tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196677442024-03-27T23:20:22.489-07:00SERVISIDE<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85316188@N00/6012647865/" title="Bookit by steve_bogdan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/6012647865_f224929e9c.jpg" width="500" height="295" alt="Bookit"></a></center><center>Long-winded minutiae about planes, trains and automobiles.</center>Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-52228263810056864432024-01-15T20:41:00.000-08:002024-01-16T00:09:49.453-08:00The Jagged Edge[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Tuesday, October 11, 2016 and titled Trailer Tuesday 10/11/16]<br>
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The late Joseph 'Bogie' Beaudoin's channeled 1930 Ford Roadster powered by a caddy engine. Nicknamed "The Jagged Edge" it, for some reason, had a cigarette lighter mounted to the underside of the chassis.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30155746632/in/dateposted-public/" title="bogieundertrailer"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5458/30155746632_f21f18b40d_o.jpg" width="400" height="225" alt="bogieundertrailer"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Joseph Beaudoin tucks "The Jagged Edge"—his 1930 Ford Roadster—under a Feuer Transportation semi-trailer. </center></span>
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Beaudoin was an original member of the Black Road Auto Club out of Stamford, Connecticut. This photo was taken in 1960 when he was 20 or 21 years old (born in 1939), three years after the club was formed. The location is across the street from the local favorite Tony’s Diner on Shippan Aveue in Stamford Connecticut.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30155745872/in/dateposted-public/" title="Joseph-beaudoin-1930-ford"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5564/30155745872_edb90a730f_o.jpg" width="400" height="214" alt="Joseph-beaudoin-1930-ford"></a></center>
<br><center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/53467427660/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black Road"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53467427660_c4d6b8d7d8_c.jpg" width="400" height="210" alt="Black Road"/></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Black Road Auto Club plaque.</center></span>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/53467003351/in/dateposted-public/" title="Joseph-beaudoin-1931-ford-2"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53467003351_eb1f4b853b_c.jpg" width="400" height="241" alt="Joseph-beaudoin-1931-ford-2"/></a></center>
<br>Photos from <a href="https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/whats-wrong-with-a-channeled-hot-rod.1077547/page-4">JALOPYJOURNAL</a> and <a href="https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Joseph_Beaudoin's_1930_Ford">KUSTOMRAMA</a>Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-25006946596951297572024-01-15T17:41:00.000-08:002024-01-15T18:05:22.324-08:001935 Ariel Red Hunter RH500[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Monday, October 10, 2016 and titled Motorcycle Monday 10/10/16]<br>
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Built pre-August 1935. Photo taken November 18, 1935.<br>
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29952902400/in/dateposted-public/" title="Shell%2C+England%2C+1935"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5684/29952902400_cc707231d0_o.jpg" width="333" height="400" alt="Shell%2C+England%2C+1935"></a></center>
Nestled in the beautiful countryside of Kent, the small village of Yalding is prone to regular flooding as it sits between three rivers – the Beult, the Teise, and the Medway. On November 18, 1935 this nearly new Ariel RH500 was photographed filling up at the Shell pump during the flood.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30218524786/in/dateposted-public/" title="Ariel_350_cc_Red_Hunter_1938"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7778/30218524786_20fa7a2646_o.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="Ariel_350_cc_Red_Hunter_1938"></a></center>
A surviving example.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29622864744/in/dateposted-public/" title="habitants-de-la-ville-dans-la-rue-principale-compltement-inonde-le-picture-id558651323"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5341/29622864744_cf1db21765_o.jpg" width="400" height="314" alt="habitants-de-la-ville-dans-la-rue-principale-compltement-inonde-le-picture-id558651323"></a></center>
Later that same day a different photographer captured a shot of a car filling up at the non-Shell pump.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30218526216/in/dateposted-public/" title="file"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5525/30218526216_140aae6e4a_o.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="file"></a></center>
The store (minus petrol pumps) as it appeared in 2016.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-71701747597547390792024-01-12T20:28:00.000-08:002024-01-12T20:35:01.126-08:00CHP Sedan Delivery[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Saturday, October 6, 2016 and titled Sedan Delivery Saturday 10/08/16]<br>
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The California Highway Patrol's Technical Research Unit's 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Series 1500 GJ Sedan Delivery. 9,310 Model Number 1508s were produced, and the CHP got at least one of them.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29573789843/in/dateposted-public/" title="49sedandel"><img src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5672/29573789843_19362950c0_o.jpg" width="400" height="236" alt="49sedandel"></a></center>
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30202987295/in/dateposted-public/" title="Bakersfield"><img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8575/30202987295_cd8cef0308_o.jpg" width="209" height="400" alt="Bakersfield"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Top photo from <a href="http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/sedan_deliveries_the_handsome_handy_haulers"><i>Old Cars Weekly</i></a>, clipping from the Tuesday, January 17, 1950 edition of <i>The Bakersfield Californian</i>.</center></span>
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-20799261937408816582024-01-11T20:53:00.000-08:002024-01-11T20:56:34.108-08:00Messerschmitt Kabinenroller (Cabin Scooter)[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Friday, October 7, 2016]<br>
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In memory of Rhoda Emma Kruse.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30099889301/in/dateposted-public/" title="tumblr_o6x6hdkfhF1sswdljo1_1280"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8278/30099889301_05167dbf35_o.jpg" width="317" height="400" alt="tumblr_o6x6hdkfhF1sswdljo1_1280"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Rhoda not pictured. Photo from <a href="https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2010/06/03/models-in-messerschmitts/">Hemmings</a>.</center></span><br>
Rhoda was a wonderful person, and the only one I'd ever met who had purchased a Messerschmitt Cabin Scooter new to use as a daily driver. She was afraid to drive, but figured she "could handle a car that small."<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30149939586/in/dateposted-public/" title="0010707603-01-1.jpg_20130118"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5626/30149939586_0460de594e_o.jpg" width="120" height="157" alt="0010707603-01-1.jpg_20130118"></a></center><br>
Her obituary (below) was published in the January 19, 2013 edition of <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?n=rhoda-emma-kruse&pid=162447893"><i>The San Diego Union-Tribune</i></a>.
<blockquote>KRUSE, RHODA EMMA Aug. 8, 1929 to Nov. 19, 2012 Rhoda was born in Brooklyn, NY and attended Bethany College, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University. She was a ferocious reader from an early age and became a senior librarian with the City of San Diego and Carlsbad, as well as the San Diego County Office of Education. Her worldly travels added to her expertise and deep respect for other's cultures. From her early years and upbringing, her faith was always very important to her. In San Diego, she became involved with two different Christian churches, University Christian Church and Pacific Beach Christian Church. Her faith was strong despite her having to fight Alzheimer's. She will be greatly missed by her church families. She is survived by her sister Harriet Botta, of Toronto, Ontario Canada, along with several nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life will be held at the University Christian Church, 3900 Cleveland Avenue, 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 27. In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to any local library branch in her memory.</blockquote>
I was lucky indeed to have known her.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-7734339370758557192024-01-11T20:31:00.000-08:002024-01-11T20:43:36.222-08:00Candidate For Ugliest Concept Car Known to Man[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Friday, October 7, 2016]<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29555346414/in/dateposted-public/" title="BZROi"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5322/29555346414_2409f6f0ca_o.jpg" width="400" height="278" alt="BZROi"></a></center>
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29555345834/in/dateposted-public/" title="1977_Colani_VW_Prototype_03"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5096/29555345834_465a9f4b33_o.jpg" width="314" height="400" alt="1977_Colani_VW_Prototype_03"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>More beauties <a href="http://motorburn.com/2014/06/7-of-the-ugliest-concept-cars-ever-conceived/">here</a>.</center></span><br>
1977 Volkswagen Prototype concept by <a href="http://colani.org/luigi_colani_Product_design_museum/Introduction.html">Luigi Colani</a>. Developed as a successor to the Beetle, positioned between Polo and Golf. Other Colani automotive designs can be found <a href=" https://colani.org/luigi_colani_Product_design_museum/Cars.html ">here</a>.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-75254643440139379542024-01-11T20:17:00.000-08:002024-01-11T20:18:36.681-08:00Foreign Flivver[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Friday, October 7, 2016 and titled Friday Flivver 10/07/16]<br>
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Argentine Ford Model-T Baquet (Speedster)<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30183936725/in/dateposted-public/" title="986d5a80ff9d7aa1f3d6d542a13eee7e"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5641/30183936725_9f7c44e04d_z.jpg" width="400" height="273" alt="986d5a80ff9d7aa1f3d6d542a13eee7e"></a></center>
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30183937225/in/dateposted-public/" title="53023-ford-t-1925-b-553x379"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5072/30183937225_59cae2c225_o.jpg" width="400" height="274" alt="53023-ford-t-1925-b-553x379"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Originally offered for sale <a href="https://www.arcar.org/ford-t-1925-en75941">here</a>.</center></span><br>
I have a soft spot for Model-T Speedsters. This one first appeared in early 2013 and these images can still be found around the internet today, mainly on Pinterest. The vehicle had a new differential, new woodwork, sheet metal and new paint, new leather upholstery, new front wheel spokes, new radiator, and a new air pump and bronze French pressure gauge for naphtha fuel tank. The engine had new bushings and front bearing but needed rings and assembly. It was missing the gearbox.<br>
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It could have been yours for 81,000 Argentine pesos, 5,400 American dollars, or 4,914 Euros in 2013 money.
