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U.S. Army M1888 8-inch railway coast defense guns being test fired at Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Date: July 8, 1935 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-inch_M1888 .

Thank you very, very much for sharing this news. I was always amazed by the 16-inch battleship guns installed at nearby Fort Story, and other coastal Army installations along the east coast. Most Americans, then and now, have no idea. http://hamptonroadsnavalmuseum.blogspot.com/2016/06/happy-birthday-america-fort-story.html With another two 16-inch guns installed on the southern tip of the Eastern Shore at Fort Custis, they had the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay completely covered. My understanding is they could fire 2,000 pound shells some 20 miles with impressive accuracy. http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/Virginia/Fort_Custis/history.htm .

Speaking of Class 8, in my US travels, I see more Freightliners, which is logical due to their high market share. I see new Cascadia tractors from one side of the road to the other. Navistar is clearly making a solid comeback. Peterbilt market share has grown considerably over the last 3 years. In refuse, Peterbilt has massively penetrated the refuse industry, entirely at the expense of the Mack brand MR and LR (rehashed LE). Years ago, you rarely saw Model 320s in the east. Now (new Model 520) they are everywhere, with both cities and major refuse fleets. Kenworth over the last 3-4 years made a major penetration into vocational, again at the expense of the Mack brand, and is holding on firmly to its new larger footprint.

There are many good reasons for 24-volt systems, which is why it's the global standard. Do you recall that all Mack E9 V8-powered trucks were equipped with 24-volt starting systems? It was chosen for a very good reason by Mack Trucks Chief Engineer Walter May and his team......24-volt has the "kick" to turn that large engine over, particularly during the winter months. Twenty-four volt systems allow for smaller size cable that a 12-volt system would require, reducing component weight and cost. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/34764-two-24-volt-european-volvos-are-taking-the-canadian-stress-test/ On another note, you will see 48-volt systems soon in light vehicles, to better meet the immense power requirements of today's vehicles, and also because you need 48 volts for electric turbochargers to function well.

Whenever I hear this, I feel compelled to add clarity to the big picture. The MaxxForce 13, N13 and A26 are based on the proven, utterly reliable MAN D26. Around the globe, nobody has even one negative thing to say about the D26. The MEGR* (Massive Exhaust Gas Recirculation) MaxxForce engines were the idea of your government's EPA. The EPA believed it should become involved in emissions control technology, and decided that MEGR was the best direction for the United States to reach EPA2010 standards. They asked Navistar head Dan Ustian to support the program in return for free money, and he agreed. * EGR levels from 35% to 50%.

The DAF-designed MX engine, in the global market, is a popular and trouble-free motor. Nobody has anything negative to say about DAF.

"The school system failed. The mental health system failed. DCF [the Department of Children and Families], our social service agencies failed. Law enforcement failed because every red flag was present. And the FBI apparently failed. And the security measures for somebody to buy guns failed. Every single system was ignorant or willfully blind," Finkelstein said. Point the finger everywhere..........except where it belongs. Cruz failed himself, his passed away parents, his community and his country. Cruz is responsible for his actions.

Claiming sales of the former American icon Mack Trucks as their own speaks volumes.

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last year, the government instructed the media to stop using the terms "illegal alien" and "illegal immigrant", and instead use the low-key, misleading and altogether wrong term "undocumented immigrant". Now, President Trump is calling killers "mentally disturbed" individuals, rather than murderous criminals. Any murderer, from Florida to Detroit to Chicago, is mentally disturbed. Nobody with normal mental faculties would kill another human being. Every criminal is mentally disturbed........normal folks aren't criminals. Are we now going to put our hands around them and say: "He's sad, mournful and remorseful. He's just a broken human being. And have public defenders all make emotional public pleas for understanding?

Peterbilt Motors Press Release / February 15, 2018 Peterbilt announces the new Model 579 UltraLoft Cab-Sleeper featuring increased interior space and improved fuel economy with Peterbilt styling. Visit us at www.peterbilt.com. .

I wore Red Wings for years because I'd heard of the reputation. And then..........I learned you could have the terrific comfort combined with ruggedness. That day is when I discovered Lowa. Apparently, the folks in Slovakia really know how to make a great boot. Take a look at the Renegade III GTX Lo..........https://www.lowaboots.com/mens/hiking/renegade-iii-gtx®-lo?color=Espresso/Brown Their mil-spec boots (Zephyr) are unparalleled............https://www.lowaboots.com/mens/hiking I stopped buying Red Wing socks as well, and switched to Hanes "Premium" men's crew socks, sold exclusively at Target. There is no more comfortable, cushioned and long-lasting sock on the market. https://www.target.com/p/hanes-174-premium-men-s-10pk-2-free-pair-crew-socks-6-12/-/A-52605507#lnk=sametab Comfort is important.......you only live once.

