Inside The Insane 1960s Nuclear Overland Vehicle - LeTourneau TC-497

[@CalumRaasay]

Thanks again to my friends at Warthunder! playwt.link/Calum You can Mark's book here! 👇 US- amzn.to/3mBIPsI UK - amzn.to/3L54CD2

[@eurotrash5610]

DAMN HARKONNENS!

[@eurotrash5610]

PS. please excuse my manners, I just noticed: all the best to you and your wife!

[@aserta]

Congratulations on getting married! :)

[@hayleyxyz]

Congrats on getting married x wish the best for both of you I’ve loved your enthusiasm for esoteric topics ever since I watched your video nerding out over the Jerry Can

[@Archangelm127]

See if they're willing to model this beautiful monster into Warthunder. :D

[@MrDDiRusso]

I'm surprised Hollywood never showed anything like this. This would have made an epic sci-fi movie prop.

[@CalumRaasay]

I know right? Maybe the mothership for the armoured personnel carrier in Aliens haha

[@tomcardale5596]

There are things like this in the Thunderbirds series. Slough rather than Hollywood but near enough I suppose?

[@Janzcu]

When I was young '85 i saw a movie of a land train, they had a race race, land train lost because it was made of pure smuggled gold..

[@ErikOrdway1984]

The sort of did with the movie 'The Big Bus.'

[@aserta]

I think there's at least two black and white movies from back in the day that have if not the same concept, then exploration by large vehicles. I wish i could remember the name of the big vehicle one - movie. In modern stuff, there's the spice gatherers of Dune, but they're only snippets. That said, they do exist in games. The Homeworld saga. They had lots of big land stuff.

[@charliestevenson3500]

I grew up in Yuma and remember seeing the control unit in the surplus dealer’s yard for the first time in 1967 when I was a child. It was very large and imposing. I’m glad it got restored and is no longer forgotten. Great job and I’m glad that you enjoyed your trip to my hometown . Congratulations to Mrs. Calum and you on your wedding.

[@CalumRaasay]

Yeah I have a cool article from the 1970s when it was being moved. how cool that you saw it when it was almost new!

[@Mis73rRand0m]

Awesome to see someone flying out to my home town for this! AZ is an amazing boneyard for these types of hulks; very little corrosion, worst you'll get is some dust.

[@ghomerhust]

@@Mis73rRand0m my brother was stationed at Davis Monthon up the road from Yuma, playing with aircraft. he said it was really incredible how well the climate there preserves all those old airframes simply because of how dry it is.

[@johnserrano9689]

He is definitely a secret spy, a foreign agent. He is definitely spying for Greenland....

[@TesserId]

I love that this wasn't destroyed. Too many important creations in history where allowed to slip into the void, leaving us wonder what such things were really about. Getting to see the inside of this beast was a big thrill, having thought from other videos that this was destroyed. Thank you so much for this video.

[@CalumRaasay]

Right? I guess it many ways it was just SO big that it was difficult to move or scrap! The crazy size of it probably helped save it, in many ways.

[@tomfxstc4833]

Thanks to my Brother

[@smugly6793]

Absolutely true. So many amazing machines and vehicles were scrapped the second they became obsolete with nothing being preserved for the future to learn from. It’s incredibly sad to see

[@jlo13800]

Its got a nuclear 2 stroke engine.

[@Tigershark_3082]

Makes me think of a lot of the forgotten aircraft. Stuff like the Martin P6M SeaMaster, or XF10F Jaguar

[@icoopify]

As a graduate of LeTourneau University and a former employee of LeTourneau Inc (now part of Komatsu), it's always really cool to see the legacy of R.G. LeTourneau in the wild.

[@bensendthompson2296]

Yeah, as an alumni, it is always fun coming across these videos

[@natewiebe7815]

Another alum, same here!

[@michaelgmyers]

Grew up in Longview Back in the 80s there was an old machine shop. In the yard we're these very large metal wheels. I was told there were part of a machine use help build interstate 20.

[@bigglilwayne7050]

His concrete houses were awesome as the whole thing(floors, walls, and roof) was done in one continuous pour

[@bigglilwayne7050]

​@@michaelgmyers The Sabine River bottoms was the most difficult part of construction for the entire project and he did it for free to test his equipment

[@Harv72b]

Where did you go on your honeymoons? Couple 1: We spent a lovely two weeks in the Bahamas, soaking up the sun. Couple 2: We spent an exquisite week in Paris, soaking up the culture. Couple 3: We went on a romantic Mediterranean cruise, soaking up everything the region had to offer. Calum: We went to the Arizona desert so I could crawl around inside a decommissioned overland train from the 1960s. 😂😂😂 (The odometer was reading 889.4 miles. You've probably been told that four dozen times already but I didn't see those comments.)

