Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[Bushman]

View attachment 219957

My father was so cheap, he would actually buy Scots from time to time.

 

[BobHufford]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/business/johnson-baby-powder-sales-stopped.htl

 

[LizzieMaine]

When I was little my mother used to tell me that baby powder was made from actual babies, and if I didn't swiften up she'd send me to the factory.

 

[belfastboy]

View attachment 236506

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/business/johnson-baby-powder-sales-stopped.htl

I gotta go get me some more of this....I have a few pairs of western boots that are really snug on the instep. The only way I can get them on is with boot hooks and good ol' baby powder.

 

[Woodtroll]

The East End locomotive shops in Roanoke, Virginia closed operations this week, having been producing and repairing locomotives since the 1880s. Some of the last, finest steam locomotives built in the country (such as the J-class 611) were built here by Norfolk and Western RR. In recent years, Norfolk Southern repaired many, if not most of, the locomotives on their line right here.

Locomotive operations are moving to Pennsylvania.

A locomotive built in the shop in 1884:

Recent photo of part of the locomotive yard:

The 611, still functional:

The news article is here, with lots more vintage photos for those who are interested:
https://www.roanoke.com/opinion/edi...e_545bb9de-39d0-59e8-b052-782ad0a81dd2.html#1

Y'all take care,
Regan

 

[tonyb]

^^^^
Is this expected to be much of a blow to the local economy?

 

[Woodtroll]

^^^^
Is this expected to be much of a blow to the local economy?

To an extent, yes. It will cut NS's presence by about half its employees. The shop employed almost 600 people at the end; only 85 of those positions are transferring to PA. That leaves only about 600 people employed by NS in the Roanoke Valley, if I remember correctly - clerical, car shops, and operations folks. At one time N&W (which became NS in a merger some years back) was the largest employer in the valley; at that time something on the order of 1 in 10 folks who lived here worked for "the railroad". Roanoke started life as a railroad hub, and grew to its current size based largely on the railroad's economic impact. Coal was king then, and most of N&W's money was made hauling coal out of the nearby mines in southwest Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Much of that coal went to ports in Norfolk and Newport News to be loaded on ships.

Now, just based on my observation, it seems that the vast majority of NS's cargo is intermodal freight, and Roanoke's proximity to the coal fields just isn't as important any more. It's sad to see "the railroad" leaving town, but they've been phasing out, moving jobs, or contracting work for some time now. As a youth, I remember if you got on with N&W, you appeared to be set for life, and history backed up that supposition. Times certainly do change - a hospital/health care franchise is now the region's largest employer.

Take care,
Regan

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

When I was young, whenever a fire,police or ambulance siren sounded, it set all the dogs in town howling. This no longer happens. Did they change to a pitch that doesn't bother dogs?

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
Interesting observation. We have a canine chorus around here, but it’s usually prompted by the dogs themselves, as best I can tell. The noises originating from the firehouse half a mile or so from here go ignored.

 

[SteveFord]

Two stroke motorcycles.
Where have all the ring dings gone?
Probably meeting the same fate as my Mercury outboard motor - sitting in a corner of the garage.

 

[David Conwill]

Mercury outboard motor

Perhaps Evinrude is more apt, since that hoary brand left us this week.

 

[David Conwill]

Regarding dogs and sirens, is it possibly like horses and automobiles? They're now so common that the later generations of animals don't even take note, whereas in the pre-WWI era, horses bolting at the sight and sound of automobiles was reportedly commonplace.

 

[Zombie_61]

Two stroke motorcycles. Where have all the ring dings gone? Probably meeting the same fate as my Mercury outboard motor - sitting in a corner of the garage.

In a word, emissions. The relative simplicity of the two-stroke engine meant there was less to tinker with (i.e. modify) in order to meet new standards for exhaust emissions. Manufacturers who couldn't sort it out chose to stop manufacturing the engines. Or so I've read.

 

[Peacoat]

Regarding dogs and sirens, is it possibly like horses and automobiles? They're now so common that the later generations of animals don't even take note, whereas in the pre-WWI era, horses bolting at the sight and sound of automobiles was reportedly commonplace.

A few years back, my wife and I were down in horse country on a trail ride with about 10 or 15 other riders. Crossing a road in front of us was a horse pulling a buggy. Everyone one of those horses got concerned by the sight. No one bolted, but some including mine were hard to hold.

Our neighborhood dogs still like to howl at the sound of a siren. Not every time an emergency vehicle goes by, but often enough to know they haven't forgotten how. Once one gets it started, they all chime in.

 

[SteveFord]

Evinrude went belly up?
I did not know that one.
The next generation of propulsion?
https://www.evinrude.com/en-US/our-evinrude-customers.html

 

[belfastboy]

View attachment 236506

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/business/johnson-baby-powder-sales-stopped.htl

my local grocery store had stock so I have stocked up....can't have too much baby powder in the midst of a pandemic!

 

[3fingers]

Two stroke motorcycles.
Where have all the ring dings gone?
.

Ha! I rode a 1 cylinder Yamaha 360 enduro many years ago. Ring ding writ large. It would also backfire and run backwards if lugged down too far making hill climbs a sporting affair indeed.

 

[The1940sHousewife]

Public phones/phone booths, windows in cars you have to roll down, restaurant smoking section, phone landline, manners/etiquette, common sense, home economics class, cursive, old fashioned shoe store, reading from books, children going outside to play, using a paper map, Oldsmobile, walkie talkies, laundry chutes, laundry mat, calling a person on the phone just to say hello, writing a letter. I could probably think of more.

 

[belfastboy]

Public phones/phone booths, windows in cars you have to roll down, restaurant smoking section, phone landline, manners/etiquette, common sense, home economics class, cursive, old fashioned shoe store, reading from books, children going outside to play, using a paper map, Oldsmobile, walkie talkies, laundry chutes, laundry mat, calling a person on the phone just to say hello, writing a letter. I could probably think of more.

We have a GPS but my wife the navigator still uses the Rand McNally map book on her lap in the RV plotting our route. We were in a small town in Oregon last year. We left our RV at the repair shop on the outskirts of town for the morning to be look at....we had to call to see if it was ready but could not get my cel to work. We walked about looking for a phone booth. Walked into the garage and asked the young fellow if he knew the whereabouts of a pay phone. He gave us a strange look and it dawned on me...this teenage boy did not know what the hell we were talking about.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I happened across a "Seinfeld" rerun the other day and was struck by what an utter period piece it is. Look there on the diner wall -- two pay phones. Try and find a pay phone in New York today, I dare ya. I thought I'd found one last time I was there, in a sidewalk kiosk up in Harlem, but when I reached for the receiver, I heard a voice from some apartment window calling out "Don't bother, it don't work!"