In 1962, the Army tested a machine known as The Overland Train at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona? It was designed to carry equipment and supplies over both on- and off-road terrains? The train consisted of the control car, ten cargo carrs, and two power generating cars. It was 565 feet long and could haul 150 tons of cargo.
The control car also contained living quarters for a crew of six, complete with sleeping, eating and sanitation facilities. The control cab is all that remains of The Overland Train today, and it may be viewed at the Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center. The rest of the Overland Train was sold to a Yuma scrap dealer.
coordinates : 32°49'42.66" N 114°23'23.71" W
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pictures sources :
falycia
roadtripamerica
text source :
roadtripamerica
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In 1955 LeTourneau was given a contract for a development vehicle that became known as the LCC-1. It was designed to carry equipment and supplies over both on- and off-road terrains, including snow terrain in the north of Alaska. It consisted of a large control cab containing a diesel-powered generator that sent power to all of wheels on both the cab and the four cargo trailers.
The wheels were just over 10 feet tall and very wide, in order to allow the vehicle to have a low ground pressure and be able to travel over tundra. The control cab was itself articulated into two compartments; a heated driving compartment in front for the crew of three, and a rear section containing the 600 hp diesel engine, generators and fuel tanks.
The cab also sported a powered crane on the rear. The LCC-1 was widely tested on everything from sand dunes to snowdrifts, and was shipped to Greenland for Arctic testing as the "Sno Train". It eventually ended up in Alaska, and now sits derelict in a scrap yard at Fort Wainwright, outside Fairbanks.
pictures sources :
acmoc
LeTourneau University
text source :
wikipedia
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The Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied US cargo aircraft used for ferrying outsized cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines, Inc. Five were built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the "Super Guppy."
The first, the Super Guppy, or "SG", was built directly from the fuselage of a C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser, the military version of the Boeing 377. The fuselage was lengthened to 141 feet (43 m), and ballooned out to a maximum inside diameter of 25 ft (7.6 m), the length of the cargo compartment being 94 ft 6 in (28.8 m). The floor of the cargo compartment was still only 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m) wide, as necessitated by the use of the Stratocruiser fuselage.
In addition to the fuselage modifications, the Super Guppy used upgraded Pratt & Whitney T-34P7 turboprops for increased power and range, and modified wing and tail surfaces. It could carry a load of 40,000 pounds (18,000 kg) and cruise at 300 mph (480 km/h).
Super Guppy F-BPPA was operated for Airbus
The second version was officially known as the Super Guppy Turbine (SGT) because the original 377 engines had been replaced with high-performance Allison 501-D22C turboprops. Unlike previous Guppies, the fuselage was constructed from scratch. By building from scratch, Aero Spacelines was able to widen the floor of the cargo compartment to 13 ft (4 m). The overall cargo compartment length was increased to 111 ft (33.8 m), and the improved fuselage and engines allowed for a maximum load of 54,500 pounds (24,700 kg). These design improvements, combined with a pressurized crew cabin that allowed for higher-altitude cruising, allowed the SGT to transport more cargo than its predecessors.
The SGT retained only the cockpit, wings, tail, and main landing gear of the 377. The nosegear was taken from the Boeing 707 -- and reversed 180 degrees. This dropped the front of the aircraft slightly, leveling the cargo bay floor and simplifying loading operations.
Super Guppy being loaded.
In the early 1970s, four Super Guppies were used by Airbus Industrie to transport aeroplane parts from decentralised production facilities to the final assembly plant in Toulouse. The running joke was "Every Airbus is delivered on the wings of a Boeing". The super Guppies have since been replaced by the Airbus Beluga, capable of carrying twice as much cargo.
Only one Super Guppy remains in service: an SGT flown by NASA. The other four are mothballed; the SG at Pima Air and Space Museum, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the first SGT at Bruntingthorpe, UK, the second outside Airbus' factories at Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, France, and the third at Finkenwerder, Germany.
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nasa
ovi
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wikipedia
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Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska on the High Plains. Instead of being made from stones (as is the case with the original Stonehenge), Carhenge is constructed of vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, it was dedicated at the June 1987 summer solstice. In 2006, a visitors' center was constructed to service the site.
Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 96 feet (29 m) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits five feet (1.5 m) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Three cars were buried at Carhenge. Their "gravestone" is a car that reads: "Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America's great!"
coordinates : 42°08'31.62N 102°51'28.45"W
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what about the plastic animals?
ronald c saari
roger edwards
plexoft
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The BOS 400, a French Derrick Lay Barge that ran aground while being towed by the Russian tugboat Tigr. June 26, 1994.The Tigr was chartered to tow the BOS 400 from Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo to Cape Town, South Africa. The tow-rope broke loose during a storm and causing the vessel to run aground off Duiker Point near Sandy Bay. Despite several towage attempts, the shipwreck was considered a total loss as salvors were able to recover little from the wreck. The Tigr barge was built in 1987 in Polish shipyards and had remained idle in the Cape Town docks from 1994 to 2000, when it was sold for $625,000.
The Boss 400 was the biggest floating crane in Africa when the towing lines broke and hit the rocks in a storm.
Being a barge and having no main engines of its own it had to be towed to wherever it was working in the world. It had been used in the industry to pick up huge pipes. The tug that had the towing operation was underpowered and not up to the job. They found themselves unable to cope with the conditions and radioed through to Cape Town harbor to ask for assistance.