[@CalumRaasay]

Hahaha I’ll take our honeymoon anyday!

[@Melody_Raventress]

Not to mention tracking all those arrows across the barren American southwest. It's an amazingly beautiful area, but not for everyone. Because fantastic desolation.

[@jugo1944]

​@@CalumRaasaythe galley is actually gorgeous, I wouldn't mind at all

[@bwilliams463]

How about five days crashing around the American Desert in THAT?

[@lucasrem]

We ?

[@DavidBGleason]

For us old-timers who remember mechanical odometers, the mileage at 25:26 is 889.4 miles, not 8,894. The white number wheel represents tenths of a mile.

[@C0ttageChees]

I learned something. Thank you, sincerely :)

[@GlutenEruption]

Was looking for this comment. Lol. Also noticed that gauge says the outside scale = RPM and the inside scale is MPH. We can see all of the labels above but someone used a label maker to print out “? miles = REV. X 1.?” So I’m guessing those are tire revolutions per minute. So that definitely seems like a Speedo/odometer so I’m guessing that’s 889.4 miles total

[@ThePaulv12]

I thought it was an hour meter.

[@DavidBGleason]

@@ThePaulv12 It might be. But because it's integrated into the speedo, I'd assume miles. I'd expect to see an hour meter separate from a speedo.

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

My first and second cars had mechanical odometers. I'm 34. Its crazy there's people now who don't know how to read such "old" technology.

[@roypennock8046]

You might be interested to know that after changing hands many times over the years, LeTourneau is now part of Komatsu Corp. and produce hybrid diesel-electric drive surface and underground mining equipment including the L2350, which is the largest rubber-tired front-end loader in the world. It still has in-wheel traction motors with forced air cooling, dynamic braking and enormous Firestone tires (but "only" 4...) just like the overland train.

[@josephpadula2283]

Thank you! Good the know the corporate memory was not dumped like many old projects! Perhaps you can ask an Old engineer if they kept the prints when the company was bought out? If so ask them to donate to a museum or library if they are ever to discard And scan them first .,..

[@To-mos]

Komatsu makes some massively massive huge equipment next to Liebherr, love watching both companies contraptions crawl around.

[@Porkpickle]

Everytime it's rains our Letourneau loaders die because they suck in weather same as the trucks, water and Letourneau's don't mix

[@CalumRaasay]

Visiting this crazy machine was the absolute honour of a lifetime and it's you guys, my viewers, that have helped make it possible! Thank you again. I'll be doing a giveaway this month on my patreon for a couple copies of Mark's book for anyone interested - patreon.com/calumraasay Discord: discord.gg/BPahz6vHJd

[@keab42]

I'm so glad you actually got to visit it! I loved your documentary on it.

[@nefariousyawn]

And you did it on your honeymoon? Let's call it the second absolute honor of your lifetime, for the sake of your marriage 😉

[@CalumRaasay]

@@nefariousyawn haha good point, nice save 😂

[@bigbossimmotal]

@@CalumRaasay Hey honey, where do you want to go for our anniversary? ALASKA!

[@CalumRaasay]

@@bigbossimmotal Haha luckily I have an understanding wife!

[@daniellebcooper7160]

@2:12 Youre new wife looks absolutely thrilled to bits. I'm glad you found someone that obviously shares your enthusiasm for looking over old machinery on their honeymoon. In all seriousness, good luck to the both of you.

[@chadhughes8151]

When I was a kid the first 10’ tire overland train was abandoned in a junkyard near FT WW. We use to sneak into it to play on all the old military equipment include the control car. We’d climb up into the cab and pretend we were driving it. After about 20 years or more of sitting there, the ground in the junkyard was found to be highest toxic due to its owner purchasing and burying old transformers full of PCB’s. That’s when the overland equipment was moved to a museum.

[@bathtubgamr]

Thats so cool!

[@MccoppingSalvage]

Please travel to Alaska and visit the other two pieces of this history. It would be amazing to see the rest of story that still exists. Very interesting and entertaining video.

