When I watch or read about Overland Trains, authors typically forget, or don’t know, that there are 6 of them. The Overland Trains were built from 1952-1961.
The first built train was the Tournatrain. R. G. had many concepts prior to building the first train.
Next, was the VC-12 Tournatrain. This was an entirely different machine than the first train. It had two engines versus one in the original.
Alaska Freight Lines was the recipient of the 3rd Overland Train, the Sno-Freighter. This was the only train that was purchased by a private party. This train made several trips to the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line stations
The Side Dump Train had a few concepts before coming up with the built machine we know of. It also had a royal visitor!
The Sno-Train has the most complex and active history out of all the trains. Expect some mind blowing stories and facts when the book comes out. This was the first Overland Train to use the Firestone 120x48x68 tires.
Lastly, the Overland Train Mark 2. It was the most engineered and well thought out train of them all. it never entered active service and went from Longview, TX to Yuma, AZ. While it is said that none of the train made it out of the scrapper besides the control car, that is not accurate.
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