CG #66 - 1913 Muller Falkiner Road Train

[Craig Gillingham]

I hope this one isn't too obscure. For a point tell me the year and name of this vehicle.

[Bill Murray]

Daimler-Renard Road Train ca. 1910??

[Craig Gillingham]

Daimler-Renard Road Train ca. 1910??

Bill, you like tackling the tough ones...

No, sorry it isn't a Daimler-Renard. However, it was known as a road train, and it's a bit newer than 1910.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Craig:

Possible course correction so I do not spend too much time in the wrong hemisphere.

Road Train it is I think.

Road Trains existed primarily in Australia and South Africa according to my Google research.

Looking at various Australian State Record Museum Photographic Records, it looks like a
Road Train hauling grain.

Am I anywhere close??

[Craig Gillingham]

Bill, you're on the right track. This one was in Australia, except it's hauling wool bales. It was bought mainly for that purpose.

[Craig Gillingham]

Up to Expert level.

[RayTheRat]

This is the only verbiage I've been able to find relating to the electric road train from 1915: "Road train with load of wool for Echuca (Vic). It travelled at 4 miles per hour. Imported by F.S. Falkiner, the electric truck remained at 'Wanganella' for some years."

I found a large image of it (I shrunk it a little for posting...wasn't hard...all I had to do was wash the wool in hot water and it shrank all by itself.    )

[Craig Gillingham]

Excellent work. LOCKED for you to tell me the name of the vehicle and when it was built. RS Falkiner (FS is a mistake in that photo), was the owner, and you'll be able to find the rest of the details from there. It's a little bit older than 1915.

[RayTheRat]

I've found Austro-Daimler as the manufacturer and the date is less clear, although 1908 seems to be the date when the A-Zug was built...I'm assuming this is an A-zug variant.

I found this info which might be a little familiar: "The vehicle had two 125hp 6 cylinder engines that each drove a dynamo. There were 10 trailers originally, each trailer had an electric motor on each axle."

[Craig Gillingham]

I've found Austro-Daimler as the manufacturer and the date is less clear, although 1908 seems to be the date when the A-Zug was built...I'm assuming this is an A-zug variant.

Unfortunately, none of this is correct.

I found this info which might be a little familiar: "The vehicle had two 125hp 6 cylinder engines that each drove a dynamo. There were 10 trailers originally, each trailer had an electric motor on each axle."

However, this part is correct. It used two 125hp Austro-Daimler aero engines (one at the front, one at the back of the traction engine), both driving generators. I'm not 100% sure who built this machine, but I have a fair idea. Austro-Daimler made the engines, but that was all. I'm looking for a name (named after the designer), and the year (between 1910-15). As a clue the designer also wrote a book on Road Trains, except it wasn't in English.

Still LOCKED for you, as you're close to solving this puzzle.

[RayTheRat]

"Invented" by a Major W. A. Muller, brought to Australia at the end of 1913.

"An article from the Cairns Post dated June 7 1946, describes the importation of a German electric road train, designed by one Major W.A. Muller, and acquired by the famous grazier, R.S. Falkiner.

There are a number of records of this petrol-electric road train, which was chosen by its importer, to be re-exported, to avoid the payment of huge import duties.
However, before this could come about, the road train was destroyed by fire.

GERMAN ROAD TRAIN
HISTORIC EVENT RECALLED
DIFFICULTIES IN AUSTRALIA.

The death of Mr. R. S. Falkiner (N.S.W.), a well-known member of one of Australia's pioneer sheep-breeding families and at one time partner to the motor business of the late C. B. Kellow (Vic), recalls to mind, says the Dunlop Bulletin, some interesting details of a remarkable road train which Mr. Falkiner landed in Victoria from Germany at the end of 1913.

