Dream Machines ~ Monday, April 29, 2013

Last weekend, Nate, my Dad, and I visited the Pacific Coast Dream Machines show in Half Moon Bay, which features cars, planes, and other vintage machinery.

There were quite a few cars there of appropriate vintage to inspire future models, or for double-checking models I've already built.

A early auto by Holsman

A 160x enlarged version of my GHQ Model A.

The airplane side featured a DC-4 that served in the Berlin Airlift, and this P51 Mustang.

Stay behind the rope, Nate!

Ok, now for the good stuff. The Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association had a display of vintage engines running pumps, power tools, and things like that.

Best of all, Roots of Motive Power, a museum from Willits, CA (aka, the eastern terminal of the Skunk train), had several large pieces of steamed-up and operating equipment, like this Case tractor and tender/trailer:

And a Willammette steam donkey, plus an extra steam winch powered off of the donkey's boiler.

There was also a Mack truck, both a classic in its own right, and immediately obvious to railfans as a cousin to Mack's early railbusses, like the original Skunk.

There was also food, music, and some just out-and-out fun stuff. Nate was disappointed that he was too little to try the zipline, but this "zorbs in water" thing was pretty cool: