Vintage work crew photos

[Jon]

60-ton steam shovel trenching for the Catskill Aqueduct. Ulster County, New York. 1909.

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[suther51]

Brings to mind a saying my first real boss would use sometimes, "when ships were made of wood and men were made of iron". Looks like it may have taken two men and a boy to run.
Eric

[Toolmaker51]

Just noticed the pentacycles aren't identical in size. Tallest guy has the largest drive wheel. Smallest appearing man has proportionally smaller drive wheel. His inseam and offspring thank the bikes builder.

[Frank S]

60-ton steam shovel trenching for the Catskill Aqueduct. Ulster County, New York. 1909.

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Another print suitable for framing And my wife couldn't understand why I bought the HP design-jet 500 now that I no longer need to print off shop drawings for the things I used to build.

[ranald]

reckon I'd need all those trainer wheels on that cycle. Imagine trying to lean into a turn.

[Jon]

London policeman directs traffic in the fog, aided by a gas-fueled torchlight that can fold up and be stored in a box in the street.

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[ranald]

Hooking into the gas line would have taken skill when traffic was about in the fog. I think those cobble stones are actually short sections of wood on end & some still exist today after 100's of years of inclement weather & traffic.

[Beserkleyboy]

Ranald, I could be mistaken, but my bet is those endgrain timber cobbles were Australian Jarrah, 'cause the Poms used Jarrah for their railway sleepers. Yes they do last extremely well due to very high tanin content and extreme density and hardness. Don't have the link handy, but search ' wood database' for some very comprehensive info of woods of the world. Cheers
Jim in (not at all) Sunny South Coast NSW

[suther51]

I still can't quite figure what happens when the trolley comes along, do they wait while the Bobby exstingushes the flame and folds up the pipe? It is located right between the rails. And without a joint or pivot at ground level to lay it over.
Eric

[ranald]

Ranald, I could be mistaken, but my bet is those endgrain timber cobbles were Australian Jarrah, 'cause the Poms used Jarrah for their railway sleepers. Yes they do last extremely well due to very high tanin content and extreme density and hardness. Don't have the link handy, but search ' wood database' for some very comprehensive info of woods of the world. Cheers
Jim in (not at all) Sunny South Coast NSW

yeah, jarrah and yellow stringy bark don't suffer from much of natures extremes. there is one other cost effective species used but cant remember. When I had my srtuctural landscape licence I used to use the same as the cow cockies=yellow stringybark for posts : the rails were generally treated 100 by 32 pine as they were light enough to easily manage & with 3 rails were extremely strong once pailings were attached. Some parts of SW tassie they use saffafras for firewood. Go figure! excuse pun.