Hall-Scott Motor Car Company was an American manufacturing company based in Berkeley, California . It was among the most significant builders of water-cooled aircraft engines before World War I .
41-417: The company was founded in 1910 by Californians Elbert J. Hall and Bert C. Scott to manufacture engines for automobiles and later expanded the production of engines for trucks and airplanes as well as gasoline-powered rail cars and locomotives. Hall was a mechanic and engine builder and Scott, Stanford University-educated, was the business executive. They produced their first rail car in 1909, which they sold to
82-470: A multiple-unit form, with one driver controlling all engines. However, it has previously been the practice for a railcar to tow a carriage or second, unpowered railcar. It is possible for several railcars to run together, each with its own driver (as practised on the former County Donegal Railway ). The reason for this was to keep costs down, since small railcars were not always fitted with multiple-unit control. There are also articulated railcars , in which
123-531: A body by American Car and Foundry , a Jacobs-Schupert boiler and a Ganz power truck in 1911. Numbered M-104, the experiment was a failure, and was not repeated. In 1904 the Automotor Journal reported that one railway after another had been realising that motor coaches could be used to handle light traffic on their less important lines. The North-Eastern railways had been experimenting “for some time” in this direction, and Wolseley provided them with
164-407: A dual-mode bus that can run on streets with rubber tires and on tracks with retractable train wheels. The term rail bus is also used at times to refer to a road bus that replaces or supplements rail services on low-patronage railway lines or a bus that terminates at a railway station (also called a train bus). This process is sometimes called bustitution . A UK company currently promoting
205-739: A fixed base, instead of running on bogies. Railbuses have been commonly used in such countries as the Czech Republic , France , Germany , Italy , Sweden , and the United Kingdom . A type of railbus known as a Pacer based on the Leyland National bus was still widely used in the United Kingdom until withdrawal in 2021. New Zealand railcars that more closely resembled railbuses were the Leyland diesel railcars and
246-423: A flat-four engine capable of up to 100 bhp (75 kW) for this purpose. The engine drove a main dynamo to power two electric drive motors, and a smaller dynamo to charge accumulators to power the interior lighting and allow electric starting of the engine. The controls for the dynamo allowed the coach to be driven from either end. For further details see 1903 Petrol Electric Autocar . Another early railcar in
287-667: A mixed-use paved recreational trail known as the Del Rio Trail project. In 1992, Railtown 1897 in Jamestown began operating under the museum. In recent years the museum has begun expanding their digital resources. Of note, the museum has several digital exhibits and a museum podcast Roundhouse Crosstalk . In addition to the rolling stock and exhibits on display, the California State Railroad Museum collects material relating to railroading in
328-462: A remarkable power-to-weight ratio for the era, using an overhead cam , overhead valves, hemispherical combustion chamber , and extensive use of aluminum. Their various engine types shared parts and dimensions, reducing cost. Hall helped Jesse G. Vincent of Packard design the famous Liberty airplane engine, which has a number of features that are discernibly Hall-Scott. It was initially called U.S.A Standardized Aircraft Engine. Even so, Hall-Scott
369-807: A single unit. Passengers may walk between the married pair units without having to open or pass through doors. Unit capacities range from 70 to over 300 seated passengers. The equipment is highly customisable with a wide variety of engine, transmission, coupler systems, and car lengths. Contrary to other parts of the world, in the United States these vehicles generally do not comply with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations and, therefore, can only operate on dedicated rights-of-way with complete separation from other railroad activities. This restriction makes it virtually impossible to operate them on existing rail corridors with conventional passenger rail service. Nevertheless, such vehicles may soon operate in
410-552: A train are, in technical rail usage, more usually called " rail motor coaches " or "motor cars" (not to be confused with the motor cars, otherwise known as automobiles, that operate on roads). The term is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit which consist of more than one coach. That is the general usage nowadays in Ireland when referring to any diesel multiple unit (DMU), or in some cases electric multiple unit (EMU). In North America
451-630: A variety of military products, including a tank retriever , the M-26/M-26A1 , and the Higgins boat ( LCVP ). Some post-World War II ACF-Brill buses manufactured in Philadelphia and purchased by Greyhound and Trailways were equipped with Hall-Scott engines. Its last all-new motor, the 590, came out in 1954. That year, ACF divested itself of Hall-Scott, which became independent as Hall-Scott, Inc. Annual engine sales remained below 1,000 in
SECTION 10
#1732776778527492-510: Is also located in the museum. Adjacent to the main museum building is a reconstruction of the 1870s-era Central Pacific Railroad passenger station and freight depot on Front Street, which houses historic and contemporary railroad equipment. In early 2011, the interior remained closed to public use, but is occasionally open for special events. Between April and October, the Sacramento Southern Railroad , operated by
533-730: Is at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. Railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car ) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western , termed such vehicles " railmotors " (or "rail motors"). Self-propelled passenger vehicles also capable of hauling
574-599: Is sparse, and where the use of a longer train would not be cost effective . A famous example of this in the United States was the Galloping Goose railcars of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad , whose introduction allowed the discontinuance of steam passenger service on the line and prolonged its life considerably. Railcars have also been employed on premier services. In New Zealand , although railcars were primarily used on regional services,
