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.
Written by Nathan Duff of Retromotive Magazine “You’re doing what???…Why??” Is the most common reaction I get when I tell friends and colleagues I have started my own car magazine. People keep on telling me it’s a dying industry, but you know what? I just don’t care. I love cars and car magazines. There were…
This World War II training film covers pilot familiarization with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, one of the most prolific and beloved fighter/bombers of the war. The P-47 Thunderbolt was famous for two things – they were almost impossible to shoot down, and they carried enough firepower to take out trains, tanks, trucks, and armored vehicles…
The Pink Panther, often referred to as the “Pinkie”, is a heavily customised Land Rover Series 2A built for British Special Air Service desert warfare operations in the Middle East. The SAS are globally renowned as being one of the single toughest and most effective special forces units in the world, so building them a…
This is likely the last original unrestored P-51D Mustang in original military configuration left anywhere in the world, and fortunately for someone, it’s currently for sale for the not inconsiderable sum of $4,500,000 USD. Exactly how this warbird ended up being dry stored for over 30 years isn’t publicly known, but we do know that…
The BSA A65 Rocket was released in 1964 as the new more performance oriented version of the BSA A65 Star. The BSA A65 series were beautifully designed motorcycles that never matched the sales volume of Triumph or Norton, but they’re a firm favorite with collectors around the world for their good-looks, great handling, and storied…
Tim Caraco has made a name for himself in recent years by capturing the zeitgeist of the 21st century chopper/bobber scene in America, Australia, and Europe. The hardcover book is 148 pages long and it includes a huge array of bespoke photography as well as the work of world class builders like Max Schaaf, Chase…
