Baldwin M-1 Locomotive

Between 1947–1948, Baldwin built three unique coal-fired steam turbine-electric locomotives, designed for passenger service on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). Their official designation was M1, but because of their expense and poor performance they acquired the nickname "Sacred Cow".

The 6,000-horsepower units, which were equipped with Westinghouse electrical systems, had a 2-C1+2-C1-2 wheel arrangement. They were 106 feet long, making them the longest locomotives ever built for passenger service. The cab was mounted in the center, with a coal bunker ahead of it and a backwards-mounted conventional boiler behind it (the tender only carried water).

These locomotives were intended for a route from Washington, D.C., to Cincinnati, Ohio, but could never travel the whole route without some sort of failure. Coal dust and water frequently got into the traction motors. These problems could have been fixed given time, but it was obvious that these locomotives would always be expensive to maintain, and all three were scrapped in 1950.

Bugatti Railcar

This railcar bears the signature of one of the greatest inventors in the world of racing cars: Ettore Bugatti. During the 1930's, Bugatti, who was born in Italy, predicted the future of high-speed trains. So it's not surprising that the railcar he proposed to the French rail networks was more or less the TGV of its time -- and it had the same success.

Driven by several gas engines, these railcars rapidly created world speed records (122 mph in 1933). Starting in 1935, the trip from Paris to Strasbourg took 3 1/2 hours at an average speed of 90 mph over the 313 mile long route.

U.S. Airliners

USAir McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (DC-9-81) - Bob Hope (Lockheed Air Terminal) - Burbank, California, September 24, 1988 - PSA colors--still smiling!

Pan Am Boeing 727 - George Bush Intercontinental - Houston, Texas, May 7, 1980 - During Pan Am/National merger transition.

Republic Airlines Boeing 727 - Sky Harbor International - Phoenix, Arizona, March 16, 1981 - Interim colors after Republic's acquisition of Hughes Air West.

National Airlines Douglas DC-8-54 - Miami International - Florida, December 27, 1970 - Leased from Airlift International to operate MIA-LHR services.

Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500 - Atlanta International - Georgia, October 19, 1986.

LINK: All pictures copyright George W. Hamlin (Used with permission).

Braniff Airways

Braniff International Airways was an American airline that existed from 1928 until 1982. It operated in the central midwest, South America, Panama, Asia and Europe. The airline ceased operations on May 12, 1982, a victim of escalating fuel prices, aggressive expansion, and fierce competition.

Braniff International Airways - McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, April 19, 1974.

In 1928 an insurance salesman and financier named Thomas E. Braniff financed an aviation company with his brother Paul Revere Braniff, named Paul R. Braniff, Inc. The airline was named Tulsa Oklahoma City Airways and offered passenger service between most of the major cities in Oklahoma.

Braniff International Airways - McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, June 12, 1977.

During the 1950s the airline expanded nationwide. The acquisition of Mid-Continent Airlines in 1952 allowed Braniff to add several more domestic cities to its already established north-south route system. Eventually Braniff was purchased by what was to become today's American Airlines.

Braniff International Airways - Boeing 727-2B7 at Houston - George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas, December 24, 1979.

Charles "Chuck" Beard became the first non-Braniff President of the carrier after the deaths of the Braniff brothers in 1954. He would lead Braniff into the jet-age with the introduction of the Boeing 707 in 1959, and would be instrumental in turning Braniff into a 95% jet carrier by 1965.

Braniff International Airways - Boeing 747-127 at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, October 11, 1981.

In 1970, Braniff accepted delivery of the 100th Boeing 747 built, a 747-127 model, N601BN and began "jumbo jet" service to Hawaii on January 15, 1971. This plane, dubbed "747 Braniff Place" and "The Most Exclusive Address In The Sky", became the flagship of the airline.

LINK: More of George W. Hamlin's Airplane Photographs and Transportation Information.

Ruzyne Airport 1970s

Ruzyne Airport serves Prague, Czech Republic. Located 10 km from the city centre, the airport is a hub for Czech Airlines. It was opened on April 5, 1937.

Prague Ruzyne is the biggest airport in the Czech Republic and with 12.7 million passengers in 2008 the busiest one within the new EU member states.

Air France Sud SE-210 Caravelle III.

Austrian Airlines Sud SE-210 Caravelle VI-R.

BEA - British European Airways HS-121 Trident.

KLM - Royal Dutch Airlines Douglas DC-8-55.

Pan American Airways Boeing 707-321B.

LINK: All photos copyright and used with the permission of Petr Popelar on Airliners.Net