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BIGGEST SNOW MACHINE EVER BUILT!
- Thread starter Lyndon
- Start date
No really... if there is anything that should escape the crusher it is this. Someone local should go there and check on this and also locate any other peices of the rest of the train that may be there (wheels, etc..) for spare parts.
yes we would!
I don't know if this will help, but Pete had another daughter in Yelm Washington I believe. Yelm & Roy are both pretty small communities so it might be conceivable to track her down. An educated guess would say that Tony Karl, of River City Equipment would be up on what was going to happen to Pete's 'collection'. Besides the Overland train there is also an early caterpillar tractor, that still runs, that was used to build the ALCAN sitting there. I would consider it "Collectable".
aksnocat
Member
Here's some photos I took six years ago of the overland train parts that are north of Fairbanks in Fox. They're along the main highway going north of town, the Steese. I drive past them several times a week at least. They're right across the highway from the Trans-Alaska pipeline and the tourist viewpoint/giftshop that Alyeska Pipeline (the company that runs the pipeline) operates.
I'm pretty sure the overland train parts are owned by a local guy, John Reeves. They are certainly on his property.
The last image is from Google Earth. The parts are in different places from where they are in the photos, but they're still there.
The engine and two cars are just to the northeast of the white globe in the upper left and the third car is still in place as a deck on the front of the house, which is along the driveway off the highway.
The pull-off and parking area on the other side of the highway is the parking for the pipeline veiwpoint. The pipeline can be seen where it comes above ground to the northeast of the parking area.
I'm pretty sure the overland train parts are owned by a local guy, John Reeves. They are certainly on his property.
The last image is from Google Earth. The parts are in different places from where they are in the photos, but they're still there.
The engine and two cars are just to the northeast of the white globe in the upper left and the third car is still in place as a deck on the front of the house, which is along the driveway off the highway.
The pull-off and parking area on the other side of the highway is the parking for the pipeline veiwpoint. The pipeline can be seen where it comes above ground to the northeast of the parking area.
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bill w
Member
yes the overland transport is still out by fox,north of fairbanks.it is owned by john reeves...it's not for sale,but it won't be heading for a scrapyard either because he is using it as a tourist attraction.no new word on the one on badger road,south of fairbanks other than it's still there..it does need to be in a museum.....i was doing cleanup on the tanana river flood control levees this winter and saw a bunch of what looks like b-12's stashed behind k&k recycling on the way to north pole.it's owned by bernie karl,he uses a bunch of tuckers,haggalunds at his other business which is chena hot springs.he used to use the bombi's for aroura viewing.i have no clue if he would sell them,but it appeared like there was at least seven bombi's sitting in the back.when i go down for final inspection on the levee,i'll take my camera..someone...i think lyndon...posted a pic of the same yard in another post.but the bombi's weren't there then.
I kinda got lost here..what was the status of the ones posted by moosebgy?
Thanks!
The Locomotive off Badger Road, was the first of several Overland Trains built. This is the one at Pete's. Each came with a 10 car train, and remanents can be found many places. As far as I know only 2 of the larger version, with gas turbines, were made. Neither ever ended up in alaska. They had much bigger tires, cabs were 6 wheel, and slept 10. With the rotating radar antenna folded down they were 23 feet tall. As all the wheels were electrically powered, the machines were not actually pulled by the locomotive. In the final version, the first car after the locomotive also carried a huge Gas Turbine driven Generator matching the one in the locomotive. One was in Indiana or Idaho and went to the massive Anaconda copper mine in Brazil. this was Nationalized by the brazillian government. No further info on it's status. I suppose as large as it is one might find it by sattellite, perhaps a good 'exercise'. The other was dismantled in california. A 6 wheel Locomotive similar to the last 2 machines sits at Letourneau's site, I believe in Longview Texas. Old Pete's was Serial number one, and he had all the service literature. I handeled is very gently, knowing it's rarity, when I investigated a problem with the electric steering for Pete, around 1995. It may have been that the last two built had 12 cars each. It had a 1/4 mile turning radius, and took the title for "Longest Vehicle" in the Guiness book of worlds records. It definately belongs in a museum, or at least someones personal collection.