I'm thrilled this historic piece of rolling stock will be restored for future generations. However, having said that, I don't understand why the European Union (EU) is paying for 85 percent of the work. This is a Czech domestic project.

Fiat Chrysler to recall 228,508 trucks to fix shifter issue Reuters / February 16, 2018 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Friday it would recall about 228,508 trucks in the United States, Canada, Mexico and some other markets to prevent drivers from unintentionally shifting their vehicles out of "park." The brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) may overheat on some vehicles, FCA US LLC said, adding that it would cause the shifter to be repositioned without brake-pedal application, or the presence of a key in the ignition. The overheating occurs when a driver keeps a foot on the brake while the car is idling in park. FCA said the recall includes certain 2017-18 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups; certain 2017-18 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs; and 2016-17 Ram 3500 chassis cabs that weigh less than 10,000 pounds. The company also said some 2017-18 Ram 1500 pickups are included in the campaign, "but heavy-duty trucks represent the majority of affected vehicles." The company said it is unaware of any injuries or accidents related to this recall, which is limited to vehicles equipped with gear shifters on their steering columns. In December, the company said it would recall about 1.8 million trucks in the United States, Canada, Mexico and some other markets to fix a part that if not operating could allow the driver to shift out of park without depressing the brake pedal.

I firmly believe that if killers knew that, in cases with witnesses and/or cameras that verified their guilt, they would be subject to an immediate death penalty, we could change the tide. I steadfastly believe in the rule of law, so I hope not to be misunderstood. However, in cases where guilt is inarguably, zero doubt, an “eye for an eye” policy would create huge change, and this includes the crime-ridden cities. I’ve zero pity for ruthless killers who snuff out the lives of fellow citizens.

If people are determined to kill, they will succeed. Armed guards, for example, can’t be everywhere at once in a vast school complex. The only solution is to fix society. When we were young in school, none of us ever had thoughts of taking another life.

The former American icon, Mack Trucks, was not the only visionary truckmaker producing rolling stock. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-–-the-rail-cars/ https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/33544-mack-rail-–-global-sales/ https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/33657-mack-rail-–-the-locomotives/

Tatra Trucks Press Release / February 16, 2018 In mid-January 2018 TATRA TRUCKS received the news that its funding application for a project to restore the legendary Tatra-built 'Slovak Bullet' diesel locomotive has been approved. The company will use the funding (almost 80 million CZK) to completely repair and revitalize this legendary piece of technical history and to create a special exhibition space for it. TATRA TRUCKS CEO Radek Strouhal explained the importance of the project: "We are delighted that we managed to win funding to restore the locomotive, which is a hugely important part of our technical heritage. As a company we are very proud of our history and tradition, so we will be launching the restoration work as soon as possible." The total cost of the project will be around 118 million CZK. The plans for the exhibition pavilion are already complete, and the restoration project is nearing the end of the preparatory phase, as Strouhal explained: "The restoration plans are now ready to be implemented, and in the upcoming days there will be a tender for the restoration contractor." The owners of TATRA TRUCKS, Jaroslav Strnad and René Matera, are keenly aware that the company's forward-looking technical ethos rests on a long and proud tradition, so they are involved in a number of projects to rescue and restore historical TATRA vehicles. These include the restoration of the 'Slovak Bullet' – which has the status of a national cultural monument – as well as a major project to build a new TATRA museum (funding was approved in mid-2017). The new TATRA museum will be a part of the Nový Jičín local history museum, and it will be run by the Moravian-Silesian Region. The museum will be built on the site of a former foundry; the land has been donated by TATRA TRUCKS. The estimated total cost of the project will be 123 million CZK, of which 85% will be covered by EU funds. Both projects are scheduled for completion during 2020. They share the same core goal: to preserve and celebrate the unique technical and industrial heritage embodied by TATRA TRUCKS and to pass it on to future generations. .

Peterbilt is indeed “on a roll”.