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-545242210920650022024-01-10T18:16:00.000-08:002024-01-10T20:37:29.881-08:00New New Orleans Three-Wheelers[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Thursday, October 6, 2016 and titled Thursday Three-Wheeler 10/06/16]<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29536559403/in/dateposted-public/" title="New+Orleans+during+the+1950s+%283%29"><img src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5789/29536559403_718fb5a97c_o.jpg" width="400" height="270" alt="New+Orleans+during+the+1950s+%283%29"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>From <a href="http://www.vintag.es/2016/08/40-awesome-color-snapshots-captured.html">Vintage Everyday</a>.</center></span><br>
20+ brand new 1957 Harley-Davidson Model G Servi-Car Police Special 3-wheelers are displayed in New Orleans. They were equipped with a 45 cubic inch (737 cc) twin-V flathead engine and a three-speed transmission that also included neutral and reverse.<br>
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Four years later finds at least two of them converted into canine carriers—including the second from the left (above), #131—by removing the cargo box lid and installing doggy windshields.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/53456915300/in/dateposted-public/" title="tumblr_lfxxunXQ9s1qzuuyxo1_1280"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53456915300_7cc23ca9bd_b.jpg" width="400" height="274" alt="tumblr_lfxxunXQ9s1qzuuyxo1_1280"/></a><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>From this <a href=" https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-cool-photos-from-21-stud.html">2011</a> post.</center></span>Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-22663166672419624702024-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:002024-01-10T15:56:50.130-08:00Seven Joes and a Duck[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Thursday, October 6, 2016]<br>
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Photo montage by the well-known photographer ‘anonymous’, PH2/c, used in the squadron’s Christmas card, 17 February 1942. It features some of VJ-7’s enterprising photographers working to get the best possible camera angles from positions aboard a Grumman J2F “Duck.”<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/30079319871/in/dateposted-public/" title="tumblr_oeknorMdCz1r39szco1_1280"><img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8675/30079319871_096b635959_o.jpg" width="400" height="323" alt="tumblr_oeknorMdCz1r39szco1_1280"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>From <a href="http://uss-edsall.tumblr.com/post/151377575495/photo-montage-by-the-well-known-photographer">Gegaan Maar Niet Vergeten</a> (Gone But Not Forgotten).</center></span>
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-37578976669794573942024-01-10T15:36:00.000-08:002024-01-10T15:48:37.211-08:00The "S" is for Suppressed[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Thursday, October 6, 2016]<br>
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That is, the half-track is suppressed, according to the serial number painted on the hood. Obviously not the American soldier or the French girl.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29534780034/in/dateposted-public/" title="Suppressed"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5784/29534780034_90f39e64e1_o.jpg" width="260" height="400" alt="Suppressed"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Original caption: "American soldier kissing a French girl as they embrace on the hood of a half-track, 1944. (Photo by Ralph Morse)"
From <i>Life</i> magazine via <a href="http://www.vintag.es/2015/05/these-20-romantic-vintage-photos-of.html">Vintage Everyday</a>.</center></span>
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More on radio noise suppression at <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/18779#comment-174343">Shorpy</a>.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-61326273471450152132024-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:002024-01-10T15:26:40.944-08:00Cheeky Little Blighter[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Thursday, October 6, 2016]<br>
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<center>Front view of a Junkers Ju 87B.</center><br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29534392003/in/dateposted-public/" title="Ju87"><img src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5743/29534392003_63f78a2510_o.jpg" width="264" height="400" alt="Ju87"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>From World War Photos</center></span>
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-69704189098802308692024-01-10T14:07:00.000-08:002024-01-10T15:00:23.262-08:001929 RAC Tourist Trophy Race[Originally posted at <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> on Wednesday, October 5, 2016]<br>
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A Le Mans-style start at the 1929 RAC Tourist Trophy on the Ards Circuit in Northern Ireland.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/29532559394/in/dateposted-public/" title="1929 RAC TT"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5177/29532559394_61e023a65a_o.jpg" width="400" height="240" alt="1929 RAC TT"></a></center><br>
Photo from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/proni/albums/72157664764886554">flicker page</a>.<br>
Read about the pre-event planning in <i>Motor Sport Magazine's</i> incredible <a href="http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1929/16/rac-tourist-trophy-race">online archive</a>. Download a pdf copy of official program with rules <a href="http://www.hells-confetti.com/Historical%20data/1929%20TT%20programme.pdf">here</a> from the Front-Wheel-Drive Alvis website <a href="http://www.hells-confetti.com/">Hell's Confetti</a>.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-40068037771395002692024-01-09T20:53:00.000-08:002024-01-09T21:58:26.752-08:00I'm back. Yet again.I'll be doing some house cleaning for a bit as I fix or remove links that have broken since I was here last, then I need to remove the errant transportation posts from <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a> and repost them here.<br>
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I'm also removing the nontransportation posts from <i>On The Nightstand</i> and moving them to <a href="http://dullcrayon.blogspot.com/">Not The Sharpest Crayon In The Blogs</a> as <i>On The Nightstand</i> will henceforth will be dedicated solely to books (although any transportation books I read will be mentioned on this site as well).<br>
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Then I will be posting new stuff here (hopefully regularly) and on the other two sites (hopefully occasionally).<br>
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And I need to get this done before I have pizza with <a href="http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/">Jesse</a> on Friday.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-13933618815516268162019-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:002019-09-09T18:00:37.762-07:00Dang, JesseYou had one job. And you did it magnifiquement bien.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/48708736857/in/dateposted-public/" title="SandE"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48708736857_e22db2853d_z.jpg" width="400" height="304" alt="SandE"></a></center>
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I sent <a href="http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/">justacarguy</a> this one photo, and he turned it into <a href="http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/steak-and-eggs-unarmed-20-havoc.html">THIS</a>! Bravo!Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-44077897931657050692017-04-14T20:39:00.000-07:002017-04-15T23:03:20.001-07:00Musings, Trains of Thought, and the 100th Anniversary of the King Armored CarSteve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-41920437681779023182017-02-18T16:30:00.001-08:002017-03-01T18:10:56.144-08:00Fun With Scooters Part 1:The Powell Streamliner
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32822573222/in/dateposted-public/" title="three-guys-on-a-vespa.preview"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2231/32822573222_f4f68f11ef_o.jpg" width="400" height="240" alt="three-guys-on-a-vespa.preview"></a></center>
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Last February <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/user/4687">Vintagetvs</a> posted the above <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/20635">photo</a> over on <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/">Shorpy</a> with his original title "The Wild Ones" and captioned "Not even Brando could make that scooter look cool. From the negatives I found at a Whittier book store." The photo itself was named "three-guys-on-a-vespa.jpg"<br>
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In mid-December <a href="http://rivet-head.tumblr.com/post/154465565674">Rivet Head</a> posted a copy with no caption that—as of this date—was reposted on 11 other sites, including my favorite Belgian photo blog <a href="http://jeanfivintage.tumblr.com/">Jalapeno in the eye</a> (occasionally NSFW).<br>
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It next appeared on <a href="http://furtho.tumblr.com/post/155114435901/young-men-on-a-homemade-scooter-via-here">the track east</a>, with a link back to the original Shorpy post, but also with a different caption. The new caption, which has been copied to an additional 23 or so sites, says "Young men on a homemade scooter." Well, young they may be, but homemade it is not, nor (with apologies to Vintagetvs) is it a Vespa.<br>
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The scooter is an early 1939 Powell P-39 Streamliner as made by the Powell Manufacturing Company in Compton, California.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32936445586/in/dateposted-public/" title="1939 Powell"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/510/32936445586_651f8f1c2c_o.jpg" width="400" height="303" alt="1939 Powell"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center><i>Powell P-39 Streamliner</i></center></span><br>
