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Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
What is the significance of the MW-31?
What was the original purchase price?
What is a rail motorcar?
What is the history of Gas-Electric Motorcars?
What is the history of Great Northern 2313 – Montana Western 31?
What is the significance of GN 2313 – MW31?
What is the significance of Lemp Control System?
What are the GN 2313- MW31 Specifications?
What is the economy of GN 2313 compared with the steam-locomotive
train it replaced?
Who was Dr. Hermann Lemp (1862-1954)?
Who was Richard Dilworth ( 1885-1968)?
Who was Harold Lee Hamilton (1890-1969)?
What is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
History and Heritage Landmark?
What will the Great Northern 2313 – Montana Western 31 Plaque
say?
What is the Mid-Continent Railway Museum?
Who is the GN2313-MW31 Committee?
What is the significance of the MW-31?
Oldest surviving Gas-Electric Rail Motorcar with Lemp Control. Lemp
Control remains the control system used on all subsequent diesel-electric
locomotives with Direct Current traction motors
What was the original purchase price?
$35,338.24 - purchased by Great Northern from Electro-Motive Company.
$11,763.79 - purchased by Montana Western from Great Northern
What is a rail motorcar?
A single self-propelled car that contains areas with some or all combination
of: baggage, smoking section, passenger section, express, and Railway Post
Office (RPO).
Rail Motorcars were more economical in branchline service
where they replaced a regular steam locomotive and 1 or 2 car train.
What is the history of Gas-Electric Motorcars?
In the 1890s gas-electric and gas-mechanical railcars appeared after the
development of the gasoline engine and electric motors and generators.
Gas-electrics used a gasoline engine to turn a generator creating electricity.
This, in turn, drove traction motors directly geared to the axles.
Gas-electrics later evolved into the diesel electric
locomotives used today.
What is the history of Great Northern 2313 – Montana Western 31?
This car was built in 1925 by the Electro-Motive Company (EMC) with serial
number 130 – the 30th production car built. Sold to Great Northern,
it was used between Marcus, Washington and South Nelson, British Columbia.
Sold in 1939 by the Great Northern to Montana Western Railroad, it ran on
this 20-mile railroad between Conrad and Valier, Montana.
Reacquired in 1966 by the Great Northern, the car was donated to the
Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin.
Following initial restoration, the car was used in
occasional museum service until 1987
What is the significance of GN 2313 – MW31?
GN2313-MW31 retains many of its as-built features, includingthe original
type of gasoline engine and the original type of traction motors.
The exterior and interior closely match drawings and builder photos. The only substantial interior change appears to be the
seats that were changed to convert the original off-center 2-3 seating to a
provide a centered aisle.
GN 2313 – MW31 is the oldest surviving EMC rail motorcar with Lemp (the
inventor’s name) control.
What is the significance of Lemp Control System?
A gas-electric rail motorcar has an on-board generator whose size is limited
by both the rail car size and the need to maximize revenue space. The gasoline
engine turns at one of several preset speeds. The traction motors, geared to the
axle, turn at track speed.
To effectively bridge these disparate systems Dr.
Hermann Lemp developed a one-lever control system.
The engineer effectively set the speed of the gasoline engine and the
“Lemp control” system automatically adjusted the electric system to its
near-optimum value—keeping the engine from running too fast and wasting fuel
or running too slow and stalling.
The Lemp control system still is applied to all
diesel-electric locomotives having direct current traction motors.
What are the GN 2313- MW31 Specifications?
·
60 feet long, 10 feet wide, 32 tons
·
Car Body built by St. Louis Car Company
·
Winton Model 106-A 6 cylinder gasoline engine, 71/4 inch bore and 8 inch
stroke, 220 HP at 1000 RPM
·
General Electric Model 240-A 600 volt traction motors producing 110
horsepower on each of the front two axles.
What is the economy of GN 2313 compared with the steam-locomotive train it
replaced?