The last time I was looking for info on the one in Pete's place, the book I was reading (nope, can't remember the name of it) said that LCC 1, (Logistics Command Carrier if I remember correctly) only had 3 wagons made for this particular machine. Each was rated at carring 15 ton across the tundra or snow without sinking through. So there seems to be one missing since 2 of them are at Pete's. I'm still digging.
heres one i found today,not sure if you guys had seen this one this is the one i wish to build... the army transportation museum sent me scans of the tech manual 356 pages total but have yet to here back from them .It was also of the 6 wheeled version..all the pictures ive seen of the one in the picture showit only towing 3 trailers..
I found this huge machine interesting and remember pictures of it in the Guinness Book Of World Records. It deserves much better than to sit and rust.
I've met a couple of guys who graduated from Letourneau University. They were very sharp.
Out of curiousity I googled Letourneau. R.G. Letourneau was a pretty amazing guy and was way ahead of his time in many of the machines they designed and made.
I've met a couple of guys who graduated from Letourneau University. They were very sharp.
Out of curiousity I googled Letourneau. R.G. Letourneau was a pretty amazing guy and was way ahead of his time in many of the machines they designed and made.
There use to be one of the trailers up by the North side of the "Ferry" crossing just North of Healy. It sat there for years, haven't been back up there to see if it is still there. It sat by one of the mines there, I assume it was used to haul supplies at some time.
Like I said, parts and pieces are scattered all over the world. Several cars of one sat in an industrial area of Seattle. The guy who built the first "Big Foot" truck bought one to use for his very first "Monster Truck", and recounts that in a recent interview on a documentary.
The machine in the last set of photos, Nice posting by the way, is looking at the REAR, which would be one of the turbine cars, the 6 wheel locomotive at the other end is the one with the 23' clearence radar antenna folded down, sleeps ten model. The Antenna is just visable. They must have been daunting just to walk around. This one would appear to have 11, or 12 , of the larger Twenty Five Ton cars.
The earlier units had a massive V-12 or V-16 generator set. Pete's was a Cummings. It had 2 massive starters, one on either side of the engine. They were big enough that I doubt a person could pick one up. 24 volt.
The machine in the last set of photos, Nice posting by the way, is looking at the REAR, which would be one of the turbine cars, the 6 wheel locomotive at the other end is the one with the 23' clearence radar antenna folded down, sleeps ten model. The Antenna is just visable. They must have been daunting just to walk around. This one would appear to have 11, or 12 , of the larger Twenty Five Ton cars.
The earlier units had a massive V-12 or V-16 generator set. Pete's was a Cummings. It had 2 massive starters, one on either side of the engine. They were big enough that I doubt a person could pick one up. 24 volt.
good find.
bill w
Member
well it took a while but i tracked down petes daughter,she's in idaho.got her phone number from an old timer here in fairbanks.it would be too late to call tonite due to the time difference,but will call her in the morning.i guess mr reeves tried to buy it right after pete died and all but insulted them,,,they ran him off.he owns the set that is north of town by the pipeline viewing site as lyndon pointed out.the old timer also told me that some of the train at petes headed to arizona about fifteen years ago,he says he may have a number for that guy too.he also has a bunch of old 8 mm film of when they demobed the trains off the slope,he is gonna dig it up for me.he worked on the crew that used the one at petes.really a cool old guy,hes 82 and just finally sold his last dragline that he operated every day two weeks ago...tough old bird...will post again after talking to the daughter tomarrow....bill
bill w
Member
it's still sitting right where it was......the daughter never got back with me.i see someone has been cleaning up the yard out there.i heard it was the karls.k&k recycling...but don't know for a fact.so no new info......maybe lyndon knows the karls well enough to find out.they won't even talk to me...bill w