[@CalumRaasay]

That's the plan! Haha I’ll start booking flights 😂

[@oswurth8774]

@@CalumRaasay Expanding the Calumverse

[@berryreading4809]

I hope so too! Although Nome Alaska is certainly not the world's best tourist attraction 😄 Or very easy to even get to... However with the abandoned snow train atleast the surrounding areas would be enjoyable during the trip up 😉👍

[@herzogsbuick]

@@CalumRaasay I have some friends from Nome that I'm sure could act as fixers. I live in Anchorage -- about a 7 1/2 hour drive south of the sno-freighter in Fairbanks. It would then be a 13-odd hour drive from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, plus however long the border takes (I unfortunately missed the Yukon Transportation Museum last time I passed through, not again!) Just throwing myself in the ring here in case you want to do this, I've been watching your videos around 3 years now, stop what I'm doing every time I see a new one come out. Cheers!

[@canonicaltom]

@@CalumRaasay I used to live in Fairbanks, definitely recommend going in the summer :D

[@jason0870]

It's cool to see how when vandalism is kept at bay and im sure minimal maintenance, the machine stays in relatively stock condition. I enjoyed your original video and this video very much. Thank you

[@CalumRaasay]

Thanks Jason! Yeah even BEFORE the restoration she was in amazing condition, I can't believe how much was left behind.

[@davidkaufman1]

I saw a video on the Russian Buran space shuttles on military bases that were vandalized. When all ladders were removed vandals brought ropes

[@JoshuaTootell]

What's funny is when you hear people talk about people being disrespectful these days, but the Battleship Texas had to close up sections of the ship because of vandalism...in the 1950's.

[@TriGogglin]

Calum, I remember seeing some of the old footage you shown in this video as a kid, and always thought this had to be extremely awesome to see. You were the right person for this video. Thank you for the time, effort and knowledge you put into this.. it was worth it.. excellent presentation. thank you, best regards, Pappy

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you pappy! Apologies I seemed to miss your message, but your support really means a lot!

[@TriGogglin]

@@CalumRaasay no worries, i totally understand, it's hard to keep up sometimes. Be safe out there on your travels

[@bugman72]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the tires on Bob Chandler's Bigfoot #5 are off of one of these. Not sure if they originated from the TC-497, but they are the same wheel/tire combo. In fact, at some point, Bigfoot #5 ran 8 of these tires at once.

[@bwilliams463]

If I remember right, he found a Sno-Train in a Washington (state) scrap yard.

[@lucasrem]

From the Alaska Roadtrain.

[@michaelamo7593]

Very cool! I thought they looked sort of familiar. It's 2024 and I'm just discovering this unit today, but the iconic Bigfoot grabbed my attention as a kid decades ago.

[@ynadat]

Saw a comment thread about no land trains in Hollywood movies. S2E7 of THE MANDOLORIAN. Also all your videos rock! I loved the ASR Buoy and the heliRV!!! Keep it up!

[@jp-um2fr]

Congratulations Calum and wife - what have you let yourself into young lady. All the best for the future and thanks again for yet another excellent video.

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you very much!

[@ivanekprochazka]

I love the educational value of your videos and their unceasingly improving production quality. I'm glad you've been able to turn your passion into your career. I always had crossed fingers for you. Greetings from Prague!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you Ivánek, that means a lot. They take a while to make, but I love being able to go into such detail and have such a receptive audience!

[@gafrers]

I bought the book in November because of your first video. Read it all in a weekend and was amazing. This video feels like the culmination of this fantastic topic but not the end. Thanks Calum and Miss

[@CalumRaasay]

So glad to hear you got the book! Mark's work is fantastic.

[@AbeusMaximus]

It's really awesome when a person is so passionate, and has studied something so much, they can basically be a tour guide on their first visit to a location.

[@rocketman374]

RG LeTourneau built a lot of really cool machinery, this is just one of many! Also, love the Elder Scrolls map marker. Lol. First time seeing your channel, just subscribed!

[@CalumRaasay]

LeTourneau's list of inventions is just mental isn't it haha. Thanks for watching!

[@SVanHutten]

Not even in his wildest dreams could Mr LeTourneau have imagined that his innovative vehicles would be given such deserved attention that many years into the future. Great video and a big thank you for taking your time to get there and sharing your unique experience with us. From a long time admirer of these contraptions.

[@pudozwinker]

why not

[@rustythrombosis5417]

My favorite part was how at the 8:06 mark you had to hold up a photo of the TC497 next to the real TC497 to make sure you had the right TC497. Of course all of that was said in jest and I love your videos. Thanks for the time and effort to make great and interesting content.

