This exceedingly old photograph shows a group of Russian Gendarmes in Moscow around 1890, the chap in the middle of the frame is sitting atop what is quite clearly a Penny-farthing designed for use on the railway lines. There is a counterweight on the shaft leading to the offset left wheel, I assume to keep him from falling off to his right, he also has a long handle in his right hand and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it’s for. Any ideas?
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
MWC is a Swiss company founded in the 1970s that designs and builds watches for military units around the world, as well as police forces, anti-terrorist units, mining companies, specialist marine security units, shipping and salvage organizations, and a wide variety of government agencies and departments. Each MWC watch is made with three criteria in…
This famous photograph by Michel Monteange shows the pit crew of the Gauthier and Schaller team at the 1969 Bol d’Or endurance motorcycle race held at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry just outside of Paris. The most immediately noticeable element in the image is the cigarette hanging from the mouth of the no-nonsense chap in the…
The Supermarine Spitfire The Spitfire is not only one of the most consequential aircraft of the Second World War, it’s also one of the most famous aircraft of the 20th century. Originally developed in the mid-1930s, the Spitfire was designed by Supermarine to fill Air Ministry specification F7/30, calling for a modern fighter capable of…
Captain Malcolm Campbell, who would later become Sir Malcolm Campbell, had a genuinely fascinating life that included being a racing driver at Brooklands, a war time despatch motorcycle rider and pilot, a multiple time land speed record holder, and the man tasked with taking the royal family into hiding if the Nazis invaded Britain. Sir Malcolm…
The Ford GTB-G622 “Burma Jeep” was developed during World War 2 for carrying up to 1.5 tons of cargo over difficult or unusual terrain. It’s best remembered for its work on the legendary Burma Road, a 717 mile stretch of mostly dirt tracks that extended from Burma (now Myanmar) up into southern China through some…
Background: An Inventive Family Marshall and Milton Reeves were American brothers whose inventions made their mark on agriculture, commercial vehicles, and industry. They were Christians known for their humility and when their company became large and successful, they could be found with their sleeves rolled up working on the factory floor alongside their employees. Both…
