The Freedom Train stops at Naval Air Station, Miramar, CA 1976

The Southern Pacific 4449 steam locomotive, known for pulling the American Freedom Train in 1975-1976.

Built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works, it is a GS-4 class 4-8-4 Northern type locomotive.

It was repainted in red, white, and blue livery specifically for the United States Bicentennial celebration.

The locomotive is currently on display at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland.

 At the conclusion of its journey, the American Freedom Train had traveled 25,833 miles over 21 months and stopped at 138 cities.

A California startup says it has found a cheaper way to turn cow manure into sustainable aviation fuel, potentially opening a new pathway for airlines racing to meet emissions targets.

The six-month pilot transformed methane-rich gas from a California dairy farm’s manure digester into jet fuel that meets ASTM standards for commercial aviation.

The company estimates that commercial plants using its technology would cost roughly one-fifth as much as comparable facilities currently being developed in Europe.

According to the company, the pilot operated continuously for thousands of hours using untreated biogas composed of roughly 65 percent methane and 35 percent carbon dioxide. The process produced finished jet fuel that can blend with conventional Jet-A fuel at concentrations of up to 50 percent.

The company projects commercial installations could cost less than $100,000 per barrel per day of installed capacity. Those economics could allow SAF derived from dairy waste to compete directly with fossil-based jet fuel prices. “The hard part of this industry was never designing a theoretical plant that could make SAF,” said Dr. Stephen Beaton, founder and chief executive officer of Circularity Fuels. “It was proving you could do it continuously, from real biogas, at a cost that pencils.” He added that the company has now demonstrated the technology using “real feedstock from a real dairy farm.”

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/dairy-biogas-sustainable-aviation-fuel

JCB's hydrogen-powered land speed car has begun testing in the UK ahead of a Bonneville bid to set a new FIA world hydrogen speed record.

A JCB vehicle has entered the next phase of testing as engineers prepare to attempt a new world land speed record with a car powered by hydrogen.

The Staffordshire manufacturer said its Hydromax car had completed its first test runs under hydrogen power at RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire, ahead of a planned record attempt in the US in August.

The 32ft-long vehicle has been built to beat JCB's existing diesel land speed record of 350.092 mph, which was set in 2006 by the firm's Dieselmax car.

Powered by two hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines, producing a combined 1,600bhp, the Hydromax was unveiled at JCB's headquarters in Rocester in May.

The company plans to transport the car to the United States next month in preparation for Speed Week, the annual gathering of land speed racers at Bonneville. Following that event, JCB will pursue officially recognized records sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's governing body.

"Twelve months ago, this car was a set of drawings being discussed by a room full of engineers," Bamford said. "Today it is a reality and on wheels, running and being tested in the UK."

The Hydromax project has moved from concept to test track in just over a year. The first technical meeting involving engineering partners Prodrive, Ricardo and Xtrac took place in June 2025. Almost exactly one year later, the completed vehicle rolled onto the tarmac at RAF Wittering under its own hydrogen power for the first time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gy9g0p0gvo

https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewmacconnell/2026/06/16/jcbs-1600-hp-hydrogen-car-prepares-for-bonneville-speed-record/

cool train graffiti on a rail car

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10238968099732765&set=p.10238968099732765&type=3

This 1930 southern California Lincoln Limousine came from a wealthy Family. After it was no longer fashionable, a handyman turned it into a workhorse and drove around the old neighborhood doing home repairs, check out all the additions he added over the years to the Lincoln.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/108645673031162/permalink/2101906247038418

they are still out there, probably because no one who owned them can afford to restore them

https://www.facebook.com/petersonresto/posts/pfbid0Ma2sfw635Lr8mfnoQcyv7J1HjFdudvXnUs1rSu6PX1Y41M75ziRRFxUZJsbmtmMcl

ha!

the story of a life of a C 131

Peru days anti narcotics. 

It was an LBJ plane. 

The U.S. State Department used a specific Convair 580 (also designated as a VC-131H) for counterdrug and logistics operations in Peru, operating under the bureau of international narcotics affairs. 

This aircraft, registered as N7146X (serial number 54-2815), was transferred to the Peruvian National Police in 1990, where it was registered as PNP-025.

 Registered as N8448H before delivery to the USAF as C-131D 54-2815 in 1954. 

Converted to a CV580/VC-131H in 1966 then to the US Navy in 1978. 

To the Department of State Bureau of Narcotics as N7146X then to Policia Nacional del Peru as PNP-025 in 1990. 

Returned as N7146X and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ in 1993.

 Left in 1996. To the United States Marshal Service as N723ES then to the IFL Group in 1998. 

Converted to a fire bomber for the Province of Saskatchewan as C-GSKQ in 2008. Still operational in 2025.

Original Airframe: The plane began its life as a U.S. Air Force C-131D.

Conversion: It was heavily modified into a turboprop CV-580 (VC-131H) configuration.

State Department Service: Operated under the Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) in the Andean counterdrug theater, after which it transferred to Peruvian police operations.
Later Usage and Status

After being returned to the United States in the mid-1990s, the aircraft was subsequently used by the U.S. Marshal Service (registered as N723ES) and eventually underwent conversion to become an aerial firefighting tanker in Canada.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=36421352794146071&set=a.170610946313714

scams are out there, and so are thieves, and the cars for sale are high dollar targets... so, here's some advice on how to prevent seeing your sale turn into a fake check, fake buyer, and total loss of your car and it's dollar value

that's the car that was for sale, and now - stolen. 

that's an obvious fake ID... notice the weight and height? Now compare those to the linebacker in the photo.

Notice the age of the photo, vs the birthday - that's not a 58 year old.

