Random/Peculiar Images

[Gene Hunt73]

00-45am and a strange glow in the sky over Manchester UK.
Much brighter to the naked eye than in the poor quality phone camera shot.View attachment 34073

Apologies for replying to my own post.
I've since found out that it was just a bog standard lorry fire!

 

[Mythopoeika]

That Smithsonian piece includes this great pic of Amelia Earhart.

View attachment 34201

I think Amelia Earhart was a time traveller. She looks about 30 years ahead of her time.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I've since found out that it was just a bog standard lorry fire!

Manchester, innit.

 

[Bad Bungle]

Apologies for replying to my own post.
I've since found out that it was just a bog standard lorry fire!

I was going to suggest Wigan Pier had gone up in smoke again.

 

[Yithian]

 

[Yithian]

Guilford Night by William Hays
Seven-colour Linocut Print on Rag Paper

 

[Gene Hunt73]

Geology or something.

 

[flannel]

From the humour thread:
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/humour-jokes.31703/post-2029165

 

[dejanmikic]

That Smithsonian piece includes this great pic of Amelia Earhart

Can you insert Bernie in please?

 

[Yithian]

Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

 

[Peripart]

Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

View attachment 34300

Not a foreign-built car in sight!

 

[gordonrutter]

Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

View attachment 34300

I used to walk past streets with that view (not quite that scale) when I was a kid. Managed to attend a launch once as well. Just like you see on the telly!

 

[gordonrutter]

I used to walk past streets with that view (not quite that scale) when I was a kid. Managed to attend a launch once as well. Just like you see on the telly!

Due to the powers of the internet I see the ship I saw launched was

Length	Breadth	Depth	Draft
141m	20.45m	11.74m	8.86m

Whereas the ESSO Hibernia was
333m 52m26m

 

[gordonrutter]

Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

View attachment 34300

Some more pictures of her can be seen here, I'm betting the first one was taken during the same shoot and by the same photographer as the one Yithian posted.

 

[cycleboy2]

Not a foreign-built car in sight!

I was just going to say the same (and no foreign-built ships either!!): Mini on the left, possibly two; on the right: Ford Capri, Ford Anglia x 2, Austin Maxi (I think, probably in that special turd-brown colour!), and then I'm guessing at a Mk1 Cortina, and then possibly a Vauxhall Viva or similar. The doors on the Anglias don't look like they close properly, and I can still remember the smell of the vinyl seats!

My parents had at least two Anglias when I was young, followed by a two-tone Viva, a Hillman Minx (written off in a crash that broke my dad's nose and severel ribs – when steering wheels were made of super-hard something!), a Mk3 Cortina, a Mk4 Cortina (caught fire in Sainsbury's car park one day and burnt to a cinder). Somewhere in the mix was a Vauxhall Velox too. All the cars were second- or third- or fourth-hand, very cheap and didn't last long! The number of times we had to push-start them in the morning...

I'm not into cars at all; it's just this era of cars I can recognise.

 

[gordonrutter]

Some more pictures of her can be seen here, I'm betting the first one was taken during the same shoot and by the same photographer as the one Yithian posted.

 

[catseye]

Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

View attachment 34300

This must be a launch or something dreadful has happened - surely people didn't stand at the end of their road to watch construction on a daily basis?

 

[gordonrutter]

I was just going to say the same (and no foreign-built ships either!!): Mini on the left, possibly two; on the right: Ford Capri, Ford Anglia x 2, Austin Maxi (I think, probably in that special turd-brown colour!), and then I'm guessing at a Mk1 Cortina, and then possibly a Vauxhall Viva or similar. The doors on the Anglias don't look like they close properly, and I can still remember the smell of the vinyl seats!

My parents had at least two Anglias when I was young, followed by a two-tone Viva, a Hillman Minx (written off in a crash that broke my dad's nose and severel ribs – when steering wheels were made of super-hard something!), a Mk3 Cortina, a Mk4 Cortina (caught fire in Sainsbury's car park one day and burnt to a cinder). Somewhere in the mix was a Vauxhall Velox too. All the cars were second- or third- or fourth-hand, very cheap and didn't last long! The number of times we had to push-start them in the morning...

I'm not into cars at all; it's just this era of cars I can recognise.

The photo is probably from1970. The ship was launched on the 6th of April 1970.