After he intentionally executed 17 human beings, you see this........... 'He's sad. He's mournful. He's remorseful. He's a child. He's just a broken human being': Public defender puts her arm round mass shooter then makes an emotional public plea for understanding http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5394229/Florida-high-school-shooting-plunges-city-mourning.html

Ford plant in Windsor being transformed to build new engine Windsor Star / February 15, 2018 A new seven-litre, V8 truck engine, expected to be called the 7X, should be in production at the Windsor Engine plant's Annex site by the end of the year, it was confirmed Thursday. The $613-million investment Ford of Canada committed to its Windsor operations during 2016 contract negotiations with Unifor is starting to come to life. A new seven-litre, V8 truck engine, expected to be called the 7X, should be in production at the Windsor Engine plant’s Annex site by the end of the year, it was confirmed Thursday. “We are going to see equipment come in as early as March,” Tony Savoni, site manager for Ford operations in Windsor, said during a United Way announcement at the Annex off Seminole Street. “Right now the teams are laying out our strategy for installation. This building will be full and we hope to be moving some parts by November,” he said. The Annex site has been emptied, floors cleaned and painting done to prepare for the new equipment that will be used to build engines. Savoni said the block and rod line should arrive in March and by July the crank line, head line and assembly line will be in place. Computer numerical control (CNC) equipment — highly automated machine tools — will be used to build the engines. It “is the way of the future,” allowing for quick retooling and upgrading for future products, Savoni said. “Within those CNCs there’s some new technology that we are going to teach our people how to use.” The investment shows faith in the Windsor workforce, he said. “We have a lot of hardworking people that come in here and they understand how to make a good, quality product and they have the pride that goes along with it.” Engines should be coming off the line by the end of the year, but those will likely be put in test vehicles, he said. The new V8 engine will replace the 6.8-litre, V10 engine used in Ford’s F-series trucks. Savoni wouldn’t say how many jobs the new engine will create. Ford agreed to invest $613 million in its Windsor operations as part of its last contract with Unifor, settled in late 2016. In March 2017, the company announced a $1.2-billion plan to transform its Windsor operations to which the federal and provincial governments are contributing $204.8 million. At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the investment would create or maintain 800 jobs.

New truck engine to be built at the Ford Annex plant in Windsor CBC News / February 15, 2018 The state-of-the-art 7X engine will start being built in 2019 Ford union officials confirmed today some new details about the "state-of-the-art" truck engine that will be made at the Ford Annex plant Windsor. Tim Little, vice president of Unifor Local 200, said the plant is ready to be re-tooled with equipment to build the new engine called the 7X. "It's ready, the floors are done, it's painted ready to go for the arrival of new equipment to build a future engine for Ford trucks," he said. John D'Agnolo, president of Unifor Local 200, said the 7X will replace the 6.8 engine, which is used in larger Ford truck models like the F-Series [including the F-650 and F-750]. He said machinery will arrive at the plant in April, and work on the new engine will begin in 2019. "Some of the trades are already in there starting to learn all the processes, so it's moving quite quickly," he said. D'Agnolo said the new engine program was part of their last bargaining agreement with Ford. Added jobs Little said the union is working with Ford on staffing. "It will mean that our laid off members will return, we don't have too many left, and then it will mean an opportunity for some who lost their jobs entirely to be hired...and, maybe an opportunity to bring some people back who moved away to other plants," he said. D'Agnolo said he anticipates the new engine will bring between 450 and 500 jobs. "They (members) are just happy," he said. "It's a comfort zone to know that you have product coming, you have a little more security." The details released today stem from an announcement made in 2016 about a $600-million investment by Ford in the plant.

