transportation – Radio-Guy

WWI Leather Tanker Helmet

steveanddan — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 15:17:45 +0000

This is an early tanker helmet with the reinforced protective crown. I’m not sure about the goggles… They could be for a pilot. They display very well together.

1898 Ritter Road-Skates, Super Rare

steveanddan — Thu, 30 May 2019 15:52:56 +0000

Rare Victorian Era Ritter road-skates or foot bicycles. Every year throughout the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century, more amazing ‘novelties’ on wheels made their debut. Engineering companies throughout the Industrial world were cashing in on a remarkable consumer boom in new forms of personal transportation and professional and amateur inventors everywhere were cobbling together Primitive ‘vehicles’ of all sorts to satisfy public demand. More often a patent made the inventor more money than its production. Bicycles were the latest fashion in the mid-1890s. So you can almost imagine Mr. Ritter waking up one morning with his ‘eureka’ moment …a pair of roller skates with the skater standing on top of a pair of miniature bicycles! It’s a credit to the foresight of the inventor and the engineering company that produced these skates that a few still survive twelve decades later in fully working order. Each Ritter skate is stamped either ‘left’ or ‘right.’ It also shows the size. This matched pair is a size 9 1/2. Unusually, they have smaller diameter wheels – 5″. The normal wheel diameter is 6″, so I assume these to be ladies’ Ritter Road Skates. The wheelbase of these ladies skates is 8″, whereas the larger gents’ Ritter skates are 9″. The size of a Ritter skate – in this case marked 9 1/2 – reflects the length of the top of the skate, where the boot fits, in this case 9 1/2″. Every skate is hand-built so I assume that a customer could order a bespoke fitting. Each Ritter skate has a brake with an eyelet at the top. String is attached to the eyelet and the other end could be held in the skater’s hand; a handle could also be attached, to put into the skater’s pocket. This novel feature might have been for novice skaters… $4800

Suede Railroad Engineers Smoke Hood

steveanddan — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 17:15:50 +0000

A Steam Engines smoke stack was made tall enough that the smoke would usually be carried up high above the cab so the crew could work in fresh air. All bets were off, however, when the locomotive ran through a tunnel or snow shed, where the smoke and steam could get so thick it nearly suffocated the crew.

This Early Smoke hood used by the crew while traversing a tunnel. The host connected to the compressor, which delivered clean air into the hood. In order not to impede his movements, the Fireman’s hood is equipped with a longer air hose connected at the rear… $2800

Railroad Engineers Smoke Hood

steveanddan — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 15:01:02 +0000