Hi can anyone give me some info on engines like these:
They are Mack switchers but I would like to know more about them. How much did they weight, etc.
Don’t know too much about a specific Railroad switcher, but the 'noses are definitely copies of the old AC Mack Truck. dating from the early 1900’s and used pretty extensively in WW1. Not to mention they played a major roll in the Army’s First attempt at a Transcontinental Truck Trip of 1919. This was an exploratory mission to see if it would be possible to drive from Washington,D.C. to the West Coast.
It was ordered by then Gen of the Army John " BlackJack Pershing, and then Cavelry Lt. Dwight D. Eishenhower went along in the role of observer. Many feel it was this trip that caused Gen Eisenhower to push the plan in the 1957 for the Interstate and Defense Highway Network across the U.S.
If you go to this link you can seee photos of the distinctive Mack AC hoods:
http://www.macktrucks.com/default.aspx?pageid=255
| 
|
| - |
Look at the locomotive pictured on this website;
Fourth row down, third picture to the right, click onit to enlarge.
There has been one sitting along the Black River and Western RR in Ringoes, NJ for years but I have never seen any indication that it runs.
They appear to be garden railway locomotives, so I would guess about 2#. Mack Truck had a dismal record building railway equipment. New York Central bought the gas car #M-14 for use on the Putnam Division in 1928. It was way under-powered and was sold to the Washington & Old Dominion (their #45). Mack also built a bunch of “Rail Buses” for the New Haven. They, too, didn’t work out. I think only two were ever used in revenue service. Another case, like Boeing, of a company that should have stuck with its expertise. Being, now, a French-owned company, I would hate to see any of my tax dollars go to future Mack efforts.
Hays
You are correct about those being GR loco’s. They are in 1:24 scale. (I’m a Garden Railroader)
Thanks, Beaulieu!
Got in a hurry and missed looking at N.E. Rails website they are a thorough reference area. The WK&S was one I remembered from some time back.
I guess it goes to show that life often replicates itself even where locomotives are concerned. The Garden Rails engines pictured in the original post are pretty much true to the prototypes pictured in the NE Rails website.
The AC MACK was one tough truck and wonder how much of it was actually used to create the loco pictured?
The WK&S website - ‘‘Projects’’ page - says [note - date not specified]:
What’s Gone from the WK&S…
The Mack was sold to JC McHugh and has been refurbished and is awaiting motive repairs at their facility.
- Paul North.
http://www.mchugh4macklocomotive.com/
McHugh’s page about the Macks.
In New York City, “Colonial Sand & Stone” used lots of Mack 'AC’s, even into the 1970s, on their transit-mix, sand, cinder, and aggregate trucks, supplying the building industry. The dwindiling coal delivery companies did, too. IIRC, they were all chain-drive. Cool old rigs – some of them still had solid rubber tires! Not much operator comfort or weather protection. What drive-train did the Mack locomotives use? Chain?
Hays
They remind me of a picture I had as my desktop background. The caption was “1931 Mack Truck company 15T gas-el.” Can’t find the pic, but think I got it from Trains Mag newsletter, possibly Photo of the Month.