Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Lost in time and history

The S.S. Brinkerhoff,  (S.S. stands for Steam Ship), was a double ended, walking beam steam engined ferry. The ship was built in Newburgh New York in 1899 and ran between Poughkeepsie and Highland on the Hudson River.  She later became an excursion boat out of Bridgeport CT. and operated rides out and down through Hellgate to the battery and up the Hudson. She last sailed under steam to Hildbrant shipyard on Roundout Creek New York. Later she was donated to and towed to the Mystic Seaport to become an exhibit. The Mystic seaport was fast becoming a Whaling era museum and the Brinkerhoff just didn't fit in. It was towed to the Pawcatuck River where it sat neglected. Later the Brinkerhoff caught fire and burned to the water line. A piece of history lost.


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New haven railroad 2-8-2 3016 was a 1916 production steam engine classed as a J-1. She was built at Alco Schenectady new York a Mikado type. After years of service on the New York, new Haven and Hartford Railroad she was stored at that railroads Readville Massachusetts Shops. About ready to be scraped she received a reprieve, she was cleaned up and sent to Connecticut to star as Portland and Eastern Railroad #97 in the Doris Day/ Jack Lemmon film "It happened to Jane". The Movie was filmed in Plainfield Conn, and along the Connecticut River line with the final scene using a wooden mock-up in Deep River.
With the shooting of the film over the railroad offered the engine to whomever would want it for preservation. 


Deep River

Plainfield CT.

there were no takers and the engine was scraped. 
Less than 20 years later the Valley Railroad and Museum was formed one town south in Essex CT. Too late for the last New Haven Steam engine.

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The Horst Wessel was built in 1936 at the Hamburg Shipyard, With the Nazis rising in power the ship was named after Horst Wessel a Storm trooper hero. the ship was taken at the end of the war and became property of the United States.




The figurehead was removed and for a while kept on display at the Mystic Seaport. 


When it arrived it clutched the Swastika in it's talons but the emblem was stolen. It was replaced with a circle emblem. The Figurehead was later moved closer to its ship in New London where it is kept on display.


The Ship itself is still in use and in the same service it performed for the Nazis, cadet training.

The ship has a new paint scheme and a new name and can be seen frequently sitting at it's home port on the Thames River in New London.


United States Coast guard Training barque Eagle.

Whether taken because someone wanted it or because they didn't like the emblem being displayed, the Eagles Swastika was never recovered.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Emotional Belgium Grand Prix

It was the 25th Anniversary of Michael Schumacher's first Formula One win and that win occurred at the Spa- Francorchamps circuit.

Not only was this the Anniversary of Michael's first win, Lewis Hamilton tied Schumacher's pole record of 68 poles at this weekends race. (Schumacher is still suffering from a head injury sustained in a skiing accident in December 2013). Ross Brawn, the Managing Director of Formula One and former Race Engineer at Benetton and Ferrari during the Schumacher years), delivered a message to Hamilton from Corinna (Michaels wife) and the Schumachers.


 “I’m here to deliver a very special message from Corinna Schumacher and the Schumacher family, who want to congratulate you on equalling Michael’s record,” said Brawn. “As they said, Michael always said that records are there to be broken, so they want to send their very special thanks,"



To mark the 25th anniversary of Micheal's first win, the 1994 Benetton Championship car was driven onto the track. The driver was Mick Schumacher, he sported a helmet which was half his colors and half his fathers.








Thursday, August 24, 2017

Cars



This was a Chaparral from the 1970's, With aero still in it's infancy on cars, this one had side skirts to trap air under the car and a second engine which sucked the air out and pull it to the ground to increase downforce. 







During the filming of the movie "Grand Prix" Françoise Hardy (Model and actress) Poses with the cars.