When the "Muller" train was assembled in Melbourne, its hugeness and completeness amazed motorists, for nothing like it, had been seen in any part of the world except the land of its birth, Germany, where ten similar motor trains had been built for the army.
Only great wealth and influence enabled Falkiner to obtain possession of the train, as the German authorities were not too favorably disposed toward allowing it to leave their country.
However, the unique road train reached Melbourne in charge of its inventor, Major W. A. Muller, who came out to demonstrate what it could do under Australian conditions.

An idea of the cost of the outfit may be gathered from the fact that the Federal Customs authorities wanted to collect £4700 duty, which would have brought the landed cost to about £17,000.

The train consisted of a huge motor van and ten trucks, the propelling power being obtained from two 125 h p. six-cylinder Austrian-Daimler (this is supposed to be Austro-Daimler) engines, the power units being located one in front of the van and the other at the back.

Each engine had two carburetors and two magnetos. The engines of giant size 1120 mm. bore and 220 mm. stroke) were coupled up with, and drove, a huge dynamo which, in turn, supplied a direct electric current to propel the train, weighing 43½ tons unloaded, at any pace up to 18 m.p.h. when empty, and from 4 to 10 m.p.h. when loaded.   

The train was not drawn by the motor van, each truck being independently driven by two electric motors, one to each axle and pair of wheels - the electric current being drawn from the dynamo in the van, which was propelled in the same manner as the truck. All wheels ran on ball bearings.

The power element of each unit of the train was equivalent to about 25 h.p. The tractor weighed 8½ tons and each truck 3½ tons. The driving power was transmitted from each electric motor through a differential gear, thence by chains to the road wheels.

The length of the train, with its ten trucks, was 318 feet. Trucks could be detached and the train could be made up as desired. When the train was running light under favorable conditions, an automatic governor cut out one set of engines. The petrol consumption ranged from 1½ to 2 gallons a mile according to load, road surface and gear in use.

REMARKABLE STEERING.

A remarkable feature of the "Muller" was its steering. The driver handled the steering wheel and as the train moved off, every pair of wheels followed to exactly the same track as the front wheels of the motor van. This enabled the outfit to trail about snake-like, and it could be turned to any ordinary street.

The wooden wheels - 3ft. 6in, high were strengthened by heavy steel bands and fitted with 10 inch iron tyres, and when the electric power was applied, twenty two pairs of wheels were simultaneously set to motion and the train moved off without a jolt.

In the event of the motor van getting bogged on bush tracks, etc., all that had to be done was to reverse the electric motors and the trucks drew the heavy van back on to solid ground again.

Each truck was designed to carry 6 tons of freight, making a total of 60 tons. The train was manned by one driver and an assistant.
Effective electric brakes were fitted to each of the 32 motors and, in addition, there was a supplementary hand-operated brake system acting on the iron-tyred wheels.

It was when traveling in Germany that Mr. Falkiner heard of the remarkable results that had been obtained with the "Muller" outfit over rough terrain during German military manoeuvres, and conceived the idea of utilizing such a train in connection with some of his pastoral properties for transport of wool, stores, etc.

Overcoming many difficulties, he not only succeeded in buying a "Muller" train, but induced its inventor to journey to Australia and demonstrate its capabilities for transport work outback.

Its first long trip, with 60 tons of stores aboard, was from Melbourne to Wagga (N.S.W.) - a run of 377 miles. Some stretches of the highway were in an appalling condition, and fitted only for bullock wagons.
The trip was tackled in mid-summer and before 140 miles had been traveled, it was apparent that the water-cooling system of the engines was never designed to cope with the intense summer heat (100°F, in the shade) that was encountered on the trip.
The engines overheated frequently and the train was held up each time until they cooled off.

Weak wooden bush culverts en route also caused trouble. They were not constructed to withstand such heavy loads. However, the train duly reached its destination, and subsequently made several long trips into drought-stricken areas.

In the meantime, negotiations were going on between Falkiner and the Customs authorities relative to the amount of duty to be paid on the outfit.
Rather than pay the amount claimed (£700), "R.S." decided to ship the train out of the country. Then World War I broke, but not before Major Muller and his assistant had cleared out of the country.
Eventually the train was brought back to Melbourne, but fate decided that it was not to leave Australia, for it was destroyed by fire."

