The front facade of the Mundo a Vapor train museum in Canela, Brazil recreates a spectacular Parisian train wreck from 1895 in steamingly accurate detail.

No doubt the worst – or at least, the most embarrassing – day in the history of the Chemins de fer de l’Ouest railway was October 22 of 1895, the date of the Montparnasse Derailment. Captured for posterity through the miracle of photography, this epic urban train wreck saw the twelve-car Granville to Paris and Montparnasse Express train enter the Gare Montparnasse station at too high a speed, suffer a brake failure, smash through safety buffers, careen 100 feet across the station concourse, and finally burst through the building’s outer wall, falling 30 feet into the street below. Ta da!

Steam locomotive No. 721 was hauling 10 coaches and 131 passengers at the time. The only fatality of the spectacular crash, however, was a woman in the street who was struck by displaced masonry while waiting for her husband. Though CF de l’Ouest was absorbed into the French national rail system in 1909, their day of infamy lives on, day after day, thousands of miles away in Brazil. Flickr member RV1864 has posted several photographs of the accident and the subsequent cleanup, two of which are presented above.

Troll Steam Ahead

Fast-forward 96 years and fast- er, sideways 5,837 miles to Canela, a charming town of 40,000 set jewel-like in the Gaucho Highlands of Rio Grande do Sul. Canela (Portuguese for “cinnamon”) is a popular tourist destination boasting several noteworthy attractions including Mundo a Vapor… the “World of Steam” train museum and theme park, which opened in 1991.

Exterior Loco Motive

It’s hard to miss Mundo a Vapor, just like it was hard to miss a major train station in Paris… we’re looking at you, engine driver Guillaume-Marie Pellerin. Unlike the old (demolished in 1969) Gare Montparnasse train terminal, over-achieving locomotive No. 721 is a feature, not a bug… and yes, the replica engine proudly displays its ID ‘cuz if one’s gonna troll, might as well troll to the max. These images from Flickr members Rosanetur and Solon Aguiar (solonneto) date from November of 2017 and September of 2012, respectively.

Steam Dream Team

Mundo a Vapor isn’t your average train museum and calling it a “theme park” is a bit of a stretch – the only real “ride” is a small steam train that, perhaps fortunately, does NOT crash through the second-story wall. What’s up with that? Here comes the history! Back in the 1920s, Ernesto Urbani ran a small business servicing and repairing the steam engines used at many of the local sawmills. Urbani’s sons Omar, Benito and Hermes spent their childhoods in the shop, learning all about steam engines and crafting miniature versions in their spare time. The boys – now retired gents – opened Mundo a Vapor in 1991 as both a tribute to their father and an homage to their love of all things steam.

Iron Horseplay

As such, Mundo a Vapor isn’t so much a museum of railroads as it is a showcase of the Urbani’s many handmade steam engines and miniature mechanical devices. For example, one steam-driven machine presses pulp into usable paper while another spits out pot-metal souvenirs cast from molten solder. Not exactly thrilling but hey – there’s always the replica crashed locomotive out front for photo opportunities. Be sure to snap the shutter when the stack belches thick white smoke. Flickr members Contato Dearaujo and Cesar Cardoso captured these scenes (and our lead image) in April of 2014 and June of 2011, respectively.

South Polar Express

Canela (along with its sister city Gramado) lies on the so-called “Rota Romantica” and it’s popular with tourists year-round. Successive waves of immigrants from the Azores, Germany and Italy have influenced the town’s architecture, not to mention its overall European character. Snow often falls during the winter, prompting extensive Christmastime events and activities. Someone better tell Santa that reindeer can’t fly but steam locomotives can…  for a few seconds. Flickr member Anderson Rancan snapped some of the holiday disaster fiasco fun in late 2008.

Keepin’ It Rail

Flickr member Jeff Belmonte brings us these night-time images of Mundo a Vapor’s crash-tacular facade taken in early 2006. Flying down to Rio – or a tad farther, to the Sao Paulo region – isn’t an option for many in the Northern Hemisphere but thanks to Mundo a Vapor you can pay a five-minute visit to the museum via this video. In the meantime, and to paraphrase Bogie from Casablanca, “We’ll always have the Paris trainwreck” thanks to those masters of steam (and trolling), the brothers Urbani.

