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Lincoln welders had this in their latest newsletter. Very cool!

1927 Mack® Bulldog® Rail Truck

Submitted by: Karl Andrus

railtruck1_small.jpg My project was the fabrication of a 7.5-inch gauge 1927 Mack® Bulldog® Rail Truck. It weighs 145 lbs. and is 60-inches long, 20-inches wide and 28-inches tall. The rail truck is powered by a 24-Volt Little Rascal electric scooter drive train and can haul up to 975 lbs.

The conversion of Mack® trucks to rail use was very common in the United States from the late 1920's through the mid-1940's. Most were converted to rail with the addition of school bus bodies and used for public transportation. Many rail trucks were also used as short run cargo haulers since they were far cheaper to operate than steam locomotives.

The cowcatcher, chassis, hood, radiator, and bed frame are made from sheet metal and channel that were welded with my Lincoln Electric SP-175 Plus wire feeder welder (current model is

POWER MIG® 180C). The cab was made from 1/4-inch furniture grade plywood and the bed from white oak.

The hood and radiator were formed from flat panels which were laser cut from CAD drawings by my friend Mark. All panels which have rounded contours were heated and hand-formed or formed by shot bag and mallet.

A lot of heating, bending, tacking, welding and blending was required for forming some of the other contours on the rail truck. After everything was tacked in place, the joints were welded using the SP-175 Plus and a combination of .025-inch and .035-inch diameter Lincoln Electric solid MIG wire.

I am a member of

Eagle Point Railroad club who operates almost 5 miles of track close to Dunlap, Tennessee.

Without the capabilities of my SP-175 Plus, this project would not have been possible.

railtruck2_small.jpg railtruck3_small.jpg

Mack and Bulldog are registered trademarks of Mack Trucks, Inc., part of the Volvo Group.

The above project images and descriptions have been published to show how individuals used their ingenuity for their own needs, convenience and enjoyment. Only limited details are

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