I am not a heavy equipment buff by any means. However several months ago I was watching a Bigfoot documentary and saw the Land Train for the first time. They are one of the most odd creations that ever have ever seen. After a month of research, I finally went live with a web site specifically dedicated to R.G. LeTourneau and the 6 types of Land Train that were conceptualized. The site is located at http://landtrain.net . If you have anything to contribute, I and many others, would appreciate the contribution. ~Mark
I would love to actually see one of these bad boys operating again.
It is only a short trip to Alaska... I bought a book that LeTourneau wrote off of Amazon this week, which ended up being signed by him. It was the best $4 that I ever spent.
interesting idea...
Great info. Hal
Has anyone been to the LeTourneau College or Alaska scrap yards to see one of them? I just added a public Google Docs repository for academic papers, archival printed media, and so on at http://nbbl.it/y .
I saw this in 1962, it prob hadn't been parked long, i still have my dads 2X2 slides of this machine at home.
nice My readers and I would really love to take a look at these slides. I just bet that there are people all over with these little pieces of history locked up somewhere - like you! Would you be willing to share if you have the time?
A very interesting part of earthmoving & transport history. I was always impressed by the Jungle Crusher. The name is impressive enough,and the machine certainly lives up to the hype... The "Letorneau Archive" book is a good one to get.. Jim
I was up in Fairbanks this summer and went to the junkyard, my wife took some pictures of the tractor and one of me in the operators compartment ,the generator car has its v-12 cummins in it, one of the guys in the yard said he used to run it around in the scrapyard,he also said he thought it was sold to someone in Alberta, maybe the Reynolds museum. i also went to Fox and checked out the Alaska freight lines tractor,this was the newer style machine with the wide cab where three men sat at the control pannel, these snow-land tranes were the largest rubber tired machines ever built!!! Don
@loggah - Care to share your images for the landtrain.net site? I can blur you if you want! Your trip sounded killer. ~Mark
I took pictures this July of the one in Fox but from the road. Too many "No Trespassing" signs on the property for me to drive in for a closer look. As it was an Alaskan State Trooper pulled 3 vehicles over while we were taking photos of the Land Freighter and the Alaska Pipeline across the road .
Share Share the wealth you guys! Send out some pics!
I understand the wheels and tires of one of the Land Trains was used on one of the Bigfoot trucks.
Bigfoot Land Train Tires Yes, they are used on an exhibition truck. There is also a Bigfoot with singles... I have more images at http://landtrain.net/images
Well my wife has the pictures we took this summer in her pbase account, anyone here can look at them or do whatever,my ugly face is in most of them!! heres the link, http://www.pbase.com/loggah .
yes, i'll share the slides but you'll have to wait till i get to them, it will take some time....this winter prob.
Images Wow! Thanks loggah. Those are awesome. Posted all of them to the Land Train image gallery at http://landtrain.net/images . You had a great 2 in one trip with the Overland MkII and the VC12 Tournatrain . I read on other forums that the electric motors on each of the wheels had relatively poor shrouding, which caused problems with excessive mud getting into the components. Either way, he was well ahead of his time - similar to Buckminster Fuller.
The VC 12 video is great. I love the part where it is driving down the public hiway. Never get away with that now.
Archive Yes, I have collected 3 of LeTourneau's archived videos from his Grandson. He is working to digitize more of them.
My wife has a friend who grew up in Liberia whose father was working for R.G.Letourneau,she said all the kids called him "POPS" i have a few pictures of them working there ,including a picture of R.G.s' birthday party and the cake is shaped like Letourneaus "BIG WHEEL" !! Don
cake That would have been a great cake to see, plenty of room for candles!
There is one on youtube .Showing what it can do in the snow with interior shots as well.
More with help from Google. Image search: http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1414&bih=571 Search results: http://www.google.com/search?source...=1T4GGLL_enUS388US388&q=letourneau+land+train it may take some searching, but pics of this and lots of other neat stuff can be found in the LIFE Magazine archive on Google... http://images.google.com/hosted/life Keep up the good work! Alan
Is that the "Mover of men and mountains" I have that book. It is an amazing read. RG certainly had a lot of persistence.
Mover Yes, it is the Mover of Men and Mountains. I hesitate to even read this copy as it has his original signature from the 60's. I will have to pick up another copy on Amazon!
I think the book is pretty cheap, worth every cent.
I was reading in CPM mag that the trailers had the ability to steer the front wheels i nthe exact loction that the tractor had turned. I saw afew demos of it a friend took some pictures of it in the dessert training ground in the early stages of it. I m a big RG buff I have an older friend that got me interested in Letourneau as a kid. He sowed me an old book he borroeed from a childhood friend Moving Heaven and Earth. It was fro mthe 60s to. Great book not many pics though. It did have a few from the old Tourna Layer house making machine..
I am 51 years old, dyslexic,can't spell and reading is very hard work for me almost as hard as typing.but 30 years ago I read that book in one sitting.He spoke my/our language and it changed my life.I often tell youngins the story of RG working at the foundry as a boy.
i am again on the website.... and waiting to contribute my pics... keep it going...................
pictures jimrr - glad to see you are back. If you have pics or other electronic files that you are willing to contribute, I will be more than happy to add them to the site. If you want to use the site for uploads, head over to http://landtrain.net/contact/ . If there are more than a couple of files, you can email me or drop a comment at the above contact form and I will email you. Thanks - Mark
the pics from 1962 or 63 are back at the ranch. they are 2X2 slides and amongst hundreds of others but the last time i was home my sister and I went thru about 200 or so of them............ they'll show up eventually.
I just joined this forum and have some videos of the LeTourneau Land Train and other LeTourneau machinery on my Youtube channel here http://www.youtube.com/user/tournadude?feature=mhsn
I just joined and when I get some privileges I hope to start offering links to old film of LeTourneau Machines.