The Art of Transportation

I might not call the act of transportation its' self an art, but some of the vehicles that were created are most definitely works of art. That's not to say that they weren't engineered and produced to accomplish the specific task of moving from one place to another.  They most definitely were, but when they were created, was there an intention of creating art? Probably not, at least in most cases. There may be a few instances in which there was original intent to create something beautiful or there was an intent to make it look nice or attractive,  but in most cases the object was to create something that could move people or things from one place to another. Once we got good at that, we then started to try and make things look pretty.

This 1927 Rolls Royce was built, not only to be functional but to be beautiful as well.

Over time, as these things are discontinued and no longer produced, we begin to see a beauty in them that can be considered true art. Car collectors will probably tell you that this original condition Studebaker in the picture below, is a true piece of art. I wouldn't argue with them because I believe every individual can make their own decision as to what is and what isn't art. The question is, was this a piece of art when it was first created, or it did it become art over time?

Original Condition Studebaker at the Forney Museum of Transportation.

There had to be some type of creativity and artistic thought during the design of such things. There is no doubt that these beautiful Indian motorcycles below were functional and designed for high performance at the time, but their is also no doubt that the designers used their artistic creativity to make them beautiful.

Indian motorcycles at the Forney Museum of Transportation. 

The next example may not be quite so clear. One of the largest and most powerful steam engines models ever built, "The Big Boy" was an engineering marvel.

"Big Boy" steam engine at Forney Museum of Transportation.

The "Big Boy" was designed to haul many tons of freight over the steep grades of the Wasatch Mountains. It did its' job well but to many it may look like just a big ugly dark, dented hunk of metal, even an eye sore. Looking at it, there was not really any type of thought to the look or beauty of the engine and the designers were probably not worried about its' appearance. They just wanted to build an engine that could haul heavy loads through steep mountain ranges. Now, over half a century later, we look at the "Big Boy" in a museum and we might see a work of art. There are not many others like it or that could do what this one was designed to do. When you look at it, you can't help but see its' power and enormous size to the point where it is almost intimidating. To an old railroad worker, a train enthusiast, or an engineer, this really may be a work of art even though there was not much intention of making it so when it was first created. The fact that we want to look at it and looking at it may inspire a number of different thoughts or emotions, to me makes this a work of art.

My family took me to the Forney Museum of Transportation for Father's Day. There were many "works of art", like the ones shown above. It's another great place to visit in the Denver area.