FWD motor coaches

N.J.Pull

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company of Clintonville Wisconsin,commonly known as FWD, was a major manufacturer of Army trucks during the First World War. By 1920, a few of the 20,000 FWD trucks in service had been converted to rail use by the railroads. In 1920 the company decided to enter the field with a factory converted rail truck. It was a standard truck with minimal changes. This allowed other FWD chassis to be converted locally. On the other hand, when the railroads got better equipment or got tired of the bone jarring ride or unreliability under this strenuous use, they could be reconverted to road use. By 1924, FWD was out of the business of making motor cars but continued making trucks and buses.

This standard 1920 model was 26' long, had a 156" wheelbase weighed 7,200 pounds. The 4 cylinder 42 h.p. Wisconsin engine could propel it up to 25 m.p.h. on its 36" wooden spoked wheels. These earlier FWDs had wooden bodies. By 1923, steel bodies were offered on a basically unchanged chassis. Unlike most other motor coaches or motor coach chassis, the FWD could carry (and use) M.C.B.A. couplers at both ends.

On level track, the FWD could pull two lightly loaded standard sized flat cars. The wooden wheels were the same for road or rail use. The demountable solid rubber tires and rims were easily replaced with flanged chilled iron rims. Many of the Motor cars without bodies were "home conversions" of road going trucks.

They could be used to haul timber or even as a hostler (see below), if the loads were kept light. The lack of a body, addition of a steering wheel and the acetylene lamp indicate that this model is probably a railroad conversion of a pre-1920 model.

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