Not Quite There Yet - Design Iteration in Bikes, Cars, Trains, and Airplanes
11 artifacts in this set
High Wheel Bicycle, circa 1878
Bicycle
This wood-wheeled bicycle from the 1870s is an example of an early high-wheel ordinary. The ordinary evolved from the velocipede of the late 1860s. Innovators enlarged the velocipede's front wheel which made traveling great distances quicker. Future improvements, such as steel-tube frame construction, ball bearings, and wire wheels with rubber tires, made the high-wheeler a popular recreational and sporting vehicle.
Pope Columbia Safety Bicycle, 1889
Bicycle
New "safety" bicycles, like this Pope Columbia, touched off a bicycle craze in the 1880s and 1890s. More stable with two same-sized wheels and less expensive than the high-wheeled "ordinaries," safety bicycles allowed many Americans to discover the sheer joy of riding.
1896 Ford Quadricycle Runabout, First Car Built by Henry Ford
Automobile
The Quadricycle was Henry Ford's first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile. It utilized commonly available materials: angle iron for the frame, a leather belt and chain drive for the transmission, and a buggy seat. Ford had to devise his own ignition system. He sold his Quadricycle for $200, then used the money to build his second car.
Rockaway or Carryall, circa 1860
Rockaway
New Englanders called this flexible family carriage a "carryall." With its light square-box body and two removeable seats, the informal carryall was handy for transporting people and their baggage. This carryall belonged to Boston merchant Charles S. Dana. He used it at his family's summer home at Buzzards Bay on the Massachusetts coast.
1923 Ford Model T Station Wagon
Automobile
"Station" in the term "station wagon" refers to the railroad depot. Early station wagon buyers were often resort hotels and spas that used the roomy vehicles to shuttle their visitors to and from the train. Ford built the chassis and powertrains for its first wagons, but outside builders provided the bodies. Ford didn't offer complete factory-built station wagons until 1929.
1980 Comuta-Car Electric Runabout
Automobile
The Comuta-Car, and its predecessor the CitiCar, were electric cars designed for limited use in cities. Sharp increases in gasoline prices in the 1970s persuaded some 4,000 people to buy the tiny vehicles. But every time the price of fuel spiked, it always fell again, and demand for specialized urban electrics always fell along with it. Will the time for such cars ever come?
Toyota Corolla, "Only $189 a Month. With What You Save, You Could Get Air Conditioning," 1996
Advertisement
With over 40 million units sold worldwide, the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time. Its dependability and affordable price tag have made the Corolla popular with consumers for decades.
Ingersoll-Rand Number 90 Diesel-Electric Locomotive, 1926
Diesel-electric locomotive
This is one of the earliest diesel-electric locomotives used on American railroads. Diesel-electrics offered many advantages over steam locomotives. They required less maintenance, were more fuel-efficient, and could be operated by smaller crews. This locomotive's body houses an Ingersoll-Rand diesel engine that drives a General Electric generator, which in turn powers electric motors on the axles.
American Locomotive Company Sales Brochure, 1946, "The New ALCO-GE Diesel Line"
Brochure
The American Locomotive Company, established in 1901, wisely transitioned from manufacturing steam locomotives to diesel-electric units in the 1920s. ALCO locomotives, built in partnership with General Electric, were popular with American railroads until GE ended the collaboration in 1953 and became a direct competitor. ALCO's market share fell steadily until the company was forced to end production in 1969.
1931 Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro
Autogiro
Like an airplane, the autogiro is moved by an engine-powered propeller, but like a helicopter, lift is provided by a rotor. The rotor is not powered, and while the aircraft can land vertically, it cannot take off vertically. The Detroit News purchased this autogiro to gather news. The novel aircraft probably was better at making news!
New 1948 Stinson Flying Station Wagon, 1947
Brochure
The Stinson Division of Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation introduced the Stinson 108 model in 1946. This general aviation airplane was popular, with more than 5,200 units built before production ended in 1950. The model's variants included the utilitarian "Flying Station Wagon," which featured a reinforced floor that accommodated up to 600 pounds of cargo.
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