[@CalumRaasay]

Haha reminded me of when a detective is trying to match a photo to a face!

[@olliedean3454]

I remember watching your original video on this last year. Amazing that you've been able to now see this in person! what a brilliant piece of engineering and a great video! Well done man :)

[@warrentobey5237]

I worked on letourneau log unloaders in the Pacific Northwest. Letourneau also made tanks in ww2. The drive motors on all 4 wheels were DC motors. The lifting, steering, log clamps were AC motors. The turning was controlled by a left/right toggle switch and the drive motors were controlled by a rheostat. They had a 2 part generator driven by a diesel engine. The engine ran at 2000 rpm which made the ac generator run at 73 hz at 500 vac. The dc generator also produces 500 vdc. Nice video😊

[@hvonwolfenstein2638]

We have an LCC-1 Sno-Train by LaTourneau Inc. at the transportation museum up here in Whitehorse, Yukon. It's super cool and really fun to go see! My favourite part is the bubble dome on the top which allows for navigation by stars! Very cool.👍

[@CalumRaasay]

The bubble dome is so cool! Similar to the Soviet Kharkovchanka actually!

[@pendantblade6361]

Aaaaah, another day another video of Calum filming a Jawa sandcrawler. Thanks to all the Marks that helped with the restoration and research of this wonderful machine.

[@paulgoz7281]

It's so much like a real life prop from an episode of Jerry Anderson's Thunderbirds. Especially with the possibility of being nuclear powered. Many thanks to your bride for allowing you to take a sizeable detour on your honeymoon and make this fantastic follow-up video on an imagination stirring topic.

[@YellowRambler]

Probably a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor? It would have been a less heavier.

[@SM-rn3xy]

Thanks for another great video! 25:29 Fairly sure that is 889.4 not 8 thousand. The note 'Total Miles Rev x 1.2' might indicate its something similar to a Hobbs meter which would be close to hours plus a bit and would make sense for a turbine engine that would have to be serviced according to hours.

[@CalumRaasay]

Yeah someone pointed out that the counter looks lifted from a cummins setup, which makes sense as thats what most letourneau products used. So maybe they adapted the cummins counter then added that note to account for the turbine?

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Ever since watching your first video covering this company and these vehicles.. I have been facinated with them. I really think we need to bring this BACK! They are so well made! It's amazing. Seriously.

[@billyhess5263]

I’m not even 10 minutes in so I’m not sure if you mentioned it but, back when I was 7 years old (1986) a new Bigfoot monster truck was revealed, it would be the tallest monster truck ever made (I think even still today), Bigfoot 5. Bigfoot 5 used those very tires from that very vehicle (well, from one of its trailers anyway). That truck made an entire generation aware of the Alaskan land train. Such cool history!

[@1978garfield]

Yup that truck (Bigfoot 5) is on display in Pacific MO.

[@kevineckelkampe2r]

@1978garfield pacific has an earlier Bigfoot, the taller one is also right off the interstate, but much closer to st louis

[@JMRCDesigns]

I was gonna say if no one had already posted, about looking into Bob Chandler's BIGFOOT 5. I'm not sure if it's ever mentioned which land train they got the tires from, but Bob stated that he found them at an army surplus store. Two very cool pieces of history in both this video and the history of BIGFOOT 5. 👍

[@kevineckelkampe2r]

@1978garfield u were right, they moved it to pacific

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Calum, I just wanted to say thank you for making yet another great video and for continually making some of the best content on KZbin!! Each video on your channel shows all the time, effort and passion you pour into them and we truly appreciate it my friend! Keep up the good work. 👍👍 Idk about anyone else but I would definitely be interested in a video on the other land trains in the future.

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you so much! Really appreciate such a lovely comment, it's so great being able to have an audience to share these adventures and niche pieces of history with!

[@BatCaveOz]

Just when I thought that Calum had already taught me all there is to know about land trains, he releases yet another amazing video. Thank you for continuing to publish such engaging and high quality content.

[@CalumRaasay]

Wow, thanks! Really appreciate that

[@bigratkiller1]

Dude, on your Honeymoon!!! Congratulations to you both and that's a super understanding wife you got there 😁

[@CalumRaasay]

Haha she's a trooper!