This mobile art installation turns the most congested New York City intersections into an unlikely context for a most rural-looking little cottage, the illusion completed thanks to steam rising up from below the streets.

When artist Mark Riegelman saw an orange traffic cone acting as an inadvertent steam conduit, the idea came to him to build something large and out-of-place to grab attention in a city of spectacle. Measuring 6 by 8 by 8 feet, the tiny micro-cabin still weighs hundreds of pounds and had to keep moving – as an unsanctioned project, it needed to avoid authorities.

Inspired in part by the incense-smoking figures traditional to Germany, the Smökers installation comes alive through the appearance of dynamic vapors wafting up from the chimney. In the artist’s words: “the byproduct of the city’s essential industrial process, which provides power and heat to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the city, [are] highlighted and subverted.”

The German “Räuchermann, also commonly referred to as ‘smokers’, are simple wooden incense burners, often resembling cabins, animals, and chimney sweeps.” These are usually, however, found on shelves in homes, not in the form of giant homes on the street.

Fenced off or set back from streets and sidewalks and often raised on platforms as well, civic monuments are oddly ideal candidates for concealing a peculiar secondary function: the ventilation of subterranean spaces, from sewage systems to subway tunnels.

In Sydney, Australia, the Hyde Park Obelisk was built precisely for this purpose back in 1857. Modeled on Cleopatra’s Needle located on the banks of London’s River Thames, the 60-foot-tall tower was designed to allow noxious gases to escape upward from the sewers below. Today, the monument remains in place, but vents the city’s somewhat-less-smelly stormwater system instead.

Meanwhile, in Nuremberg, Germany, a controversial set of statues depicting the trials of married life was commissioned specifically to disguise the subway exhaust port located on the site.

The Ehekarussell (roughly translated: marriage-go-round) is critiqued not because of noxious fumes, but for featuring a sequence of scenes through its statuary: a young happy couple turning older and angrier before one spouse slays the other.

Another approach that appears in many cities is more architectural, though no less monumental, using anything from small fake shell houses to huge multistory buildings as giant exhaust conduits.

In Burnaby, British Columbia, a boxy little house serves both to vent subway fumes but also acts as a mid-tunnel escape route for emergencies. Many of these structures not only act as exhaust pipes, but also contain bacterium-based odour removal plants so as to spew somewhat less obnoxious gasses.

The Callahan Tunnel ventilation building in Boston is a relatively less-camouflaged and more-imposing affair built of bricks with vents where one would ordinarily expect to see windows. Many other American cities have similarly larger exhaust buildings, including New York City, where they vent infrastructure including the Holland Tunnel.

No smoke-and-mirrors or post-production here, just fleeting vignettes swiftly staged on steamed windows and set against natural outdoor backgrounds.

Jim Osborne is a self-taught landscape artist who typically works in watercolor, acrylic and oils. He describes himself as being inspired by his surroundings, light and the weather. Recently, however, he has begun working in a new direction with water condensation on glass window surfaces.

His Steamy Windows Collection represents a bit of a departure for him in terms of tools and approach – the work is necessarily fast, drawing on organic backdrops, lighting conditions and perceptual cues. Each piece is shot quickly as well, and prints can be found for sale on his website.

With the need for speed, every little gesture counts – the results are simultaneously planned but ultimately uncontrolled, a mixture of simple figures and hasty grounds that somehow manages to look like more than the sum of its parts. The approach seems like a a great way to train oneself to think in an agile fashion and be nimble in execution.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could mist it… and these 15 humidifier designs will ensure you do just that. Running the gamut from cute to clever, these cool steam dream machines will bring you back up when dry air’s got you down.

Wool Ball Hybrid Humidifier

(images via: Coroflot and EcoFriend)

It’s a humidifier! It’s a cat toy! It’s… both? Yes indeed, the Wool Ball Hybrid Humidifier from Cincinnati-based designer Yuan Gu humidifies your home while entertaining your poor, bored, house-bound kitty cat. Maybe “entertaining” isn’t the right word… by playing with this self-contained, kinetic-powered orb your cat will actually be doing some work for a change – just don’t tell it.