Hayward and Channing Powell graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles in 1924 and immediately started manufacturing radios. In 1926 they formed Powell Manufacturing. Around 1938 they started manufacturing motor scooters, and by 1941 were producing small motorcycles. During World War II the factory switched to war work, and when the war ended they resumed scooter resumed production. Starting in late 1954 and continuing through early 1957, Powell manufactured <a href="http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-powell-sport-wagon-rare-california.html">pickup trucks</a> and <a href="http://clubs.hemmings.com/powellregistry/factory.html">station wagons</a>.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32938041496/in/dateposted-public/" title="1956 Powell"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3876/32938041496_f2c37619d7_o.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="1956 Powell"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center><i>1956 Powell pick-up (with an incorrectly painted hood) carrying a 1954 Powell P-81 scooter</i></center></span><br>
In the 1960s they began building trail bikes, changed the name to Powell Brothers, Inc., and moved the company to South Gate, California. They ceased production in April 1979.<br>
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Maybe Brando couldn't make that particular scooter look cool, but a number of Hollywood stars (and wannabe stars) were photographed on Powell P-39s, P-40s, and P-41s.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32977884675/in/dateposted-public/" title="LC1"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3692/32977884675_116889c969_o.jpg" width="125" height="153" alt="LC1"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32596969990/in/dateposted-public/" title="LC2a"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/405/32596969990_0d195a11af_o.jpg" width="125" height="153" alt="LC2a"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32133925644/in/dateposted-public/" title="DM"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/460/32133925644_b533aedca4_o.jpg" width="125" height="155" alt="DM"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center><i>Lou Costello       Lou with sidecar       Dolores Moran</i></center></span><br>
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32853887301/in/dateposted-public/" title="FG"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2903/32853887301_9238db1730_o.jpg" width="125" height="154" alt="FG"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32164186383/in/dateposted-public/" title="TTS"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3922/32164186383_e5c8c0d96e_o.jpg" width="125" height="154" alt="TTS"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32937604436/in/dateposted-public/" title="SW"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/32937604436_aa482ec9cd_o.jpg" width="125" height="157" alt="SW"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><i> Frances Gifford in the sidecar   The Three Stoogies*     Sally Wadsworth</i></span><br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32854687381/in/dateposted-public/" title="CD"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/751/32854687381_8e5728f626_o.jpg" width="125" height="172" alt="CD"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32979286265/in/dateposted-public/" title="JOB"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/653/32979286265_b5f6a0ef77_o.jpg" width="125" height="172" alt="JOB"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32854687781/in/dateposted-public/" title="BC"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2074/32854687781_3c50ddb994_o.jpg" width="125" height="172" alt="BC"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><i>    Claudia Drake        Joe E. Brown       Broderick Crawford</i></span><br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32980034735/in/dateposted-public/" title="CK"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/518/32980034735_32d9197dda_o.jpg" width="125" height="156" alt="CK"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32825444892/in/dateposted-public/" title="KTS & PVE"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2120/32825444892_601ae29c04_o.jpg" width="125" height="156" alt="KTS & PVE"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32598724640/in/dateposted-public/" title="GP"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2042/32598724640_8be9aac169_o.jpg" width="125" height="156" alt="GP"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><i>    Charles Korvin        K. T. Stevens        Gail Patrick<br>  (on Lou Costello's scooter)     & Peter Van Eyck</i><br></span><br>
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And three unknowns just because:<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32939568676/in/dateposted-public/" title="UK (1)"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3853/32939568676_4dcd92a62f_o.jpg" width="125" height="209" alt="UK (1)"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32980690535/in/dateposted-public/" title="PH"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3702/32980690535_fb01fcb3db_o.jpg" width="125" height="209" alt="PH"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32980690565/in/dateposted-public/" title="SC"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2893/32980690565_2e77ffb98a_o.jpg" width="125" height="209" alt="SC"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><i> Claimed to be a U.K scooter     Party Hat         Shiny Chrome<br>  girl, but no source cited</i><br></span><br>
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*Often mistaken for a Crocker Scootabout, but no. That diamond shaped cutout on the front of the motor housing is a Powell thing, not a Crocker thing.<br>
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As far as I can tell, the single Powell Streamliner that has been seen by the most people anywhere is this one:<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32137936494/in/dateposted-public/" title="Ad"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2248/32137936494_ff1a8e6097_o.jpg" width="400" height="569" alt="Ad"></a></center><br>
As the ad copy states, this P-40 participated in the September 2, 1940 Labor Day parade in Los Angeles, appearing before some 400,000 spectators—which must have been a hoot since the vast majority of the 100,000 strong marchers were Roosevelt supporters. It was the first public display of the scooter-borne ad medium created by the Los Angeles-based Bentley Advertising Company. Clymer Motors, being the "World Distributor" of the Crocker Scootabout, did not seem too apologetic for showing the advertising device attached to a Powell rather than a Crocker. After all, they also represented Powell, as shown by this flyer advertising used Powell P-40s.<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32137936294/in/dateposted-public/" title="Clymer"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2674/32137936294_c787c3ed09_o.jpg" width="400" height="310" alt="Clymer"></a></center><br>
This would have been after the Powell factory had switched over to war production, as no new scooters were being produced.<br>
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Floyd Clymer was, of course, the famous auto dealer and enthusiast who at the age of 11 had been the world's youngest automobile dealer (REO, Maxwell, and Cadillac) in Berthoud, Colorado in 1907.<br>
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At least two Streamliners made it to Hawaii:<br>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32168355463/in/dateposted-public/" title="H1"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2545/32168355463_22a447641a_o.jpg" width="195" height="278" alt="H1"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/32858355141/in/dateposted-public/" title="H2"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/782/32858355141_a7f9a630fe_o.jpg" width="195" height="278" alt="H2"></a></center><br>
The image on the right was taken from a one second appearance in a 16mm film shot on VJ Day in Honolulu. Watch the entire three-and-a-half minute clip <a href="https://vimeo.com/5645171">here</a>. See if you can spot the Navy gray Divco truck.<br>
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This screed isn't intended to be a treatise on all things Powell. Rather, it's just a brief look at the Streamliners of the late 1930s and early 40s. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there was a post-WWII afterlife for the Streamliner design. Sort of. Maybe. Or maybe not. Check back for Part 2.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-86549592127328195972015-03-11T18:54:00.001-07:002015-03-15T17:58:59.992-07:00Edwin Columbus JuergensThe last <a href="http://serviside.blogspot.com/2015/03/juergens-air-propelled-car.html">post</a> detailed the Juergens Air Propelled Car and the publicity surrounding it. This post studies the life of the inventor—Edwin Columbus Juergens, or simply E. C. Juergens, as the stories of the day named him—and looks at his pre-propeller automotive design experience. To do that, we start with a brief history of his family in America.<br />
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Edwin's grandfather, Ludwig Daniel Juergens, emigrated from Prussia in the early 1840s. By 1852 he had married Magdalene Helene Koehn and moved from Milwaukee to Chicago, where they had two children - Theodore and Bertha. Magdalene died in 1859 and sometime later Ludwig married Wilhelmine A. Prosch. Together they had four children - Helene, Alfred, Doris, and Ludwig.<br />
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The elder Ludwig entered the Chicago workforce as a general painter, and used that experience to get hired in 1864 as paint shop foreman for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. His son Theodore had won a scholarship to Porter's Telegraph College after high school, and Ludwig used his influence to land Theodore a job with the Chicago and Northwestern in 1869 as a telegraph operator. Influential or not, Ludwig lost his job in the aftermath of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and had to survive as a sign painter. His expertise with paints would eventually cause him to team up with Theodore (who had also worked as a sign painter and a decorator) in 1875 to start a large paint manufacturing business on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago - L. Juergens & Son, Paints.<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16582823787" title="and Son by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7601/16582823787_487be5fec2_o.jpg" width="400" height="288" alt="and Son"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Advertisement from page 609 of the 1886-7 edition of <i>A. N. Marquis & Co.'s<br />Handy Business Directory of Chicago</i><wbr></center></span><br />
