Mack Rail – The Locomotives

[kscarbel2]

Mack Trucks produced its first locomotive in May, 1921. It was a 33-ton chain-drive four wheel steeple cab locomotive powered by two 40-horsepower AC gasoline engines mounted fore and aft of the cab.

Mack “No.1” was designed by company engineers as a working prototype switchyard locomotive. It underwent long-term evaluation shunting freight cars around Plant 5’s sidings and the company’s shipping and storage center located the Allentown-Reading main line. A specially designed and centrally mounted transmission allowed for single or dual engine operation.

Valuable experience gained from Mack “No.1” ultimately resulted in the production model BR.

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[kscarbel2]

In 1927, Mack Trucks began producing gas-electric locomotives at its Plainfield, New Jersey plant. The Mack model AV, BR standard and BR Special locomotives were powered by a single engine, the model AW and BS locomotives had two engines, the model AY and BT had three engines and the model AZ was powered by four engines.

Model BR standard, BR Special, BS and BT locomotives utilized four cylinder 85 horsepower Mack model AC gasoline engines, mounted transversely or longitudinally, each mated to a 55 kW General Electric generator.

Model AV, AW, AY and AZ locomotives featured Mack’s larger six cylinder 135 horsepower model AP gasoline engines, again mounted transversely or longitudinally depending on application. Each engine was paired with a General Electric 80kW generator.

Throughout most of the model range, 150 horsepower traction motors were used.

Components were standardized amongst the model range to simplify construction and reduce costs, with common design cab controls, instrumentation, Westinghouse brake systems and electrical systems.

Two or more Mack locomotives, electrically connected via a 6-way plug, could be coupled and operated together from a single control station.

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[kscarbel2]

Shortly after Mack began production of gas-electric locomotives, the company changed its designation system to reflect tonnage capability.

Under the revised designation system, Mack Trucks offered twelve models of locomotives:

• 4-wheel: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 40 tons
• 6-Wheel: 45 and 60 ton
• 8-wheel: 24, 30, 40 and 80 ton.

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[kscarbel2]

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated both 45 and 60-ton Mack locomotives for many years as far away as their terminals in Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City.

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[kscarbel2]

The sales marketing group of Mack Trucks’ rail car department promoted their locomotive range’s low operating costs, superb 360 degree visibility, dual control stations, welded heavy plate and channel chassis and cab, vertical exhaust and high under-frame clearance.

The engine(s), generator(s) and air compressor were mounted on a rubber-insulated sub-frame, taking advantage of Mack’s patented rubber shock insulator technology.

Independent tests concluded that a single Mack 12-ton gas-electric locomotive replacing a 45-ton steam locomotive would pay for itself in eighteen months, and a Mack 30-ton gas-electric locomotive operating as a switcher would pay for itself in three years.

Facing a market contraction in 1959, Mack Trucks phased out rolling stock production in 1960.

More pictures may be found here: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/diesel114.html

[kscarbel2]

Mack’s own locomotives – No.3 & No. 4

In 1939, to facilitate advanced research and development in gas-electric locomotive drive systems, Mack Trucks purchased two 35 ton double truck* box cab electric switching locomotives from the Southwest Missouri Railroad in Joplin, Missouri and converted both to gasoline-electric operation. The two locomotives were originally built by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania.

After removing the roof-mounted pantographs (previously required to collect electrical power from overhead lines), two 150 horsepower Mack EP six cylinder gasoline engines paired to General Electric 300 volt GT-1503 generators were installed. The two generators, wired in series, drove the original 600 volt DC traction motors within both Taylor MCB inter-urban type trucks.

Known as Mack no.3 and no.4, the two locomotives performed switching duties at the company’s Allentown plant 5C at least thru 1959 before being retired.

Both of these locomotives were acquired by McHugh Locomotive and Crane of Philadelphia. Today, as a result of the company’s extraordinary and dedicated efforts, Mack no.4 has been restored to pristine condition.

Mr. JC McHugh, an expert on the history of these two locomotives, provides a detailed account on the history of these two Mack experimental prototypes at his website: http://www.mchugh4macklocomotive.com/index.html.

*The term “truck” refers to the pivoting structure (bogie) under each end of the car including the axles, suspension, brakes and propulsion motors.

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[j_martell]

Good read. Thank you.

[rsb502]

Be neat to know if any of them are sitting in the weeds available for restoration.

