kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack Trucks Inc., America’s oldest commercial vehicle manufacturer, is also the oldest rail motor car manufacturer in the United States.The company sold its first “rail car” to the Uintah Railway Company of Colorado in 1903. Construction began at Mack Trucks’ Brooklyn plant on Atlantic Avenue and was completed in Allentown’s No.1 Division. Mack delivered its second rail car to another Colorado operator, the Silverton Northern Railroad, on August 22, 1905 where it provided passenger service between Eureka and Silverton. The company designed and produced rail cars (also referred to as rail buses), self-propelled railway passenger cars and locomotives. Always leading America forward with cutting edge technology, Mack Trucks was a pioneer in the United States of the concept now commonly known as "light rail". From the versatile Model AB rail bus to the highly advanced Model FCD, Mack Trucks met the needs of both rural communities and cities worldwide with affordable, efficient and versatile public transport.Gasoline, gas-electric and diesel-electric “rolling stock” was produced at the company’s plants in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Plainfield, New Jersey. Forty railroads and twenty-three industrial companies in the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada, Bolivia, Columbia, Cuba, Honduras, Korea and Spain have operated rolling stock produced by Mack Trucks. Mack rolling stock remains in operation to the present day. One of four Mack FCD rail buses purchased by Sperry Rail Service continues to operate in year 2015, some 61 years after being built, performing ultrasonic rail testing for microscopic fissures on the New York City subway system and elsewhere.The Allentown plant produced the first two and one-half ton 25-45 horsepower Model AB omnibus type passenger rail bus in late 1920 for the Chesapeake Western Railway in 1920.In 1921, Mack assembled the first five ton 64 horsepower Model AC omnibus type passenger rail bus for The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Both the AB and AC models were fitted with a double axle four flanged wheel pony truck at the front, and a single axle two flanged wheel railway truck at the rear.Between 1920 and 1925, contemporary railroad and street railway car builders including Philadelphia-based J.G. Brill Company, Worcester, Massachusetts-based Osgood-Bradley Car Company and Paris, Illinois-based McGuire-Cummings Manufacturing Company all fabricated bodies for Mack rail buses. In 1923, Mack Trucks expanded its rail bus range with the introduction of the 60-80 horsepower Model ACX, which featured a four wheel rear truck and longer chassis to accommodate longer bodies.Mack Trucks – A “Light Rail” PioneerFrom 1903 thru the 1950s, Mack engineers helped pioneered the concept of “light rail” in North America and around the world. As we strive today to improve air quality and reduce energy consumption for a more sustainable future, a forward-thinking Mack Trucks was already addressing these issues head-on almost one hundred years ago. Mack’s culminating achievement, the advanced Model FCD light rail bus, represented cutting edge light rail technology ahead of its time (such was the norm at Mack Trucks, the iconic American manufacturer that created future trends rather than follow existing ones). Fast, efficient and comfortable, the Mack FCD provided an ever-growing number of commuters with high-performance public transport between suburban areas and city centers. At a time when urban planners and transport companies are looking once more to light rail as a flexible, environmentally friendly and highly economical means of public transport, the fundamentals of Mack’s FCD light rail bus are as valid today as they were 65 years ago.Like its light rail vehicle producing successors Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens, the rolling stock unit of Mack Trucks consistently offered innovative and environmentally-friendly technologies for efficient and cost-effective public rail transport, providing operators with high levels of capacity and operational flexibility for both urban and regional requirements. Related reading:http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/33469-mack-rail-the-rail-cars/?p=216270http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/33544-mack-rail-global-sales/?hl=acxhttp://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/33657-mack-rail-the-locomotives/?p=218642http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/33763-mack-rail-sperry-rail-service-the-oldest-operator-of-mack-rail-buses/?hl=fcdhttp://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/39495-update-sperry-rails-mack-fcd-rail-bus/?hl=fcdhttp://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/33179-mack-trucks-sales-marketing/?hl=fcd#entry214970http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/34219-mack-trucks-the-facilities/?hl=plainfield#entry226401. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack Rail – Meeting mobility needs with innovative and environmentally-friendly solutionsWhere the usual train is composed of separate pulling and trailing units, great weight of the pulling unit (which carries no useful load) is necessary to secure traction, and corresponding robust construction is essential in each part in order that it may withstand the shocks of coupling.In the Mack Rail Car, all of the useful load contributes directly to the traction for both driving and braking, permitting a corresponding reduction in the dead weight. This advantage, in addition to a total absence of coupler impact, plus the use of anti-friction ball and roller bearings, alloy wheels and aluminum and pressed steel sections assures heavy duty characteristics with the economy of light weight. The rail car is not a motor truck. Nevertheless, in its construction are employed many principles of engineering and mechanical parts which are the result of highway transport development.The Mack Rail Car consists of a chassis upon which a body is mounted. The chassis is entirely self-contained and capable of operation without the body.. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289623 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Where the rail car belongsMany railroad lines have lost so much of their passenger traffic to inter-urban trolleys and highway vehicles that their remaining patrons can be carried in much smaller units than the conventional locomotive and two-car train.Therefore short-line officials are brought face to face with the fact that with rapidly mounting cost of service and decreasing numbers of passengers, it is now, in the majority of cases, no longer a question of showing a profit but rather of how much the operating losses can be reduced. They have accomplished wonders in the way of cutting expenses to the bone, but are nevertheless waging a losing battle with steam equipment, because the cost of operating even the lightest two-car train is greater than the revenue from the few passengers carried. Gasoline propelled rail cars have shown that they can handle light passenger traffic satisfactorily and at much less expense than is possible with steam equipment.Mack Rail Cars are capable of providing clean, comfortable, safe and reasonably rapid passenger service, and can be operated for approximately one-quarter of the expense of steam equipment. They offer an opportunity of eliminating present operating losses with a possibility of actually turning them into a profit. In addition to their marked ability to operate economically, Mack Rail Cars are instantly popular as a strictly modern conveyance designed for a specific purpose. Single gasoline-propelled rail cars, in addition to being a practical answer for such situations, are also ideal for operating in new undeveloped sections that must await the time when traffic will warrant the installation of heavier equipment. Because the capacity is limited to the requirements of a special type of passenger traffic, they can be built lighter than equipment designed for heavy, long-distance loads. This lightness, coupled with the fact that the speed does not exceed 10 miles per hour, permits the use of moderate power, and moderate power means moderate costs.Where the traffic is too heavy to be carried on one car, it is frequently practical to run two cars, and at that time give the public the advantage of a more attractive schedule, at an operating cost that does not exceed half that of a single steam train.The International Motor Company manufactures Mack Rail Cars of two capacities, models AB and AC.. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289624 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 The Organization behind the ProductWhen the internal combustion engine was rapidly developing from an experiment into a practical power plant, the Mack Brothers applied it for the first time in America to commercial highway transportation. The manufacturers of the present-day Mack are the oldest builders of motor trucks in America.For some time prior to the production of the first Mack, Adolph Saurer, of Arbon, Switzerland, had been making motor trucks in Europe. The Saurer has long been recognized as the finest of European motor trucks and is still being manufactured in Switzerland, France, Germany and Austria through its original founder. The first Saurer was built in 1894.Shortly after the Mack truck had established itself in the American market, the Hewitt Motor Company was founded by Edward R. Hewitt, an engineer of international fame. The first Hewitt light delivery truck was delivered in 1901, and the first 5-ton truck was delivered in 1905. The largest motor trucks ever marketed in America were the 10-ton Hewitts.A consolidation of Mack Brothers, Saurer and Hewitt was brought about for the purpose of combining the best features of their respective products in the manufacture of a finer motor truck than existed at that time. All of these vehicles were pioneers in their field and had long records of service behind them, both in America and abroad.By combining the outstanding features of these three trucks, and applying the same engineering genius and skill, the modern Mack truck has been evolved. The company now building the Mack truck was incorporated as the International Motor Company in October, 1911. More than one-third of the employees at the time of the consolidation are still with the present company.The remarkable efficiency of the present-day Mack Truck and Mack Rail Car is maintained by the many factors of safety that it embodies – case-hardened parts, large bearing surfaces, long pistons and connecting rods, wide-faced transmission gears, and ample sized springs and axles.Efficiency and safety are more than technical considerations with Mack engineers. They have acquired a traditional significance and importance that fairly dominate the Mack drafting rooms. They are reflected on the highways by performance characteristics.In the final analysis, proper engineering, efficient service and master workmanship are the three sturdy legs that support the ultimate performance record of a Mack truck, and that form the foundation of its present-day leadership in the field.. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289625 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 An introduction to the Mack Model AC Rail Car. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289626 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 An introduction to the Mack Model AB Rail Car. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289627 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack Rail – Performance and Operational Costs. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289628 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack Rail – The Sustainable and Economical Approach to Public Rail TransportNo coaling plantsNo watering tanksNo ash pitsNo steaming delaysNo fuel consumed while standingNo night fire-bankingNo excess heavy equipment wear on tracks and bridgesNo smoke or cinders to necessitate frequent cleaning. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289629 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Providing Railway Operators with Innovative SolutionsMack AB model rail carsAberdeen & Rockfish RailroadBernabe S. Batista (Cuba)Bowdon Railway CompanyCamp A.A. Humphrey (U.S. Army)Central West Virginia & Southern RailroadChesapeake WesternChestnut Ridge RailwayColumbian National RailwaysCondon, Kinzua & Southern RailroadEast Kentucky Southern RailwayGilmore & Pittsburgh RailroadGreenbrier & Eastern RailroadGuantanamo & Western (Cuba)Hawaii Construction RailwayManitoba Power CompanyManitoba Hydro ElectricMount Hood RailroadNarragansett Pier RailroadNew Mexico Central RailroadPacific Gas & ElectricPittsburgh, Lisbon & Western RailroadSewell Valley RailroadSpalding Miami Lumber CompanyStone Harbor RailroadTela Railroad (serving the United Fruit Company - Honduras)Tropical Oil Company (Columbia – subsidiary of Toronto-based Imperial Oil Ltd.)The Atchinson, Topeka & Sante Fe RailroadThe Phoenix Utility CompanyWillamina & Grand Ronde RailroadWinnipeg Electric CompanyMack AC model rail carsArtemus & Jellico RailroadBuffalo Creek & Gauley RailroadChicago, Burlington & Quincy RailroadCovadonga Railway (Cuba)Great Northern RailroadHavana CentralLewisburg, Milton & Watsonville Passenger Railway CompanyNarragansett Pier RailroadNew York, New Haven & Hartford RailroadNorthern Pacific RailroadRapid City, Back Hills & Western RailroadSoutheast LumberSpokane, Portland & Seattle railroadThe Pennsylvania & Kentucky RailroadWinnipeg Hydro ElectricMack ACX model rail carsCalifornia Western RailroadChicago, Rock Island & Pacific RailroadUnited Railways of HavanaWestern Union TelegraphMack ACP model rail carsChicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Mack AQ model rail carsChicago, Burlington & Quincy RailroadChicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad New York CentralPennsylvania RailroadSouth Manchurian Railway (Korea) Mack AR model rail carsGreat Northern RailwayMonongahela RailwayPittsburgh & Lake Erie RailroadReading CompanySouthern Pacific Lines Mack AS model rail carsCanadian NationalGreater Winnipeg Water District RailwayWinnipeg ElectricMack BK model rail carsWilkes-Barre & Hazleton RailroadMack BX model rail carsPatino Railroad (Bolivia - tin mining)Mack FCD model rail busFerro-Carril de Langreo (Spain) New York, New Haven & Hartford RailroadSperry Rail Service Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289630 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack AB Rail Cars. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289631 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack AC Rail Cars. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack ACX Rail Cars. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289633 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post kscarbel2 Posted May 12, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mack FCD Rail Bus. 3 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289634 Share on other sites More sharing options...
james j neiweem Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Wow! Did Mack ever get into aviation Planes rockets etc.? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289664 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Wow! Did Mack ever get into aviation Planes rockets etc.? Speaking of aviation, Mack chief engineer and vice president Alfred Masury was a strong proponent of rigid airships.Had he not met an untimely death (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/39563-mack-remembrance-alfred-fellows-masury/?hl=masury), I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if he had taken Mack Trucks into some aspect of aviation.From another angle, legendary Mack President and CEO Zenon C.R. Hansen was an early supporter of corporate aviation. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289696 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmackattack Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Great info as always. Maybe I missed it but do you know about the time that Mack left the rail market? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289746 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Great info as always.Maybe I missed it but do you know about the time that Mack left the rail market?My pleasure to share more history about America's most iconic truckmaker, so that it may not be forgotten.Facing a market contraction in 1959, Mack Trucks phased out rolling stock production in 1960. With that it mind, it's ironic though not surprising that some units like Sperry Rail Service's FCD continue to operate thru the present day. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-289753 Share on other sites More sharing options...
39 Baby Mack Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Mack FCD Rail Bus.Frederick C. DumaineF C DPresident of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford R.R.Ron Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39989-mack-rail-%E2%80%93-the-rail-cars/#findComment-290817 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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