Then google the address... this one is an empty lot 

1. Never meet “after hours.” 

Make your transaction weekdays between 9am-5pm and meet in a public place rather than your home. Also have a friend there with you.

2. If there is a test drive involved, always ride along.

3. NEVER accept a cashier’s check. They are worthless. 

 Inform the prospective seller of this before you meet.

 Even if the cashier’s check seems legitimate, the buyer can issue a “stop payment” order through their bank (claiming the check was lost, etc.) after they take your car.

The ONLY safe form of payment is a bank-to-bank wire transfer. 

Period. 

Once a wire transfer is made, it cannot be voided or reversed. 

Make it clear to your buyer about your terms of sale before you meet, and they can arrange the wire transfer with their bank. 

Once they see the car and are ready to buy, they can call their branch and instigate the transfer of funds to your bank. In the U.S. a wire transfer usually takes only about 20 minutes before funds appear in your account.

Set-up a separate bank account just for the sale transaction to isolate the incoming funds and your account number from the sale account. 

Talk with your bank and they can advise you of the safest way to conduct the transfer of funds.

4. NEVER release the car or title until funds have cleared and are in your bank.

Any legitimate buyer will respect these simple terms of sale. Never let a buyer push you or make demands to do things “their way.” 

https://www.facebook.com/faron.shanholtz/posts/pfbid0ejUxW1rfKoqhnz84M5WZQBb2HxgzjhLe9K7AfDr6nqoo1htoazABqQPS5kSLa71sl

Cobra was bought new by Dr. Keith Garner with racing in mind. It's a J code shaker 429 Super Cobra Jet backed by the C6 automatic and V code 3.91 Drag Pack inch rear.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597674397277203/permalink/2823768304667800

It's amazing how few years it takes for tech to become so commonplace, no one remembers how recently it came along, like the traffic light, or, the internet

Not so long ago, they had to have mass communication awareness campaigns for traffic lights (1965) and zip codes, for example

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10229981054283086&set=pcb.28169853525950006

British Airways provided hotel rooms to cabin crew near London Heathrow airport when doing short overnights as part of longer trips... and now the British govt wants the taxes, all 7 million dollars worth!

but these are London stays for flight attendants based in London. 

They could have just gone home. So the expense isn’t deductible.

The government says that the rooms were a taxable employment benefit, rather than a necessary business expense.

BA provided something of value by reason of employment. 

The travel subsistence exemption is only allowable if the employee could deduct the same cost if they were the ones paying. 

London Heathrow is their permanent workplace or base. 

Accommodation at or near a permanent workplace is not deductible business travel. 

Ordinary commuting and private living costs aren’t deductible.

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs department treated the hotel stays as taxable. British Airways disputed that.

When British Airways scheduled back-to-back trips where they spent the night in London, BA paid for a layover hotel rather than treating the crew as simply off duty at home. This is important because flight attendants need minimum rest between flights, which amounts to time ‘behind the door’ and commutes eat into this.

https://viewfromthewing.com/british-airways-put-up-flight-attendants-in-london-hotels-now-the-u-k-demands-7-8-million-in-tax/

good news, UPS met the deadline for the 1st step of retrofitting delivery vans with air conditioning, but wow, they had to be FORCED to install air conditioning... wtf? How do the UPS boardmembers in their airconditioned penthouse suites not comprehend that they only have jobs because of drivers in vans delivering packages... and AC is required to prevent heat stroke!

UPS met its obligation to retrofit 2,000 parcel delivery vans with air conditioning in the hottest parts of the country by June 1 and recently started a pilot program for piping cooled air into the rear cargo area behind the bulkhead door, where drivers can be exposed to sweltering conditions, Teamsters union General President Sean O’Brien said on Saturday.

 UPS in October agreed to modify 5,000 delivery vehicles in hot zones with air conditioning systems after the Teamsters publicly called out the company for dragging its feet on commitments to purchase or retrofit 28,000 sprinter vans and package cars with in-cab air conditioning by the summer of 2027 to protect drivers from excessive heat conditions.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ups-meets-deadline-for-retrofitting-delivery-vans-with-air-conditioning

from the Switchers and Critters facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/775685475813757

the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria is officially open in Santa Monica

Skip the 1st 2 minutes

nice way to get the message out there

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3062519413945887&set=gm.3951156325185653&idorvanity=1781866218781352

Nice Firestone ghost sign in Lyons, Texas from about a 100 years ago.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10238689969780313&set=pcb.1706895786924787

great photo of the Penske team servicing winning Mark Donohue/Chuck Parsons Lola T70/Chev. winners Daytona 24 1969

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227135310088890&set=gm.3132162863643609&idorvanity=527146584145263

incredible Ozzy graffiti on this rail car

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10162374120360684&set=gm.36666356346311783&idorvanity=889066631134208

someone was hiding a nitrous system under their Ford Tri Power!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/331841457196501/permalink/2832329987147623

Cool Mopar garage art wall hangers

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1046365337723831&set=pcb.28002393829379420

the Mercury Speedster body for model Ts (found in Speed Secrets magazine, thank you Larry!)

 

and one in Sweden was used by Tord Jadraas to move his hot dog stand! 

1934 Champion Spark Plugs board game (found in Speed Secrets magazine, thank you Larry!)

Walter showed up to get his Riley heads from the machine shop, with an original Riley head shipping crate (found in Speed Secrets magazine, thank you Larry!)

it would be too easy to pick the wrong one if you were getting parts to build a hot rod, there are 5 different pitman arms for the F1 steering box (found in Speed Secrets magazine, thank you Larry!)

 

I just learned that Brock Yates did 4 years in the Navy, as an officer

 

whoo hoo! Registered for SEMA and AAPEX

if any of you are going to be there, let me know, I'd like to meet you in person!