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / February 15, 2018 After reaching new market-share highs in Class 8 and vocational truck sales for 2017, Peterbilt has kicked off 2018 with an addition to its on-highway truck family and plans to continue to grow its market share as it also works on developing the next generation of advanced driver assistance systems. Peterbilt hit a record 15.3% market share in Class 8 for 2017, eclipsing its previous high of 14%. It also set a new vocational market share record of 20%, and a 30% market share in the refuse truck portion of that vocational market. For 2018, the company is predicting the total Class 8 market for the U.S. and Canada to be 235,000 to 265,000 trucks, and medium-duty at 85,000. HDT spoke with Peterbilt executives during this week's launch of the Model 379 UltraLoft, an integrated high-roof sleeper designed to appeal to long-haul and team drivers. Strong economy, industry Peterbilt General Manager Kyle Quinn said a strong economy is driving truck sales growth, noting a GDP that’s expanding by more than 2.5%, business investment that’s up 4% since 2016, a strong manufacturing environment, and growing motor vehicle sales. Unemployment is low, and recent changes in U.S. tax laws will create new opportunities for customers, he said. “All in all, a very healthy environment.” Freight tonnage is at record levels, driven by multiple industries and e-commerce activity, he added. And crude oil prices above $60 per barrel are making a difference of their own, especially for Peterbilt, which is a strong player in the oil-field market. “We started to see a little bit of strength last year,” Quinn said, referring to oilfield-related investments. “We’ve seen strength return in the Canadian oil patch, the Midwest oil patch, and even some in Pennsylvania.” It has led smaller oil service fleets to begin adding trucks as they prepare for idled production to return. “Anything north of $60 per barrel is healthy,” he said of the economic conditions that drive truck sales. “Many of our energy customers are getting ready for growth, but some of that growth has already arrived.” Growing fleet, vocational, refuse business The new Model 579 UltraLoft will help Peterbilt continue to grow its business with larger fleets, said Robert Woodall, assistant general manager of sales and marketing. “This fully integral cab really closes a gap that we had in our product lineup, and it’s going to provide access to new customers that demand the spaciousness of the UltraLoft product.” The company has been working over the last several years to grow its large fleet business, while at the same time continuing to serve its traditional core audience of owner-operator, small fleet and vocational customers. The fuel efficiency of the Model 579 Epiq fuel-economy package, Woodall noted, especially combined with Paccar’s new integrated powertrain, means Peterbilts are the most fuel-efficient trucks in some customers’ fleets. “That’s allowed us to grow with larger fleets,” Woodall said, such as FedEx, Cowan, R&L and Central Transport. “Those are fleets that four years ago we didn’t sell.” In the on-highway marketplace, Paccar’s integrated powertrain, completed with the introduction of the 12-speed Paccar Automated Transmission last year, is also a strong force, officials said. Paccar MX engines are now found in 43% of the new trucks that roll off the Peterbilt assembly line. “We’ve seen steady growth of adoption through 2017, and we expect that momentum to continue to grow this year,” he said of the proprietary powertrain. In addition, the vocational market is very strong, Woodall said. “The mixer business has grown tremendously over the past 12 to 15 months, and that’s continuing,” with strong housing starts and other investment. “Unfortunately natural disasters create demand as well, so there’s lots of activity in Texas and Florida, which has pushed demand for dump trucks, flatbeds, that type of equipment.” The Model 520 refuse truck is also coming on very strong. “We’ve made significant investment in that product over the last two years and that’s why we’re able to grow in the low-cab-forward business.” It competes against Mack and Autocar in that market, he said, and has earned a number two market share spot. “Our goal is to take over the number one spot in 2018.” And of course Peterbilt is still very popular with owner-operators, drivers and small fleets. Officials announced they will once again exhibit at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, next month. There they will have a presence specifically geared toward owner-operators and "brand enthusiasts," and will announce the SuperFan winner of its recently produced 1 millionth truck. ADAS: Moving toward autonomous trucks Peterbilt also showed reporters a video highlighting advanced driver assistance systems it’s working on, including traffic jam stop-and-go technology, lanekeeping assist, auto-docking, platooning and even autonomous trucks. It’s emphasizing an open partnership approach to development of these technologies, and opened an innovation center in Silicon Valley to help enable that process. Some of the things it’s working on: Traffic jam assist. This is something Peterbilt says we’ll see in the near future, even this year. This essentially combines adaptive cruise control and emergency automatic braking for use in stop-and-go traffic situations. “What that does is at very low speeds, in heavy traffic, it can control the acceleration and braking, and can bring the truck to a complete stop if needed” – and then accelerate as the traffic ahead moves, explained Peterbilt Chief Engineer Scott Newhouse. “You’d be amazed at how wonderful that feature is in a traffic jam.” Lane-keeping assist. This one’s probably about another year after the traffic jam assist. Peterbilt is working with several partners to evaluate torque overlay steering – electronic steering that takes some of the load off the driver, especially in slow maneuvering. You can literally turn the wheel with one finger. And in highway situations, it helps keep the truck in the lane without the driver having to make the constant small corrections that are part of a trucker’s everyday job. Autodocking. While Peterbilt did not elaborate on this particular technology, we know companies such as Eaton and ZF are working on such systems, which would back a trailer up to a dock automatically. Platooning, in partnership with Peloton. “Their intention is to begin the process of commercializing that solution this year,” Quinn said. “But it’s really going to come down to, do the initial fleets trying to prove that out for them see the benefit. And I think that’s important about all of these ADAS solutions – is it has to provide a solid benefit for the customer, whether it’s in fuel economy or improved safety.” All these things can be stepping stones toward autonomous vehicles. How soon will that be? Quinn said, “My particular perspective is, it’ll be a while. It’s hard to define ‘a while.’ But I do think there’s a tremendous opportunity in the near term to dramatically improve the safety of vehicles and reduce the burden on drivers. “There are a lot of tech companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere working on level 4 autonomous, which means the driver can disengage in certain use cases like on highway,” Quinn said. “Those have a lot of promise, but they’re still out there a ways. I think one of the main things that’s going to stand in front of that is regulation. My belief is we’ll see something very similar to aerospace, a kind of autopilot with the driver watching.” Newhouse agreed that “the timing will be decided by regulation, by when the customer needs it. Our focus is to make sure it’s right when they’re ready for it.” .