back in the 1920s george bennie designed and built the railplane, a propeller-driven monorail initially intended to travel between glasgow and edinburgh.

the design was way ahead of its time, the railplane capsule home to a 4-blade propeller at each end, each of these powered by its own electric motor - the result a cruising speed of 120mph.

a test track was built and demonstrations given to many astounded members of the public and potential backers of this futuristic mode of transport but ultimately the idea was dropped due to the projected costs and the start of the 2nd world war.

there’s a short clip below, the quality’s a bit shit but it’s still good to see some footage.

2. the rail zeppelin - 1929

the rail zeppelin was designed by frank kruchenberg, also responsible for designing zeppelin airships.

this dangerous looking beast was home to a huge bmw aircraft engine which drove the rear-mounted 4-blade wooden propeller, the resultant power responsible for a new train speed world record of 145mph in 1931.

the zeppelin was eventually scrapped due to the high risk design - it was extremely difficult to find insurance for the vehicle due to the propeller, especially on a public railway.

3. the dringos prop-locomotive - 1919

even before the rail zeppelin was designed the ‘dringos prop-locomotive’ prototype was being tested on tracks in berlin, a 2-blade propeller attached to each end of the train helping it achieve a speed of 60mph. higher speeds were probably achievable but not pushed for due to the ‘primitive chassis and braking system’ of this prototype.

outside interest for the concept was apparently lacking.

4. the leyat helica - 1913

the model in the photo above was the first marketed version of the leyat helica, a propeller driven car designed by a frenchman called marcel leyat, a guy who actually designed and built planes until the beginning of the 2nd world war.

above: the leyat helica sport

above: this particular helica reached a record speed of 170kmh in 1927. the photo was taken that day.

5. the helicron no.1 - 1932

this beauty was discovered in a french barn 7 yrs ago, apparently after being left there by the owners in the 1930s.

when found it needed a complete restoration and was rebuilt using most of the original parts. these days the huge wooden propeller helps the helicron reach a top speed of 75mph.

short clip below of the helicron no.1 in action..

6. propeller driven bicycle - 1936

the article below is taken from a copy of popular science magazine in 1936 and i know nothing more about this particular invention.

what i do know is that it’s one of the best pictures i’ve ever seen and that the amount of pedalling required to get that propeller moving at any decent rate must’ve been immense.

no wonder the guy looks close to death.

7. the aerosan - 1909

aerosans/aerosleds are basically propeller-driven sleds that were originally used in russia for recreational purposes.

around 10 yrs after their conception a number of aerosans were developed specifically for the soviet red army, uses including mail-delivery, border patrol and relatively rapid medical support.

TAKEN FROM deputy-dog.com

Pet lovers may make something out of this latest pet-related offering, designed to keep kitty away from your technology but still close to hand.

This Kit In Box is essentially a clamp-on box - a cat bed of sorts - that attaches to the side of your computer desk. The idea is that you can work and pet the feline without the feline marching over your keyboard, spilling coffee and peeing on your mouse. Again.

Author: Thomas Henricks.

People living around the Western Basin of Lake Erie, the Detroit River and Lake St Clair area are “arguably” situated in the heart of the best freshwater fishing in the world. It’s is difficult to surpass the smallmouth bass fishing in this great region with all it’s rocky shoreline, open water reefs and islands and great spawning areas. The yellow perch population has made a significant turnaround in the past 5 years.

Now we get to the really good stuff. The walleye fishing in Western Lake Erie lays claim to huge numbers of walleyes and several year classes are currently represented. This signifies a better chance to maintain breeding year classes in the future. To the un-educated, a day of fishing that produces big boxes of all large fish, may seem a good thing. However to the knowledgeable fisherman that is alarming. Big fish are immensely satisfying to catch, but if you aren’t seeing small fish, the future of the species is in danger. Fortunately recent years have given up good numbers of young fish that speak well for a few years at least.

