Questions tagged [transportation]
Methods of moving people, goods or animals from one place to another, usually on large distance.
121 questions
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Is there a historical concept where overland supply was impossible due to a distance and terrain that would lead suppliers to consume the supplies?
Is there a historical concept or even some occurrences, particularly in the era of preindustrial transportation, where overland war supply was impossible between two points due to the distance and ...
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What's the oldest known example of an 'overpass'? [closed]
Bridges have been around since ancient times to get over obstacles that can't easily be crossed, like rivers or crevasses.
What is the oldest known example of a bridge specifically built to pass ...
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Why was Panama Railroad in poor condition when US decided to build Panama Canal in 1904?
I had thought the Panama Canal was the cause of Panama Railroad's decline. But I found out that in 1904 when US government decided to build the Panama Canal, Panama Railroad was already in bad shape. ...
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When was this photo taken?
Taken approximately at the intersection of Lighthouse Avenue and 13th Street in Pacific Grove California, looking west. I assume the large sampling of cars will help indicate roughly when the photo ...
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How dangerous were the streets of Brooklyn in 1924?
My local newspaper's website has the front pages of various old editions of the paper, and among them was one with this image:
It shows a newly-installed traffic safety sign in Brooklyn, with ...
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What train route did the 200 inch Hale telescope mirror blank take from Corning NY to Pasadena CA in 1936? Did it go through or near Elmira NY?
My father either claimed to have thrown rocks at the 200 inch cast Pyrex mirror blank destined for the Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar being shipped by train from Corning, NY (or at least he joked that ...
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How long would it take to travel from Missouri to South Africa in late 1890s?
I'm writing a novel set in U.S.A., Missouri, in 1895-1896. To be realistic, how long would it take at that time to travel from Missouri to South Africa (former Republic of Transvaal), in direct trip ...
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How did people 'park' their horse and buggy in early 20th century cities? How was theft prevented?
I am writing a story that is set in Philadelphia 1904. The protagonist of the story travels to a part of town near a church, parks his horse and buggy, and walks a couple of blocks to visit a brothel. ...
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How did Brahe get to Prague?
What means of transport did Tycho Brahe and his family use to get from Denmark to Prague in 1597–1598?
EDIT: According to Wikipedia, there were two stops: Brahe spent some time in Wandesburg and ...
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What was the estimated weight of transport wagons (plaustra) in 1st through 3rd century Rome?
I am writing a paper about land transport using oxen carts and wagons in central Italy during the High Empire (late 1st century BC to early 3rd century AD), including some computing simulations of ...
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How large is a 19th century stage house near Kaluga, Russia?
On creating a fiction story I wanted to visit a stage house in the 19th century, and I don't have a reference for how large such an establishment can be on a main road. My fictional history setting is ...
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How did Medieval European river passenger transport develop?
I read some sources that transport by boat over European rivers developed already in the early medieval period, ie after having developed ships with low draft as well as the invention of a ...
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Why did the steam locomotive take so long? [closed]
The steam engine was invented around the start of the 1700s (don’t quote me on that), but the locomotive was invented around a century later. Why is this? Did no one have the idea? Was the technology ...
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Is there a breakdown for transported goods on different routes in the Persian corridor in WWII?
In August 1941, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom together occupied Iran. One motivation for that invasion was the establishment of a supply line to the Soviet Union through Iran, the so-called ...
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Why wasn't Persepolis on Darius' royal road?
I am curious about the routing of the Royal Road. It bypasses Ecbatana by some distance, which seems odd, and ends in Susa, even odder. It would seem that at least some of the empire's business was ...
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How did they measure speed in the 19th century so they could issue the first speeding ticket?
The first speeding ticket was issued in UK. In 1896 a person was caught driving 13 kilometers per hour in a zone where the maximum limit was 3km/h. Without a portable radar speed gun (also radar gun ...
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In 18th century America, how did people board ships to travel long distance?
This is a continuation of this question I asked earlier. According to the answers I got from the question, a better way for my character to travel is by ship, as quoted from user Mark Johnson:
Taking ...
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Did a significant number of women drive in late 1950s/1960s USA?
During lockdown, I have become addicted to old 1950s/60s Perry Mason series. I am struck by the number of women, from all walks of life - waitresses to wealthy matrons - who owned and drove their own ...
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Were there any watermills within sailing distance of the sea?
Watermills were widely used in times when river transport was even considerably more economically important than it is now. This sometimes led to conflict between these two uses of a river, e.g.
The ...
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How did coach service in 18th century America work?
I know that carriage transportation in the US imitated that of Europe, and I know that in the 18th century coaches could be used to transport goods and people and they could also be used as a public ...
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Would a commissioned officer in the Royal Navy during the mid-late 18th century ever sail on a vessel other than a man-o-war, ship of the line, etc?
As someone who does not exactly understand how naval commissions worked in the 18th century, I am curious to know if there might have ever been an occasion where a commissioned officer (such as a ...
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What was the best way to travel across Anatolia in 1914?
What was the best way to travel across Anatolia in 1914?
Specifically, I'm writing a story in which a character needs to travel from Constantinople to Van (a city which would later see protracted ...
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Was Walden Pond ever the primary source for rail transported ice?
In his survey of global railway history, Blood, Iron, and Gold, Christian Wolmar, lists ice among the many surprising commodities transformed by rail transport:
Another somewhat bizarre example, ...
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What was the first overland road from Sweden to Finland?
The Swedish post road from Norway, through Sweden, used the Åland archipelago to pass into Sweden, and this is easily found (evidence of) in the south of Finland to the present day. When (and where) ...
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Was "Via Regia" the original name of the "Via Nova Traiana"?
