A little journey from military fashion to more bicycles.
Here is unusual attire for the army, bowler hat and lounge
suit! The photo is actually of inventor
F.R. Simms demonstrating his Simms Motor Scout Armoured Quadricycle in 1899. He constructed the vehicle by mounting a
Maxim machine
gun on the front wheels bar of a French
De Dion-Bouton Quadracycle,
and adding an iron shield in front of the vehicle for the driver/gunner's
protection.
A quadcycle is basically a bicycle with four wheels, one at
each corner, ridden by one or, more often, more people. They were invented around the same time as two-wheeled
bicycles , and the earliest recorded pedal-powered quadracycle was exhibited in
1853 at the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations World's Fair held
in New York City.
Side by side Quadracycles were more stable at low speeds
than bicycles and in-line tandems and it was harder to fall off. Early
designs used foot levers, but in 1885 the Coventry Rotary Quadracycle was
introduced which used conventional bicycle-style rotary pedals instead. It was
developed from a similar tricycle design and featured tandem seating for two.
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Smartly dressed couple seated on an 1886-model quadracycle for two. The South Portico of the White House, Washington, D.C., in the background.c 1886
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In 1888 The Rudge Quadracycle was designed, and it
is described as the first modern
practical four-wheeler. It had much lighter construction than earlier models,
seated three riders in tandem and was steered by levers from the front seat.
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c. 1888
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Quadracycles were popular with fire and postal services.
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c. 1890 |
there is a beautiful example of a fireman's quadracycle at he Brisbane Museum, which actually seats four, and has an attached trailer for the hose.
The Quadracycle of course quickly morphed into a horseless carriage, such as this one.
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1894 Balzar |
And Henry Fords first car in 1896.
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c.1896
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Here's a close up of the engine. Isn't it beautiful?!
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Ford Quadracycle engine
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And the Quadracycle in all it's glory.
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Ford Quadracycle |
I can't imagine how expensive one would be to buy now, but here is a replica someone in Indiana made. it sold for a mere $5,000!
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Ford Quadracycle replica source |
Lovely, don't you think?
Deb xx
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