fooey on automobile history

[ritaxis]

Went haring off to find out how automobile side windows opened at the turn of the century . . . to discover that they didn't have side windows, or any sufficient protection tio drive around in winter time, until the 20s, which is kind of too late.

How on earth am I to transport Yanek and the Duke's children around the landscape in the middle of winter then?  They'll freeze if they have to drive in an open car for several hours.  Carriages?  What about the horses?  Didn't they suffer horribly in that cold?

Comments

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I don't think the car would be able to cope with the temperatures - modern oils cope with freezing temperatures, older oils don't, so the engine might seize up for lack of lubricants. Then there's the lack of traction on tyres, and the lack of power to cope with snow drifts and the general unbalancedness of cars that would make them prone to accidents on ice, never mind the complete and utter absence of snow ploughs and gritters - you wouldn't set out on a winter journey because you might not be able to make it through.

As for winter travelling, try a sleigh. Horses don't mind cold - their nostrils warm the air they breathe, and unless you let them stand around sweaty, they're unlikely to have problems at all. Bundle up the passengers in fur, with heated bricks at the bottom to keep their feet warm, and with things to tie across their ears and faces, and they'll be fine.

You'd wait for snowfall - but winter is, in that respect, a _good_ travelling time, when your main transport are horses - snow is a much better surface than mud or uneven roads for transporting heavy loads, and sleds are, if anything, faster than carriages.
They might, if the journey is long enough, break at an inn to a) rest/change horses and b) warm up, but unless there's a snowstorm, travelling will be no big deal.