(images via: Coroflot and EcoFriend)

The Wool Ball Hybrid Humidifier functions in either of two modes. Placed on a small pedestal and plugged into a nearby electrical outlet it spews mist much like run-of-the-mill home humidifiers. Unplugged and switched on via the integral LCD control panel, it’s free to roll around the floor under the impetus of the resident feline. Though the interior fan runs on a kinetic power source, we much prefer to call it “kitten-powered”.

Mast Humidifier

(images via: Rakuten)

Designed by Shin Okada and crafted from natural Hinoki (Japanese Cypress) wood by Masuya Koubou, the Mast Humidifier adds beauty to one’s home yet doesn’t subtract any electrical power from the grid. Just assemble the humidifier’s components, fill the “hull” base with water, and natural capillary action plus evaporation does the rest. No on/off switch is needed – water won’t evaporate into an already-humid room environment. Bonus: natural Hinoki wood exudes a fresh, lemony aroma and is resistant to rot, mildew and decay.

Penguin Humidifier

(images via: Joe Shlabotnik, Remodel This House and Chris Moseley)

The Adorable Humidifier from Crane is an ultrasonic cool-mist humidifier ideal for infants and children’s rooms. A removable 1-gallon tank can be filled with tap water and runs quietly for up to 11 hours – when the tank’s dry the humidifier shuts off automatically.

(image via: Eliduke)

Costing around $30 and available at most major retailers, the Adorable Humidifier is a perfect example of a clever concept making the transition to successful retail consumer product. Don’t like penguins? No problem, the design is also available in Cow, Elephant, Frog, Pig, and Hello Kitty livery.

Sauna Boy Portable Mini Humidifier

(images via: Good Design Products and Special Election Now)

The Sauna Boy Portable Mini Humidifier blows off steam so you won’t have to! Combining the functions of a humidifier, an aroma diffuser and an air purifier, this compact USB-powered device goes anywhere you and your laptop may roam. An especially neat feature are the decals included with each humidifier that allow you to design your Sauna Boy’s unique facial expression.

Middle Colors Humidifier Supersonic Wave

(images via: Japan Trend Shop and Rakuten)

With a name like Middle Colors Humidifier Supersonic Wave, it’s got to be Japanese – and it is. Even better, this organically curved and beautifully tinted humidifier comes with a matching remote control.

(images via: InventorSpot and Rakuten)

The AC-powered Middle Colors Humidifier Supersonic Wave is designed by Hironao Tsuboi and will run for up to 8 hours on a full tank of tap water. The remote control allows users to select from three settings: Low, Medium and Strong. Seriously, with a setting called “Strong” you know dryness doesn’t stand a chance.

Cup Noodle USB Humidifier

(images via: Strapya World and Gigazine)

Nothing like a steaming Cup Noodle instant ramen to warm the cockles while working late, amiright? What’s also true is that office air can get uncomfortably dry in cooler months. What to do? Set up a Cup Shitsuki ultrasonic humidifier on your desktop, plug it in to your comp via the handy USB connector (or AC adapter) and enjoy moist, soothing mist – calorie-free.

R2D2 USB Humidifier

(images via: Shop NCSX and Technabob)

The R2D2 USB Humidifier begs the question: how does one humidify the chill vacuum of interstellar space? While you’re chewing on that one, Chewbacca, consider the fact that the interiors of spaceships (not to mention the cramped confines of Mom’s basement) can get to feeling uncomfortably droid… er, dried.

(image via: Trendhunter)

Just twist off R2’s head (ignore his pitiable bleeping and blooping) and fill him up with water… hot water, preferably. That’s because this is an old-school steam humidifier that can take up to 20-25 minutes to warm up sufficiently to spew hot vaporized Dihydrogen monoxide into the air.

Oskar Humidifier

(images via: Generate and Gadget HIM)

Be the first one on your block to own an Oskar Humidifier, which is appropriate since the Oskar Humidifier is shaped like a block. It even comes in bright green like the H & R Block logo, though at press time no lawsuits have been filed. Designed by Matti Walker, the Oskar Humidifier features an integrated hygrostat to maintain optimum humidity and automatically shuts off when the water tank is empty. Last but not least, an interior scented-oil container adds aromatherapy to its usual humidifying functionality.

Stitch Humidifier

(images via: Akihabara News and TIKI Stitch)

Can you believe we’re coming up on the 10th anniversary of Lilo & Stitch? What better way to celebrate Disney’s 42nd animated feature than with a Stitch Humidifier? If you answered “a Lilo Humidifier”, you’re out of luck ’cause there isn’t one. You’re stuck with Stitch, like it or not, and there’s no use Hawaiian.

