railroad wheels for a jeep?

[mikes47jeep]

hi
I've seen several old photos of jeeps on the rails and i was wondering dose anyone have plans for making the railroad wheels for a jeep?

Mike

 

[tractor]

m37 wheels or dodge wc 1/2 ton are what were used

 

[ida34]

They are special wheels. A guy from Michigan has a setup. I don't know his name but every year for the last 3 years he has had the jeep with a small model at the Clare show and swap meet. He has a couple of rails that he set down and puts the jeep on them to demonstrate how it works. I am sure that Lane Young might know who the guy is.

 

[rideni]

Why do you want them? Do you actually have any where safe to use them?

 

[tree207]

Those were vehicles used by the US Army's Railroad Transportation Corps. They had railroad wheels, rail compatible steel wheels. so that the vehicle could be used to "patrol" the rail line to check for any areas requiring repair aside from military issues and bring labor and material to the site often only accessible by rail.

They operated the rail lines of areas under military jurisdiction all over the world and were a little recognized component of the American genius for efficient logistical systems that kept American and Allied forces supplied.

Most of the vehicles would have had to have been field fabricated as the rail lines operated were not all of standard gauge (4'81/2") wide. And interestingly enough the standard gauge is a measurement that is a remnant of the Roman Empire, it was the standard width of their chariot and wagon wheels.

 

[mikes47jeep]

Why do you want them? Do you actually have any where safe to use them?

why do i want them? i had to anwser that same question when i first got the jeeps


steamtown national historic site has a couple events a year wouldent be able to get much track time but i could at least set it on the rails

and their are also rail car collector clubs that get permission to ride the rails in thir speeders

NARCOA - North American Railcar Operators Association


as far as the wheels i heard that they are dodge WC or CCKW rims that were cut in half

Mike

 

[mikes47jeep]

by the way has anyone seen any other jeep in the rails like that like a M38 or a M38a1?

 

[Srjeeper]

If nobody here has anything, try over on www.g503.com your sure to get a hit there.

 

[tractor]

I started a topic a while back on it over there. Under Jeep mods when I almost ended up with a jeep a few months ago. I ended up with the weasel instead

 

[DaveP]

Chuck,
the one your thinking of belongs to Nelson H. or his brother.

I just looked for a photo of this jeep but i cant find one.

 

[rideni]

Those are not rims cut and half they are a small light weight railroad wheel similar to that on a fairmount speeder.
I'm a qualified engineering employee on a class 1 railroad I didn't want to see some railfan get another silly waste of money and try to endanger myself as well as there selves by trying to run it on the main.

 

[mikes47jeep]

i know that a few are built on speeder type wheels, and another style yet for narrow guage
but i have seen others that look to be modifyed truck rims and they seem to be the more economical of the two

Mike

 

[Gordon_M]

The late "Buzz" Mueller had a page on making these out of, I think, CCKW rims with jeep centres added, but I've checked and the page is now gone ....

 

[tractor]

20 inch railroad wheels run 800 dollars each new. 16 inch run 250 or so for new. Dodge WC or M37 rims run 10 dollars +

 

[mikes47jeep]

hey

i found a couple more photos of jeeps on the rails with truck rim wheels it looks like a narrow guage setup

Mike

 

[Ferroequinologist]

The wheels on the first jeep are simply CCKW rims trimmed with jeep bolt patterns welded into the centers. Very easy design, fits standard gauge (4ft 8.5in) quite well.

The one with the speeder wheels is a custom job. Spacers bolt to the jeep axle, then the standard speeder rims bolt to that.

There were speeder wheels that were made with the jeep bolt pattern and the correct offset already in place. The fella I bought my M38a1 from had a set in his shop. I should have bought them instead of the jeep!!!

the last set of photos are narrow gauge, probably 3ft. Not sure what the rims are off of. But they did the same thing, got the spacing right, and welded in the jeep centers.

If you flipped the front hubs on a deuce, and put just bare rims on, it would ride down the tracks quite nicely. I've got a set of hydraulic hyrail gear for the Air Force Railroad here, but they won't fit a pickup. but they will fit a deuce quite nicely.

I WILL drive my deuce on the rails one day, mark my words.

 

[Gordon_M]

Of course when you had the railway wheels on it, you'd need a matching trailer to tow...

My Nolan Road / Rail trailer, to tow behind a Dodge I'm making like this...