The Dracar was a self-propelled gasoline
railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or 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 coa ...
built by the
Drake Railway Automotrice Company in the early 20th century.
Design
The Dracar
was long and could be operated from either end. The engine compartment occupied the front , followed by a
baggage
Baggage, or luggage, consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, tr ...
compartment, and then two passenger sections. As delivered to the
Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway, the Dracar was built with a removable partition to
segregate black and white passengers. The white or "first class" section could seat 30; the "colored" section 14. Both sections contained a restroom.
The design was based on cars built by the
French Westinghouse company for the
Arad-Csanad Railway in
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
.
The
St Louis Car Company manufactured the car bodies and
trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
.
The car was designed for operation; its maximum speed was .
Drake also designed a larger type with a maximum capacity of 73 passengers. This car was powered by a engine.
History
The
Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway took delivery of several Dracars and employed them on runs. Examples included
Muskogee–
Henryetta, Oklahoma
Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,640 at the 2020 census.
History
Hugh Henry established a ranch on Creek Nation land in 1885. He soon found a deposit of coal, which he began using to fuel th ...
,
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. It serves as the capital of the Choctaw Nation, and is the largest settlement on the reservation, ranking ahead of McAlester and Po ...
–
Denison, Texas
Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States, south of the Texas–Oklahoma border. Its population was 24,479 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 22,682 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Denison is pa ...
, and Muskogee–
Wagoner, Oklahoma
Wagoner is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,323 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census,CensusViewer: Population of the City of Wagoner, Oklahoma. Retrieved March 16, 201/ref> ...
.
By 1913 the MO&G had acquired five cars. Fuel efficiency was . Each Dracar had a crew of three: motorman, flagman, and conductor.
See also
*
Doodlebug (rail car)
Doodlebug or hoodlebug is a nickname in the United States for a type of self-propelled railcar most commonly configured to carry both passengers and freight, often dedicated baggage, mail or express, as in a combine. The term has been used in ...
References
External links
* {{commonscat-inline, Dracar
Train-related introductions in 1912
Railcars of the United States
Rail transportation in Oklahoma