[@Sinister_Scotty]

A guy named Bob Chandler came across one of those trailers in a scrap yard and bought the wheels and tires off of it and fitted it to one of his F-150s, this truck is extremely well known in America as "Big Foot 5"

[@obsoleteoptics]

Came here to say this

[@Sinister_Scotty]

@@obsoleteoptics my interest in this overland vehicle is solely derived from noticing that the tires were later used on Bigfoot 5

[@obsoleteoptics]

@@Sinister_Scotty same

[@oldladycrenshaw]

If im not mistaken, 4 of those tires/wheels from the scrapped units ended up on the monster truck "BigFoot #5". Story is that he bought the tires from a scrap yard after getting the price reduced significantly.

[@mr.squarebody5554]

Sometimes I worry calum left his channel then he comes back swinging

[@CalumRaasay]

Haha just a Wedding, Christmas & Honeymoon break!

[@Edward-pw6zz]

@@CalumRaasay well deserved!

[@beb38138]

@25:44 It looks like each train car has the ability to steer individualy and follow the footsteps of the control car. That is amazing right there, and the fact that they did it in the '50s and '60s even more mesmerizing. 👏

[@haidenthomas6002]

8 of the wheels from an Alaskan land train ended up on the Bigfoot 5 monster truck

[@bobmiller7502]

Its good to see someone follow there passion,how you talked the wife into incorparating it into your honeymoon,thats a skill of its own,thanks for giving us the chance to share in this amazing machines lifetime,keep on keeping on my brother, love and contentment from Liverpool UK,xx

[@brettphillips8650]

Well done! I have flown over Dolly Sods many times and admired its beauty. You have convinced me that I need to spend more time there on the ground. I’m now looking forward to an overnight in October!

[@dougtaylor8735]

My son went to LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. While visiting him one time, we went to the R.G. LeTourneau museum on campus. It is fascinating and I highly recommend checking it out. He was an amazing designer and built many different large pieces of one off equipment. He also built the first off shore oil drilling platform.

[@1224chrisng]

Great work Mark, Mark, Mark, and --Mark-- Callum. You never miss the Mark. It's amazing to see this machine, and even more amazing that this is only Mark-1. Imagine if this was further developed, this would really leave its Mark on history. Shame it was sold to the scrap Mark-et instead.

[@CalumRaasay]

I know right? This was certainly the most advanced of all the overland trains but the entire development only happened over the course of a decade of so. Who knows what could have happened if this had been allowed to develop further!

[@bartfoster1311]

Amazing to see it still stocked inside like it is!

[@CalumRaasay]

Same here! I couldn't believe it!

[@TheOtherBill]

It seems we have those volunteer restorers to thank for that. If I didn't live 3,000 miles away I'd love to volunteer for a week.

[@dersaegefisch]

Right? The thing looks like it's in better shape than some of the older tractors on my uncles farm. ...And those still run. I mean it is obviously missing th motor, but still. You can really imagine how the crew must have felt when they first saw this monster. And what their reaction probably was when they did: "I CALL DIPS ON THE MIDDLE BUNK BED!!" (everybody screaming at once)

[@grantlee5393]

Graduated from the Engineering Program at Letourneau Uni last year and now work as a design engineer at Peterbilt. Great video and so cool learning about this history

[@Valkyrie9000]

I think the saddest part of our modern times is that something this spectacular would never be made. We don't dream, we don't thrive, we don't build, and we don't fund.

[@zimtt1276]

Thank you! You have such an amazing talent/skill of presentation. The floor plan insert was brilliant! You have grabbed me and drawn me into a subject matter I had no idea of my interest. I was riveted to for 35 minutes.

[@CalumRaasay]

Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that.

[@Thinginator]

I'd definitely love to see a video on that gold dredger in Alaska! I had no idea any of the Overland Train cars had survived in a functional state, let alone being actively used in recent years.

[@CalumRaasay]

I know right? Shows how durable they really were!

[@FFmike790]

@@CalumRaasay Any chance you could give us a link to where you got the video of it that you show the few seconds of it here in yours? Thanks.

[@StephenGillie]

This thing looks oddly like the Antarctic Cruiser we made in the 1940s, and abandoned in Antarctica to fight WW2.

[@CalumRaasay]

Funnily enough I made a video on the Antarctic Cruiser!

[@silontninja6947]

Yes it does remind me of that and it seems to have the same objective as well

[@dru4670]

I just watched the Antarctica cruiser video and now am on a Rabbit hole

[@kwdoug]

Outstanding job, and it’s even better with a Scottish accent. Very thankful you want to all your trouble to do this, it was well worth it

[@JackpineGandy]

traveling all the way from Old Blighty to Yuma Arizona to see this incredible relic...amazing! and a tip of the hat to your dear wife, for going along on this trip!

