Speed and big damn engines... the focus of the Hydroplane and Raceboats Museum

From the days of $300 Allison engines, river races, and buddies who could field a competitive enterprise for weekend fun without going broke

You can check out the post at http://www.ewillys.com/2015/04/01/hyrdroplane-and-raceboat-museum/#more-201484 or if you want to dive into more about the boats, see http://www.lesliefield.com/default_frame.htm and click on the upper left link twice to get to the individual boats.

Or watch the movie "Madison" which was really good and starred Jim Caviezel and Bruce Dern. Story of a Indiana town that owned a hydroplane, and once was a significant part of Hydroplane racing history. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206113/

I just learned of the Army Medical Department Museum, at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio Texas

Vehicles, including field ambulances, hospital trains and aircraft showing the history of medical evacuation and treatment of the wounded in transit from 1775 to present.

http://www.history.army.mil/news/2015/150300a_spurgeonNeelAward.html

Recently acquired artifacts contributed to the Museum through the Foundation are a 1955 Willys MD-A, M170 Front Line Ambulance, an H13 D Model (Korean War) helicopter, and a UH1 Huey from the early Vietnam War.

1953 US Army Medical Services car

For more: http://ameddmuseum.amedd.army.mil/gallery/vehicles.html

The original U.S. Army Medical Museum was founded as a research facility in Washington, D.C., in 1862. Today, the institution is known as the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1920, our Museum was re-established at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with the Medical Field Service School. In 1946, the School and Museum were transferred to Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In 1955, the Museum received its designation as the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum from the Surgeon General of the Army.

The details of how the wounded were moved, from horse drawn wagons, then trains, through Jeeps to helicopters are very well presented along with genuine examples of many types of military ambulance transportation. Included is a hospital railroad car built in the 1950s and actively used in Korea. This car, which is remarkably well preserved, represents the final evolution of military medical transportation by rail. By the 1960s just about all injured troops were being moved by specially equipped road vehicles, helicopters and jet airliners.

http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/history-rr-military.php

Upper Peninsula Firefighters Memorial Museum Michigan

Among the many retired firetrucks is an 1857 Pumper

Images from http://chrisjaysodyssey.blogspot.com/2010/11/more-than-we-ever-wanted-to-know-about.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobindrums/8393525983/

the museum website is http://www.nps.gov/kewe/learn/historyculture/firefighters-memorial-museum.htm

The Snowmobile Museum I just learned of, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

http://www.greatlakesgazette.com/2014/01/10/learning-to-love-the-snowmobile/

http://birchlodge.blogspot.com/2011/02/top-of-lake-snowmobile-museum-at.html

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-motorcycle-touring/snowmobile-museum-zm0z14mjzbea.aspx

All eras from the 1940s to the 1980s are represented. There are even two snow cycles manufactured by major car companies, Porsche and Chrysler. Porsche’s Ski-Bob snow bike was apparently a limited edition vehicle intended for ski slope rescues. Chrysler’s foray into snow motorcycles was much more intense, as they built a snow cycle in the late 1970s powered by their own 2-stroke racing kart engine in an attempt to market snow motorcycles on a major scale. After converting part of a Chrysler Outboard plant in Wisconsin into a full-fledged assembly line, Chrysler built a reported 28,000 Sno-Runners from 1979 to 1982 before halting production. This undoubtedly was the largest volume production of snow motorcycles in history.

http://www.snowmobilemuseum.com/

Lo Scorpione nel Cuore, the incredible collection of Bruno Dorigo

Thanks to Daniele at Quartamarcia.It for letting me know about this video!

there is going to be a restoration, of the Santa Fe Chief, Alco PA 59. Built in 1948, repaired in 1975 and sold to Mexico, repatriated by the Smithsonian in 2000

here's what she looked like fresh and clean

not too clean, nor fresh.

an assembly photo when they were installing the engine

Here is what it looks like now... and they are ready to get to work on a restoration. It's sister was restored by expert Doyle McKormack

and that proves it can be done, http://www.nkp190.com/  and Doyle is ready and willing to help out a lot... and the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums is on the case and the locomotive is at the Frisco Texas new Museum of the American Railroad just North of Dallas. They are building a new restoration facility and museum, and have some really cool trains

they have a Big Boy,

and 10 Pullman cars, Frisco 4-8-4 No. 4501, Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 No. 4903, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4018, UP Centennial diesel No. 6913, and Santa Fe doodlebug No. M160.

http://www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org/Visit/InformationandDirections.aspx

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2014/11/24/about-that-other-alco-pa-santa-fe-59l-in-texas.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/AlcoPARestoration

Exporail, The Canadian Railway Museum, the largest railway collection in Canada.

one of the largest in the world with more than 160 vehicles. Head to Saint-Constant, in the Montérégie region, to check out the permanent exhibition and the miniature train room in the Grand Gallery at the Angus Pavilion, to explore the discovery trail with its theme stations and to explore the site by taking the period streetcar or the miniature train. A marvellous way to better understand the fascinating world of trains and to enjoy an unforgettable railway experience!

Images from Google Images 

Scottish museums for cars

http://www.motoringheritage.co.uk/html/scottish_cars.html

Starting at age 8, Michel Migeot began a collection of oil cans and petroliana, now he's made his collection a small museum

He's now about 70, and has around 3000 items.

There seems to be only 2 mentions of his collection on the internet: http://luniversdugarageetdelastationservice.blogspot.com/2013/09/le-musee-des-compagnies-petrolieres.html
and http://www.sortir-en-lorraine.info/fiche/996/serocourt_88_musees_locaux_galeries_musee_des_compagnies_petrolieres_de_serocourt.html

These images are from both

small towns, backwoods, the world moves on and railroads get pulled up. Sometimes things get left behind. This Pullman did

Some one brought it up to the area to make a roadside diner, but the project never made it past the County permits, and just sits there falling apart now.

In the upper right, that is a rail road that dead ends

in the lower left, W Railroad Dr in the same line.

In the middle, the Wheels of History Museum which has another pre-1905 Pullman and a caboose

Trains rolled through Brimley from 1887 until 1961. A railroad trestle across Waishka Bay connected Brimley with the now nonexistent milltown of Bay Mills with daily passenger train service between Sault Ste. Marie and Bay Mills. Trains brought logs to Mills in Bay Mills and carried away lumber.

Bay Mills was a trading post in an area inhabited by Indians. A post office was established in 1879. The first permanent settlement began in 1882 when a sawmill was built. By 1893, three Churches, two saw-mills, a sash and blind factory, planing mill, box factory, Niagara Paper Co., and pulp mill were doing a flourishing business. Mail was twice daily ! A druggist, machinist, photographer, stage line and ferry operator, butcher, carpenter, millwright, lumber inspector, barber, innkeeper, blacksmith, and saw filer were among the 1,900 residents.

At it's peak, the Hall and Munson Co. carried about 30 million feet of lumber on its docks.

In 1904, the factory burned down; a few years later the sawmill ran out of timber and quit business. As a result, by 1909 the population had diminished to less than 75 people and the post office closed.
http://www.baymillsbrimleyhistory.org/History.html  and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wheels-of-History-Brimley/159414800736853