A lot of summer resorts were in business in lower Michigan by the 1920s, one had a miniature train for rides around the resort through the Michigan forest, and a cool depot.

I kid you not, to be a teenager looking for a summer job, and landing a train operator or mechanic job? Wow

another had a baseball park, one had a wood roller coaster

https://99wfmk.com/lemon-park-kalamazoo-county/

Mini Excelsior

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10208768067892608&set=pcb.10208768105933559

Shirley Temple's "Dreyer Junior Racer" gas powered car, was built by Floyd "Pop" Dreyer in 1933 and given to Shirley by fellow actor Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and now resides in a Florida gift shop, proving that it's impossible to predict where cool vehicles can be found

 

The Bubble Room Emporium houses a handful of antique exhibits. 

There is a working, cast iron shooting gallery from the Oceanside Pier in California from the early 20th Century, a wooden carousel board hanging above, a 1919 fortune teller machine that also still works.

While these pieces are not for sale, an area of the shop is filled with large collectable-quality antiques that are priced to sell. 

There is a Chris Craft coin-operated boat ride and 1950s dime-operated Ride the Space Ship ride, motorized Citron and Austin J40 mini-cars, a Clark Jewel cast iron range, two Wurlitzer jukeboxes, a mini shooting gallery, claw machine and more.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=256746652368888&id=117278596315695

https://santivachronicle.com/news/expanded-bubble-room-emporium-showcases-mint-condition-antiques/

https://www.captivasanibel.com/2019/08/06/emporium-to-relocate-into-former-antiques-store/

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search?q=bojangles

Albert Menasco (born in 1897) dropped out of high school in Los Angeles to become a wing-walking stunt man

He still served as a civilian instructor for aircraft engineering for the Signal Corps.

After the war, he founded Menasco Motors and developed the inverted, in-line, air-cooled engine. This design would go on to win major air races and Albert would tour the world with a traveling air show. In the 1920s, his travels took him to Japan where he not only showcased his planes, but also toured Japanese automotive, motorcycles, and aircraft manufacturers. His company Menasco Motors would go on long after he retired eventually it would be the company NASA turned to develop and build the landing gear for the Space Shuttle.

He was a very interesting man, inventor, car dealer, best man at Clark Gable's wedding to Kay Spreckles, vintner, and a true adventurer. He also famously race his own midget cars which can be seen in some of these photos. While most of his photos focused on the air races and aircraft Albert had an obvious passion for cars and motorcycles and these images are an amazing window into the world of early motorsports in Japan.

https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2020/12/albert-menasco-tours-japan-in-1920s.html

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/albert-s.-menasco-personal-papers

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157644632303847

If this seems familiar, it's because I posted about one of the guys in his racing team, Art Smith https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/05/art-smith-famous-for-being-young-stunt.html 

The Detroit Zoo trains made by Chrysler, one-third regular size, nearly 27 feet long

Built in 1931, the miniature railroad was credited with helping the Detroit Zoological Park survive hard times during the Great Depression. Starting out at a nickel a ride, train fares provided the zoo with dependable revenue. The replica steam locomotives and passenger cars became obsolete in 1948.

The next year, in 1949, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation, Walter P. Chrysler, offered to develop a completely new design and power plant for the the Detroit Zoological Park . The result is a trim eight-ton streamliner train engine: The Walter P. Chrysler.

The job was assigned to the Engineering Division and all the departments—Art, Development and Road Test—helped out. The power plant is a six- cylinder automobile engine with fluid drive and hydraulic transmission. It can make about 25 mph and has a standard Chrysler cooling system.

Chrysler designed, built and donated two more railroad engines in 1950 and 1951. The zoo’s new trains were modeled after the fast, aerodynamic Streamliners of that era.

After serving millions more riders, the trains were idled again in 1980 for repairs. A fund drive raised $300,000, including donations from children’s allowances and proceeds from a zoo garage sale. In 1984, the trains returned to service.

above the 1949, 50, and 51 from right to left

the Scripps, Reuther and Walter P. Chrysler. These trains – which the Detroit Zoo mechanics affectionately refer to as Scrippy, Ruthy and Wally – are still in use today, with rides offered daily from May to October

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Chrysler_Builds_A_Locomotive
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/miniaturenarrowgauge.html
http://www.uaw-chrysler.com/images/news/zootrain.html

Tim Wade, the son of an aviation mechanic, has been able to improve the efficiency of the railroad system since being hired as to the zoo's maintenance department in 2014. Wade grew up racing cars, and has changed the entire way that the trains are maintained and repaired.

https://detroitzooblog.org/2016/07/13/on-the-right-track-detroit-zoo-trains-ride-high/

Mooney Warther, master carver, and his masterpiece. The Great Northern Mountain type 4-8-4 locomotive consisted of 7,752 individually carved pieces. Made from ebony, ivory and pearl.