[@willpowerfpv3246]

Very cool! I worked at the largest coal strip mine in Canada, and we had a massive La Tourneau front end loader. It's ridiculously large, and was broken down most of time, as parts were difficult to source. 😕

[@Never_heart]

Every time I see these vehicles my imagine runs wild. They are so evocative in their scale and design

[@CalumRaasay]

Right? It takes me to some crazy post-apocalypse, mad max story!

[@Never_heart]

@@CalumRaasay Yes so much that natural evolution of the Mad Max world and aesthetic. But also I can't help but ask myself where is point of intersection between these land trains and extreme artic exploration vehicles? And then that snowballs into imagining running various essential supplies between disparate deep cold based across a near frozen planet.

[@prokhorvlg]

​@@CalumRaasay I like to imagine an alternate timeline where these things came to fruition... it reeks of 1950s futurism, especially with the plans for an nuclear reactor car. Would fit so well in something like the Fallout universe.

[@linksbro1]

The choice of Clair De Lune for when you first saw it in person speaks volumes to how important that moment was to you.

[@russelljohnson6243]

I am so glad your extraordinary efforts paid-off! The word for the brand of the cook stove is chef, as in a cook, no big deal, just mentioning it.

[@Ayeskint]

Honeymoon? Congratulations to you both! May health and happiness be your companions in life.🤘

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you! It's been a great start to the year and our life together!

[@Ayeskint]

@@CalumRaasay Start as you mean to go on! Have fun, guys.

[@charmio]

0:17 That's not quite true. The longest road train record is held by an Australian built Mack truck with 112 semi-trailers, measuring 1,474.3 meters (4,836.3 feet) long.

[@Smrf4997]

Yes but this was made to be a single unit so it is the longest vehicle just not a road train as it isn’t a road train

[@charmio]

@Smrf4997 I honestly don't see the difference. Both were a single prime mover with trailers attached.

[@whyjnot420]

The kitchen in this vehicle really isn't all that much smaller than the kitchen in my house. In relative terms it is about half the size, but in absolute terms it really isn't a whole lot smaller. The kitchen in my 120 year old house is clearly a small addition to the original structure. It is big enough for a full sized fridge, range & sink, along with a little room for preparation. No room for a table or anything like that. It might be small, but it really is more than adequate for my needs. addendum: Congratulations on getting married.

[@CalumRaasay]

I know right? You'd pay top dollar for an apartment that size in most cities!

[@eekee6034]

I'm sure I've seen kitchens with poorer fittings in brick and mortar houses, and I'm not counting the bedsits I've lived in.

[@KevinSmith-ys3mh]

It reminds me of the accomodations on some older submarines Iv'e visited, such as USS Bluefin?, now tied up in the Columbia river outside the Science Museum in Portland Oregon. I think it was the first modern teardrop hull sub in the US Navy, but still Diesel-Electric drive.

[@momentumblack]

Thanks!

[@mjmcomputers]

There is a Bigfoot Monster truck with wheels/tires from one of the scrapped tc-497 cars.

[@patchthesinclair5896]

A camper to die for except it's a bit big for the roads of the NC 500! Thanks for another great upload.

[@CalumRaasay]

Haha I'd love to see this trying to do the turn at Helmsdale!

[@nigozeroichi2501]

That is really cool, it's a shame they basically wasted all those tax dollars and never really used it for its intended purpose, it's really nice volunteers cleaned it up and made it look like it was just parked with all the stuff in the cupboards which at first I thought there's no way it would look like the crew just stepped out and be right back, thanks to you and all that allowed you make this very interesting look at a nearly forgotten bit of history.

[@PeterTman]

Many people do look at the tax money put into this and other projects that don't end up in regular operation as "wasted," but the technologies that are developed through them end up impacting so many things outside of the project itself. Our nation would be nowhere near as technologically advanced as it is if not for tax money that is "wasted" on trying new approaches to old (and new) problems.

[@georgeliakaris53]

Maybe radiation levels were not safe?

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

Dad being an Alaskan bush pilot saw the Snow Freighter in use at the time. He flew the Dew Line before there was a Dew Line... Back in the 60s till the mid 90s parts of the Snow Freighter were in a Seattle scrap yard on East Marginal Way in South Seattle. This is the place Bob Chandler of Bigfoot monster truck fame found the tires that went onto one of the Bigfoot trucks. Another overland machine you may was to look at is the Rollagon, I think I have the spelling right.