They soon expanded into oils and wallpaper, and more. Theodore's sister Bertha married Adolph Kruger the following year and by 1880 he was a partner in the business. Of Theodore's half-siblings not much is known except for Albert, who became an artist of some renown, but only after his father had died. Ludwig disapproved of that line of work—although in 1881 he allowed Alfred to attend the Chicago Academy of Design as long as he still clerked in the family business. After Ludwig passed away in 1883 while on a trip to Berlin, Albert's mother paid his way to Europe to study.<br />
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Theodore, now married to Mary Josephine Hemmer, became the sole proprietor of the large business. In 1892, however, Theodore left that all behind and joined the Board of the American Varnish Company as its secretary and by 1905 was the president. Theodore's wife Mary gave birth to Edwin Columbus Juergens (the youngest of four children) in Chicago on August 9 in the year of that city's World's Columbian Exposition of 1893—hence Edwin's middle name.<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16156644324" title="AVC by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8631/16156644324_4562d61b4a_o.jpg" width="400" height="328" alt="AVC"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Advertising card for the American Varnish Company on Goose Island in Chicago showing the $20,000 one and two-story brick varnish factory built at 313-315 N. Branch in 1902—just down the street from their earlier sites. From the <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/300047.html">Encyclopedia of Chicago</a> history website.</center></span><br />
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16786916695" title="avc ad by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8684/16786916695_c32a04faa0_o.jpg" width="400" height="304" alt="avc ad"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Repeating ad copy from the Chicago based <i> Paint, Oil and Drug Review</i>.</center></span><br />
These years saw a rise in the family's fortunes, and Theodore soon moved them into an opulent Queen Anne mansion on Pierce Avenue that he had built in 1894-5. Today the house is divided into three apartments, but from the late 1950s until the early 1970s the Juergens mansion was owned by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia—also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad—and was consecrated as The Holy Virgin Protection cathedral, with services held in what is now the front parlor of the second-floor apartment. A Russian Orthodox cross still graces the roof to this day.<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16602179068" title="T Juergens house by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8704/16602179068_3a0ba3ebce_o.jpg" width="400" height="372" alt="T Juergens house"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The Theodore Daniel Juergens house and former The Holy Virgin Protection cathedral at 2141 W Pierce Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622. Image from <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@41.909282,-87.681554,3a,75y,199.05h,93.07t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slNCY11ZjK5rSi266olNEXw!2e0">Google Maps</a> Streetview,<br />recorded September, 2014. Note Russian Orthodox cross on roof.</center></span><br />
In October of 1899, after the dilapidated Division Street bridge to Goose Island was closed, Theodore was one of nine men well-off enough to offer the City of Chicago a loan out of their own pockets for the construction of a new bridge. The city would "pay 6 percent interest on the money until such time as it could repay the business-men." In 1908 Theodore changed careers again, but this time changed industries as well, choosing one that would set the now 15 year-old Edwin on his own career path for the rest of his life. Theodore Juergens joined forces with Jacob Lauth of J. Lauth & Co. to manufacture cars and trucks.<br />
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To be continued with more on the Lauth-Juergens Motor Car Company.<br />
<br />Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-29685180239155663452015-03-07T11:26:00.002-08:002015-03-10T02:13:22.186-07:00The Juergens Air Propelled CarOn Thursday <a href="http://theoldmotor.com/">The Old Motor</a> posted to their website <a href="http://theoldmotor.com/?p=139786">"Mystery Propellor-Driven Car Marysville, Michigan 1932,"</a> having come across an old 1932 newsreel showing an odd looking propeller-powered auto that is definitely <i>not</i> the French Helicron of the same vintage. Well-reasoned speculation as to its origin proved to have been detoured by the misdirection of the Marysville reference however, as the vehicle in question is a product of Detroit. Or rather, the product of one man who lived and worked in Detroit at the time.<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16719134896" title="Rhinelander_Daily_News_Fri__Jul_22__1932_ by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8641/16719134896_484df360d5_b.jpg" width="400" height="457" alt="Rhinelander_Daily_News_Fri__Jul_22__1932_"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Wire service photograph from the July 22, 1932 edition of <i>The Rhinelander Daily News</i> (Wisconsin)</center></span><br />
When he was designing his "airdrive" car for himself in the early 1930s, Edwin Columbus Juergens worked as a draftsman for the Ready-Power Company, a Detroit-based operation that manufactured generators that were sold by, among others, International Harvester/McCormick-Deering. However, the term "draftsman" under-defined his talents, as he had previously worked in the auto industry as both a designer and an engineer. In fact, his entire family in America were a talented bunch and deserve a separate post a bit later, just so we can get an idea of where Edwin came from.
Meanwhile, Juergens applied for a patent on February 16, 1932, and was granted Patent Number 1,999,296 on April 30, 1935<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16744332141" title="Patent 1 by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7615/16744332141_16c489f19c_b.jpg" width="400" height="255" alt="Patent 1"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Patent Number 1,999,296, applied for on February 16, 1932, and granted on April 30, 1935</center></span><br />
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16563750609" title="Patent 3 by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7629/16563750609_cb61fc062b_b.jpg" width="400" height="646" alt="Patent 3"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Page 2 of Patent Number 1,999,296</center></span><br />
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/16561289699" title="Patent 2 by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7629/16561289699_a551635a69_b.jpg" width="400" height="563" alt="Patent 2"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Page 3 of 3 for Patent Number 1,999,296</center></span><br />
The entire patent description (7 pages) can be downloaded <a href="http://www.ptodirect.com/Results/Patents?query=PN/1999296">here</a>.<br />
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Juergens assigned just over a third (366/1000 to be exact) of the patent ownership to his (presumably) investors: William Goldsmith of Canton, Ohio; David J. Joseph of Cincinnati; and Charles D. Jacobson of Detroit. Goldsmith was Secretary, and later Executive Vice-President of Luntz Iron & Steel Company—his brother-in-law's scrap metal and steel products concern. Joseph was President of the David J. Joseph Company, which also dealt with in iron and steel scrap, as well as new and relay (used) rail. Jacobson was a Vice-President of the David J. Joseph Company, in charge of the Detroit district. Both Joseph and Luntz held offices in the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, and both of their respective businesses were among the largest in the country.<br />
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In July and August of 1932, newspapers across the country ran an article supplied by the Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc. (NEA) news wire service. The often 'edited for length to fit available space' story featured E.C. Juergens and his novel automobile. Headed by titles such as "Propeller-Drive Car" (Rhinelander, Wisconsin), or "Propeller Car May Appear Soon" (Jefferson City, Missouri), or even "Propeller May Be Drive" (Lubbock, Texas—where the heavily truncated story was squeezed in-between "New Fords Going" and "Giant Steer Sold")—and as often as not being published without the photograph—the entire copy was as follows:<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72006427@N06/16579970318" title="Post Crescent Article by Tobacconist, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7638/16579970318_1960bf7f5f_o.jpg" width="300" height="938" alt="Post Crescent Article"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Complete NEA news wire article from the August 4, 1932 edition of <i>The Appleton Post-Crescent</i> (Wisconsin), without photograph (as published)</center></span><br />
The newspaper articles attracted the attention of two other major entities: <i>Universal Newspaper Newsreel</i> (<i>Universal Newsreel</i> of Universal Studios), and <i>Popular Science Monthly</i> magazine. The original of the newsreel seen on <a href="http://theoldmotor.com/?p=139786">The Old Motor</a>, which had sound, is now in the Library of Congress, although a copy can be purchased <a href="https://www.buyoutfootage.com/pages/titles/blacktype/pd_nr_titles/pd_newsreels32_010.html">here</a> for a mere $350 transfer fee. See Newsreel Highlights of 1932 (UE32097). The <i>Popular Science</i> article (below), which the <a href="http://blog.modernmechanix.com/air-driven-auto-goes-eighty-miles-an-hour/"><i>Modern Mechanix</i></a> website posted way back in March, 2007—years before anyone else picked up on it—can be read online in the original December, 1932 issue <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=iigDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">here</a> (page 49).<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72006427@N06/16743317626" title="PS Cover by Tobacconist, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/16743317626_d34dc4f476_o.jpg" width="400" height="544" alt="PS Cover"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Cover of the December 1932 issue of <i>Popular Science Monthly</i> magazine featuring the Juergens Air Propelled Car</center></span><br />
<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72006427@N06/16768191532" title="PS Article by Tobacconist, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/16768191532_24cf454707_o.jpg" width="400" height="293" alt="PS Article"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Juergens Air Propelled Car article featured on page 49 of the December 1932 issue of <i>Popular Science Monthly</i> magazine</center></span><br />
