Shipping.

 Greatest developments so Far!

Shipping is now slowly moving from electro-diesel to all electric power, with more ease than expected, Norway, and South-Korea are leading the way from island ferries to container shipping. It is kind of ironic that a crude oil tanker be powered by an electric engine?

Governments are desperate to cut the elusive carbon emissions, but this is a world political choice that all are following at this time and so much is seemingly appearing to be done, while it is not known how much carbon is burned every time a rocket is launched into Space?

Icebreakers, military warships and submarines continue to be built and powered along with aircraft carriers by nuclear engines, which produce steam to drive conventional engines that remain semi-Diesel and no changes are being planned for the rest of the fleet smaller vessels?

Pollution! Part-One.

Fire, steam, electric and Nuclear?

Through the last two hundred years humanity has moved from the burning of wood to splitting the Atomic atom and yet we remain limited to the use of fossil fuels to keep our world of manufacturing and travel to derivatives of oil for most vehicles, shipping, trains and aviation?

One has only to live by the coast to see the effects of polluted smog gathering in the mid summer afternoons to know that the petrol engine is a serious problem to human health!

Governments do need to wake up and reduce traffic on roads and find quick alternatives to our reliance on petrol, oil and coal?

LPG Conversions might be the solution for many between now and the compulsory introduction of battery and electric vehicles?

Farm Machinery. Two.

Sophistication and the Robotic Age?

Most of the new machines of various type coming on to the market are now built for one role, thus the days of the common tractor may be coming to an end? Over the last one-hundred and fifty years the need for labourers has gone down from 50 to 5 on most farms.

The steam engine began the mechanised decline and this was followed by the ever increasing size of the fields in Europe. Today we are entering the driver less car and soon the farm machine will follow, with the operator working from the laptop in their home.

What started off as a game, will soon become a reality in robotic farming. What of the machines, well perhaps all will be repaired by themselves, even cutting out humans? But the updating and programming will remain a human intervention for some time yet?

Entertainment Trailers. Part-One.

Ancient times to the Present.

People have always wanted to be entertained or to see something new?

Today many trailers are designed for music systems or mobile bands, in fact a trailer can be used for many things in this area? In ancient times a long waggon was used like a caravan or stage coach for the transportation of Royalty or other military usage.

The recording of the first serious entertainment trailers was in the 16th Century when showmen appointed by various wealthy families where commissioned to display Menagerie's of animals, lions, wolves, birds, elephants, snakes and other unknown animals to the British Isles.

Similar developments also travelled across the rest of Europe, while Italy and France may have seen the first mobile plays. But the trailer did not come to the fore until the development of the steam engine and the German inspired organs, where today these fascinating machines can be seen at the many steam and vintage fairs across Britain.

North American Railroads. Part-Two.

1930's to the 1950's Boom Time.

Despite the depression of the 1930's passenger travel across the United States was improving year by year and the standards were too. The transition from steam to diesel was more to do with clean air and speed, but the rail cars where becoming more comfortable even for the ordinary passenger.

Black people were still segregated to poorer standard of travel, which even today despite the many changes and civil rights there is a return in many areas to the white dominated past.

In these years of prosperity for the U.S. something of the grandeur was lost to the more sleekness of the Art Deco designed cars. In fact the railroads were more luxurious than automobile and air travel, it was in a way on par with the cruise liners, but on a smaller scale.

By the 1950's many of the pre-World War-II (1940-45) trains still retained their names, but as time has progressed this has been lost to more of a standardisation.

Railcars and Railbuses.

British demand For.

One cannot speak for other nations, but it would seem that the 'Railcar is something unique to the British railway system. The first cars with twin cabs were built for the Great Western and saw service between Bristol and Swindon from the late 1940' to the early 50's, despite their popular appeal nothing more was done to improve them.

The 1950's saw the re-introduction of these one coach units operating on small lines, some where termed rail buses rather than cars and they were an essential link prior to Beaching. The Class 101 got the idea off with two to three car Diesel Multiple Units (DMU's), but the 117/121 were demanded for sharper bends in Cornwall. 

Past smaller steam locomotives and limited stock could work these lines, but the newer carriages and locos were to long. By the 1970's plans where in progress for the Pacer Class 150 and 153 units, which is some cases were nothing more than a Leyland bus on a carriage chassis.

Northern-Ireland railways had developed a spread of single and multiple rail cars from the 1930's, many of these originated on the various narrow gauge lines that were still in operation in the province of Ulster. Some were sold to the Isle of Man, but very little was shared I believe with the mainland. NIR did by some unusual vehicles from the Southern Railway one-offs built at Norwood Junction?

Model World.

Modelling.

The hobby of modelling those machines that we like to look at, film and photograph can be some times the closest we will ever get to seeing how they are designed and made. From Space to trains and automobiles to ships, there is nearly a model for every machine that has ever been created.

Owning a model layout or a racing track to a model diorama is knowing that you have put it together and can adapt and change it at any time.

Wither these models are glued or remote control, racing cars, boats or a model railway they will bring us hours of pleasure.

The model world is not for everyone, but for many it is a great joy and past time. I wonder what Father Christmas will be bringing us this year in our over sized stocking?

The Motorbike. Part-One.

The engined Bicycle.

With the advent of the petrol engine, some bright spark was able to combine the two. It is kind of ironic when you think it was two bicycle makers, the Wright brothers who flew the first aeroplane in 1908.

Gottlieb Daimler was the first to try in 1880 and by 1895 he was in production with the Einspur 265cc. Prior to the petrol engine were steam powered bikes by a Frenchman Michaux-Perreaux Velocipede from 1869, but by now this concept was abandoned.

The powered cycle format that we toady know for both the bicycle and motorbike was adopted in 1869, but the bicycle funny enough continues to change shapes, until the 20th century.

Sail Ships. Part-One.

Knowing the basics.

Living by the sea one see's loads of yachts and boats, including the odd sail ship. Over the years I have missed quite a few of them either in Swansea Bay, and the Bristol Channel and many other parts of the UK and Ireland.

There are a few films on classic yachts and some of them may be original trawlers, since the trawler started life in this part of the world anyway. Sail ship deign is strange enough still improving, but it was in the early 19th Century, that the Clipper came to its fore. Ships like the 'Cutty Sark, which has now been restored and is at Greenwich in London by the River Thames.

She was built in Dumbarton Scotland in 1869, weighing 921 tons and was 212 feet long. Her hey day was in carrying tea from China to the Port of London in 100 days and at a speed of about average 16 knots. 

The basic sail layout of these ships had developed from one main sail and a few smaller one to the three-four mast tall riggers. Ships like the Cutty Sark ended their days in the wool industry from Australia and the introduction of steam power and the opening of the Suez canal in Egypt.

The Automobile, Car. Part-One.

Horseless Carriage.

The automobile/car is the most prolific vehicle that humanity has yet conceived! The car started off as a steam powered machine, but with the advent of the petrol engine it has never looked back. For the first time, as far as we know humanity had a carriage, without the need of a horse.

Today there are hundreds of types, makes of cars and vans across the globe. Nearly every country in the world is able to build some form of the car, from a very basic model to the very advanced hydrogen version.

What I intend to do is split this subject in to three parts, first the conception of the car and its uses and developments. Then move on to its construction and design and last of all it negative aspects.

The car is like a carriage or trap, it conveys a small number of people 1-5 from A to Z, it has a effective range and is comfortable. The advantages of the car is one of protective covering and the other of speed and no need to have an animal. 

But petrol and later diesel and LPG gas became available for more economic reasons, to do with world conflicts and the price of petroleum.