The operating cost in the first full month of service was about $1380.00,
with a cost of about $51.00 a trip and 28 cents per mile. These figures
represented a 56% savings in cost per month and per trip and a 50% savings in
cost per mile when compared with the costs of the steam-locomotive train it
replaced.
Who was Dr. Hermann Lemp (1862-1954)?
Dr. Herman Lemp invented the improved control system used on the
gas-electric car and on diesel-electric locomotives with direct current traction
motors. Dr. Lemp had over 200 patents involving everything from automobiles
(electric) to welding equipment,
including boats steam engines, and vacuum bottle thermostats. Dr. Lemp worked
first for Thomas Edison, and then for companies that merged into General
Electric. Later he worked on diesel-electric development at Ingersoll-Rand and,
in 1939-40, Dr. Lemp worked in railroad building at the New York World’s Fair.
Who was Richard Dilworth ( 1885-1968)?
Richard Dilworth was a machinist who became affiliated with General Electric
during their development of gas-electric rail motorcars. He later worked on
diesel engines and steam turbines. When G.E. returned to gas-electric cars, he
worked with many companies including Electro-Motive Company. EMC’s president
hired Dilworth as Chief Engineer. Dilworth led the development of early
diesel-electrics: such as the Pioneer Zephyr; the FT freight locomotive; and on
though the GP road switcher.
Who was Harold Lee Hamilton (1890-1969)?
Harold Lee Hamilton was a locomotive engineer on several railroads before
working for the White Motor Truck Company. While in their sales and service
department, he drew up plans for a gas-electric car. Both his railroad and
automotive sales and service experience guided him in developing a vastly
improved rail motorcar. The company he started was a storefront engineering firm
that contracted with Winton Engine, General Electric, and St. Louis Car Company
for the engine, control system, and car body, respectively. Hamilton’s rail
motorcar was very successful and led to the acquisition of his company by
General Motors—eventually becoming its Electro-Motive Division. EMD and GE are
now the two major U.S. locomotive manufacturers.
What is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) History and Heritage
Landmark?
What will the Great Northern 2313 – Montana Western 31 Plaque say?
HISTORIC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK
GREAT NORTHERN RY
2313 (MONTANA WESTERN 31)
GAS-ELECTRIC RAIL
MOTORCAR
1925
GREAT NORTHERN 2313, LATER MONTANA WESTERN 31, IS THE
OLDEST SURVIVING ELECTRO-MOTIVE CO (EMC) GAS-ELECTRIC RAIL MOTORCAR. THIS 32 TON
CAR RETAINS BOTH THE ORIGINAL WINTON ENGINE TYPE AND GENERAL ELECTRIC TRACTION
MOTOR TYPES. IT CONTAINS BAGGAGE AND PASSENGER SECTIONS, AND REDUCED OPERATING
COSTS BY FIFTY PERCENT OVER THE STEAM-LOCOMOTIVE TRAINS IT REPLACED.
THE EARLY EMC CARS MADE THE FIRST MAJOR USE OF HERMANN
LEMP’S CONTROL SYSTEM, TODAY USED ON DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES WITH DIRECT
CURRENT TRACTION MOTORS.
THE AMERICAN
SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
2003
What is the Mid-Continent Railway Museum?
Mid-Continent is an outdoor, living museum and operating railroad recreating
the small town/ short line way of life during the “Golden Age of
Railroading,” spanning the years 1880-1915. In addition to the GN 2313-MW31 gas-electric, the museum
has 12 steam locomotives (several under restoration) and an extensive wooden
passenger and freight car collection (as well as steel cars).
Who is the GN2313-MW31 Committee?
The GN 2313-MW31 committee that prepared the national nomination, brochure
and ceremony is composed of members of the Chicago, Fox Valley, and Rock River
Valley ASME sections, the ASME Rail Transportation Division, and the
Mid-Continent Railway Museum. The research made extensive use of material
collected by the Mid-Continent curator and other Mid-Continent member
volunteers.
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