In the mid 1920’s paved roads and automobiles were “drying up” local and branch line railroad passenger traffic. In an effort to save this branch line service, some roads turned to gasoline powered rail motor cars. The New York Central Lines first purchased some of these in 1906, 1907 and again in 1912. All were unsuccessful.
Following an initial Big Four motor car purchase in 1923, the New York Central ushered in a new gas powered era in 1925 when it bought about eighteen units. They were delivered in several configurations of passenger, baggage and mail arrangements and from several manufacturers. There were passenger trailers built for use with the baggage and mail cars on the Big Four and New York Central. The New York Central continued to buy larger and more powerful cars through 1931, ultimately owning over thirty motor cars and trailers.
All but five of the cars purchased in 1925 were gas-mechanical cars [i.e. the gas engine drove a mechanical clutch and gear arrangement.] Five cars of this lot were the New York Central’s first gas-electrics.
One of these cars was constructed by the J.G. Brill Company for the Big Four and the remaining four came from the St. Louis Car Company [bodies] and the frames were constructed by the Electro Motive Corporation for the Cincinnati Northern. These four cars were of the mail-baggage floor plan without passenger compartments. They were to pull passenger trailers. The Cincinnati Northern cars were numbered M-100 to M-103. In 1937 when the Big Four equipment was renumbered into the New York Central sequence, they became M-M-201 to M-203 and were retired in December of 1949. Car M-100 does not seem to have made the 1937 renumbering for some reason.
When branch line passenger service began to decline about 1930, some of these cars went to other New York Central routes including the Fort Wayne Indiana to Jackson, Michigan run on the Lansing division. Post 1937 renumbering photographs show the M-203 at Clyde, Ohio and the M-202 at Fort Wayne, Indiana.
There is no doubt that these cars were economical to operate when compared to a steam engine and several cars fully manned. The downfall for these came in their dependability which was at best poor. The gas-electrics were a sort of band aid use on branch lines and in some cases staved off abandonment for a while.
FROM NEW YORK CENTRAL’S LATER POWER, 1919-1968 by ALVIN STAUFFER AND EDWARD L. MAY
MOTORCAR M-103 RAN ON THE CINCINNATI NORTHERN IN THE TWENTIES, REPLACING SCHEDULED PASSENGER TRAINS WHERE PASSENGER SERVICE HAD BEEN REDUCED TO THE POINT THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER PROFITABLE.
MANUFACTURED BY THE BRILL COMPANY IT OPERATED WITH A SIX CYLINDER, 250 HORSEPOWER GAS ENGINE RUNNING TWO WESTINGHOUSE 557 ELECTRIC MOTORS.
NICKNAMED ‘DOODLEBUG’ THE M-103 WAS A COMBINATION PASSENGER, BAGGAGE AND RPO
Bill Edson collection
Like many of the earlier cars. M-3 was gas-mechanical drive. In this system, power was transmitted to the two driving axles, via a five speed, hand shifted transmission. From all accounts, they were real bears to operate. Consider all the starting, stopping, and shifting on the average plug run. — Bill Edson collection
M203 gas electric taking mail at Clyde OH. in the mid 1930’s. Prime mover is one Winton 6 cyl. gas engine with 7.5 inch bore and 8.5 inch stroke and rated at 275 horse power.
Bob Lorens collection
M-202, Lot 986, sits by a building that may be the old Ft. Wayne, Indiana engine-house. 202 is identical to M-203 on facing page with single end control. These baggage-mail cars were designed to be coupled with trailers.
— M.D. McCarter
Cincinnati Northern Gas-Electrics compiled by Tom Overton
From New York Central System Later Power, 1910-1968 by Alvin Stauffer and Edward L. May
In the mid 20’s paved roads and automobiles were “drying up” local and branch line railroad passenger traffic. In an effort to save branch line service, some roads turned to gasoline powered rail motor cars. The New York Central Lines first purchased gas cars in 1906,1907 and 1912. All were unsuccessful.
Following an initial Big Four motor car purchase in 1923, the New York Central Lines ushered in a new gas era in 1925 with the purchase of some 18 units. They were in various combinations of passenger, baggage and mail arrangements, and from several different manufacturers. There were some trailers built for use with mail-baggage cars. Most of the units were built for the New York Central or Big Four. The New York Central Lines continued to buy larger and more powerful cars through 1931 ultimately owning more than 30 motor cars plus passenger trailers.
All but five of the 1925 cars were gas-mechanical cars [the gasoline engine drove through a mechanical clutch and gear arrangement]. These five were the New York Central Lines first gas-electric cars.
According to the following chart, one was built by J.G. Brill for the Big Four and four were built by the St. Louis Car Co. for the Cincinnati Northern. The Cincinnati Northern cars were mail-baggage cars without passenger compartments and were expected to pull trailers. [NOTE] The chart is misleading in that the four cars were the product of the Electro-Motive Corp. St. Louis built the car bodies and supplied the trucks to Electro-Motive.
