All-

I am looking for information regarding the Fairmont Hy-Rail gear that is attached to the Jeep in the attached photo. What model it is, any compatibility similarities to more modern produced rail gear, and if any Fairmont rail gear can be found for the exact model of truck in this photo. It is for use in a restoration project of a authentic Fairmont Hy-Rail Jeep that has been long since stripped of it's rail gear. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried contacting Harsco Rail, Fairmont's current owners, to see if they can help? They may, at least, still have drawings and other documentation.

http://www.harscorail.com/equipment/hy-rail.html

I'm not sure whether Jeeps needed the special rims to pull their tires into proper track gauge, but this is something you'll definitely want to check on your vehicle.

I spent an afternoon in the early 80s at Fairmont's (since closed) Toronto facility after picking up a number of motorcar parts. They had a number of new trucks in their shop at the time, being modified with hy-rail equipment. Apparently, at that time Dodge trucks could not be modified into Hy-railers because the tires would rub on the frames while turning.

Good luck with the Jeep- it'll be a great piece of equipment!

Steve Hunter

Check this...

http://www.thefcconnection.com/fairmont_rail_cars.htm

I'd have no idea how to contact Dan Horenberger, who according to the link has acquired a set of hy-rail equipment to fit his FC-150, but he might be able to help with info, measurements, etc if you can find him.

Steve Hunter

The FC has Fairmont 0-307 gear on it. I have 2 manuals on it but are currently loaned out to the Southern MI Railroad Society in Clinton MI. I also have a brochure showing an FC with gear. The gear is now obsolete by Harsco but used gear is around, a decent set ranging from $500-2500. i have been restoring hy-rails since the early 70's. The hard part is making the brackets from the frame to the gear as Fairmont-Harsco isn't much help or has no interest in restorations. I've dealt with then since the early 70's. They might have a manual for 0307 gear for sale. Recently there was a set of gear on e-bay and also a couple of weeks ago a manual on the gear. Check Ozrk Mountain Rail Services on the net. They quite often have it for sale.

Doug Cummins operates the Railroad Motor Car Resource Library at rrstuff.net website and has the following listing at the bottom of the third section of Fairmont

http://www.rrstuff.net/fmontp3.htm

His item number: F165
Manufacturer: Fairmont
Manufacturer Publication number: 942
Topic/Subject: hy-rail
Publication date:1979
Number of pages: 54 pages
Description:Service instructions and parts for Hy Rail vehicle series 0307

From his order page it would appear that the cost of the 54 pages would be $18.50.

Note that this gets you a 'xeroxed' copy of the manual. As he points out on the website, he has made every effort to clean-up the copies/scans. I have found copies that I have ordered (for my projects--not hy-rail) to be very usable.

As others have said, good luck and success in your restoration efforts.

sc 'doc' lewis

The New Haven had several Jeep hyrails. Here's a pic showing a Jeep FC in use in New Haven. I found the pic in when I was Supervisor of the Amtrak Signal Shop in New Haven. I also found another pic of a Jeep hyrail used by the Signal Department which I'll provide in a follow-up post. Both have early Fairmont 0307 hyrail gear which was upgraded later to the 0307A gear commonly seen today. I have 0307A gear on my '96 Bronco hyrail.

Here is an old Jeep marketing brochure pic of a New Haven Railroad Jeep hyrail used by the Signal department. Note the CT license plates. When I worked in New Haven, I tried to find out which Signal Maintainers were in the pictures but never could identify them.