Steampunk News

Dieselpunks.org | July 31, 2012

Some Diesel Era spirit from the famous Tube. I said ‘Tube”, not ‘YouTube’.

London Transport Museum preserves several dozen treasures of graphic design. Vintage posters continue to inspire artists all over the world. Every British poster art exposition is considered a major cultural event, attracting maximum attention. Here on Dieselpunks.org they are featured in the Underground Art and other articles (see Abram Games, Edward McKnight Kauffer and British Wartime Posters). But there’s never enough of them. Enjoy some more!

VL Danvers. Warm and Bright. 1924

Charles Shepard, 1924

Irene Fawkes, 1924

Alma Faulkner. Pantomime. 1925

Horace Taylor. Summer Sales. 1926

Anonymous. Dance. 1927

Alfred Leete, The Lure of the Underground. 1927

Percy Drake Brookshaw. Cup Final. 1927

Percy Drake Brookshaw. Season Takes you Through. 1927

The Zoo Alphabet. 1928

Austin Cooper. Bicyclism. 1928

Alma Faulkner. New Dress. 1928

Stanislaus S. Longley. Business. 1933

Stanislaus S. Longley. Theatre

Zero (Hans Schleger). What Happens to Every Pound. 1938

Headline picture:

Zero (Hans Schleger). Thanks to the Underground, 1935

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Tags: London

The Steampunk Librarian | July 31, 2012

In honor of the London Olympics, the Steampunk Tribune takes a look at some older, more dignified(?) events.

 

 

Across the pond in New York, the AFA is holding an exhibition on “Steampunkinetics” which looks fantastic and worth a visit! The Huffington Post has some more details and photographs.

 

 

If you like to look at fascinating old photographs, this 1892 album of Russian army men is one to see.

 

 

And as we end July, here’s a sneak preview of some of the books we’ll be giving away in August!

 

 

Cuttlefish by Dave Freer

 

Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon by Mark Hodder

 

Planesrunner and Be My Enemy (Books 1 and 2 in the Everness series) by Ian McDonald

 

Vampire Empire, Book 3: The Kingmakers by Clay and Susan Griffith

(Sir Reginald is especially excited about this one!)

 

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Tags: AFA, Huffington Post, London, Vampire Empire

Dieselpunks.org | July 31, 2012

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!

Since hitting the airwaves in August 1930 as part of the “Detective Story” radio show, The Shadow has become one of the most beloved heroes in pulp history.  On Two-Fisted Tuesdays, we’ll follow the adventures of The Shadow as he battles a rogues gallery of crooks and villains from around the world.

Never heard of The Shadow before? Click here to learn more about this pulp era icon.

Click on the link below to download our two-fisted radio broadcast in MP3 format.

This week’s episode is…

The Shadow – The Hypnotic Death starring Orson Welles (originally broadcast on February 12, 1939).

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Special thanks to John Picha for collecting all of the classic Shadow covers for us!

 

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Tags: Detective Story, John Picha, Orson Welles, Two Fisted Tuesdays

Dieselpunks.org | July 31, 2012

For once, here is something that hasn’t (completely) popped out my twisted imagination: this somehow funny looking, cartoonish train is based on a real train, a passengers DMU (Diesel Multi Unit) class ДП, which in russian is short for Дизель поезд (Diesel train). Built during WWII by the company Ganz Mavag in Hungary, a company known for building all kinds of trains, trams, ships and of course war technology during both wars, the train was aimed to Nazi Germany, where it was never to be used.

According to some other sources though, it was used in wartime Lithuania, which could explain how it ended up in the Soviet Union after the end of WWII. The company Ganz Mavag made various trains and other technology for the Soviet Union after the war. This is one of the reasons why post war soviet technology is so similar to the technology that was used in the Third Reich: they share the same technological heritage. Ganz Mavag trains are running in Lithuania nowadays, even though they are very old now, still demonstrating the quality and reliability of wartime material.

Don’t you love this photo as much as I do: the controls look so simple and comfortable, but the bars make it look like you are really driving something serious…

Now, for those who wonder how the hell I know about all this since Diesel City isn’t located that far in the East, I hasten to say that I owe my freshly acquired knowledge to my friend Aivaras in Lithuania who is a walking encyclopedia about anything in Eastern Europe that is Diesel or steam powered and runs… or even flies, since Aivaras also provide very helpful information to make my Zephyr picture accurate, a while ago : 

http://www.dieselpunks.org/photo/zephyr-1?context=user

The plane in the picture is famous in Lithuania where it actually shows on banknotes in memoriam of the exploit of its pilot I forgot the name of, an exploit the brave man paid with his own life. With that, I think I will stop dabbling on Lord K.’s territory before it gets me into trouble

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Tags: Diesel City, Ganz Mavag, Lithuania, Soviet Union

Dieselpunks.org | July 31, 2012

On these hot Summer nights, what’s better than to put a rose between your teeth and Tango until dawn? It’s even better if you have a partner, but never mind that— there’s also some other interesting stuff in the August Picks.