The walleye run in the Detroit River during spring warming is kind to the fisherman that masters it and starts the fishing for the year with large numbers of walleyes ranging from behemoth monsters during the early part of the season to large numbers of yearling fish in late April and May. The key to this game is conquering wind and current. Boat control is KEY to success. When you learn to manage your boat so the perfect vertical jigging is possible, a number of baits will spur the fish into action. Nearly of equal importance is water clarity. It is extremely difficult to pull fish from dirty water. The angler should search out the cleanest water of the day and work it to find and catch fish. This water color is generally most affected by wind direction and wind strength. Typically one side of the river will be clean and one side will be dirty. On days when the water is crystal clear everywhere in the Detroit River, prepare for a fun day.

Walleye fishing in the main part of Western Lake Erie really picks up steam about Mid June, although weather conditions determine the speed and direction of the movements of the large schools of post spawn walleye. In General these large schools move out of the spawning areas of the south and west part of the basin. They move north in large schools and they turn east when nearing the Canadian shallows. They prefer to nose into the current so extended winds in any particular direction do influence the speed and movement of these schools. For a great day by one of the most knowledgeable and successful walleye fishermen on western Lake Erie, you might contact John Sims who has operated Chante Charters out of Kingsville Ontario for a zillion years.

We aren’t finished yet with the good news. Musky fishing in Lake St. Clair is rated at the top of the pile worldwide. Numbers are very good and many big fish are caught by the good anglers on nearly a daily basis. If you want a good day fishing and you want to fish with a charter captain that understands these fish, contact Bob Devine who operates Chartertalk Fishing Guide Service.

Let’s finish this up with arguably the most addictive fishing we have the opportunity to experience. For several years running now, deeper waters east of Point Pelee have offered us simply unbeatable rainbow trout fishing. These fish are exciting to catch and available in large numbers generally beginning to crank on good about mid July. Methods of fishing range from wire line, downriggers and using dipsy divers. Fish will even be taken utilizing planer boards and crankbaits. They feed heavily on baitfish. Look for a big school of baitfish and then work that school. You will catch fish when the fish are on and you work the bait fish.

Well this scratches the surface of the fishing available in the Wheatley to Windsor fishing zone. Much more can be said and usually is.

 

Author: Roger Munns.

Introduction
An AT&T prepaid cell phone allows you personalized control over your cell phone expenditures and the flexibility of paying for cell phone service only when you need it. A pay-as-you-go plan is an excellent way to bypass the credit checks and annual commitment contracts
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Steps
1Step OneHead to your local big-box electronics store, cellular retailer, AT&T store or go online to search for prepaid cell phone options.
2Step TwoAsk a salesclerk to walk you through the various options AT&T offers its prepaid and pay-as-you-go customers. If you’re shopping online, your options will be presented in a table on the website. It’s a good idea to check with AT&T customer service when you’re shopping online to make sure the website offering the plan isn’t taking a cut for themselves.
3Step ThreeConsider your options carefully. AT&T prepaid cell phone plans generally charge local calls at a flat per-minute anytime rate and charge a higher per-minute rate for national calling. Generally, the more you pay per month the lower your per-minute rate is, so if you plan on heavy use of the prepaid cell phone, you’ll get the best value out of one of the more expensive plans.
4Step FourPay for your first month’s service. There may be additional charges on top of the cost of your plan for the initial activation of your prepaid cell phone.
5Step FiveActivate your phone. Your vendor can usually do this for you by calling AT&T, confirming your payment and having customer service activate your cell phone. You’ll be assigned your new phone number when payment is received by AT&T.
6Step SixUse your cell phone, staying within the confines of your plan.
7Step SevenAdd additional minutes at the beginning of the next month’s billing cycle if you want continued service by purchasing a new prepaid calling plan. You will have to pay up front to continue to use the service. If you don’t pony up, AT&T will assume you wish to discontinue your plan and will end your cell phone service.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!