 

[Peripart]

I was just going to say the same...
Austin Maxi (I think, probably in that special turd-brown colour!)...

1800 "Landcrab", rather than a Maxi, I think. Same doors, though!

 

[gordonrutter]

This must be a launch or something dreadful has happened - surely people didn't stand at the end of their road to watch construction on a daily basis?

It would be the launch otherwise you wouldn't, as you say, have the crowds gathering like that.

 

[cycleboy2]

1800 "Landcrab", rather than a Maxi, I think. Same doors, though!

I think you're right; I wasn't entirely sure when I posted it. Still probably a terrible colour though. And sad to say with cars like this, you can see why the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota and others became dominant forces – their cars were, er, better!

 

[Peripart]

1800 "Landcrab", rather than a Maxi, I think. Same doors, though!

And I think it's a Ford Corsair between the MK1 Cortina and the white Vauxhall.

I do miss the utterly crap cars of those days!

 

[cycleboy2]

And I think it's a Ford Corsair between the MK1 Cortina and the white Vauxhall.

I do miss the utterly crap cars of those days!

My parents had one of those, too. I'd forgotten that particular automotive joy! And while I miss the looks of those cars. I don't miss their unreliability. We have a totally characterless car now, a Suzuki that helps with carrying my parents around. It's functional, practical, can take three bikes (or two parents) but is totally soulless. Hey ho.

 

[gordonrutter]

And I think it's a Ford Corsair between the MK1 Cortina and the white Vauxhall.

I do miss the utterly crap cars of those days!

I would just like to say that moving on a tiny bit of time the Ford Cortina Mkiii (my first car) was, and still is, a thing of beauty.

 

[escargot]

Ford Anglia

In the '60s there was a story that the distinctive sloping rear window shape was a mistake. The cars should, it was said, have been built with the windows sloping outwards. Someone got the sack for it!

It was actually a clever reverse rake design, as described on this (safe) Anglia enthusiast's website:

Ford Anglia 105E – Reverse Rake Rear Window

One of the most notable styling features of the Ford Anglia 105E was its reverse raked rear window.

This feature wasn’t just a publicity stunt to get the car noticed.

Ford put a lot of thought in to the design of the rear window and the roof line, and shaped it in such a way as to add extra headroom for the rear seat passengers in a medium sized car package.

The reverse rake also meant that the overall height of the 105E was lower than the previous 100E model without compromising the comfort of those in the rear.

This explanation would have cut no ice with my Uncle Tom, who'd suck on his pipe and say 'They fired 'im, y'know!'

 

[Analogue Boy]

I was just going to say the same (and no foreign-built ships either!!): Mini on the left, possibly two; on the right: Ford Capri, Ford Anglia x 2, Austin Maxi (I think, probably in that special turd-brown colour!), and then I'm guessing at a Mk1 Cortina, and then possibly a Vauxhall Viva or similar. The doors on the Anglias don't look like they close properly, and I can still remember the smell of the vinyl seats!

My parents had at least two Anglias when I was young, followed by a two-tone Viva, a Hillman Minx (written off in a crash that broke my dad's nose and severel ribs – when steering wheels were made of super-hard something!), a Mk3 Cortina, a Mk4 Cortina (caught fire in Sainsbury's car park one day and burnt to a cinder). Somewhere in the mix was a Vauxhall Velox too. All the cars were second- or third- or fourth-hand, very cheap and didn't last long! The number of times we had to push-start them in the morning...

I'm not into cars at all; it's just this era of cars I can recognise.

Our first car was an Anglia and we were always pushing it. Even downhill sometimes.

 

[escargot]

a Hillman Minx (written off in a crash that broke my dad's nose and severel ribs – when steering wheels were made of super-hard something!)

Yup, back then the steering wheel was a lethal weapon! Your Dad was lucky to get away with a broken nose and ribs.

