WHITCOMB LOCOMOTIVE MOVE MRHS 1986

Описание: Taken from a VHS tape and transferred to DVD and MP4.It IS NOT DIGITAL!}

Watch this historic trip from the Lift Tech Muskegon Heights crane works to its new home at the Muskegon Union Depot (now the Muskegon County Visitors Center) on Western Avenue August 1986.The Whitcomb was built by the Whitcomb Locomotive Works of Rochelle Illinois in 1941 for the US Army Corps of Engineers. It served in Burma during WW2. After the war, it worked on a South American Banana Plantation. It was bought by an equipment dealer who sold it to Shawbox Crane in Muskegon Heights to replace its two truck Shay geared steam locomotive. Shawbox Crane was bought by Dresser Industries, the bought by Lift Tech. It was powered by a Leroy straight eight gasoline engine with two of the cylinders was the air compressor. In the early 1950’s, the Leroy was replaced by an 800 CID straight 6 cylinder gas engine from Continental Motors Corp(known for army tank engines) in Muskegon. It was mated to an Allison Torque Converter connected to a 4 speed transmission. The clutch lever was replaced with an air cylinder to work the clutch. Dresser did the work and installed a small school bus type air compressor. A snowplow was added to the back of the cab raised and lowered by the unused Automatic train brake. Lift Tech got into making oil well mud pumps as the overhead crane business dwindled. Lift Tech shipped entirely by truck! There was no use for the Whitcomb and it, along with the ancient truss rod flat cars and shop built dollies was unused for years. Lift Tech was contacted by the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society about donating the Whitcomb and one flat car and dollie. Lift Tech agreed and the MRHS moved the Whitcomb to Downtown Muskegon in August 1986