615-820: The Blue Streak and Silver Fern railcars were used on the North Island Main Trunk between Wellington and Auckland and offered a higher standard of service than previous carriage trains. In Australia , the Savannahlander operates a tourist service from the coastal town of Cairns to Forsayth , and Traveltrain operates the Gulflander between Normanton and Croydon in the Gulf Country of northern Queensland . William Bridges Adams built steam railcars at Bow, London in
656-811: The California Western Railroad . While early railcars were propelled by steam and petrol engines, modern railcars are usually propelled by a diesel engine mounted underneath the floor of the coach. Diesel railcars may have mechanical ( fluid coupling and gearbox ), hydraulic ( torque converter ) or electric ( generator and traction motors ) transmission. Electric railcars and mainline electric systems are rare, since electrification normally implies heavy usage where single cars or short trains would not be economic. Exceptions to this rule are or were found for example in Sweden or Switzerland . Some vehicles on tram and interurban systems, like
697-846: The Red Car of the Pacific Electric Railway , can also be seen as railcars. Experiments with battery-electric railcars were conducted from around 1890 in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. In the US, railcars of the Edison-Beach type, with nickel-iron batteries were used from 1911. In New Zealand, a battery-electric Edison railcar operated from 1926 to 1934. In Ireland, the Drumm Battery Train used nickel-zinc batteries on four 2-car sets between 1932 and 1946 on
738-581: The Wairarapa railcars that were specially designed to operate over the Rimutaka Incline between Wellington and the Wairarapa region. In Australia , where they were often called Rail Motors, railcars were often used for passenger services on lightly-used lines. In France they are known as autorails . Once very common, their use died out as local lines were closed. However, a new model has been introduced for lesser-used lines. In Canada , after
779-630: The Western U.S. . It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento, California. The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862. The "Sierra Scene" shows a large scale mockup of a construction scene high in the Sierra Nevada representing Donner Pass c. 1867 , featuring the locomotive Gov. Stanford . Other exhibits show how
820-694: The Yreka Railroad . In 1910, a factory was opened in Berkeley, California, with headquarters for a short time in San Francisco. The company built interurban electric railway cars for railroads such as the electrified Sacramento Northern , which ran trains from adjacent Oakland to Sacramento and Chico . The rail car business was slow, but some were sold as far away as China. In 1910, Hall-Scott also began manufacturing aircraft engines for commercial and military aviation. These engines possessed
861-497: The 1840s. Many British railway companies tried steam rail motors but they were not very successful and were often replaced by push-pull trains . Sentinel Waggon Works was one British builder of steam railcars. In Belgium , M. A. Cabany of Mechelen designed steam railcars. His first was built in 1877 and exhibited at a Paris exhibition. This may have been the Exposition Universelle (1878) . The steam boiler
SECTION 20
#1732776778527902-531: The 1950s, so the company sought revenue by purchasing a number of firms outside engine making. This had little effect on the bottom line, and so in 1958 Hall-Scott sold its engine division to Hercules Motors Corporation and closed the Berkeley plant. The final engines bearing the Hall-Scott name were produced by Hercules in Canton, Ohio, in the late 1960s. In 1960 Hall-Scott disappeared as a discrete company when
943-706: The UK was designed by James Sidney Drewry and made by the Drewry Car Co. in 1906. In 1908 the manufacture was contracted out to the Birmingham Small Arms Company . By the 1930s, railcars were often adapted from truck or automobiles; examples of this include the Buick - and Pierce-Arrow -based Galloping Geese of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad , and the Mack Truck -based "Super Skunk" of
984-601: The United States as manufacturers such as Siemens , Alstom and ADtranz affirm they may be able to produce FRA-compliant versions of their European equipment. Light regional railcars are used by a number of railroads in Germany, and also in the Netherlands , Denmark , Italy , United States and Spain . Models of new-generation multiple-unit and articulated railcars include: When there are enough passengers to justify it, single-unit powered railcars can be joined in
1025-751: The West. The museum's library and archives contain: The museum has its origins in 1937, when a group of railroad enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay Area formed the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society . This organization worked for years to promote the idea of a railroad museum, donating 30 historic locomotives and cars to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to be
1066-629: The battery. A new breed of modern lightweight aerodynamically designed diesel or electric regional railcars that can operate as single vehicles or in trains (or, in “multiple units”) are becoming very popular in Europe and Japan, replacing the first-generation railbuses and second-generation DMU railcars, usually running on lesser-used main-line railways and in some cases in exclusive lanes in urban areas. Like many high-end DMUs, these vehicles are made of two or three connected units that are semi-permanently coupled as “married pairs or triplets” and operate as
1107-609: The cessation of their mainline passenger service , BC Rail started operating a pair of railbuses to some settlements not easily accessible otherwise. In Russia , the Mytishchi -based Metrowagonmash firm manufactures the RA-1 railbus, equipped with a Mercedes engine. As of summer 2006, the Gorky Railway planned to start using them on its commuter line between Nizhny Novgorod and Bor . The term railbus also refers to
