without the drawback of haste, unlike the original Camaro that was rushed to the showrooms to ward off the Ford Mustang. In addition, a greater budget was also available to the new Camaro as the rewards were reaped for the original's immediate success.

Although it was an all-new car, the basic mechanical layout of the new Camaro was familiar, engineered much like its predecessor with a unibody structure utilizing a front subframe, A-arm and coil spring front suspension, and rear leaf springs. The chassis and suspension of the second generation were greatly refined in both performance and comfort; base models offered significant advances in sound-proofing, ride isolation, and road-holding. Extensive experience Chevrolet engineers had gained racing the first-generation led directly to advances in second-generation Camaro steering, braking, and balance.

The original Camaro of 1970 was powered by a 4.1L Straight-Six engine which produced 155hp. However, a mixture of the oil crisis and legislative change to reduce emissions meant that the compromises had to begin in earnest. The first major change came in 1974 with alterations to the external styling, which brought the headlights inboard. This was followed by another major change in 1978, with colour coded bumpers being added and a new engine which came in the form of a 5.7L V8 which produced 185hp. Prior to this, a Catalytic Converter had been added to the 1975 along with many other tweaks and changes internally that made the cars more reliable and miles between maintenance increased, all being placed under the aptly named "Chevrolet's new Efficiency System."

This particular version is a 1980 model, which shows many of the changes made during the 1979 model year that truly brought this car into the style of the late-70's. The biggest changes for 1979 were the introduction of the luxury-oriented Berlinetta model, replacing the Type LT, and a restyled instrument panel with a much flatter appearance than the previous wraparound design. The base models, RS and Z28 remained, the Z28's now came with a front spoiler and fender flares much like its Pontiac Trans Am twin had, and now came with "Z28" decals that ran from the beginning of the front flares to the bottoms of the doors. Electric rear window defroster became optional this year, replacing the old blower type.

Sales for 1979 were the highest ever for any generation Camaro before or since, numbering 282,571 units. These cars came with the base engine of a 4.4L V8 engine producing 120hp, although a limited edition 5.7L V8 was also available for 1980 model year.

By 1981 though the gig was up for the 1970 Camaro, it's style starting to look quite tired and increasing legislation on emissions labouring it heavily. The 1981 model was fitted for the first time with a CCC (Computer Command Control) unit, and minor tweaks to the styling and engine were carried out, largely to reduce the horsepower of the hungry V8 to comply with demands.

Eventually the 2nd Generation Camaro met its end in 1981, being replaced by the Camaro of 1982 which took on a much more radical and somewhat Japanese style. Although many Camaro fans recoiled at the comparatively mundane looking car, at least General Motors got it right, still giving the machine a raunchy personality as well as a powerful 5.0L V8, unlike what was going on at Ford where the Mustang of 1984 was intended to be based on a Mazda, to which enthusiasts recoiled!

Today this generation of the Camaro has become a monster hit in the retro Pony Car Classics, being tough, reliable but also incredibly well styled, retaining the basic ingredients that made it such a motoring icon of the early 70's. Many believe that this particular version after 1979 was when the car was at its peak, mixing style with substance even in the face of legislative adversity.

From what my American friends tell me, much like old Mustangs and Pontiacs, you can pick up these cars for apparently next to nothing in the USA, and are often the first cars teenagers drive after they pass their test!

If only that were so here in the UK!