Interesting story popped up on my Firefox feed the other day. Great showcase of the creativity and ingenuity of Post-war America.
Enjoy.
Bob
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Interesting that these were replaced by heavy lift helicopters.
Then there's the Old Dinah tricycle engine in Death Valley next to the visitor's center.
Attachments
Images (1)
Road trains are fairly common in Australia....
I've seen a couple of 'mini' versions of these on the midwest turnpikes here in the ol' US of A.
But they're far more common...useful...in the expanse of Australia!
Not something you'd want to try passing on a hilly stretch of dotted center line roads, eh what, mate?
KD
Bob, I was not surprised when I saw LeTourneau's name. Talk about a guy who could think outside the box! Thank you for posting.
KD, Thank you for posting the Australia version!!
Here's another one....
Not the sort of thing to encounter on I-80/90 around the south end of Lake Michigan......or on the I-95 corridor from D.C. to BAH-stun!
You'd 'roo' the day you saw this bearing down on you in your rear-view mirror!!!
KD
@dkdkrd posted:Road trains are fairly common in Australia....
I've seen a couple of 'mini' versions of these on the midwest turnpikes here in the ol' US of A.
But they're far more common...useful...in the expanse of Australia!
Not something you'd want to try passing on a hilly stretch of dotted center line roads, eh what, mate?
KD
The fancy bumpers on the road train trucks aren't just for looks, because they can't stop in a hurry, their there for wandering animals.
Those LeTourneau machines were really something! A staple for many years in the north of our continent was the tractor train - including caboose. The trick was to keep moving - that way the canned goods wouldn't freeze. The "engineers" were nicknamed 'cat-skinners'. There were still some around in the 80s, but have largely been replaced by the ice-road truckers you may be more familiar with.
[Photo credit: https://www.redlakemuseum.com/by-tractor.html]
If you want to see the TC497 visit the Army Desert Proving Grounds Just NorthEast of Yuma Arizona. You can just see it in the background of this photo. A very nice Museum well worth the time.
Attachments
Images (1)
I see many tractors on those Australian trucks are American designed. Do the Australian versions have bigger engines, beefier suspension, etc. Than trucks that pull in u hr southwestern US?
Don't forget the figure 8 train races! Three inline automobiles connected with tow bars. The front car has a driver, steering, engine and gas pedal but no brake. The middle car is empty, nothing. The third car in the rear has a driver, is steered by the tow bar and has the only brakes.
Google "Train races".
@dkdkrd posted:Here's another one....
Not the sort of thing to encounter on I-80/90 around the south end of Lake Michigan......or on the I-95 corridor from D.C. to BAH-stun!
You'd 'roo' the day you saw this bearing down on you in your rear-view mirror!!!
KD
And if somehing happened, there would be an earth shattering KABOOM!
@Trussman posted:
The fancy bumpers on the road train trucks aren't just for looks, because they can't stop in a hurry, their there for wandering animals.
Yepper.... They're affectionately called "Roo Bars". Hitting a fully grown kangaroo at speed would not be a good idea for that radiator on the nose of the Kenworth.
Of course, head-end road train equipment aren't the only ones to receive this touch of 'bling' down under....
I've wondered whether impaling a roo on one of these would make the contraption a 'Roo-barb'......
Not to be confused with that yummy seasonal pie (w/strawberries included!) so popular around these parts.
Strawberry/Rhubarb pie.........Yummmmm!
KD
