This is the actual cupola caboose depicted in the previous post, showing the cupola from which train crew would look out for the train's safety.
Some crewmen preferred to have the caboose attached to the train so that the cupola would be at the rear; others wanted the cupola at the front.
Plural: caboose, cabooses, or cabeese (goose/geese) - the debate was never settled.

None of the implements of railroading has had more nicknames than the caboose. Many are of American or Canadian origin and seek to describe the vehicle or its occupants in derisive ways. Often heard amongst crews was "crummy" (as in a crummy place to live, not elegant, often too hot or too cold, and perhaps not especially clean), "clown wagon"; "hack", "waycar"; "dog house," "go cart; "glory wagon," "monkey wagon" (a term that indirectly insulted the principal functionary who rode therein, no doubt coined by an engineer), "brain box" (the conductor was supposedly the brains of the train, as opposed to the "hogger" or engineer, who was presumed to be pigheaded), "palace," "buggy" (Boston & Maine/Maine Central), "van" (Eastern and Central Canada, usage possibly derived from the UK term for the caboose).

Tags:   caboose train HDR CNR railroad Owen Sound

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The Canadian National Railway (CNR) built its station in Owen Sound, Ontario, in 1931 to replace the original Grand Trunk Railway Station. Passenger service continued until November 1, 1970, when the final train left and service ended. The former waiting area and main foyer had a separate waiting room for women and children.
It is now a railway museum, and in its yard is an early 20th century cupola caboose, circa 1920.
This shot was taken through the thick glass at one end of this caboose- hence, the blur, which I augmented with some vignetting from Topaz.
The conductor and brakeman would ride in the caboose, and would perform a variety of functions, enjoying only basic creature comforts, although that stove would provide a lot of heat for wintertime temperatures.
The ladder up to the cupola is just visible at the end/centre of this pic, and from the cupola they would watch out for the overall safety of the train.
Today, the caboose is no longer a part of a freight train. The first caboose-less train in Canada left Winnipeg for Thunder Bay, ON, on Nov. 14, 1989.

3-shot handheld HDR; PS CS3, Photomatix Pro 4.1 andTopaz.

Tags:   trains caboose CNR HDR conductor brakeman Owen Sound

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A Ford truck, from the 1970's.
For car enthusiasts, the 1970s could best be described as the "Forgettable Decade." Government-mandated safety, emissions, and fuel-economy standards hit automakers -- including Ford -- with a triple whammy, forcing them to rethink strategies that had served them well in the 1960s. "Performance" became a dirty word, bigger was no longer better, and styling was often sacrificed to safety. As a result, very few cars from the 1970s excited the senses.

Not so, however, in the world of trucks. Because many of the government standards either didn't apply to trucks or weren't as strict, these beasts of burden didn't fall prey to the forces that beleaguered their automotive brethren. This might be one reason trucks gained so much in popularity over the decade.
(excerpt from "Consumer Guide" magazine)

3-shot handheld HDR; PS CS3 and Photomatix Pro 4.1

Tags:   rusty Ford truck decay HDR abandoned antiques stunningphotogpin

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This is a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville, wide- track, 4 dr hardtop. Base price that year was $3,476 US. There was a long list of available options: bucket seats, power steering and brakes, Circ-L-Aire air conditioning, Magi-Cruise speed control, power windows, a removable Sportable AM transistor radio, power front seat, and a Safeguard speedometer with excess speed buzzer and warning lamp. Seat belts were also an option.
The US models only looked the same as the Canadian ones, but mechanically they were a whole lot different. The Canadian Pontiac was built on a Chevy chassis and if you took one to the States they would say that you were driving a Chev.
1960 marked the end of the big car era (this car was almost 20 ft long and 7 ft wide); the era of the compact car was about to begin.

3-shot handheld HDR; f/8; ISO 200

Tags:   cars antiques rusty decay HDR Chevy Pontiac rusting cars decaying cars

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"Well if I had money, I tell you what I'd do,
I'd go downtown, buy a Mercury or two,
I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury,
Crazy 'bout a Mercury.
I'm gonna' buy me a Mercury and cruise it up and down the road."
-Alan Jackson.

This is a 1955 Monarch Richelieu, introduced and built for the Canadian market by Ford in 1946. It sold that year for between $1,462.00 and $1,775.00. This was sold in Canada as the Monarch, and in the US, sold as a Mercury. Its hood ornament was a leaping lion. Note the radio cavity, and that massive dashboard. The ignition key is still in place also.

3-shot handheld HDR

Tags:   cars Ford Monarch Mercury rust decay HDR

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