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« on: December 26, 2020, 07:28:56 PM »
Trackcar 51, (former locomotive 51, aka “The Brookville” is undergoing a bit of a refurb/rehab during the winter months. And I thought I’d take a rather long winded moment to provide a project update.
Trackcar 51 is a 1947 Brookville manufactured by the Brookville Locomotive Works of Brookville Pa. The company can trace it’s roots to 1918 when ford dealer L.A. Leathers founded the Brookville Truck and Tractor Company, manufacturing the “Leathers Mine Motor.” A unique concept, the “Mine Motor” was a hybrid kit. When integrated with a Ford one ton truck or Fordson tractor chassis yielded a light rail vehicle that could be locally serviced with stock parts. These were marketed to coal and clay mines, limestone quarries and brick and tile plants that dotted the Northeast and the upper Midwest. The goal was to replace mule surface haulage, and to do the same work as 4 mules. Original models were capable of hauling 50 tons a day, and within several years subsequent models accomplished 150 Tons a day.
As the years passed Brookville’s product evolved to a single sourced product using many different power plants appearing like what we might identify today as a light rail locomotive. The post war 1940’s brought many changes and the cranberry industry was no different. An increase in demand for product as well as expiration of war time ceiling prices drove the “bog boom” in southeast Massachusetts resulting in the creation of hundreds of new cranberry grow sites. The Brookville works rose to the challenge offering the 1.5 ton BSA light rail locomotive. Marketed as the “Cranberry Special” these were offered in 24” gauge, with an option for a 30” version. A total of 16 were produced from 1946 to 1949, with half of the production being sold to growers in southeast Massachusetts and Cape Cod. These were designed to operate over temporary “bog track” typically hauling tip cars of sand involved in bog construction. Brookville touted the locomotive’s attributes in add copy, “It can be used over soft ground and requires only easily laid, light weight track which can be traversed at high speeds due to the freedom of wheel movement allowed by Brookville dual journal spring type, suspension.”
The power is provided by a Continental Y112 4 cylinder L-head gas engine. The largest of the diminutive Y4 series of power plants this beast produced a whopping 37 HP @ 2800 RPM and with it’s relatively low compression ratio, was well suited for low quality fuels as well as propane.
A fun factoid. The Y112 was the original engine provided in the initial pre WW2 Jeep prototype created in 1940 by the American Bantam Company. This was later supplanted by the L134 “Go Devil” as Willys became the predominate war time manufacturer over Ford and Bantam with the ubiquitous Willys MB.
Brookville employed a complete power package with the engine married to a Warner T-9, 4 speed crash box and a split input shaft reverser. These were widely used in forklifts particularly by the Clark company in their Y20 yarder lifts of the 40’s and 50’s and their Clipper series of the sixties. This provided the Locomotive with all gears both in forward and reverse. This approach would make sense for Brookville. Fly in the power plant, bolt it down, add a fuel and electrical source a drive shaft and your good to go.
Distributed by Russell Trufant of North Carver Mass cn 3233 was ordered in October of 1946 and delivered to JB Atkins a grower in Harwich Mass. Interesting that as this order was processing, down the road in South Carver Mr. Atwood and Mr. Moody were back hard at it building the “ultimate bog railroad”. Any intermediate owners, if any, are unknown. The last owner was a Mr. Robert Paine from Wellfleet Mass. He opened and operated Paine’s Campground in South Wellfleet for decades. He also operated the Paine Enterprises Marine Railway which was comprised of the locomotive and nearly 1,000’ of bog track running from the shoreline up to his yard and shops.
In 1994 he saw to donate 3233 to the museum, and in late summer the “critter” made it’s way to Sheepscot. A few cursory repairs and 51 was placed into service for the annual picnic of that year. This was the first form of motive power for the railroad and it would be over another two and a half years before additional help would arrive in the form of the Plymouth. The last major maintenance undertaking was in 2009 when major overhaul was performed to the running gear, the rear diff. as well as other areas.
In subsequent years it had become increasingly difficult to engage and shift the transmission despite wide clutch adjustments and being a crash box (no synchro) would make it more difficult to listen to. It was determined that both cases had run dry at some point and after topping it off would just end up on the floor from an unknown source. So it was endeavored to pull the transmission to investigate further. Several years ago work began, the transmission pulled but in our imperfect world, more pressing projects arose consuming both human and physical resources deferring the project for several years.
There now appears to be a window to tackle some of these issues. First the transmission, since removal the transmission is locked up in second gear, wouldn’t be surprised if moisture found it’s way into the control towers, we do have a spare if needed. Also planned is a check of the running gear, brake rigging, restoring the oilers which are plugged and rehabbing the sanders, (it has 4 wheel sanders). We’ll then move forward. There have been reports of a small rear main seal weep which I can see evidence of, but the pressure plate and disk are dry so perhaps can be deferred until next winter when we can pull the thing out, flip it over and do front and rear main seals. The fuel system was drained and purged when the transmission came out so that a good thing, but if we encounter trouble I know a Continental Engine whisperer who’s within earshot.
That’s the long and not so short of it. Pics coming when I can figure out the technology. Thanks.
Sources: Brookville Equipment Corp.; American Industrial Mining Co. Museum; National Cranberry Magazine; NE Railfan.Net; WW&F news letter archives 1994, 1995, 1997, 2009; Obituary of Robert Paine 2017.
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