These trucks are used as locomotives

It can be strange when you hear a train horn in the distance, but instead of a locomotive, a beaked truck appears on the tracks. One such scene is located in the US state of Delaware It was immortalized in the town of McDonough. The white Peterbilt was pulling five freight cars with it, and one of them even had a CAT machine on top.

The first test run of this kind took place about 12 years ago. At that time, they only tried it with a truck. Later, he was entrusted with a greater burden. The example in the video belongs to the Brandt Company, but there are several such trucks in the United States, thanks to a special collaboration.

The dream of special Peterbilts that function as locomotives can be linked to Rick Corman, who died of a serious illness in 2013. He mainly made versions of the Peterbilt 567 that were suitable for traveling on rails thanks to the additional wheels. These trucks were usually equipped with a loading crane to help load the wagons with either produce, construction debris, or coal.

Corman worked closely with Peterbilt engineers, resulting in additional specialty trucks. At his suggestion, the steel hydraulic tank of the trucks functioning as locomotives was replaced with aluminum, which played an important role in reducing weight.

Over time, additional modifications were made to these trucks, such as adjusting the frame to the track. Also, the additional iron wheels were moved from around the front axle to between the driver’s cab and the rear axles, which thus provides much greater stability. This solution made it possible to extend the platform as well as to install a fourth axis.

The 365 and 367 models were also equipped with a rotating unloading cab, thanks to which the vehicle could remain on the rails the entire time, and the cargo could be unloaded on either side of the train.

There are examples of trucks traveling on rails in Europe as well, but on the old continent you can mostly meet them as track maintenance and overhead line service trucks. Of course, there is also a precedent on the old continent for a heavy category truck to be set up to pull freight wagons if they are equipped with additional wheels.