The news wire copy noted the air-drive car was "...said to be the first propeller-driven automobile to receive a license plate." Whether or not it was the first, it most certainly was licensed for the road as evidenced by the plate photographed in the article and rendered on the front cover art of the magazine (above). A screen grab taken from the video on <i>The Old Motor</i> site provides a little clearer picture of the 1932 Michigan license plate.<br />
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72006427@N06/16582227348" title="License Plate by Tobacconist, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/16582227348_23457ee520_o.jpg" width="400" height="198" alt="License Plate"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Screen shot of the license plate taken from the <i>Critical Past</i> copy of the <i>Universal Newsreel</i> featuring the Juergens Air Propelled Car</center></span><br />
The pictures and the newspaper and magazine articles describe a 6-to-8 seat air-drive car weighing in at a light 1,500 pounds on a 132-inch wheelbase, with a 275-pound, 100-hp airplane engine powering a five-foot, four-bladed prop that would start to move the car at 200-rpm. It also sported a unique wedge shape that took advantage of the prop wash to act as a down-force. The fuel mileage and top speed hadn't yet been tested at press time, but was estimated by Juergens as 30-mpg and 80-mph respectively. What the car did <i>not</i> have was a clutch, transmission, differential, live rear axle, or any u-joints.<br />
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Features provided for in the patent that did not make it into the prototype included: Twin radiators (Items 13 and 14 on Figure 3, Page 3 above) for a water cooled engine, if fitted; the V-shaped windshield (Page 2 above), or—possibly the most important item— a reversible prop. This last item would be controlled by a single hand lever that would allow the operator to use the prop to slow down, stop, and even reverse the vehicle. According to the patent description, feathering the prop would stand in as a clutch, and adjusting the pitch of the prop blades would allow "...for attaining different speeds with varying loads, and at varying engine speeds, so as to obtain the maximum speed and pulling power and provide for operating the car with the maximum economy of fuel."<br />
<br />All-in-all there 18 specific claims in the patent—all unique enough for the patent to be approved. Many of the patent features were to be employed in a lighter 3-place car, maybe weighing around 800 to 900 pounds, but still using an air-cooled aircraft engine. Juergens figured that the lighter version would get around 40-mpg and top out at just under 120-mph. It may be that we are destined to never know, since there seems to be no evidence that the second prototype was ever built. Still, it appears that, as far as actual usage is concerned, the Juergens Air Propelled Car proved to be one of the more successful builds. Edwin did indeed put more than a few demonstration miles on it. If the video over at <i>The Old Motor</i> is to be taken at face value, then the car made a roughly 100 mile round-trip to Marysville—where it was filmed by <i>Universal Newsreel</i>—and back. But before that, Juergens preformed a reliability run of his own devising. He made a 200 mile round-trip to Fremont, Ohio—his wife's home town—creating "no little interest." It was a nostalgic homecoming, the reason becoming clear in the next post about the life of Edwin Columbus Juergens.<br />
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Not much more was ever heard about the Juergens Air Propelled Car, except for being referenced in five other patents concerning cars driven by propellers. One such <a href="https://www.google.com/patents/US2554590">creation</a> went Juergens one (or perhaps four) better by driving all four wheels using gearing off the prop. For other brave and some perhaps no-so-smart attempts at building propeller-driven cars, see <a href="http://io9.com/is-there-anything-cooler-than-a-car-with-a-giant-propel-1220328894">here</a>, <a href="http://gizmodo.com/the-dodos-we-made-26-propeller-driven-machines-that-ca-482414317">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/12/cars-with-propellers-essential.html">here</a>. There is some repetition, but each has a few that are unique to that site. And then there is this <a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/video/propeller-car">candy clown</a>—claiming to be first in 1955!<br />
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Next post: The life and family of Edwin Columbus Juergens<br />
<br />
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-68124259196915866912014-05-29T15:59:00.002-07:002014-05-30T22:22:55.572-07:001904 National Electrobile Special<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14114877947" title="1904 National Electrobile Special by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/14114877947_a47d411909_o.jpg" width="400" height="292" alt="1904 National Electrobile Special"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>From the 1904 <i>National Electric Vehicles</i> catalog by the<br />
National Motor Vehicle Company of Indianapolis, Indiana.<br />
Click picture to enlarge.</center></span>
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Today over at <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/"><i>Shorpy</i></a> they posted a photo from 1906 of the <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/17529">Tennessee Club</a> in Memphis. There was some speculation about the little runabout in the picture, which reader Bruce Lancaster correctly identified it as a National Electric. There is a bit more to it than that however—when this particular model was first introduced, it was the hottest electric runabout of its day.
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Pictured above is a 1904 Model 105 National Electrobile Special that cost $1,250 new. Without the leather top it would have been a $1,200 Model 100. The January 23, 1904 issue of <i>Automobile Review</i> called it "the most powerful electric two-passenger runabout on the market."
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National's "new pattern 'C' springs" in front (conventional elliptics in the rear) make it instantly recognizable. It had a track of 54 inches and 32 x 3 and-a-half inch Continental tires were standard. The Piano Box style black body was six and-a-quarter feet long, and two and-a-half feet wide with the two-passenger carmine (deep red) leather seat hanging over four inches on each side. The running gear (axles, wheels, etc.) and the supports for the top (called boot risers) were also finished in carmine. If you wanted any other colors rather than the standard black/carmine combination, delivery would take two weeks longer. The hubs, controller lever, steering lever, and the like had a nickel finish.
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The six-pole 3 hp (overload capacity 9 hp) electric motor mounted on the rear axle was an improved model made by National, and drove direct through herringbone (spiral) gears that ran in oil, inside a dust-proof case. The motor drew its power from a 36 cell Western brand battery that came with a rheostat to charge from any 110 to 125-volt circuit. The car was also equipped with an odometer and a combination volt/ammeter. An Edison or Exide brand battery could be had on some other models, but the Edison brand cost between $300 and $500 extra, depending on the size and style of the battery.
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It had a compression band style brake along with an electric auxiliary hub brake—both claimed to be "very powerful" in the National Electric literature. First gear would top out at 5 mph, while fourth gear was good for 17 mph. Reverse gear was activated by a button in the end of the controller lever. The controller lever itself (B) is pointed out in the detail below. There was another push-button in the handle of the steering lever that operated an electric gong—their version of a horn.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14309339094" title="National Electric levers by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/14309339094_cf0085084b_o.jpg" width="235" height="187" alt="National Electric levers"></a></center>
<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>A) Steering lever with "gong" button in the handle.<br />
B) Controller lever with push-button at the top for Reverse.</center></span>
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More later.
Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-14672253995271926862014-05-08T22:51:00.001-07:002015-04-03T14:43:01.888-07:00A. M. Chase and the Chase Track System<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13954895767" title="Chase Track Newton by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/13954895767_911290f368_b.jpg" width="400" height="290" alt="Chase Track Newton"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center><i>"Tank; Key Bridge in background, Washington, D.C."</i><br>
Incorrect original title to Harris & Ewing <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/hec2013001245/">photo</a> from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC). Click on pictures for larger images.</center></span>
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Updated April 3, 2015
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On April 27, 2014 <i>The Old Motor</i> posted an article [since scrubbed and no longer available] provided by reader Tin Indian from the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=K49MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA970&lpg=PA970&dq=%22A+Removable+Track+for+Rubber+Tired+Road+Vehicles%22&source=bl&ots=Ijsn123FEH&sig=PoUSF74X_-HrD2wWRI4qkn6GbP8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tT1sU82IB8GGoQTo3YHQBw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22A%20Removable%20Track%20for%20Rubber%20Tired%20Road%20Vehicles%22&f=false">May 5, 1921 issue of <i>Automobile Industries</i></a> that identified for the general internet audience the tread system above as being the "Chase Track" invented by A. M. Chase. This has been not-so-common knowledge for some time, as some subscription sites have been discussing the tracks and the pictures for a few years now. As we will see, there is much more to the story. Interest in the picture above became wide-spread for the first time when <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/17319"><i>Shorpy</i></a> posted it on April 21, 2014.