Mooney was a mill worker who started a new career making knives, then became famous for the train engines he masterfully carved from walnut and ebony, mother of pearl and ivory.

the carving was completed in 1933 when Mooney was 48 and at the top of his form.

He lived in Ohio, and his hobby was carving steam locomotives in his spare time, and these are undoubtedly the finest things any man has ever refused to sell.

Each model locomotive is entirely hand carved by this extraordinarily gifted man using no lathe nor machine tools of any sort. The motion parts are all operable as well on each locomotive.

 A front view of the Great Northern shows the detail of the drivers and pilot. Note also the thin ivory bell chain looping down the top of the boiler.

the locomotive's bell rope was carved only on Sundays -- so he wouldn't curse when it broke.

Nearly 8,000 pieces, many of them moving -- held together without glue. He carved it in seven and a half months.

He didn't sell his carved trains, he made a museum instead. Most of the carvings are steam engines, with 64 hand-carved, working train models made out of ivory and ebony. The product of Warther's lifelong hobby has been appraised by the Smithsonian Institution and deemed priceless.

One room features 40 years of carvings, carved when Mooney was 28 to 68 years old, includes his first 15 train models. There's also the history of the steam engine, with carvings of engines and trains from 250 B.C. to 1941.

With only a second-grade education, Warther was unable to work in the rail road industry he'd had a lifelong fascination with, because it required at least a sixth-grade education.

He was born and lived his entire life in Dover, Ohio. During his childhood a young Mooney found a small pen knife and began to whittle to pass the time while he was tending his neighbor’s cows. While still a young child a hobo showed him how to whittle a pair of working pliers from a single piece of wood. From these simple pliers would come the most amazing collections of hand carving in the world.

Mooney’s decision to carve trains really came about as a natural extension of his boyhood experience, according to Mark. “ He grew up around roundhouses, where he could see those great locomotives at work. When the railroad companies would toss out their old repair manuals, he would collect them and study how they were built. By age 18, he knew every nut, bolt and rivet that held them together.”

He was featured in the Feb 1946 Popular Mechanics

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/warther.htm
http://steamrailwaycompany.deviantart.com/art/Master-Carving-of-Great-Northern-Mountain-326685684
http://www.cantonrep.com/news/20160515/preserving-legacy-warther-museum-celebrates-80-years
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/warther-museum-traces-life-master-train-carver/

http://thewarthermuseum.com/

Amberley Miniature Steam Rally 2009

http://www.mjeng.co.uk/events/amberley2009/amberley2009.html

Oh to have a belly tank! Look upon this garage with wonder, friends... they have a belly tank, a land speed racer, and a plan to get to the salt

Salt Slush Racing... in Sweden http://saltslush.blogspot.se/ 

How cool!

And before you think that Sweden has little to offer gearheads, ponder this: 

Berwaldhallen, where the Radio Symphony Orchestra plays? Just had an engine exhibit, miniatures. They were LISTENING to engines! In a symphony hall! SOLD OUT!

This is Per Gillbrand who is the rock star of engine builders... and he built these miniature engines. 

And fired them up, and the audience got to hear what an original Benz sounded like, and a Bugatti W16. and a Rolls Royce Merlin V12

AND A REAL MERLIN!

Hell yes they ran it! http://saltslush.blogspot.se/2014/11/a-stone-tablet-v12-symphony.html



Per Gillbrand began working with Volvo in the late 50's, and Saab in 1964 and perfected turbo charging in the 70's at Saab. Increased the engine output horsepower 23% and torque by 45% increase. Simple. You just have to be a genius... and work for a company committed to succeeding at its engineering.

image from http://www.volvop1800club.se/per-gillbrand-och-b18-motorns-fodelse/

what does a Merlin sound like out side a orchestra hall? Skip the first 5 and a half minutes: 

https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/12/02/remembering-mr-turbo-per-gillbrand-1934-2016/