[@TheOtherBill]

Kriss, you made me look it up! I couldn't resist. Interesting little article at amusingplanet for anyone else interested. It would make a great video for Calum on his future trip to Alaska since there's supposed to be some still (as of 2018) operating near Prudhoe Bay. BTW, it's spelled Rollligon but either spelling will find it.

[@CalumRaasay]

Wow, that's amazing! Those bush pilots were some pioneering guys, and it was their scouting and survey work that really what made the Alaska Freight Lines convoys viable. Yeah the story from Bigfoot IIRC is that the wheels were found from the earlier slo-train, though I think looking closely they are from the TC497 (something to do with the wheel lugs). Mark Moore knows more about it I believe.

[@JonHuhnMedical]

You were the Jerry can guy?? Man, you have a knack for making this stuff interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed that and especially this one. I'm glad to see this gig is becoming a reality for you! Greetings from across the pond.

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

The mere fact it sits there, looking as if its but a year old, tells you a couple things. One, the desert is very good at preserving man-made vehicles. Two, this thing was made to survive. Thanks for the video guy!

[@michigandon]

Most of us Yanks have never gotten to see this in person! Kudos to you for pulling all the strings necessary to get on post, and sharing the experience with us.

[@tomfxstc4833]

I Was in it thanks to my Bro Mark The bald guy in the Pics and video

[@KonjonoAwesome]

An earlier version of the overland train concept was the Lombard Log Hauler. These were steam-powered track and ski "locomotives" that pulled sleds loaded with logs across snow and ice in Maine and other northern US states. Patented in 1901, the Lombard Log Hauler was the first successful commercial application of a continuous track for vehicle propulsion.

[@austinduvall2422]

If you like stuff like this you should look up The Gem of Egypt and The Big Muskie they were huge coal shovels used to strip mine most of south eastern Ohio and parts of P.A. they were utterly massive machines I got to see the Gem of Egypt when I was a little kid just before they tore it down and the thing was honestly mesmerizing it seriously looked like a huge mechanical dinosaur eating away at the earth.

[@gouryg4774]

The restoration teams who have the passion a means to restore these amazing vehicles are the true unsung heroes of exhibits like this.

[@tragikk03]

I think these exact same tires are what they put on the Bigfoot #4 and 5 monster trucks back around the mid-80's

[@Crazyboutpeace]

I wonder if this and the previous video made anyone in the military look into a modern version of the concept, with all the miniaturization tech has had over the decades, would probably be way more efficient today, and still be useful. Great video!

[@CalumRaasay]

Mark does mention in his book that there were some rumours of a new trackless train concept, though it never came to much!

[@chain3519]

This thing using induction motors could actually be quite interesting

[@SJNFAB]

VEHICLES AND SUBMARINES GET NUCLEAR GENERATORS BUT MY HOUSE CAN'T. 🤬

[@rodcrandall1589]

No kidding and even if I built my own they would lock me up

[@lucasrem]

You need a house in Putin land !

[@byeluvby]

Just live in a vehicle or submarine then

[@connorkluth6012]

To many safety concerns to justify private nuclear generators

[@COSMIC_SECRET]

FYI nuclear generators are bigger than a 4 story mansion

[@RussellNelson]

I have a wife who doesn't just put up with my railroad explores, she leads me on them! Looks like you have married well as well.

[@StanEvans-z6m]

The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.

[@paper_pinscher8889]

Absolutely incredible! I love experimental technology like this from the 40's to the 80's. The cargo car used for dredging in Alaska reminds me of Captain Rex's AT-TE because of all the piping and support structures slapped on.

[@CybershamanX]

Ok... This is just BEGGING to be in a Mad Max film. Imagine an overland train armed to the teeth fending off raiders as they tried to get their precious cargo across the desolate mutant-filled plains to the tribes on the other side. 😉

[@CalumRaasay]

I know right?! There is actually a Mad Max style book that features them - check out AMTRAK wars! I'd like to see them in a Fallout game one day!

[@CybershamanX]

@@CalumRaasay Thanks for the tip! 😎👍

[@scootpegune609]

So why does the title say it's "Nuclear"? Clearly it used gas turbines. I watched your video for way too long, curious how in the '60s they fit a nuclear reactor on it...apparently they didn't.

[@dimidimi5537]

Same here ,I then did some research they meant to fit a nuclear reactor but they gave the whole project up before they could test the nuclear motor.

