Saturday, May 28, 2011

Unusual locomotives and railcars

Above the Stirling 8 footer, named for that huge 8 foot driven wheel
The El Dobernador... if you've heard of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's nickname, you might be amused that it sounds nearly the same as this locomotive... the Govenator. Yes, that is a long pull. I still was amused and made the connection
The Garratt... the boiler is in the middle with the cab, the water is carried over one engine and the fuel over the other. Garratts were designed for great tractive effort and great flexibility. The engines on either end were articulated so even though the locomotive was quite long it could negotiate curves like a much smaller engine type. It also spread the load of engines, fuel and water over a long wheelbase and many axles thus permitting it to run on lighter weight rails as well
1910 McKeen that served until 1945 and was then used as a diner and a part of a plumbing business. After being donated to the Carson City railroad museum it underwent a lengthy restoration, and is the only remaining complete McKeen car in existence
to learn more about all of these go to http://goawaygarage.blogspot.com

Sidecars and motorbikes

The above was a young woman named Della Crewe who decided to drive from Waco Texas to New York with her dog Trouble in 1915. It was 5300 some odd miles.

Also notable for being a Harley with a sidecar, ... but these are different sidecars

the above and below are ambulance sidecars

http://goawaygarage.blogspot.com/

Celebrities

Paul Newman

George Clooney
Tuskegee Airmen
Evel Knievel
Rutger Hauer, who spoke an amazing movie line in "Bladerunner" "I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All these moments will be lost in time. Like tears in rain." I've always liked that quote
William Shatner
Paul McCartney
John Lennon
Steve McQueen
Christina Applegate
Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Above: Ann Margaret

Above Clint Eastwood, and below all three are Roy Rodgers


Found on http://goawaygarage.blogspot.com/

US Navy blimps/airships/dirigibles, one is the USS Macon

why blimps? Cause these were incredibly big, unusual, and strangely to me they weren't incorporated into the Air Force. What the sailors found relevant, and the fly boys didn't is a matter that is a mystery to me .

Oh yes, and because they have one wheel


Harley CEO gave himself a 6.4 million dollar bonus, for the worst sales year in 12 years

Harley Davidson Inc. CEO, Keith Wandell is paying himself a $6.4 million bonus for Harley’s worst sales year since 1999.

It was also disclosed that HD accepted a secret $2.3 billion bailout in 2008. Harley reported a $146.5 million profit in 2010, compared with a $55.1 million loss in 2009.

In 2010, new union contracts saw a total of 2,300 job cuts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin plus reduced wages and benefits for the remaining union employees, for a total cost saving that will eventually add up to $50 million annually

Totally copied from http://goawaygarage.blogspot.com but what is there to do when coming across this info? Not remark on it?

Movie screenwriter's stolen chopper found in the Phillipines

An $80,000 motorcycle stolen in Texas last year from Hollywood screenwriter Skip Woods has been recovered in the southern Philippines

read the whole story at http://goawaygarage.blogspot.com/2011/05/stolen-bike-traveled-us-to-philippines.html

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

radio talk show traffic reporter names

Lee Vrubr
Dyna Axydent
Juan Mylanuer
Eunice Versagoynt
Lisa Neucar
Ann Tenna
Phillip DeTank

The biggest movie star has the biggest trailer. Well, that makes sense.





Will Smith was using a trailer so big, the business people in Soho got it kicked off of the neighborhood streets and into a parking lot

53 feet long, 1150 square feet of space, double decker, 2 bedroom two bath, 30 tons, granite bathroom and marble floors, and offices for Will Smith's staff, a full kitchen and bar too. Another just like it serves as a mobile gym for him, and they rent for 9,000 a week

Asking price is 2 million by the manufacturer, Anderson Mobile Estates, and this one seems to be regularly used by the movie company Columbia Pictures while the movie Men In Black III is getting filmed.

photos from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1385926/Will-Smith-takes-New-York-block-2m-trailer-Men-In-Black-3-set.html

26 yr old Kyle Busch... Nascar Sprint Cup driver, in serious danger of losing his regular drivers lisense for 128 in a 45 in South Carolina

His nickname "Wild Thing"..., his crime? Nearly 3 times the speed limit.

Careless and reckless driving plus speeding. His wife was in the car with him.

On two lane Perth Road near Troutman, N.C. in a yellow 2012 Lexus LFA sports car, unregistered, still a dealership supercar he was loaned by Toyota-Lexus.


A very special supercar by Lexus, a 552-horsepower LFA coupe that began production in December with a very serious price tag of $375,000. Just 22 of them have been delivered so far to U.S. customers, with 500 examples planned worldwide.

Really? (as they say on Saturday night live) You really had to find the top speed of a Lexus?

If convicted, Busch can lose his license for up to a year and face $1,000 in fines.

"I was test driving a new sports car and I got carried away," Busch explained. "I went beyond the speed I should have been going on a public road."

Kyle is already on Nascar probation for infamous rule 12-4-A, "actions detrimental to stock car racing," from the Darlington incident with Kevin Harvick http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/NASCAR-Kevin-Harvick-and-Kyle-Busch-clash-after-Darlington-Cup-race (Harvick climbing out of his car to take a swing at Busch who stayed in his car. Harvick's ends up crashing into a wall) , but NASCAR decided Busch's speeding on a 2 lane at a splinter under 3ximes the posted limit didn't fall afoul of that rule... could it be that to link this incident to that would possibly result in a loss of championship points?

Near that area several other notable people have died in higher speed collisions.

Some info from http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=newton_david&id=6587895 and http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-kyle-busch-ticket-bait-lexus-lfa/

Photos from http://photos.speedtv.com/gallery/2012_Lexus_LFA/slideshow

ever had the van fever? it was a major fad in the 70's with disco, bellbottoms, and surfing

"This is pretty much the definitive article on vanning, it was the seed that started the whole thing going mainstream" - Damion
For a lot more coverage of the 1970's van culture, and of course, to read the article and the full spectrum coverage Damion gives vans: http://www.nooneridesforfree.com/2011/03/wild-west-coast-vans.html



factory side mirrors with the extra mini convex mirror built in. Great idea, why aren't they on all new cars?

this is on a Traverse, a GM vehicle, but these don't come on all new GM vehicles. They should.