Budd–Michelin rubber-tired rail cars Budd–Michelin rubber-tired rail cars The Budd–Michelin rubber-tired rail cars were built by the Budd Company in the United States between 1931 and 1933 using French firm Michelin's "Micheline" rail car design. Michelin built its first rail car in 1929, and by 1932 had built a fleet of nine cars that all featured innovative and distinctive pneumatic tires. In September 1931, an agreement signed between the two companies allowed Budd to use the new rubber rail tires on its shot-welded, stainless-steel carbodies, and at the same time allowed Michelin to expand into the American market. After building two demonstrators in what
Shelby Gem Factory Hardy. Larry Paul Kelley and his wife Jo Kelly later retained full ownership making the Shelby Gem Factory a family business. The Shelby Gem Factory initially produced only synthetic ruby, with ruby lasers being the principal application, to firms primarily in California. However, the greater profit potential of transmuting ruby rods into gemstones led to a change in the enterprise's focus. A colorless variant crystal was developed by experimentation with different materials and proportions. This was the first simulated diamond variety. It became the first business anywhere to mass-produce cubic zirconia (CZ). In the 1970s the Shelby Gem Factory rode