Interesting story...but I've never heard of a sheep farmer called a "grazier."  Sounds like someone who creates windows from grass rather than glass.   

[Craig Gillingham]

Ray, perfect answer. It's the Muller Falkiner Road Train built in 1913. I'm sure it was the only one built. I know it was built in Germany, I'm not sure by whom, I think Muller, but I could be wrong. W.A. Muller wrote a book in 1907 titles "Der Automobil-Zug". I remember seeing other Road Trains he had been involved with, but can't find the references, now.

Also, there is also this part to the story;
After the Melbourne demonstration, it was decided to test out the capabilities of the train, and it was loaded with 60 tons of merchandise for Wagga (278 miles) via Albury, a route which then embraced some of the most atrocious tracks and rutted roads imaginable. The time was mid-summer.

The train started away in command of its inventor, but only reached its destination after many tribulations. The major trouble arose from the fact that instead of fitting larger engines as ordered and paid for, the German manufacturers had altered engines originally designed to run at 900 r.p.m., to "rev" up to 1,500 r.p.m.

With a gross load of 100 tons to haul, if was not long before engine troubles ensued, for the reciprocating parts were not strong enough to stand up to the work.
However, the train eventually crossed the border and reached its destination, but not before a mild sensation happened. Major Muller and his assistants abandoned the train and "cleared-out", just about a fortnight before the war cloud burst. The German Intelligence Department had done its work well.
Whilst the Major succeeded in getting out of Australia before the declaration of war, his less fortunate assistants were traced and interned.

The train was left stranded, but was manned, and despite continual engine troubles, it demonstrated its wonderful adaptability tor transport work outback.
At the termination of the Great War, negotiations were opened up through the Enemy Debts Council, in respect to the non-fulfilment of the conditions of sale, but the whole venture ended in smoke when the building in which the train was stored, but not insured, was burnt to the ground. Thus ended an enterprise which cost Mr. Falkiner £30,000.

Interesting story...but I've never heard of a sheep farmer called a "grazier."  Sounds like someone who creates windows from grass rather than glass.

A grazier is a term used in Australia for a sheep (or cattle) farmer who usually owns many acres. It's an old English term, and still used occasionally.

[Otto Puzzell]

What a way to pull the wool

[RayTheRat]

What a way to pull the wool

LOL!  That was quite an interesting puzzle and search.  Seems like it had some great ideas and potential.  One can only wonder what would have happened if it had worked properly from the start and been further developed.  History is stranger than fiction.

Thanks for a good one, Craig.

RtR

[Bill Murray]

Great job, Ray!!!

I spent about 4 hours on this one and now I know way too much about early 20th Century Road Trains
in Australia.  I must have looked at 3-400 photos of steam tractors and I was looking for a gasoline
powered tractor.  Never thought of an electric tractor.

I believe the term you were thinking about, BTW, is glazier.

[RayTheRat]

Great job, Ray!!!

I spent about 4 hours on this one and now I know way too much about early 20th Century Road Trains
in Australia.  I must have looked at 3-400 photos of steam tractors and I was looking for a gasoline
powered tractor.  Never thought of an electric tractor.

I believe the term you were thinking about, BTW, is glazier.

Thanks, Bill.  I put about the same into it.  Ironically, I found the image, but there wasn't sufficient info to solve the puzzle, hence the multiple attempts.

Re: glazier.  I made another feeble attempt at humor, since the word "grazier" reminded me of "glazier"...and I could just picture someone trying to make a window from grass rather than glass.  Speaking of ironically, the difference between grazier and glazier and grass and glass is a single letter.  I gotta send that to my oldest son who writes puzzles on Funtrivia.  Or maybe I'm just goofier than usual from insomnia and other stress.

RtR