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In 1955 LeTourneau was given a contract for a development vehicle that became known as the LCC-1. It was designed to carry equipment and supplies over both on- and off-road terrains, including snow terrain in the north of Alaska. It consisted of a large control cab containing a diesel-powered generator that sent power to all of wheels on both the cab and the four cargo trailers.
The wheels were just over 10 feet tall and very wide, in order to allow the vehicle to have a low ground pressure and be able to travel over tundra. The control cab was itself articulated into two compartments; a heated driving compartment in front for the crew of three, and a rear section containing the 600 hp diesel engine, generators and fuel tanks.
The cab also sported a powered crane on the rear. The LCC-1 was widely tested on everything from sand dunes to snowdrifts, and was shipped to Greenland for Arctic testing as the "Sno Train". It eventually ended up in Alaska, and now sits derelict in a scrap yard at Fort Wainwright, outside Fairbanks.
pictures sources :
acmoc
LeTourneau University
text source :
wikipedia
Artificial Owl recommends:
they used the tires off of one of the trailers for a Bigfoot monster truck.
Thanks for the info. I also read that somewhere on the net.
I would like to contact this scrap yard. Any help would be appreciated. Email at benamy2@telus.net
The tires seem very ineffeciently contoured for good traction in arctic conditions, and the engine is definitely low on power for a vehicle this size (though diesel engines have great torque).
The machine seems to have stood the test of time well in the scrapyard. Notice that some pictures don't have have the snow plow attached, a later enhancement, maybe?
It's powered by gas turbine generated electricity turning a motor in each wheel. No lack of torque at all.
The engine powered a generator that drove electric motors in each wheel of the control unit and the trailers. The wheels and tires were designed to create sufficient ground clearance and a large enough footprint to avoid sinking into soft surfaces like snow or the arctic tundra and even sand. The Army tested the original prototype at the Yuma Proving Ground in AZ. There is a power and control unit on display there. There were only a handful of these built and they became obsolete as medium and heavy lift helicopters were developed to do the same job of moving cargo in roadless areas.
Its in a scarp yard in North Pole Alaska, about 12 miles out of Fairbanks, off Badger Rd. Can't remember the name of the guy that owns the yard but is really eccentric like most Alaskans. I lived there 10yrs just down the road and never saw it run that was 1977 to 1987. Think he had some of the other 'cars' part of the train. Remember he had them all hooked up it seems like, Never saw a snow plow on the front. The snow in that part of alaska never got above 4' at the most.