This is a quote from Wikipedia:
The Via Traiana Nova or Via Nova Traiana (Latin for 'Trajan's New
Road'), previously known as the Via Regia or King's Highway, was an
ancient Roman road built by ...
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What's the primary theory behind tracks in the stone around the world? [closed]
What's the primary theory behind tracks in the stone around the world?
Even if they are ancient roads, why there are no traces from the horses or other animals that should be in the middle?
Turkey:
...
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How can I evaluate the relative fiscal burden on different groups in the US, for various periods between 1790 and 1846?
What are some good ways to evaluate the relative burden of government finance on different groups in the US, for various periods between 1790 and 1846? I'm especially interested in state and local ...
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Why did wagons in the frontier era travel at night?
I'm currently reading 'The diamond diggings of South Africa' by Charles Payton, a first-hand account of a visit to the diamond mines in 1871.
On page 80 it says
For the first fortnight from leaving ...
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What was the available transport to Kimberley in 1871?
The DeBeers diamond company was not actually named for the founders, but for two farmers who discovered diamonds on their land in 1871, and sold the farm to be developed into a diamond mine, the place ...
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Did a fallen-out red signal lens ever cause a railway accident?
The Straight Dope (Cecil Adams, 1986) writes:
When the first primitive railroad signaling devices were developed in the 1830s and 1840s, red meant “stop,” green meant “caution,” and clear (i.e., ...
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What was life like for Australian convicts in the last few decades of transportation?
What was life like for Australian convicts in the last few decades of transportation?
The last convict transportation arrived in 1868, what happened to convicts during this latter period? Were they ...
user44933
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What kind of canoes were used in 19th century Yucatán?
I’m specifically curious about seagoing canoes along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the mid-1800’s. Were they still typically of the dugout variety, or had they evolved to canvas on a wood ...
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When was fire breathing banned from Paris Métro?
I see on youtube that fire breathing was allowed or tolerated in Paris Métro in 1982. However, I have never seen any fire breather between 2000 and now. When was fire breathing banned from Paris ...
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When did the number of motor driven vehicles surpass the number of horse driven vehicles in Paris, London, Berlin?
What exact year (or the closest approximation) did the number of motor driven vehicles surpass the number of horse driven vehicles (including the single horseman) on the streets of Paris?
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What was the typical speed of a tramp steamship?
What was the typical speed of a tramp steamship in their heyday? I mean cruising speed, not flank speed; the figure you would divide into distance to see how long it would take to travel between ports....
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Was red associated with "stop" or "danger" before railroads?
The automobile street signal colors of red and green were adopted because those colors were already in use by the railroads. Was the color red associated with "stop" before railroads? Was it ever ...
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Were any real vehicles damaged colliding with model vehicles?
Vehicle accidents are one of the most dangerous aspects of modern life. Model vehicle accidents are usually a lot less dangerous, though there are a few cases of fatalities. Has a model vehicle ever ...
user18968
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Was the Times of London available for sale in 19th century Singapore?
Were copies of The Times of London generally available for sale in 19th century Singapore? If so, how much did a copy cost? And how many days would the newspaper take to arrive in Singapore?
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Has any place exhumed more dead bodies than San Francisco?
San Francisco's cemeteries of the 1800s relied upon burial fees for maintenance, and so fell into disrepair when they filled up. Simultaneously, land became more expensive and public health fears ...
user18968
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How did passengers keep warm on sail ships?
Trans-Atlantic passenger travel was not very popular until the advent of the steamer, and yet men and women crossed the ocean periodically, including the affluent.
From what I've been able to gather,...
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Why was the IRT Flushing line built with three sets of tracks, instead of two or four?
Why was the IRT Flushing Line built with three sets of tracks, instead of two or four? (If you don't understand this, please see the addendum below)
More generally, when are trains lines typically ...
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Where was the first European electric tramway operated?
Many sources agree that the tramway Vevey-Montreux-Chillon, built in 1888 was Switzerland's first and Europe's second electric tramway. However, sources are contradictory on which was the first ...
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When and where was the first time moveable bridge?
Transportation of goods on rivers have been important throughout history, all the way back to the earliest civilization in Mesopotamia, the Indus valley, Egypt, China and more (this might not be the ...
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Where to get historical Finland railways map for 1939 year?
Where to get Finland railways map for 1939 year ?
Just want to compare logistics possibilities during Winter War.
It is map of USSR:
http://soldat.ru/files/f/00000583.jpg
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When did the last (non-tourist) commercial stagecoach line run in the USA?
Stagecoach at Holladay Express Office, Boise City, Idaho, circa mid-1860s. Source: A Stamp a Day- National Stamp Collecting Month: The Mail Coach
Background
Across from my office is a small Wells ...
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What happened to railroad workers whose jobs became redundant?
In the early 20th century, the steam locomotive was the king of land transportation. The railroad industry was one of the largest employers in the US, employing massive numbers of workers to build and ...
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Why did public transport in London and Northern Ireland avoid privatisation?
In the 1980s Margret Thatcher embarked upon the privatisation of British industry. Part of this was the sale of previously state owned public transport across the country. However, this did not ...
user17846
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When did springs first appear in or below vehicle seats?
It's common for seats to contain springs. Cushions have been part of seats as long as there has been upholstery. In vehicle seats, springs absorb unwanted forces perpendicular to the direction of the ...
user18968
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What was the real innovation of the coach-builders of Kocs in Hungary?
Many languages use the word "coach" for wheeled vehicles. It's attributed to the town of Kocs. Wikipedia suggests:
During the reign of King Matthias Corvinus in the 15th century, the wheelwrights ...
user18968
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What's the rationale for shipping coins back to Spain from its colonies?
Since the days of Pirates! the thought of capturing the Spanish treasure fleet on its way back somewhere in the Spanish Main was a primary target because of all the gold and silver it transported to ...
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