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R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains

a complete history

R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains
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TC-497 Functional Model Testing

  • February 8, 2023
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When R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. built the TC-497, it would prove to be the most ambitious Overland Train yet. The project was supervised and led by TRECOM from the Longview, TX factory grounds.

Project Trecom train where the army setup shop to monitor the Tc-497 progress. these were tournalaid homes, image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university

As part of the Army’s contract with LeTourneau, the project was spliced into four parts, or phases. Each of these stages was designed to build upon the previous, with an increasing amount of detail and development.

Building a Model TC-497

Ted LeTourneau, one of R. G. LeTourneau’s sons, was the Production Control Manager at R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. While not part of the Phase 1 requirements, the model was built during the early development stages. The model was built at a 1:16 scale, with parts made at the LeTourneau factory and off the shelf components. This was an early model, as the trailers all used a walking beam design, which was later scrapped from the design. The only walking beam found on the manufactured TC-497 was found on the Control Car.

walking beam design, image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university
The small rocks demonstrate the functionality of a walking beam design, image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university

The model had individual wheel motors, just like the TC-497. A battery box delivered power to all of the wheels and controlled using a handheld remote control.

Ted LeTourneau model, image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university

Art Production Order

During the 1950’s, computer based image editing was not possible. All image touch-ups and edits had to be completed by artists. In the image below, you can see the before and after touch-ups that company artist “Red” Reynolds completed on the model. One of the more dramatic changes are the addition of windows and reflectivity in the windows. The Control Car’s right-side tire has also been cleaned up to remove the sand. What other things can you see that have been modified?

before and after artists production edits, image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university

The final image was used in the 1958 R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. Annual Report.

image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university
image courtesy R. G. letourneau archives at letourneau university

You can read more about this model on page 248-251 of my book.

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OverlandTrains.com is a companion to R. G. LeTourneau’s Overland Trains: a complete history. Now available on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFL91FX6

Recent Articles
  • The Sno-Train connected to the Sno-Freighter During its Recovery March 17, 2023
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