alsfarms Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 Riker and Locomobile did have the "top of the line" engineering for the time. The aspect of manganese bronze for the crankcase, five main bearings and pressurized oiling system....hmmmmm.. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 Surely pre WW-1. What a brute these early steam engines were. I thought to share the You Tube link for those steam enthusiasts among us. Enjoy! Al 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 Wouldn't it be nice if we could step back in time and pick up a few brand new parts for our current restorations.... If I could pick up a few items at the factory my Riker project would sure move on at a quicker pace. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 2 hours ago, alsfarms said: Surely pre WW-1. What a brute these early steam engines were. I thought to share the You Tube link for those steam enthusiasts among us. Enjoy! At first I thought that the counterweight on the sledge wasn't moving (it moves forwards through the pull in competive pulling) but on a re-watch it is. So that's quite impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 I admit, I am an antique car guy, really appreciate old trucks and machinery also. But one thing that stands my hair on end is to see a true early work hose huffing and puffing. The Case clip, above, just simply does it for me, in a way that no antique automobile can. Also, I watched as Union Pacific moved one of the last surviving "Big Boy" Locomotives from Southern Cal. to Cheyenne Wyoming. the engine had be dormant and on static display for many years. The rail route is within one mile of my home. In my area, they made a whistle stop so the public could see and appreciate the magnificent size of that engine. It is simply amazing! Well five years later, I took all my family, married lids and grand kids to the "Golden Spike" commemoration in northern Utah. The Golden Spike was the last spike driven that joined both sides of America together. It was and still is a big deal. Well Union Pacific had fully restored the Big Boy mentioned above and it made its maiden trip as part of the Golden Spike celebration. (side trivia) The Big Boy was engineered for the rail run between Ogden Utah and Cheyenne Wyoming as it is a heavy climb over many miles to get from Ogden to Cheyenne. Talk about making my hair stand on end was to see an original steamer on the same track many years later and grunting, puffing steaming into Utah. To see that train run is an experience to savor. If you haven't, do a google and You Tube search of the steam train "Bog Boy". Lots to see, learn and appreciate. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 PS: All the Big Boy's hauled much heavy iron during WW-2 all over America and destined to help our Allied partners over seas. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 (edited) I couldn't resist. here is a bit of information about the Big Boy spoken of above. This picture doesn't not show the real giant size of it. It needs a man standing by one of the drive wheels. Edited December 6, 2020 by alsfarms clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 More.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 (edited) Back to Riker. Here is some information about the Brains of Locomobile and Riker trucks. Some early interesting information about Riker, the man. Edited December 6, 2020 by alsfarms spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hall Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 It’s funny how we go around in circles, if they’d continued developing electric vehicles 100 years ago, imagine where we would be today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 5 hours ago, Chris Hall said: It’s funny how we go around in circles, if they’d continued developing electric vehicles 100 years ago, imagine where we would be today! 50 miles from home and waiting 3 hours for the battery to recharge in all likelihood! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hall Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 3 hours ago, Doc said: 50 miles from home and waiting 3 hours for the battery to recharge in all likelihood! How true lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 7, 2020 Author Share Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) Here is another early Andrew Riker development advertisement for his electric automobile. Al Edited December 8, 2020 by alsfarms clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 Here is another picture of a "loaded" Riker truck. We don't even load modern trucks like this!!!! Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hall Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 I think some countries would see your comment as a challenge. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 9, 2020 Author Share Posted December 9, 2020 WOW, if that bottom picture is for real, that truck is seriously top heavy! Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Having spent some time in Kenya I think that the bottom photo is quite possible. I saw a small bus in Nairobi once with 26 mattresses piled up on top and tied on with a rope that went under the bus and up the other side, over the top and tied onto the loose end of the same rope. The mattresses were wobbling in a most impressive way whenever the bus turned or braked. It is normal there to get at least double the number of people into a vehicle than would be acceptable in the UK or US, triple if things are busy. The attitude was: If you die, you die ! Great fun ! David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hall Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 It’s real, there were quite a few photos of it. I think they would describe it as “well balanced” where as Esther Rantzen would describe it as “a potential disaster!” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) It just goes to show and prove that not all the world dances to the same music! Al Edited December 15, 2020 by alsfarms spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 Here is a picture of the manufacturing of the frame for a Riker truck. Most assuredly not modern mass production technology! Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy new Year. This season always gets me to thinking about and appreciating the sacrifices made by our fore fathers to preserve what we now enjoy in this modern world. Those winter times, during WW-1 must have been brutal. God bless those who made the supreme sacrifice. Let us all do the best we can to make sure they are never forgotten. Our interest in militaria, VIA this forum, is one small way we can keep the legacy and memory alive. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 On 12/10/2020 at 3:01 PM, alsfarms said: Here is a picture of the manufacturing of the frame for a Riker truck. Most assuredly not modern mass production technology! I visited the Dennis factory in the late 1980s and it was much the same then. I think that low-volume truck production might have changed less than you think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted December 15, 2020 Author Share Posted December 15, 2020 I am really not familiar, is the "Dennis" truck make still in production? Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 54 minutes ago, alsfarms said: I am really not familiar, is the "Dennis" truck make still in production? Arguably https://www.alexander-dennis.com https://www.dennis-eagle.co.uk/en/ You can still buy a vehicle with “Dennis” on the front. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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