Neighborhood Streamliner
Father – and – son combination, Leon H. Shay and Leon R. Shay of Freeport, 111., the elder a Popular Mechanics reader “for more than 25 years,” built this streamliner with a six-horsepower engine to carry the neighborhood youngsters, as many as 32 at a time, around a 300-foot loop track. It can travel from one to 45 miles an hour and is usually piloted by Shay’s two granddaughters, aged 4 and 7. “We are hoping to take care of all the kids around here this summer,” writes Mr. Shay.

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Marionettes Go Hollywood

By PHILIP BAILEY

MARIONETTES in the guise of chorus girls and movie stars dance and strut before a starlit background in one of the most novel scenes ever devised and filmed in Hollywood. Cleverly carved and costumed by skilled craftsmen working under the direction of Russell Patterson, famous artist, the puppet entertainers were accompanied in their marionette musical comedy by a curious symphony orchestra made up of weird animated instruments that played themselves.

Most of the dummy performers, which are featured in the recently completed film “Artists and Models,” are about three feet high, with bodies shaped from sponge rubber and hinged moving parts carefully carved from wood. Each marionette was operated by a maze of invisible strings manipulated by groups of operators working out of the camera’s range on platforms built above the stage.
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This looks damn fun. Also I love the fact that it uses a washing machine engine. I want a gas powered washer!

Pint-Size Tractor Has Gas Engine

Driving his own gasoline-engine tractor, three-year-old Gus Dobert of Nashville, Tenn., is the envy of youngsters of his neighborhood. Made by his father, a machinist, the small tractor has a two-cycle washing-machine engine. Power is transmitted by a V-belt and sprocket chain. The gear ratio insures lots of power but little speed. The clutch pedal tightens the belt on the pulleys.

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Build a Toy World from Spools and Scraps of Wood

WITH some pieces of soft wood like pine, a collection of spools, a few sharp tools and a little ingenuity, you can make an endless variety of toys; in fact, create a whole toy world that will provide you with considerable enjoyment. The accompanying drawings give plans which are self-explanatory, but you can go ahead on your own hook and design any number of toys of your own.

All the people of your toy world can be made from spools. A good-sized army can be built up, its strength limited only by the number of spools available. On the opposite page you will find plans for building also the main “engines of war”—a rapid fire gun, a cannon and an airplane. Should you be inclined to beat your swords into plow shares, you can build any number of farm toys, plans for which are shown. Identify the people by painting faces on the spools.

Midget Bus Carries Nine Children

A HIP high miniature bus which seats nine juvenile passengers and the driver has made its appearance on the streets of St. Paul, Minn. Four storage batteries mounted under the hood operate headlights and furnish the power for the two motors which run the bus.

It was built at a cost of $350 by L. F. Wright, St. Paul garage operator. Fashioned after the commercial type bus, the midget vehicle can attain a speed of 18 miles per hour.

Neighborhood children find that the bus provides all the thrills of a larger car without endangering the lives of the passengers. Mr. Wright designed the bus after building several midget racing cars.

AIR-POWERED SPEEDOMETER
for bikes made by the Sinko Mfg. and Tool Co., Chicago sells for $1.89. As bike moves, air enters intake, deflects small fan blade on a spring-mounted needle.

How JIG-SAW PUZZLES Are Made by the Million

PUTTING jig-saw puzzles together is the latest craze to sweep over America. It has replaced the cross-word puzzle, the Tom Thumb golf course, and in many places has ousted contract- bridge. On this page are photos showing the steps in the manufacture of the millions of jigsaw puzzles sold each week.

Junior at the Wheel
Many a parent has wished for something to keep Junior occupied during long drives. With this toy steering wheel, daddy can concentrate on the road ahead while young “hopeful makes believe he too is driving. Made of hard rubber, the mock wheel is attached to the dashboard by a suction cup. It even has a horn that works.

Kiddies Taught Traffic Laws
A MINIATURE roadway complete with signs, stop-and-go lights, crossings and safety zones is being used to teach pedestrian and auto traffic regulations to school children in Brentwood, England. The lessons are made interesting for the tots by letting them drive miniature autos over the “highway,” impersonate policemen, etc.

Baby Fire Truck might be just the thing for baby fires. It is powered by a small gasoline engine and is equipped with a siren that can wail almost as loudly as its big brothers. Truck’s sides are ladders,. Driver is Milton Bunker of Escabana, Mich.

Game Is Played with Live Beetles

Live beetles scamper across the playing board of a new game devised by a Pasadena, Calif., inventor. At the start, the beetles are released from a corral in the center of the board, which is surrounded by a three-inch transparent fence. Four cages in the form of celluloid cylinders are raised or lowered by players who operate levers under the table. Scoring is based on the number of beetles trapped in the cylinder by each of the players.

Runners Convert Wagon

Four small wheel runners quickly convert this child’s wagon into a steerable sled for use in winter. Patented by Emil Lersch, of Pensacola, Fla., the ski-like, turned-up metal runners are each clamped firmly to a wheel of the wagon by a pair of side plates shaped to conform closely to the wheel’s contours. In addition, angled braces between the runners and the axles provide lateral stability.