http://www.pilsnerspicks.blogspot.com/

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Tags: August Picks

Dieselpunks.org | July 29, 2012

 Bienvenido a Cabaret, mis amigos!  It’s another lazy day in Spain for the Cabaret, lounging by the pool, drinking zurracapote, and having impromptu music sessions.  And after a gruelling train ride exit from Nazi Germany across the broken-spirited French countryside, with many delays due to “heat-related track repairs” (news flash: tracks don’t spontaneously explode from the ground, however hot it might be) we arived in beautiful old Madrid.  It’s been about three weeks of legal limbo here awaiting passage back stateside.  About two of those weeks have been holed up in a luxurious manor in splendid arrest where we can’t be too undue of an influence over the locals anymore. 

Shown: sun, trees, traditional art, architecture, and productivity.  Not shown: stiffling oppression, crushed modern artistic freedom, residual trauma of a long, bloody civil war

Needless to say, however, some of the locals continue to come to see us.  In a nation where jazz and swing aren’t the regime’s favorites due to their “African influences” (this oppressive but neutral nation owes its existence to Hitler and Mussolini, and all three were none too polite about making it happen, as ol’ Pablo’s nice paintings can attest), the lovely native style of Flamenco lives on as something the regime can consider Pure Spanish (no one tell Franco about the obvious Moorish, Jewish, and Gypsy influences, please!).  Many of the local stars have even come to visit, including Flamenco master Manuel Vallejo, who has agreed to perform for us tonight:

 

 

 

And because Flamenco is as much a feast for the eyes as for the ears, here’s a lovely Flamenco dance:

 

 

As lovely as it is here, however, the crew really want to get home, particularly our new crew of “not Jewish at all baggage handlers” we picked up in Germany, who live in constant fear they’ll be deported back into Nazi hands.  Franco’s thugs seem suspicious given that most of them speak only Yiddish and Polish, but with a signed afadavit from Reichsmarshall Goering himself attesting to their legitimacy as US citizens they let it pass…for now.

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Tags: Cinnamon Peel, Germany, Lemon Presoak, Rioja Handful

Steampunk Tribune | July 28, 2012

As I endured NBC’s horribly managed (and tape delayed) Olympic opening ceremony coverage, two thoughts did occur during the ceremony.  First, while watching the introductory section of the presentation, I was quite envious of the stunning costumes (especially the hats and goggles), along with the balance of the presentation.  (Not so enthusiastic about the remainder of the presentation, though I did find the Queen’s lack of interest intriguing).  Nonetheless, a very good presentation to start the London Olympics.

The individual games themselves are a mix, however.  I enjoy the cycling, equestrian, soccer, and archery events, whist my other half really only cares about the swim events (as she almost qualified for her national team, “back in the day” – another story entirely).  Since the Olympics started in what one might call the “latter half” of the Steampunk era, I was wonder, what marvelous sports were ended too soon… and might have been enjoyable to watch, either then or now?  Well, I do have a few suggestions, from the kind people from Top End Sports…. and the choices for a new poll question!

Polo!
Mostly for the “upper crust”, I’d imagine it would still be a popular draw…

“Polo was on the Olympic program five times, in 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924 and 1936. In the final game played at the Olympic level in 1936, Argentina won gold in front of a crowd of 45,000 people.”

Now, with a few technological tweaks (say, steam-powered mechanical horses), it would be a real sight to behold!
http://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/polo.htm

The Dueling Pistol Shooting event!
What is more genre representative than two persons in a duel?  Well, it was an event, at least in 1912, if I read correctly…

“The dueling pistol event was held twice, in 1906 (at the Intercallated Games – not officially recognized by the IOC) and 1912. This event required competitors to shoot at mannequins dressed in frock coats. There was a Bull’s eye were on the dummy’s throat. The event was held over 20 meters and 30 meters.”

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Tags: Dueling Pistol Shooting, London, Olympic Games, Poll Question

Dieselpunks.org | July 28, 2012

In some alternative world, air wars looked like this:

A painting by Daniel Bechennec (for the Fana d’Avation magazine cover, April 2010) depicts the Westland-Hill Pterodactyl fighter accompanying a formation of Heyford bombers. In our timeline, the Handley Page HP.50 Heyford served with the RAF, and the Pterodactyl remained a prototype.

Actually, there was a Pterodactyl family, a series of experimental aircraft developed by Professor Geoffrey Hill while working at the Westland aircraft company.

The first Pterodactyl, the MKI, made its maiden flight in 1928 powered by a 70 horsepower Armstrong Siddeley Genet engine. The MKI, a high wing tailless monoplane was significantly different in appearance to later versions.

The MKII and MKIII versions were planned but never actually developed. Instead the program leapfrogged onto the MKIV model which flew in 1931. This aircraft was powered by a superior 120 hp engine.

The definitive MKV Pterodactyl was designed to fulfill a need from Britain’s Air Ministry for a new fighter aircraft. It had a two seat configuration with a dedicated gunner’s cockpit.