Anecdote time!

~~~Wavy lines~~~

There was a big TV showroom in my home town in the '60s. The owner drove a Rolls Royce which he drove about 170 miles to the races at Ascot. On way back he crashed and was killed by direct contact with the steering wheel.

Seatbelts weren't widely worn then so like your Dad, the TV shop owner was flung against the steering wheel at speed.
The central columns of steering wheel weren't padded as they are now. Some actually had a pointy feature in the middle.

In a bad crash one could could penetrate the driver's chest. This happened to the TV bloke and he died on the spot.

The bloke's widow lived on long afterwards and I met her when I had a job making home visits.

She loved to talk about her husband - he'd been a well-known local character - and she described the accident and his injuries in detail.
His chest had been pierced and completely stove in by the steering column.
This was about 25 years later but she still remembered the awful shock of his death.

There were funny memories too. We chatted about this one -

Most customers back then would rent a TV rather than buy. At some point the shop ended up with lots of older ex-rental TV sets which mainly needed, it was claimed, just a little repair.

The shop owner put an advert in the local paper offering a free ex-rental TV to anyone who could carry one away.
The place was politely mobbed.
Few owned cars so droves were were seen staggering away under the weight of huge tellies in solid wooden cabinets.

Some went two at a time and carried one between them. Several were seen balancing a telly on a pushbike. Prams were used.
I saw this happen myself as crowds turned up to watch the fun.

 

[cycleboy2]

Yup, back then the steering wheel was a lethal weapon! Your Dad was lucky to get away with a broken nose and ribs.

Anecdote time!

~~~Wavy lines~~~

There was a big TV showroom in my home town in the '60s. The owner drove a Rolls Royce which he drove about 170 miles to the races at Ascot. On way back he crashed and was killed by direct contact with the steering wheel.

Seatbelts weren't widely worn then so like your Dad, the TV shop owner was flung against the steering wheel at speed.
The central columns of steering wheel weren't padded as they are now. Some actually had a pointy feature in the middle.

In a bad crash one could could penetrate the driver's chest. This happened to the TV bloke and he died on the spot.

The bloke's widow lived on long afterwards and I met her when I had a job making home visits.

She loved to talk about her husband - he'd been a well-known local character - and she described the accident and his injuries in detail.
His chest had been pierced and completely stove in by the steering column.
This was about 25 years later but she still remembered the awful shock of his death.

There were funny memories too. We chatted about this one -

Most customers back then would rent a TV rather than buy. At some point the shop ended up with lots of older ex-rental TV sets which mainly needed, it was claimed, just a little repair.

The shop owner put an advert in the local paper offering a free ex-rental TV to anyone who could carry one away.
The place was politely mobbed.
Few owned cars so droves were were seen staggering away under the weight of huge tellies in solid wooden cabinets.

Some went two at a time and carried one between them. Several were seen balancing a telly on a pushbike. Prams were used.
I saw this happen myself as crowds turned up to watch the fun.

That's a fantastic story (the TV mob, not the Rolls fatality). I can remember those huge, heavy TVs that were as reliable as the era's cars! Apart from the expense of a new TV, renting one meant you could get them repaired, for instance when the glowy-humming valves glowed their last. As I've mentioned on here before, we actually had a TV with a coin-operated meter at the side in the late 60s, early 70s. Very few people believe me about this, but it's not a false memory, as this pic (not of me, and he's sitting far too close to the screen) shows:

 

[escargot]

That's a fantastic story (the TV mob, not the Rolls fatality). I can remember those huge, heavy TVs that were as reliable as the era's cars! Apart from the expense of a new TV, renting one meant you could get them repaired, for instance when the glowy-humming valves glowed their last. As I've mentioned on here before, we actually had a TV with a coin-operated meter at the side in the late 60s, early 70s. Very few people believe me about this, but it's not a false memory, as this pic (not of me, and he's sitting far too close to the screen) shows:

View attachment 34304

He is watching Andy Pandy!

Yup, my parents rented a TV in the '60s but it wasn't coin-operated. I knew people who had those though. Seemed weird to me but of course we all had gas and electricity meters which also ran out now and then.

 

[gordonrutter]

That's a fantastic story (the TV mob, not the Rolls fatality). I can remember those huge, heavy TVs that were as reliable as the era's cars! Apart from the expense of a new TV, renting one meant you could get them repaired, for instance when the glowy-humming valves glowed their last. As I've mentioned on here before, we actually had a TV with a coin-operated meter at the side in the late 60s, early 70s. Very few people believe me about this, but it's not a false memory, as this pic (not of me, and he's sitting far too close to the screen) shows:

View attachment 34304

He'll have square eyes no doubt!