GON
$100 Site Donor 2024
Mound City & Eastern Railway at Long Lake circa 1933. This contraption pulling the cars was designed by MC&E president Warren Wallace Rabey. A truck would be fastened to it and serve as a “locomotive” that could pull a handful of cars, then detach and make front door deliveries. It was significantly cheaper to operate than a steam locomotive. The guy that ran the truck didn’t even work for the railroad, he ran a garage and drove the truck as needed (a fellow named Alvin Lammle).
The truck appears to be an International SF-46 2 ton truck with a 36 hp engine based on an internal MC&E letter I have. No model year is mentioned though. It could haul 2 loaded rail cars at a time making 6 miles-per-gallon at speeds of 15-20 mph. The railroad traffic was light enough to justify this, in the month of March 1933 they only handled 6 loads of wheat, 1 of rye, 1 of gasoline, 1 of cattle, and 2 of coal!
The truck appears to be an International SF-46 2 ton truck with a 36 hp engine based on an internal MC&E letter I have. No model year is mentioned though. It could haul 2 loaded rail cars at a time making 6 miles-per-gallon at speeds of 15-20 mph. The railroad traffic was light enough to justify this, in the month of March 1933 they only handled 6 loads of wheat, 1 of rye, 1 of gasoline, 1 of cattle, and 2 of coal!