This machine was an impressive two-seater fighter, powered with a 600hp Rolls Royce Goshawk engine, and differed noticeably from previous Pterodactyl designs. The most striking departure was the tractor arrangement of the engine, as opposed to the earlier ”pusher” types, while the wings were in sesquiplane form, with the upper plane raised above the fuselage.

The military advantages foreshadowed in the first Pterodactyl were brought to practical form in the Mark V, the rear cockpit, immediately aft of the pilot, being fitted with an electrically-operated twin-gun turret. The unobstructed field of fire from this position has only been equalled by the tail gun-turrets of modern multi-engined bombers and, with a performance equal to that of its contemporary, the Hawker Hart, the Pterodactyl V was an ideal fighter type.

Test flights, by Mr. H. J. Penrose, showed that with this example the tailless type had attained a degree of performance, stability and control equal to the conventional aeroplane. It was demonstrated to be fully aerobatic and even capable of inverted flight, but, although so successful as an experimental machine, certain secondary problems rendered a degree of re-design necessary for production.

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Tags: Armstrong Siddeley Genet, MKI, Professor Geoffrey Hill, Rolls Royce Goshawk

Dieselpunks.org | July 27, 2012

Once again, a car make of old. Franklin, a name associated with aviation and air-cooling.

Herbert H. Franklin (H. H.) liked to play cards, enjoyed golf, dabbled in painting and photography, and occasionally took trips out of town accompanied by young women. He introduced them as his nieces. For a time, he maintained a suite at a Manhattan hotel.

According to Sinclair Powell’s definitive book about the manufacturer of the Franklin V-12, The Franklin Automobile Company, in 1893, when he was 27 and still in the newspaper business, H. H. stumbled across an opportunity to buy a patent for the process of diecasting. He grabbed it, opened a diecasting shop in Syracuse (probably the first in the nation), called it the H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, and soon found himself with more money than he’d ever dreamed of.

Eight years later, H. H. met a bright young bicycle racer, John Wilkinson, at a local machine shop. Wilkinson belonged to an established, respected, wealthy Syracuse family. Rugged, good-natured, outgoing, and athletic, he attended Cornell University, where he starred in tennis, track, baseball, and football, and, amazingly, finished his coursework with honors. Wilkinson took a degree in mechanical engineering in 1889, soon landed a job with a local bicycle manufacturer, and went on to become a champion cyclist. He also became curious about the workings of internal combustion engines and motor cars. Before he met Herbert Franklin, Wilkinson designed and built two prototype automobiles. His designs interested a group of New York businessmen, but they couldn’t quite decide whether to put Wilkinson’s car into production.

Finally, one member of the group introduced Wilkinson to H. H., who took a ride in Wilkinson’s second prototype. That ride impressed H. H. and persuaded him to shell out $1100 so that Wilkinson could build a third prototype. This led to the car that went into production.

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Tags: Convertible Coupe, Franklin Cloverleaf Roadster, Franklin Twelve, John Wilkinson

Steampunk Tribune | July 26, 2012

Happened upon a pair of Steampunk tutorials regarding makeup and hair work from the lovely Miss Taboolios.  As always, I make a point of clarifying that I remain happily ignorant of topic in which the ladies have more expertise than I would, but I do hope these “how-to” do provide some insights – do enjoy!

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Tags: Miss Taboolios

The Steampunk Librarian | July 24, 2012

It’s Amelia Earhart’s birthday. Sadly, the latest expedition to find her remains hasn’t discovered anything.

 

 

If you’re interested in being a beta tester for Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus, here’s your chance!

 

 

Bruce Boxleitner, of Bablyon 5 (and, even earlier, Bring ‘Em Back Alive!) fame, is heading a new steampunky series called Lantern City. I’m definitely intrigued.

 

 

Steampunk commodities are everywhere! An example is the Reclamation works in Indianapolis. Now there’s a “Steampunk Connections” website which helps interested makers and artists find each another. Excellent idea.

 

 

And finally, some gorgeous art; a sample of the five-year run of Pan, from 1895-1899.

 

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Tags: Amelia Earhart, Bring Em Back Alive, Lantern City, Steampunk Connections

Steampunk Tribune | July 22, 2012

As those who have been following this blog have noticed over its existence, I have attempted to work on a centralized site to consolidated the many strands of Steampunk in one semi-central area.  The Steampunk Empire does an excellent job to a point, but the focus of the Empire is as a forum for those involved in the genre, as opposed to a locale for merchants to display their wares.  Thus, I was quite happy when I came across Steampunk Connections, which is part of SteampunkStores.net.  It is a very nicely formatted location, with plenty of potential to be an excellent location to find that special something for one’s eye!  To take a gander, please do visit their site, located at: http://steampunkstore.net/ (and do scroll down a bit – the splash page is a bit… well, the good information is just below “ad choices” box).

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Tags: Steampunk Connections, Steampunk Empire