[@mick0846]

" click bate"

[@mrgcav]

I am American. I was amazed I had never heard of this before, as I am very knoledgable about sspecial vehicles. Another bit of forgotten history. Thank you and your friend for preserving it. What A also find wild is a Scotsman being interested in this obscure bit of American history.

[@clayp6415]

Fun fact, RobertShaw is still in business making thermostats and controls for HVAC and other equipment

[@anthonysmalawipredators8794]

I can't get enough of these amazing old machines so please keep moving forward with your passion =) The interior is what blew me away the most, I would have expected much more rugged living conditions but that cab looks like a 5 star hotel room! I couldn't even imagine what life aboard would have been like. I hope your trip to America was everything you were hoping for and that you make many more great American road trips in the future !

[@lt.petemaverickmitchell7113]

This is absolutely fascinating!

[@NovaTech4]

So you mentioned to drink everytime you said massive at 11:45, well I'm now on my way to the ER 😂 great video, and thank god for autocorrect as well. 😅 & nah I'm kiddin about the ER part. Amazing video of a true engineering relic my friend 😎

[@mikemace9644]

16:17 Robert shaw is the name of a company who makes controls for heating instruments. They've been around for almost 100 years & they still make heating and air conditioning controls today.

[@200degrees]

Well since I am watching this on my lunch break I can't drink to massive, but I can for sure say this was another great video! I took a road trip through Washington where they had a Sikorsky sitting on the airfield, I tried to pull into it and see the frame number for you (and my curiosity haha) but all the gates were closed. If I'm back there soon I'll bring binoculars and see if it was one of the Winnebago's!

[@rafaelvalle8989]

There’s another classic on the background, a Cessna 337 Skymaster dubbed Push&Pull

[@toserveman9265]

I live in Ventura county, California. Good for you on your field trip. Diesel electric locomotives, the units used in trains here in USA, run the same way, diesel engines provide power for electric powered wheels, one has steel wheels, the other has tires.

[@nismo2070]

The inside of that vehicle looks like time was frozen! Wow!

[@ThinkFreely2012]

Those are also the same tires that were used on the Bigfoor 4x4 monster truck in the 1980s.

[@Dvarden]

The last conversation I had with an Army buddy before he was killed was on the tire of the vehicle you keep showing while we were training in Yuma before deployment

[@dougslittlediesel]

Big Foot in St Louis used the tires and wheels from one of trailers. Back in the early days of Monster Trucks.

[@Point221b]

Hi Calum, just discovered you. Really very good. Like the mix, factual presentation and production. You easily knock spots off several mainstream presenters. Cheers, Martin. (Kent, England). 👍

[@MyCatInABox]

Man! This was so awesome! Thanx for uploading this video! Good stuff!👍

[@laserbeam1620]

The Bigfoot team bought several sets of these wheels and tires to build Bigfoot #5. A very cool monster truck!

[@adammillwardart7831]

Your videos about these old crazy arctic vehicles are super interesting and well done. Thoroughly enjoy them. Thanks for putting them together.

[@AZ762SHOOTER]

The cab of this thing used to be right next to the 8 freeway on araby when i got stationed here. This was around 98. At the time i just figured it was just farming equipment until a gunny in my unit told me what it was. It sat there for a couple years before it moved to yuma proving ground.

[@clxudzYT]

The interior is just frozen in time from the day it was left there… Crazy! I love this kind of stuff!!!

[@apollomoon1]

Thanks for your tireless work on these marvelous machines. I remember the first time I saw them in Popular Science as a young boy. I’ve been interested since then but they were so obscure, it was nearly impossible to find information about them. When I stumbled across your channel I was astounded to find so much information about them. Fantastic effort and thank you.

[@johnaroach]

Sometimes I think KZbin is not only listening to my words but actually reading my mind sometimes. I've been thinking about these overland trains/vehicles for years and I didn't even know they were ever a thing. When I saw The Martian a few years back I was absolutely fascinated by the rover and would constantly think about how something like that could actually work in the real world on Mars. I imagined a (much) lighter weight version of an overland train with separate quarters, labs, etc. but connected to allow internal movement between the cars. Electrically powered of course, each wheel with it's own motor. Seems like a mobile living space on Mars would be much better than a collection of buildings in a single location. Great video! I could totally see my wife rolling her eyes as I actively nerd-out on vacation as well. Not like that's never happened before!

[@BarbarianGod]

16:00 oven next to the fridge/freezer seems like a bold choice!

[@HakunaMatata4220]

16:22 congrats, I'll scan your fingerprint next time I am there... XD