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The Library of Congress photos of the 1921 test of the Chase Track System have been making the internet rounds for a few years now, along with other photos taken from military journals. In a causal search, the earliest mention I can find is from July 2002 on the <a href="http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/UnitedStates/cargo-personnel/cargo-personnel.html">Cargo Carriers/Personal Carriers</a> page of William A. Kirk Jr.'s <a href="http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/">TANKS! Armoured Warfare Prior to 1946</a> website, which had the most photos of vehicles with the Chase Track System outside of Fred W. Crismon's 1992 book <i>U. S. Military Tracked Vehicles</i>.
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After a lull, some pictures showed up again around 2008, and then again with regularity starting in 2010, when many of the Ford oriented sites found them on the pages of my favorites such as <i>Just a car guy</i>, <i>Jalopy Journal</i>, <i> Hemmings</i>, and now <i>Shorpy</i> and <i>The Old Motor</i> (although I thought that <i>The Old Motor</i> had posted something earlier, but if so I can't find it now). The latter's post had more than anyone to that time—but in the interest of full disclosure, after my preliminary research I had uploaded most of what you see below to <i>Shorpy</i> a few days before <i>The Old Motor</i> post, but for some reason <i>Shorpy</i> didn't post it. It doesn't bother me, but those grapes were a bit off anyway.
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As for the picture in the <i>Shorpy</i> post that has caused the recent surge of renewed interest, the 1917 Model-T Roadster in that particular photo has just emerged from the muddy banks of Rock Creek under the [William Howard] Taft Bridge at a location that is right about at today's junction of Rock Creek Parkway NW and Beach Drive NW (below). The Taft Bridge is often referred to as the Connecticut Avenue Bridge because it carries Connecticut Avenue traffic over Rock Creek, while the officially named Connecticut Avenue Bridge—an Art Deco steel-arch bridge located near the National Zoo—is more commonly known as the Kingle Valley Bridge because it carries Connecticut Avenue across that feature. Due to the information on the picture in the Library of Congress, the bridge had been identified as the [Francis Scott] Key Bridge, and that error was repeated over the years until <i>Hemmings</i> reader Tim identified it in October 2013, and then <i>Shorpy</i> reader, Washington D.C. radio personality, and D.C. history buff John Dowling was next to correctly identify the Taft Bridge on April 21, 2014.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14033809473" title="Taft by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/14033809473_b6ef732b62_o.jpg" width="400" height="221" alt="Taft"></a></center>
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When the original picture was taken the military nomenclature for the tracks was "Endless-Tread Attachment for Light Autos." Later it became known as the Chase Track, and today as the Chase Track System. Based on subsequent publicity, the photo was probably taken around early-January 1921. Seated behind the wheel is Secretary of War Newton Baker, who was decidedly not the test driver. The fellow standing on the ground (who "doesn't look convinced" in the Shorpy comments) is actually Aurin M. Chase—the inventor—positively identified through correspondence with his grandson, Doug Tomb. Mr Tomb is a car collector and the current President of the George Washington Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. In his collection he has four Chase vehicles, including the very one that was special built for A. M. Chase in 1911. Mr. Tomb tracked it down and brought it back into the family in 1994.
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Chase graduated from M.I.T. in 1900 (it was still known as Boston Tech then) as a mechanical engineer and joined the family firm, the Syracuse Chilled Plow Company.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14138890111" title="SCPCO by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/14138890111_6e533fbe61_o.jpg" width="400" height="258" alt="SCPCO"></a></center>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955407688" title="Syracuse_1879_chilled-plow by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/13955407688_75d73a5c1d_o.jpg" width="400" height="196" alt="Syracuse_1879_chilled-plow"></a></center>
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A few years later he was at the Franklin Automobile Company, where he designed the flywheel suction fan for their air-cooled engines. In 1907 he started the Chase Motor Truck Company to build commercial grade motor trucks that were powered by three-cylinder two-cycle, air-cooled engines of his own design (and incorporating the same fan as the Franklin—he had kept the rights to it):
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955581540" title="Chase 3 Cylinder by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/13955581540_8e5b3c312d_o.jpg" width="400" height="283" alt="Chase 3 Cylinder"></a></center>
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And light duty trucks with a two-cylinder engine:
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955588058" title="Chase 2 Cylinder by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/13955588058_a832364673_o.jpg" width="400" height="302" alt="Chase 2 Cylinder"></a></center>
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Later they switched to Continental engines and by 1917 one out of twelve trucks in New York was a Chase.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955581960" title="Chase Motor Truck Co 1912 Model D by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/13955581960_6a07dd1703_o.jpg" width="400" height="527" alt="Chase Motor Truck Co 1912 Model D"></a></center>
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In 1909 the company added cars to the lineup, and from September of that year until 1912 they teamed with Brockway Carriage Works to help build the first Brockway trucks. In 1911 Chase added tractors.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955642898" title="Chase Tractor Brochure by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/13955642898_88ca8f3651_o.jpg" width="400" height="264" alt="Chase Tractor Brochure"></a></center>
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In late 1919 the company was sold to a Canadian concern and moved to Toronto where tractor production continued for a few more years.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14015390974" title="Chase Tractor ad by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14015390974_1e776c4c53_o.jpg" width="400" height="251" alt="Chase Tractor ad"></a></center>
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A. M. Chase himself, however, had moved on. In early 1916 he was the Chief of the Truck and Trailer Unit of the Ordnance Department in Washington, D. C. In January 1918 he was mustered into the Ordnance Reserve Corps of the U.S. Army as a Major. While in Washington he designed and supervised the production of field-artillery tractors, scout cars, mobile machine shops, and trucks with special bodies for carrying munitions, guns, and range-finding instruments.
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In June 1918 he was stationed in Tours, France with the A. E.F. serving as Chief of the Motor Equipment Section with a staff of eighty-five officers designing emergency equipment in the field and supervising production of equipment in France. He also organized schools in the use of the new equipment.
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In March 1919 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. He returned to the states at the end of May and mustered out a month later. It was said that, in large part, it was due to Chase that at the end of war the American Army was more mechanized than any other. He didn't really leave the service however, as his next job was to serve as the District Designing Engineer of the Ordnance Department back in Syracuse (hence the 1920 New York license plate on the Model-T when you invert and flip the photo).
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955405270" title="Plate by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/13955405270_3d9ee289c0_o.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="Plate"></a></center>
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While there, and in response to requests for various new vehicles, he began the designs that would lead to the Chase Track system of fabric belts connected by metal links, for light vehicles.
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One of the first requests was for a Tractor Hand Cart that reconnaissance scouts could use to pull equipment and supplies over difficult terrain. The Syracuse Tractor Hand Cart—the first vehicle to utilize the Chase Track—was the result.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14035282063" title="Syracuse Tractor Hand Cart Afield by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2921/14035282063_1b61215c27_o.jpg" width="400" height="193" alt="Syracuse Tractor Hand Cart Afield"></a></center>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14034939753" title="Syracuse Tractor Hand Cart Afloat by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/14034939753_240abdfe97_o.jpg" width="400" height="240" alt="Syracuse Tractor Hand Cart Afloat"></a></center>
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That's Aurin M. Chase pulling the Hand Cart in the upper picture, and standing in it while it's afloat in the lower picture.
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Then, in order to carry both the equipment and the reconnaissance scouts themselves, the Syracuse Reconnaissance Tractor came along.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14015079085" title="Syracuse Reconnaissance Tractor by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14015079085_7f20a4af35_o.jpg" width="400" height="281" alt="Syracuse Reconnaissance Tractor"></a></center>
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Next the idea was applied to a regular vehicle, albeit one with a special axle, extra wheels, and extra large rear brakes for steering.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955748189" title="Chase Track ORD by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/13955748189_2fe3bae657_o.jpg" width="400" height="259" alt="Chase Track ORD"></a></center>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14139090531" title="Chase Track Artillery by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/14139090531_7a79faef4c_b.jpg" width="400" height="291" alt="Chase Track Artillery"></a></center>
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In the Spring of 1921 the Rock Creek trial was featured in a number of popular journals including the above-mentioned May 5, 1921 issue of <i>Automobile Industries</i>, the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=6j8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA511&lpg=PA511&dq=%22Belt+Device+Makes+Endless-Tread+Tractor+of+Auto%22&source=bl&ots=DsFXuttrsu&sig=PJVSCYsjt7A91aM1Jqnsl_yDZjs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NWlsU_P4H4_ioASpn4GACg&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Belt%20Device%20Makes%20Endless-Tread%20Tractor%20of%20Auto%22&f=false">April issue of <i>Popular Mechanics</i></a>, the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=rdMXAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA433&dq=endless-tread+belt+metal+cleats&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oCHWUt-ZG--E2wX8zYGwDA&ved=0CFUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=endless-tread%20belt%20metal%20cleats&f=false">May issue of <i>Illustrated World</i></a>, and more—not to mention being written up in newspapers across the country.
