[From MCRM Web Page]
Mid-Continent Railway Museum's Great Northern-Montana Western gas electric Rail Motorcar has been accepted for "Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" status by the Chicago, Fox Valley and Rock River Valley Rail Transportation Division of the Chicago Division, Region VI of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

In a letter received June 15, the ASME stated in part, "With great pleasure, the History and Heritage Committee of ASME has approved the nomination of the Montana Western Gas-Electric Car #31 as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. It will be recognized as the oldest surviving U.S. self-propelled gas-electric car."

"...this approval is only the beginning of the designation process. Landmark status ultimately will be conferred at a designation ceremony." This ceremony is expected to take place sometime in Spring, 2003.

MW 31 is the oldest surviving Electro-Motive CORPORATION (prior to purchase by General Motors), built in 1925, and the oldest example of the Lemp control system for mechanical-electrical systems STILL in use today on diesel locomotives.

The monumental, 100 page, application is replete with numerous historic photos from the Washington University Library collection and other sources plus plates, diagrams and current detail photos of the car taken at Mid-Continent. The application was carefully researched and annotated under the strict ASME application rules.

Dave Mattoon and Fred Biederman, both MCRM and ASME members, worked with other ASME officers to perfect the application. Bill Buhrmaster coordinated the effort on behalf of the Curator's Department, contributing his extensive research on the car, and Forrest Van Schwartz, Executive Director, provided data from his personal library and copies of original EMC drawings provided by Ken Lukes, a former EMD employee


ddg14@msn.com

Now, if they could just get her running again.
They even have spare engines for her (and some other parts I believe) donated by Sperry from some of their gas-electric rail detector cars they converted to diesel operation.

MW #31 at MCRM
ddg14@msn.com