Funday Times

A fine study on Transportation
Stamps are, more often than not, very valuable educational tools. The design on the stamps can make them even more interesting and attractive. United Nations stamps take pride of place in this context. The themes are appealing and motivating. They prompt you to study a subject further.

'Transportation' was the theme selected by the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) to commemorate the fiftieth anniversaries of two UN regional commissions - the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). On 27 August 1997, 15 stamps were released portraying various modes of transport throughout the ages.

Following the practice of using special formats in the design of stamps from time to time, the format selected for these stamps was se-tenant strips of five stamps. These are Composite stamps in which the design is spread over two or more stamps. Incidentally, composite stamps were first issued by Poland in April 1957 when two 60 groszy (the country's lower denominational currency) were printed side by side showing dueling fencers.
The Transportation stamps were in the three currencies - US dollars, Swiss francs (F.S) and Austrian Schilling, as the stamps were released in New York, Paris and Vienna.

The 32-cent se-tenant strip of five stamps illustrates watercraft. Starting on the left, the first stamp depicts a clipper ship, a fast, sail-powered, ocean-crossing ship in the mid-1800s used for cargo and passengers. These vessels were produced in the United Kingdom and the United States as well as in other countries. The second stamp shows a ship developed later in the 1800s for Atlantic Ocean crossings under the power of combined steam and sail. The centre stamp shows an ocean liner. Developed in the early part of the 20th century, the large-capacity, speedy ships, which are either steam or diesel powered, are built worldwide and are in use today.

The more modern types of watercraft are depicted in the other two stamps. A hovercraft - an ocean ferry-craft that floats on a cushion of air over water and land - can be seen in the fourth stamp. In use since 1968, these craft can reach speeds up to 60 knots, can weigh 200 tons and can carry 250 passengers and vehicles. The last stamp shows a hydrofoil which was developed in the 1960s, and is capable of carrying 250 passengers. These vessels fly like an aircraft with their 'wings' under water. 'Stilts' lift the boat above the water at speed.

The F.s 70 stamps portray a number of different aircraft. It starts with the Zippelin (Germany), a transatlantic passenger craft of the 1930s. A Fokker Trimotor (Netherlands), a popular and successful passenger aircraft of the late 1920s can be seen on the left. The flying boat, a 'Clipper' of 1938 manufactured by Boeing, USA and offering the first aeroplane service across the Atlantic Ocean, is seen in the second stamp. In the background is a Lockheed Constellation airliner, also produced in the USA. It marked the first generation of long-distance aircraft in 1940s and 1950s.

In the centre is the De Havilland Comet (UK) which was used for the first worldwide jet service - from London to Johannesberg in 1952. The Illyushin, the mid-1960s jetliner produced in Russia is featured in the next stamp. The four engines on the tail were a mid 1960s development and this aircraft carried 180 passengers at 560 mph.

Contemporary technology used for high-capacity craft capable of flying at near the speed of sound while carrying 400 or more passengers arrived with the development of the Boeing jumbo jet (USA) seen on the ground in the fourth stamp. The eighth aircraft illustrated is the Concorde, the supersonic aircraft produced by France and England flying at twice the speed of sound.
The S7 stamps depict nine types of land transportation. Beginning with a 1901 motor car, the Darraque (France) - the vehicle using the most advanced technology at the time - the first stamp shows an 1829 railway engine too. It is the Rocket (UK), the first successful engine with a boiler system, which was used throughout the days of steam. Next is a typical steam engine of the early 20th century - from the Vladikawska Railway, Russia. At the bottom is a streetcar from the United States. These were powered by gripping, moving cables under the street.

The double-decker city bus of the 1920s was used in the UK. On top is a typical post-1950s diesel locomotive which replaced the age of steam. Just below is a 1980s-1990s version of a contemporary articulated long-distance vehicle used worldwide, the trailer truck. The latest technology has enabled the production of high-speed electrically-powered trains shown in the last stamp. These trains are produced in France, Germany, Japan and UK. The electric car depicts today's trend towards small space and fuel saving town cars. Note the First Day Cover seal embodying the three types of transportation.

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