Okie96 Posted August 27, 2014 Share #1 Posted August 27, 2014 I don't know that this will go anywhere but I was wondering if anyone might have a picture of a prototype engine from the 30s to the 50s. I was told by a family member who worked for Allis Chalmers that somewhere around the 30s to the 50s Allis Chalmers developed a prototype for the army of what they called a train as it pulled cars for moving equipment and cargo across the desert. It was powered by a gas turbine and had large rubber tires for going through the sand. He had a picture of it from an old news paper but gave it to a co-worker when the subject was brought up in a conversation. I've looked some on the computer for a picture of this odd sounding machine but got nothing and thought someone here may have heard of it or have a picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andersun Posted August 27, 2014 Share #2 Posted August 27, 2014 Life magazine has pics of a few of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andersun Posted August 27, 2014 Share #3 Posted August 27, 2014 Another pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andersun Posted August 27, 2014 Share #4 Posted August 27, 2014 Look up "Overland Train Mark II" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie96 Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted August 27, 2014 Thanks Andursun! I was having a hard time imagining what this must have possibly looked like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 20, 2014 Share #6 Posted September 20, 2014 The wheels and tires from the Overland Train were later used by Monster Truck inventor Bob Chandler to construct the Bigfoot 5, the world's biggest Monster Truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted October 6, 2014 Share #7 Posted October 6, 2014 ??????????? This this is crazy. Look at the 113 in the middle it's like a peanut. ???????? Owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardstripe Posted October 6, 2014 Share #8 Posted October 6, 2014 Looks like AC painted everything AC orange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uplandmod Posted October 6, 2014 Share #9 Posted October 6, 2014 I love these Monster Vehicles. There was another that was built in the late 30's for Antarctica but WWII started and they left it in the snow and has never been found since, that one had an airplane attached! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Snow_Cruiser LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted October 21, 2014 Share #10 Posted October 21, 2014 There are still pieces and parts of them floating around here in Alaska. I actually rented a house for about 5 years that had two of the trailers for a deck. It sat just across from the Aleyeska Pipeline view point, where all the tour busses stop. I can only guess how many times I ended up getting my picture taken when I walked out on the deck. The house has since been torn down, but the trailers are still there. I can try to get some pictures if anyone is interested. One of the engines used to sit in North Pole, but I heard the owner died, and I believe it has been moved. If memory serves, there is also an engine or at least a trailer, just this side of Tok Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earlymb Posted October 21, 2014 Share #11 Posted October 21, 2014 I love these Monster Vehicles. There was another that was built in the late 30's for Antarctica but WWII started and they left it in the snow and has never been found since, that one had an airplane attached! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Snow_Cruiser LF That machine plays a fictional role in the Clive Cussler novel 'Antarctica'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie96 Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted December 6, 2014 A shame the one was left at the arctic. It wouldn't surprise me if it's been carried out to sea on the ice and wound up on the sea floor. Either that or it went the way of Glacier girls flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scmcgeorge Posted December 10, 2014 Share #13 Posted December 10, 2014 FYI Images taken at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ, Steve McG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raylemere Posted December 15, 2014 Share #14 Posted December 15, 2014 imagine seeing one of these on a road in your town LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichiesRelics Posted January 31, 2015 Share #15 Posted January 31, 2015 Huh, never heard of these before. What exactly were these vehicles used for-heavy equipment transport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted January 31, 2015 Share #16 Posted January 31, 2015 From what I understand, they were for mass transport of supplies over areas where there was no rail. Hence the name "land Train". They saw some use here in Alaska, but I have never heard of them actually being used in the desert (other than testing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichiesRelics Posted February 1, 2015 Share #17 Posted February 1, 2015 Ha, I wonder how many miles per gallon it got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted February 2, 2015 Share #18 Posted February 2, 2015 The one that was at the house I lived in was a civilian model from the 50's. It had a massive generator in the "engine" of the train, but each wheel was driven by a separate electric motor. I assume the MPG was actually a lot better than would be expected. Here is the Wikipedia article on them. The Picture of the engine in front of the geodesic dome was taken on the property that I was renting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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