[rustydog]

WOW......LEARN SOMETHIN NEW EVERY DAY.....HAD NO IDEA MACK PRODUCED THESE.......NOW I WANT ONE!!!

THANKS FOR POSTING THIS ARTICLE

[kscarbel2]

Be neat to know if any of them are sitting in the weeds available for restoration.

Both of these Mack locomotives need better homes than they have now and certainly could be restored to running condition.

One is a 1935 12-ton Mack locomotive (serial no. 171008), now located at the Black River and Western Railroad in Ringoes, New Jersey. It was previously owned by the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company, the Harrison Warehousing Company and the Crucible Steel Company.

The second unit is a 1930 12-ton "special construction" Mack locomotive (serial no. 171010) that was first operated by Perth Amboy Garage and later the Edgar Brothers Kaolin Company in McIntyre, Georgia. The locomotive is presently in Georgia at the City of Gordon's 1885 Depot and Railroad Museum.

Both deserve a better fate than what they have now, resting outside at the mercy of the elements. They should be restored and operational, and stored indoors.

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[Gmerrill0516]

Excellent posting. This material is worthy of a magazine article. I suppose the rail guys have a periodical don't they? Anyway, good stuff and thank you for taking the time to put it in here for us to read.

Greg

[heavyhauler]

Here is another being hauled to the Pine Creek Railway

[ws721]

That is AWESOME! Thank you for that article

[kscarbel2]

Here is another being hauled to the Pine Creek Railway

I understand this 1936 30-ton Mack locomotive (serial no. 172004) is available. It is now located at the Pine Creek Railroad in Allaire State Park, New Jersey. It was formerly operated by Pouch Terminal Inc. in Staten Island, New York.

[39 Baby Mack]

Here is another being hauled to the Pine Creek Railway

That B-813 sure looks familiar, I bet Matt Pfahl knows every nut and bolt on it!

Ron

[heavyhauler]

It has been discussed-I cannot say anymore.

[Mike]

Very interesting articles. Thanks for posting this bit of history. It only makes me wonder if my father saw any of these Mack locomotives when he worked on the railroad.

mike

[countryboy5487]

Me being a rail fan as well as a mack nut I found this article to be extra interesting!!! Thanks for p posting about this and macks other little known products

[Green Dash]

Thanks for taking the time to post another great history lesson.

[iaff5045]

In the train museum in Strasburg pa, they have a Mack locomotive.

[gearhead204]

thanks for posting I enjoyed it

[model trains]

It is a few years after the last post on here, and I joined just now purely to say thank you for this thread.

Been looking for ages but haven't found a good book, or any book, about these things. Is there one escaping my search efforts?

That restored 4 axle job in green and red is really nice. Haven't seen it in person. Or any Mack locomotive for that matter.

Commenting on color brings to mind that I haven't seen comment on what color that 33 ton job was.

I'm not a truck person, don't have a truck.

I do have a few of the garden railway scale 33 tonners by Hartland Locomotive Works in La Porte, Indiana just because the thing has nice lines, even though a bit abstracted in proportion - the chassis is a hair too tall.

A couple of them on a break-in run on large scale track on floor under HO scale layout down at our little bitty model train club,

Oh, and there's something wrong with the registration form page in the "security check to prevent automated programs..." entry block.

It asked "How many cylinders are in a 6 cylinder engine"  and said my answer was incorrect when I answered 'All of them'.

Edited June 6, 2017 by model trains

[Freightrain]

Welcome to the site.  I'm a truck and train guy myself.  I have the green steeple cab G scale switcher also.  I inherited my fathers G scale stuff he was collecting to build a garden railway.  Unfortunately he passed before laying the first spike.  I have his HO stuff also.   Mostly all 60's vintage steam and diesel equipment.

I saw the #4 box cab at the York ATHS National convention.  Very cool piece.  I know I have a pic somewhere, but I'll reuse the one from above for reference.

[RAH]

Kscarbel2, your photo of LVRR #50 is my original photo and was ripped directly from the website http://www.trainweb.org/bedt/IndustrialLocos.html with no attribution to myself or the website.

Your posts there were found by doing a fandom Google search. If you do NOT immediately credit or remove them, the owner of the website mentioned above and myself as copyright holder, will begin immediate legal proceedings against you and this website. For unlawful use and breach of copyright. 

Ralph A. Heiss. 

 

[james j neiweem]

RAH: Chill out. I will contribute a penny towards your law

suite.