(image via: Runat)

The Stitch Humidifier runs off either a standard wall socket or via USB from your PC or laptop. It was available online for the princely sum of $179.80 but unfortunately (or fortunately, for the budget-conscious) it’s out of stock.

Love Pot Aroma Humidifier

(image via: Trendhunter)

The Love Pot Aroma Humidifier from Nanum is about as environmentally friendly as one can get. The design, by Sangmin Bae & ID+IM Design Lab, is non-electric and functions by natural wicking and evaporation. The red or blue heart-shaped moisture diffuser is made from laminated wool felt that can be safely laundered and re-used. best of all, Nanum promises that 100% of the profits from every Love Pot Aroma Humidifier sold are charitably donated to provide educational scholarships for impoverished children.

Beer Can USB Humidifier

(images via: Green House and ZAKKA Green)

Just wait ’til your boss walks in one morning and spies a can of beer on your desk… that explains the quality of your work lately, he might think. Be sure to interrupt him while he’s filing out a pink slip and explain that the Beer Can USB Humidifier from Green House is, well, a Beer Can USB Humidifier made by Green House.

(image via: Green House)

Green House certainly stressed the detail on this device, down to using German script on the can – the “Grünhaus” name is a nice Teutonic twist. If your boss wants a closer look, let him have it and be sure to point out the “Clear Taste Humidifier” text inscribed beneath the label. After you both have a good laugh over your close encounter with unemployment, explain to him that he can type a ü or any other umlaut character on his keyboard by holding down the ALT key and typing 129 on the Numbers keypad.

Fred Humidifier

(images via: SlipperyBrick and TechyChick)

“Fred” seems like an incongruous name for a UFO-shaped humidifier… unless that’s just one part of it’s evil plan. The organic exterior of the device exudes a cool retro vibe while the insides boil water into soothing steam shot out through a brushed aluminum snout, er, spout. Available in your choice of 6 different colors, the Fred Humidifier offers High and Economy settings and is designed to run extra-quietly. Yep, you’ll sleep like a baby while our friend Fred is out mutilating cattle.

Too Much Aroma Vaporiser

(images via: DeskStore and Made In Design)

The Too Much Aroma Vaporiser from avant garde designer Karim Rashid and Lexon UK may look monolithic but it’s actually quite the multitasker as humidifiers go. Interior air is moisturized and perfumed, improving the atmosphere to promote feelings of well-being. The device also incorporates ambient LED lighting to further set the mood.

(image via: Apartment Therapy)

The Aroma Vaporiser is one of Karim Rashid’s “Too Much” collection, a wide-ranging series of interior lifestyle designs that include everything from dedicated LED lighting to custom computer mice.

The Host Lamp

(image via: TECH@mikeshouts)

The Host Lamp by designer Minsung Bae is a curious concept: a humidifier powered by an incandescent light bulb. Here comes the science: A Thermo-Electric Module inside the device is made up of an aluminum heat sink that captures heat emanated by the light bulb and diverts it to a battery which then provides the power required to run the humidifier. The Host Lamp’s appearance is intriguing as well, being part rustic, slightly Steampunk and anything but commercial plastic.

Steam Mug Eco-Friendly Mini Size Cup Humidifier

(images via: Yanko Design and Zurmat)

Your morning cuppa java won’t steam for long but the Steam Mug Eco-Friendly Mini Size Cup Humidifier will… as long as it’s switched on, at least. Designer Young-Suk Kim engineered the Steam Mug to run on very low water levels, such as what’s left after you return from the office water cooler, take a long sip or two, and get down to work.

(image via: Yanko Design)

The Steam Mug automatically turns on when its placed on the saucer-like holder that’s connected to a convenient USB port. The cool-mist ultrasonic functionality ensures you can still take sips from your cup without steaming your mouth shut.

(image via: SEXY Gadgets)

Do humidifiers have to be high-tech to be cool? Not at all: take the plainly named Radiator Humidifier, for instance. Simply fill the plastic receptacle with water and hang it on your radiator using the integral hooks. No chemicals, no filters, no… radiator? Erm, never mind.