car propulsion methods are compared in this months Automobile magazine, May 2013 issue

in 1900 there were 4192 motor vehicles registered in the US

1681 were Steam powered, 1575 by electricity, 936 Gasoline engines

1905, there were 78,000 registered motor vehicles.

Steam and Electric had double in number, but that means only about 3200 were steam and electric, and 75,000 were gasoline powered

1912, the electric started is developed by Charles Kettering

The starter made the gas engine far simpler to use for a lot more people, and this sounded the end of the difficult to recharge Electric, and the slow to heat up Steam

1915 was about the end of the electric, and 1920 the end of most steam.

1925, Stanley is done

1931, Doble (best steam engine made at the time) is done http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/among-few-steam-powered-cars-doble.html

1941, Detroit Electric is through

http://www.automobilemag.com/

the Voisin http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/07/unique-look-at-automotive-design-french.html is the one from the Mullin Museum in Ventura, and is in the article because of the gas engine with the sliding cylinder sleeves. The big car is a White, and like the right side car, the Chrysler Turbine http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/05/bit-of-this-and-that-in-display-case-at.html, are both owned by Jay Leno. neither the White, the Turbone, nor the Voisin are really in the article, but they make for a hell of a cool photo, and they didn't have an electric car to use. A proper selection would have been a Doble, either a Baker electric or Detroit Electric, and a gas engined car of the same era

Read More

one of the largest car collections is getting sold off in part, here are a couple of the unique vehicles to hit the block

the oldest surviving Ford sold, a 1903 rear entry tonneau

a 1900 Milwaukee steam runabout

1919 Renault torpedo

1933 Packard 12 convertible sedan, body by Dietrich

found on http://www.bornrich.com/john-oquinns-car-collection-sale-hershey-auction.html

Read More

locomotive collision... must have been at very low speed, probably they couldn't apply enough brakes to avoid the hit.

I have no idea how long I've been looking at this photo, and not posting it. I can't recall where it came from 

Read More

I felt the Steampunk desire today, So I watched "Steamboy" and grabbed these screen shots, cool movie, just make sure to select the language options of your native tongue and avoid reading the whole thing

 any movie with a motorwheel can't be bad. A steam powered one is even better.

 Good kid has a runn in with the bad guys trying to steal the plans and prototype his inventor dad and grand dad sent him, and the kid tries to escape, using that motorwheel, gets chased to a locomotive, which gets attacked by a blimp ...

 later the bad guys send out an army of armored soldiers, and this aeronaut

who all are engaging in a war with the british who have these cool old tanks. The time frame is Victorian, and before any vehicles but the trains and tanks. 

Read More