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Chase received two patents for the system.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955393669" title="Endless Belt Patent 1 by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/13955393669_7ed2e77f33_o.jpg" width="400" height="272" alt="Endless Belt Patent 1"></a></center>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14162127303" title="Endless Belt Patent 2 by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5157/14162127303_612203e8c3_o.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="Endless Belt Patent 2"></a></center>
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The steering wheel was retained because the tracks could be removed, reverting the vehicle back into an ordinary one. And, on a Model-T, the throttle and spark lever are mounted on the steering wheel.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13930944319" title="Ford Control by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/13930944319_b8f42af637_o.jpg" width="400" height="259" alt="Ford Control"></a></center>
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Below A. M. Chase is running more trials on May 17, 1921, and has the turtle-deck removed from the back.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14014933295" title="AM Chase in Ford with Chase Track by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7442/14014933295_0c99516cdb_o.jpg" width="400" height="263" alt="AM Chase in Ford with Chase Track"></a></center>
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/13955754659" title="Chase Track Hill by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/13955754659_f56eedc607_o.jpg" width="400" height="262" alt="Chase Track Hill"></a></center>
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Below - The system was later applied to the Dodge Light Repair Truck (Chase to the left wearing the 1898 Field Hat) :
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14034939503" title="Dodge Light Repair Truck by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/14034939503_bdb331e785_o.jpg" width="400" height="270" alt="Dodge Light Repair Truck"></a></center>
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And even the 3-ton Militor, seen here at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1922. It could hit a whopping 13 mph.
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<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/14015423774" title="Militor with Chase Track by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2938/14015423774_35e2dd0662_o.jpg" width="400" height="243" alt="Militor with Chase Track"></a></center>
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Testing continued for years and despite improvements, technology eventually surpassed the Chase Track, and while it never was approved for production for the U. S. Army, it did see some civilian applications. Other countries did adopt versions of the system, and at the start of WWII at least two foreign armies were still using the Chase Track System.
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More will be posted about Chase, his academic and professional careers, family, and the Syracuse Chilled Plow Company. Check back for updates.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-86937564563718785022013-10-23T17:08:00.000-07:002013-10-24T00:05:57.446-07:00Message to JimTo the fellow who offered to send the article from the July 31, 1960 issue of the <i>Baltimore Sun Magazine</I> - you did not include your email address and I could not answer you direct.
I am very interested in getting a copy of that article. Please send it to cbl9 -at- ymail.com and thanks.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-38045643190020368422013-05-23T18:40:00.001-07:002013-06-18T20:29:59.160-07:00Maryland, My Maryland<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/72006427@N06/8799520067/" title="Ruth Maycliffe in her 1908 Maryland Roadster by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/8799520067_9c14583f80_o.jpg" width="400" height="319" alt="Ruth Maycliffe in her 1908 Maryland Roadster"></a></center>
Back on April 7, 2013 <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/Dave">Dave</a> of <a href="http://www.shorpy.com">Shorpy.com</a> posted a nicely massaged version of the original Library of Congress photo (above) featuring <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/15027">Ruth Maycliffe</a> sitting in an intriguing 3-seat roadster. Some raw, unaltered versions of this picture have appeared on a few websites in the past couple of years. The few guesses that were ventured on Shorpy and its companion <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shorpy">Facebook</a> page ranged from an Oakland (based on the visible radiator scrip) to a Studebaker Model H, to a Ford Model T, to a Ford Model K. However, the correct identity revealed a very obscure car indeed.<br /><br />
Miss Maycliffe's car was a rarity even when this picture was taken. It is a 1908 Maryland Roadster as manufactured by the Sinclair-Scott Company of Baltimore, a company far better known for their apple peelers and food canning machines. The Maryland started out in 1905 as the Ariel, made by the Ariel Motor Car Company of Boston (not connected with the Ariel Motor Company in England or its New York partner The Ariel Company).
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666830340/" title="1905 Ariel logo by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8666830340_da7d424a76_b.jpg" width="400" height="168" alt="1905 Ariel logo"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Early Ariel back pages ad from the November 1, 1905 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
Ariel's first offerings were shown at the March 1905 Boston Auto Show and consisted of a 15hp three-cylinder air-cooled runabout with a standard grille, and a 25hp four-cylinder water-cooled, 5-passenger, wood bodied (available in blue or green) light touring with an oval radiator made by Whitlock.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8665563189/" title="1905 Ariel Runabout and Touring by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8665563189_f7b4173c91_b.jpg" width="400" height="147" alt="1905 Ariel Runabout and Touring"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Above left: 1905 3-cylinder Ariel Runabout. From <a href="http://earlyamericanautomobiles.com/1905.htm">Early American Automobiles</a> website. Above right: 1905 4-cylinder Ariel Touring. From the January 11, 1906 issue of <i>The Automobile</i>.</center></span><br />
Both were designed by Ralph C. Lewis and both sets of cylinders were interchangeable on a common crankcase. The original idea behind the interchangeability was that in winter the air-cooled upper would be used, and in summer the water-cooled equipment would be swapped onto the common crankcase—an idea quickly dropped.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8883882238/" title="Ariel 3 cylinder by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/8883882238_e3e6ce2133_o.jpg" width="400" height="278" alt="Ariel 3 cylinder"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The 3-cylinder air-cooled engine for the 1905 Ariel Runabout, with rear-mounted fan. The hood had side scoops. From the March 18, 1905 issue of <i>The Automobile</i>.</center></span><br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8883882756/" title="Ariel 4 cylinder intake side by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/8883882756_076a5413b5_o.jpg" width="400" height="268" alt="Ariel 4 cylinder intake side"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The 4-cylinder water-cooled engine for the 1905 Ariel Tourer—intake side. From the April 1, 1906 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span>
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8883263823/" title="Ariel 4 cylinder exhaust side by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3670/8883263823_6d7781eac4_o.jpg" width="400" height="262" alt="Ariel 4 cylinder exhaust side"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The 4-cylinder water-cooled engine for the 1905 Ariel Tourer—exhaust side. From the April 1, 1906 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
They used as their mottoes "The Synonym of Light Weight, Speed and Power" and "Is As Fast On Hills As Most Cars Are On The Level." Later they changed it to "The Car With The Oval Front" then finally to "Look For The Oval Front."
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666830340/" title="1905 Ariel ad by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/8808532366_c6fa1180e4_z.jpg" width="400" height="539" alt="1905 Ariel logo"></a></center>
In March 1906 Ariel moved to Bridgeport, CT. In the year since the Boston Auto Show they had dropped the air-cooled runabout, and redesigned the light touring into a double-side entrance tonneau powered by an 30hp overhead cam four-cylinder engine. This vehicle became known for its two distinctive features - a unique cast aluminum dash, and a redesigned oval radiator (now made by Briscoe Mfg. Co. of Detroit—an original equipment vendor.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8907937494/" title="1905 Briscoe ad by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/8907937494_532b9eb662_o.jpg" width="400" height="185" alt="1905 Briscoe ad"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Briscoe Mfg. Co. ad from the June 22, 1905 issue of <i>Automobile Review</i>.</center></span><br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8665563409/" title="1906 Ariel radiator by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8252/8665563409_b51c735f48_b.jpg" width="400" height="420" alt="1906 Ariel radiator"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Ariel Type Radiator (above). From the article "Cooling Systems in Water-Cooled Cars" in the February 8, 1906 issue of <i>The Automobile</i>. Original text reads "A novelty is the oval radiator of the Ariel car which looks well and certainly gives a touch of individuality to this machine."</center></span><br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666664658/" title="1906 Ariel Touring by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8666664658_d5cca1f8ac_b.jpg" width="400" height="295" alt="1906 Ariel Touring"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>1906 Ariel 30hp Touring car with oval Whitlock radiator. From the April 1, 1906 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
Also early in 1906 Ariel redesigned the cast aluminum dash for the Roadster, giving it a scallop shape.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666725362/" title="1906 Ariel chassis by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8666725362_dee824c0c2_o.jpg" width="400" height="306" alt="1906 Ariel chassis"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>1906 Ariel 30hp Roadster chassis. From the April 1, 1906 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span>
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8886425134/" title="1906 Ariel chassis front by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3751/8886425134_80c053d235_o.jpg" width="400" height="322" alt="1906 Ariel chassis front"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small;"><center>From the February 7, 1906 issue of <i>The Horseless Age</i>.</center></span><br />
Sinclair-Scott had ventured into the manufacture of car parts a few years earlier and Ariel became one of their customers—in fact Sinclair-Scott was soon not only producing most of the car, but assembling it as well. There were few sales of the $2,500 tonneau however, and Ariel was unable to make good on their debts. Sinclair-Scott acquired the rights to the vehicle in 1907 (Ariel Motor Car Company was officially dissolved that same year), gave it a bit of a face lift—the oval radiator was given a sleeker redesign—and renamed it the Maryland Car.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666665144/" title="1908 Maryland dash by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8666665144_40e834bcc7_b.jpg" width="400" height="499" alt="1908 Maryland dash"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>1908 Maryland 26hp chassis. From the March 1, 1908 issue of
<i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
They next added a 6-passenger limousine and a 2, 3, or 4-passenger roadster (later just available as a 3-seater) to the lineup while retaining the dash and Briscoe oval radiator on all three models. The Briscoe Mfg. Co. badge can be seen at the top of Miss Maycliffe's radiator.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666860378/" title="Briscoe Mfg badge by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8666860378_1267180747.jpg" width="263" height="107" alt="Briscoe Mfg badge"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Briscoe Mfg. Co. radiator badge.</center></span><br />
Sinclair-Scott also carried on the Ariel tradition of equipping each vehicle with a tool box, a Nonpareil brand horn (used by 2/3 of American automobile manufacturers) and a full set of Atwood lamps (2 oil side lamps and 2 acetylene head lamps).