The Cincinnati Northern cars were numbered M-100, M-101, M-102 and M-103. In 1937 when Big Four equipment was renumbered into New York Central’s sequence, M-101, M-101, M-102 and M-103 became New York Central M-201, M-202 and M-203. These three cars were retired in December of 1949. M-100 does not appear to have been renumbered in 1937, perhaps it was not operating by then.
With the ending of some branch line passenger service about 1930, some of the gas-electric cars were used on some lesser main lines, including Fort Wayne to Jackson on the then Lansing Division of the New York Central. Photos after the 1937 renumbering show the M-203 at Clyde, Ohio and M-202 at Fort Wayne.
From Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years by Louis A. Mane, Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1995
Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corp. GM purchased Electro-Motive Corp. [EMC] which designed and sold gas-electric cars in 1930. At the same time, GM purchased the Winton Engine Co., GM’s chief supplier of gasoline engines, and a builder of diesel engines. GM began to market standard diesel switchers and passenger locomotives through these subsidiaries in 1935. On January 1, 1941 Electro-Motive Corp. and Winton Engine were fully merged into General Motors Corp., and became the Electro- Motive Division [EMD].
From Model Railroader Cyclopedia Kalmback Publishing third edition, 1947
Plans reproduced here are for the Cincinnati Northern gas-electric car M-100. All four Cincinnati Northern cars were identical. This plan was first published in Model Railroader magazine in 1936. It has numerous errors, including wrong truck locations [the EMC cars had the front truck much closer to the front of the can, the location of the RPO and baggage doors and windows appears wrong based on photos. The trucks in the drawing are Brill 27 MCB, while the EMC cars had St. Louis 23 EM trucks. Rivet spacing also appears wrong. The drawing shows a fish-belly underframe, something that would not have been used on a gas- electric car, where light weight construction was required. Many other things also appear wrong.
Model Craftsman magazine date unknown
The plan reproduced is the first EMC gas-electric car built in 1924 for the Chicago Great Western. Although the car is a passenger car, it appears to be very similar to the 1925 Cincinnati Northern mail baggage cars in length and general appearance. The trucks are the correct St. Louis Car Co. trucks. The 1925 Cincinnati Northern cars had a curved housing [air duct?] behind the head light with cooling pipes curving up ward over it. [not on the CGW car] that was typical of EMC cars built for several years. The drawing of the later [1928] GM&O car shows this.
Primitive gas-electric and companion trailer built by Wason of Springfield, Mass., and General Electric in 1912. This is the earliest application of engine-electric drive that we are aware of.
8 cylinder gasoline engine drove generator which powered two axle hung traction motors. It was tested for 3 years in local service out of Pittsburgh then sold to Hawkinsville & Florida Southern. — Bill Edson collection
Lot 973 – Double unit outfit consisting of mail & baggage car, M-101 and passenger trailer, 0-1, built by J.G. Brill Co. of Philadelphia, Pa. 1925. M-101 was 50’10” long, 12’4″ high and sported a mechanical transmission. Neat, straight forward looking unit.
Bill Edson collection
New York Central identified all motor cars, Multiple Units and passenger cars by Lot numbers, which were basically groups as ordered with units of a given ‘Lot’ being identical or nearly so. M-3 was one of 4 built by J.G. Brill Co. in 1925 which made up Lot Like many of the earlier cars, M-3 was gas-mechanical drive. In this system, power was transmitted to the two driving axles, via a five speed, hand shifted transmission.
From all accounts, they were real bears to operate. Consider ail the starting, stopping, and shifting on the average plug run. — Bill Edson collection
M-202, Lot 986, sits by a building that may be the old Ft. Wayne, Indiana engine-house. 202 is identical to M-203 with single end control. These bag gage-mail cars were designed to be coupled with trailers. M.D. McCarter
First Gas Electric Rail Car built by Eletro-Motive Co. 1924
Guide to Fig. Nos. om Floor Plan
1. Compressor
2. Engine & Generator
3. Motor and Radiator Tubes
4. Baggage Room
5. Folding Seat
6. Heater
7. Smoking Compartment (15 Passenger)
8. 29 Passenger Compartment
9. Seat
10. Toilet
Little did the builders of steam locomotives realize back in 1924 that the small gas electric car built by an almost unknown company, would spell doom for them all. This car was built for the Chicago Great Western Railroad and saw many miles of service before a fire ended her career. What Rail Museum of today would give its eye tooth to have her!
The car body was of steel construction and had single windows, but was designed to receive additional storm windows. The power plant consisted of a six-cyl. 175 hp. gasoline engine, directly connected to a 110-kw. 700-volt generator, which supplied power to two railway motors mounted on a power truck of the high speed electric railway type, built with A.R.A. journals and bearings and equipped with two 103-hp. G.E. railway motors mounted directly on the axles of the truck. The car had sufficient power to pull a standard 30 ton coach and make schedule speed In average branch line service.
A sister car built at the same time for the Northern Pacific Railroad. had a larger passenger compartment 159 people) and therefore a smaller baggage room.