1148-450: The coastal and Harcourt Street railway lines . British Railways used lead–acid batteries in a railcar in 1958 . Between 1955 and 1995 DB railways successfully operated 232 DB Class ETA 150 railcars utilising lead–acid batteries . As with any other battery electric vehicle , the drawback is the limited range (this can be solved using overhead wires to recharge for use in places where there are not wires), weight, and/or expense of
1189-411: The ends of two adjacent coupled carriages are carried on a single joint bogie (see Jacobs bogie ). A variation of the railcar is the railbus : a very lightweight type of vehicle designed for use specifically on lightly-used railway lines and, as the name suggests, sharing many aspects of their construction with those of a road bus . They usually have a bus, or modified bus, body and four wheels on
1230-474: The flywheel of each car as it stops. The term "railcar" has also been used to refer to a lightweight rail inspection vehicle (or draisine ). [REDACTED] The dictionary definition of railcar at Wiktionary California State Railroad Museum The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the California State Parks system that interprets the role of railroads in
1271-442: The influence of railroads changed American society, influencing travel, commerce and daily life, as well as the lives of railroaders and the diversity of people who work on railroads. Changing exhibits featuring photography, ephemera, and artifacts from the museum's collection, add depth and incidental information to the overall story of railroad history. The museum has an extensive educational program for elementary students from across
Hall-Scott - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-743: The museum, takes passengers on a 40-minute, 6-mile (9.7 km) roundtrip route along the Sacramento River on a portion of the Walnut Grove branch of the former Southern Pacific Railroad . The Sacramento Southern Railroad owns the Walnut Grove Branch right-of-way that extends south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River. Past plans for the excursion ride included expansion on its former right of way to Hood, CA , but were scrapped in favor of
1353-743: The non-engine division of the company merged with Dubois Holding Company. Two Hall-Scott interurban coaches from the former Sacramento Northern Railroad (serial numbers 1019 and 1020) are at the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista, California . The 1020 is restored to its original coach/trailer configuration. Nevada Copper Belt 21 (1910 100 hp) is stored "serviceable" at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The body of Nevada Copper Belt 22 (ex Salt Lake & Utah 503 1913 150 hp)
1394-669: The nucleus of a State-operated museum in Sacramento. The museum's first facility, the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, opened in 1976. The Railroad History Museum was completed in 1981. Steam-powered passenger train service on the Sacramento Southern Railroad began in 1984, with the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot opening three years later. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown
1435-657: The present day. This work was done in Berkeley, suggesting that Hall may have used his company's resources. In 1925, the company was purchased by American Car and Foundry , which used its engines in its buses and boats. 1931 saw the introduction of the Invader marine engine, one of the firm's most famous and important products. The company survived the Depression and then attained its highest production rates and employment numbers in World War II by building engines for
1476-412: The railbus concept is Parry People Movers . Locomotive power is from the energy stored in a flywheel . The first production vehicles, designated as British Rail Class 139 , have a small onboard LPG motor to bring the flywheel up to speed. In practice, this could be an electric motor that need only connect to the power supply at stopping points. Alternatively, a motor at the stopping points could wind up
1517-480: The region to help them learn about railroad history using re-enactments, costumed docents, and including train and handcar rides. The roundhouse area of the museum features a rotating display of locomotives and equipment belonging to the museum. When not on display, these items are stored and worked on at the nearby Sacramento Railyards in the remaining buildings that were part of the original Southern Pacific Shop complex. A large 3-rail O scale model train layout
1558-696: The term "railcar" has a much broader sense and can be used (as an abbreviated form of "railroad car") to refer to any item of hauled rolling-stock, whether passenger coaches or goods wagons (freight cars). Self-powered railcars were once common in North America; see Doodlebug (rail car) . In its simplest form, a "railcar" may also be little more than a motorized railway handcar or draisine . Railcars are economic to run for light passenger loads because of their small size, and in many countries are often used to run passenger services on minor railway lines, such as rural railway lines where passenger traffic
1599-476: The valve system of Duesenberg racing engines and developed new cam lobe profiles that improved engines' reliability and power output. His research provided an understanding of the importance of the gradual opening and closing of valves and the effect this had on valve spring durability in high-speed engines. The designs he specified gave Duesenberg an immediate advantage and were quickly copied and applied to all high-speed engines using poppet valves, which continued to
1640-581: Was supplied by the Boussu Works and there was accommodation for First, Second and Third-class passengers and their luggage. There was also a locker for dogs underneath. Fifteen were built and they worked mainly in the Hainaut and Antwerp districts. The Austro-Hungarian Ganz Works built steam trams prior to the First World War. The Santa Fe Railway built a steam powered rail car using
1681-525: Was too small to participate in the manufacture of the Liberties. Around 1921, Hall-Scott dropped its aero engine and rail car product lines, and expanded into building engines for tractors, trucks, boats, and stationary applications. The firm produced several hundred thousand two-speed rear axles, the Ruckstell Axle, for Ford's Model T through the mid-1920s. In 1921, E. J. Hall began developing