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8666665206/" title="1908 Maryland Roadster by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8666665206_77d5d3278d_b.jpg" width="400" height="222" alt="1908 Maryland Roadster"></a></center>
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8665564641/" title="1908 Maryland front by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8665564641_bee8d9ff89_z.jpg" width="400" height="290" alt="1908 Maryland front"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>1908 Maryland Roadster with oval Briscoe radiator. Both pictures above from the March 1, 1908 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
The new models were a vast sales improvement over the Ariels—albeit still fairly low volume when compared to the best-sellers of the day—and for 1908 the only changes made were some body refinements and to the finish. Given the low production, it is possible that the roadster Miss Maycliffe purchased was the very one used for the promotional photographs appearing in national magazines (above).<br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8798205641/" title="1908 Maryland specs by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5442/8798205641_6222a1c378_o.jpg" width="400" height="87" alt="1908 Maryland specs"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>Specs for the 1908 Maryland Touring from the January 8, 1908 issue of <i>MoToR</i>.</center></span><br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8883314369/" title="Maryland 4 cylinder intake side by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/8883314369_fc30f57267_o.jpg" width="400" height="264" alt="Maryland 4 cylinder intake side"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The intake side of the much cleaner Maryland version of the old Ariel 4-cylinder. From the March 1, 1908 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78342534@N07/8883314057/" title="Maryland 4 cylinder exhaust side by Bookcozy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/8883314057_664f928828_o.jpg" width="400" height="278" alt="Maryland 4 cylinder exhaust side"></a></center><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%;"><center>The exhaust side of the improved Ariel 4-cylinder, as built by Sinclair-Scott for the Maryland Car. From the March 1, 1908 issue of <i>Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal</i>.</center></span><br />
Even with the increased volume, the vehicles were never profitable enough for Sinclair-Scott and in 1910 they discontinued the Maryland Car line. In the August 1912 issue of <i>Automobile Dealer and Repairer</i>, a reader requesting advice complained of cylinder misfiring in his 1908 Maryland Touring. The decidedly unhelpful reply began with "A Maryland car of 1908 is today practically obsolete and forgotten." So rare and forgotten is the Maryland, that I am unaware of any Ariels or Marylands in existence today—which would make them both extinct cars. In fact, the Library of Congress picture seems to be the only one in existence outside of period magazines. There is an index notation that <i>Bulb Horn</i> magazine published a photograph of a 1910 Maryland in Volume XXVIII (1967), Issue Number 2, but I cannot find a copy. If you have one please let me know.
Note: This entry will be updated to show picture attributes and a link will be provided to an article on the life of Ruth Maycliffe.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-72322361421172540222012-06-28T19:53:00.003-07:002012-06-28T19:55:05.631-07:00Paige Montrose CoupeMy latest post over on <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/">Shorpy's</a>—this time on a 1914 Paige Model Montrose Coupe advertised as a doctor's car—can be found <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/13196#comment-138064">here</a>.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-7555196201828115982012-05-18T23:32:00.000-07:002012-05-18T23:32:35.175-07:00KisselKars and WagenhalsMy latest post over on <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/">Shorpy's</a>—this on a KisselKar truck and a bit on the Wagenhals three-wheeler—can be found <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/12927#comment-136306">here</a>.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-34162463168041380122012-05-16T16:19:00.001-07:002017-02-19T15:35:23.628-08:00Where have all the books gone?Regular readers (and I thank both of you) will notice that book posts have been moved to my <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">book site</a> which will still be known as <a href="http://booksbythebedside.blogspot.com/">On The Nightstand</a>. That is where I will keep the running list of what I have read, plus I'll be adding reviews and links to purchase.Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19667744.post-10098911013330680722012-03-17T13:42:00.004-07:002012-03-17T13:51:52.286-07:00Even though the General Motors bailout loans have supposedly been paid back (not by the company itself, but rather through proceeds from the November, 2010 IPO), the U.S. Treasury (we the taxpayers) still owns about 25% of that corporation. Last year PSA Peugeot Citroën's auto making division lost $123 million, so naturally GM just bought 7% of their stock for $400 million (the Peugeot family is still the largest stockholder) because - hey, we just don't have enough Peugeot mopeds here. GM thinks that everyone can save a bundle through platform sharing—think of the new Chrysler based Lancia Thema and Lancia Voyager.<br />
<br />
While I'm on the subject of Chrysler—that now non-American company of which Fiat owns a majority interest—all those European Themas and Chrysler 300C sedans are built in Graz, Austria by Magna Steyr. <i>And</i> they are available there and in Australia with a Mercedes-Benz designed 3.0 L V6 diesel engine, which is not available here. The Chrysler 300s that we can get here—you know, "Imported from Detroit"—are made in their Brampton factory in Ontario, Canada, and even then some of the engines come from Mexico. The European Lancia and Chrysler Voyagers are also built in Ontario, Canada, and have a VM Motori of Italy double overhead cam common rail design diesel engine as standard. Tell me again how much of the Chrysler bailout is helping American workers.<br />
<br />
No matter what you think of the bailout, in the final analysis it allowed those companies to dump billions of dollars of legally owed debt, renege on contracted labor obligations, cancelled pending lawsuits by car-accident victims and even removed legal responsibility in cases where the victims had actually won damages (<i>Wall Street Journal</i> report). Given all that, one of the most egregious affronts was the stripping of the property of legal bondholders (much of it held in retirement portfolios), which was then <i>given</i> to union-controlled trust funds without rhyme or reason—or perhaps it was their payoff for not fighting the contract cancellations. Another outrage was the illegal contract terminations and subsequent dropping of targeted dealerships, with GM and Chrysler claiming the right to confiscate the dealership customer lists and service records. Illegal? Some of those ex-dealers who had the temerity to sue individually or in small groups, have been winning in arbitration or court. A massive class-action suit is still winding its way through the system.<br />
<br />
There are those in the know who believe that both companies—as well as the country as a whole—would have been better off if a reorganization bankruptcy had taken place through the normal channels. Chrysler would still be an American company (again) and much the same result could have been negotiated with either settlements or structured payments going to the thousands upon thousands of ordinary Americans who now have been left with <i>nothing</i> to show for their investments, years of hard work, or pain and suffering.<br />
<br />
And the takeaway is that we the taxpayers (U.S. Treasury) <i>still</i> lost around $14 billion in the whole mess.<br />
<br />
Oh well, maybe they'll rebadge the Chevy Volt and there'll be a nice Citroën Électricité coming soon to a showroom near you...or not so near you, if you live in one of those areas that lost the only dealership for miles around. Because—like everything else that's going on—the Volt is working out <i>so</i> well.<br />
<xmp></rant></xmp>Steve Bogdanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082644029535840928noreply@blogger.com0