Your favourite machine.

blobb

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc23/blobb1/sw_2.jpg

MtB

The Otto Langen engine. The world's first atmospheric engine. The Otto cycle engine - upon which all piston petrol and diesel engines are based.

Strange that no one has come up with anything better in the intervening 150 years (this year).   

scrumhalf

The flushing toilet. A thing of beauty, a joy forever, and a haven from the madness of the world.

robgilmo

Dish washer, sweet Jesus its a gift from the gods.

thermionic

http://legacy.idrinkcoffee.com/v/vspfiles/photos/SA-ROC-GIOTTOV3-B12-2.jpg

Clarky

professorben

Deadman said:

cruxiform said:

lasermonkey said:

cruxiform said:

Deadman said:

Class 55 Deltic. The noise and presence of one of these roaring through Darlington train station to a 5 year old kid was unreal.

With names like 'The Fife and the Forfar Yeomanry', 'The Black Watch', 'The Durham Light Infantry' and 'The King's Own Light Infantry', they left a lasting impression.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8624/15837828603_3c799a2d74_b.jpg

Spot on mate. I grew up just outside of Hartlepool and often saw them pulling coal trucks from Blackhall Colliery. They were a proper 'muscle' train!

Are you sure it wasn't a class 37, 40, 44 or 45? The Deltics were very much a passenger locomotive and as far as I know, were only to be found on the east coast main line.
 I used to live less than a quarter of a mile from the ECML and got to know the distinctive sound of the '55 very well.
 Grown men wept they day the last one was retired.

37 I think mate.

Yeah the only long nosed diesel you'd have seen in those parts pulling freight at the time. 31's were common too but had a flat front obviously. I saw the odd 40 in Darlo pulling freight too. Rarely a 45/46 though. And certainly never a Deltic. 
Thornaby depot used to be a schoolboy's dream back in the day.

I have a suspicion schoolboys dreams have changed somewhat over the years.

professorben

Clarky said:

Is that a Draken?

fob

My first thought was a piano but I wasn't sure that really qualified so thought I'd look up a few definitions to see what I could get away with. I think it does but, while reading through the definitions it occurred to me that the human body is a machine.

Pretty inefficient by most standards but I absolutely love mine (although I'll admit the aesthetics may not appeal to some). Even the incredible amount of daily maintenance that's required is a pleasure - fueling, cleaning, and the extraordinary amount of downtime it needs - rarely do these things even remotely feel like a chore. Its use is, in itself, a means and an end. I wouldn't be without mine.

Alnico

This is one of the most interesting 'Off Topic' threads I've read in ages !

Bucket

Machines-wise, I'm a real sucker for massive stuff that's bizarre, ridiculous and never caught on. I love "flying boats" for example. The coolest folly of all would have to be the KM-class ekranoplan, known as the Caspian Sea Monster, from the Soviet Union in the 60s - a gigantic (300 feet long) jet-powered ground-effect seaplane.

I think it held the record for the largest aircraft ever made, for quite some years. Was designed to only fly about 5 to 10 metres above sea level in order to use ground effect, and had a cruising speed close to 300mph.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uzL7ZJ5iv9g/SN-LVQ5_j2I/AAAAAAAAA58/ccZ-G6Thkjs/s1600/Ekranoplan.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/524952526_9dcd557f72.jpg

Clarky

professorben said:

Clarky said:

Is that a Draken?

yes…
the first Airfix model I made as a kid…
and I still think it's the coolest looking plane ever
with the F4 Phantom a very close 2nd - which was the 2nd model I made.. lol

Clarky

Bucket said:

Machines-wise, I'm a real sucker for massive stuff that's bizarre, ridiculous and never caught on. I love "flying boats" for example. The coolest folly of all would have to be the KM-class ekranoplan, known as the Caspian Sea Monster, from the Soviet Union in the 60s - a gigantic (300 feet long) jet-powered ground-effect seaplane.

I think it held the record for the largest aircraft ever made, for quite some years. Was designed to only fly about 5 to 10 metres above sea level in order to use ground effect, and had a cruising speed close to 300mph.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uzL7ZJ5iv9g/SN-LVQ5_j2I/AAAAAAAAA58/ccZ-G6Thkjs/s1600/Ekranoplan.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/524952526_9dcd557f72.jpg

a while back there was a thing on Discovery about those and the development of them..
fascinating stuff.. and seriously cool tech

Nomad

Concorde, Land Rovers from Series 1 to Defender, and the Leica M2...

Quite possibly the most intuitive and pure photography experience I've ever had, and that's with an all-manual clockwork camera that doesn't even have a light meter.

RobDavies

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31E7r4wf7pL.jpg

...or any other machine that keeps her occupied when Match Of The Day is on. 

EricTheWeary

stimpsonslostson said:

I've spent the day at the Scottish Museum of Flight & seen Concord up close. 
Wow. 
What a feat of engineering! Beautiful design & form following function. 
So what's your favourite machine?

I had a walk through Concord many years ago. What I mostly remember is thinking how dated the upholstery looked and how small it was in there. 

I don't get very excited by machines except for the 'posh' cars of my youth so I'll nominate a MKi Ford Granada Coupe. Yum. 

nick_s

As much as I love the Spitfire, it has to be the Avro Lancaster.  My uncle was an engineer in the RAF during the war, and worked on them.  He had a life long passion for them afterwards, and it is something I picked up on.  In his later years, I helped him build various kits of the Lancaster, and to this very day, if I hear or see one, every hair on my body stand on end.

JezWynd

Bucket said:

Machines-wise, I'm a real sucker for massive stuff that's bizarre, ridiculous and never caught on. I love "flying boats" for example. 

I love those mad flying boats, Dornier DO-X is a fine example...

57Deluxe

RobDavies said:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31E7r4wf7pL.jpg

...or any other machine that keeps her occupied when Match Of The Day is on. 

Bottle openner?

ThePrettyDamned

Nomad said:

Concorde, Land Rovers from Series 1 to Defender, and the Leica M2...

Quite possibly the most intuitive and pure photography experience I've ever had, and that's with an all-manual clockwork camera that doesn't even have a light meter.

Ooo that makes me think if my rolleiflex. 

Made in the 1930s, still works beautifully today, and requires less maintenance than a rangefinder. I'd love a newer one from the 60s but I absolutely adore mine. Ticks beautifully.