Although two tugs were dispatched they were unable to get any lines onto the boss 400 due to the extremely rough seas. It is said a while later the original line snapped and the Boss 400 found itself blowing onto the rocks in Maori Bay were she has been lying ever since. All 14 crew that had been aboard the Boss 400 were airlifted to safety.
At the time of the stranding, the Boss 400 was one of the most powerful crane barges in the world capable of lifting 1200 tons and valued at over 70 million US$. Due to the immense value of the vessel, a salvage team was dispatched but the back of the vessel was too badly broken and the salvage attempt had to abandoned.
coordinates : 34°02'13.25"S 18°18'30.13"E
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pictures sources :
lynette graham
cjmalcolm
mike golby
alex reppe
text source :
wikipedia
lynette graham
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The MV Pasha Bulker is a Panamax bulk carrier of 76,741 metric tons of deadweight perated by the Lauritzen Bulkers Shipping company and owned by Japanese Disponent Owners. While waiting in the open ocean outside the harbour to load coal the Pasha Bulker ran aground during a major storm on 8 June 2007 on Nobbys Beach in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was refloated and moved to a safe location offshore on 2 July 2007, before being towed to Japan for major repairs on 26 July 2007.
pictures sources :
asnewlibrarian
ted szukalski
svitzer
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wikipedia
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A mysterious plane buried in more than a meter of sand on west shore of Mexican coast. Many different stories exist about the presence of the plane in that place, some say the plane was used by narco-trafficker and shot by the Mexican army, others say they had to make a emergency landing, others that there was no drug involved in this story at all.
Whatever the story is, the place looks beautifully enhanced by this immobile bird.
coordinates : 15°40'24.36"N 96°35'43.59W
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loronit
ivanrabano
text source :
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Architect and sculptor Robert Bruno’s steel house/sculpture in Lubbock, Texas. Bruno spent 23 years building this strange home that looks like a giant pig out of 110 tons of steel.
Robert began his sculptural home in 1973, with a very fluid and organic plan. Trained as a sculpture, he moved to Lubbock from Mexico to teach at Texas Tech. A bit dismayed by the flat local landscape, he soon discovered an anomaly at Ransom Canyon. Even as you near the canyon, you can't truly see it, as it is carved into the flat landscape. But here you will find a vista with more drama, while keeping all of the incredible vast Texan sky. This proved to be a perfect setting for his home.
Over the years, the look and structure of Robert's home has changed dramatically. Originally intended to be 1 story, he kept adding on, carving away, adjusting walls, etc. All of the walls in the home are either welded metal, or original glass/stained glass creations. All designed to optimize light and his visual experience. Walls were removed to increase visual vistas, stained glass added to create contrast to the rusted metal (with a subtle nod to his love of catholic iconography and visual language, as well as the old churches of Mexico). Not limited to expressions in glass and metal, Robert also created a beautiful wooden entry table of fluid lines and delicate grace. And he does it all himself, setting this home apart from a typical architectural project with other draftsmen and craftsmen contributing. (unlike another famed architect known for his fluid organic style.
coordinates : 33°31'50.44"N 101°40'36.90"W
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pictures sources :
robert bruno website
sociothought
text source :
neatorama
detourtravels
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The SS America was an ocean liner built in 1940 for the United States Lines. She carried many names in the 54 years between her construction and her 1994 wrecking, as she served as the SS America (carrying this name three different times during her career), the USS West Point, the SS Australis, the SS Italis, the SS Noga, the SS Alferdoss, and the SS American Star. She served most notably in passenger service as the SS America, and as the Greek-flagged SS Australis for Chandris.
...In february 1993, the ship was sold yet again, with the intention of being refitted to become a five star hotel ship off Phuket, in Thailand. Drydocking at that time revealed that despite the years of neglect, her hull was still in remarkably good condition. In August she was renamed American Star, Her propellers were removed and placed on the deck, the funnel and bridge were painted red, and ladders were welded to starboard. She left Greece on December 22, 1993 under tow, but the tow proved impossible due to the weather. She then returned to Greece for a few days until the weather calmed down. On New Year's Eve 1993, the American Star left Greece for the last time by Ukrainian tug Neftegaz 67.
The one hundred day tow began; The American Star and Neftegaz 67 entered a thunder storm in the Atlantic. The tow lines broke and six or more men were sent aboard the American Star to reattach the emergency tow lines. This proved unsuccessful. Two other towboats were called to assist Neftegaz 67. On January 17, the crew aboard the American Star was rescued by helicopter. The American Star was left drifting. On January 18 The American Star ran aground off the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
While discussions between the ship's owners, the towing firm, and the companies insuring the ship were going on, the ship was left to nature, with the forward part of the ship running aground on a sandbar. Within the first 48 hours of pounding surf of the Atlantic, the American Star broke in two just past the second funnel. The ship was declared a total loss on July 6, 1994. The stern section soon collapsed completely to port and sank, while the bow continued to remain intact.
In November 2005, the port side of the bow section collapsed, which caused the liner's remains to assume a much sharper list and the remaining funnel to detach and fall into the ocean. The collapse of the port side also caused the hulk to begin to break up and by October 2006, the wreck had almost completely collapsed onto its port side.
In April 2007 the starboard side finally collapsed causing the wreck to break in half and fall into the sea. What now remains is also slowly sinking and disintegrating. As of 2008, only a small tip of the bow remains above the waterline.
coordinates : 28°20'46.11"N 14°10'48.09"W
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pictures sources :
una breva historia
explorer magazin
text source :
wikipedia
