Trackmobile Through the Years.

Learn about our company’s storied history by scrolling through our Trackmobile timeline.

1948

Trackmobile was founded by ex-Navy fighter pilot Marshall Hartelius under the ownership of the Whiting Corporation. With an in-plant locomotive constantly getting stuck on the tracks, Hartelius was determined to find a better solution for moving materials and equipment. His first successful prototype, the “Mule”, went to work in the factory in 1948.

1950

The “Mule” was an immediate success. Railcar movement was accomplished in a fraction of the time required by their locomotive. It also consumed little fuel, required little maintenance, and dramatically lowered operating costs. In 1950, Hartelius loaded the Mule on to a trailer to see if other plants would be interested. Since that day, more than 11,000 Trackmobile units have been put into service in more than 60 countries.

1957

The popularity of Trackmobiles expanded, as did the need for additional features and the performance required. The 5TM was the first model to have a fully enclosed cab. It could be powered by gas or diesel engine, with a power shift transmission-geared rail drive. It also featured a single weight transfer coupler.

1967

With the introduction of the 7TM Trackmobile, the use of radio remote control became an in-demand option. The 7TM featured a larger deck area and was more suitable for mounting the control boxes for the remote control. Remote control equipment has continued to be an important asset for the rail car mover industries. Units today have miniaturized to in dash wiring, antennas, and, small handheld controls with LCD display.

1968

Major refinements to the 7TM were made and the 9TM was launched with fresh, new, and revolutionary engineering concepts. Many of these concepts are being mimicked and advanced in today’s current designs.

1969

Trackmobile's unique, flexible, and powerful capabilities proved to be a perfect fit for the needs of the Ringling Brother's Circus. In the late 60's, Trackmobile teamed up with the circus to produce a brochure that demonstrated Trackmobiles' agility. This brochure was a colorful and fun spin in the rail car moving industry and featured many of the beloved Ringling stars on its pages.

1980

Having outgrown the Whiting plant in Harvey, Illinois, Trackmobile moved its manufacturing plant to LaGrange, Georgia as a separate division.

1987

Through an acquisition by the Marmon Group, Trackmobile was merged into Marmon Transmotive, which produced a similar railcar mover branded as Switchmaster. The two companies combined under the Trackmobile brand we know today.

1992

Tapping into new technology, Trackmobile engineers integrated a microprocessor controlled system in the Radio Remote Control. It could be built into the machine's control panel at the time of manufacture or packaged as an aftermarket option. Enhanced versions of the Radio Remote Control System continue to be one of the most popular safety options to date.

1996

Newly patented options MAX-Tran and MAX-Trac were invented as a direct result of perfecting the Radio Remote Control System. MAX-Tran allows for automatic weight transfer during operation, while MAX-Tran provides automatic traction control.

1997

During this time of innovation, the Magnum series of Trackmobiles was developed. Consisting of the 3050M, 4150TM, 4250TM, 4350TM, 4650TM, 4750TM, and 4850TM, the Magnum series models were produced until early 2010.

1998

To enhance rail yard safety, Trackmobile introduced a pocket-size remote control that allowed ground personnel to activate the Trackmobile train air brake system when needed.

2003

When ready on demand is a must, Trackmobile is the name that United Launch Alliance engineers trust. Originally purchasing three 4850 TMs to move the Atlas V rocket from the vertical integration facility to launch complex 41, they're still in use today. Chosen for their steel wheel design and Trackmobile's exclusive MAX-Tran® weight transfer management and MAX-Trac® slip control systems, operator teams were able to precisely synchronize and optimize power delivery and traction. The 180-foot long, 17-foot diameter rocket rides on a transporter erector system and is raised hydraulically from a horizontal position to a vertical launch position. Trackmobile does its part by attaching to the erector system and moving the whole consist to the launch pad.

2004

To better serve our distribution network, Trackmobile separated its parts group in to a separate business unit. Trackmobile Parts Group (TPG) is dedicated to supporting the authorized Trackmobile Distributor network with authentic Trackmobile aftermarket parts.

2005

In 2005, Trackmobile rolled out its top of the line new model, the Titan. As the highest capacity model, the Titan is designed for more rugged and higher duty cycle applications. The Hercules followed in 2006 as a midrange capacity model filling the needs of nearly half of rail material handling customers. Rounding out the series, the Viking was introduced in 2007 as the smallest, most nimble of the series with a four-cylinder engine, sized for optimal fuel efficiency and high-idle rate.

2006

Staying ahead of the curve, the CanBus controlled electronics were incorporated into each of the new models, affording greater operator safety features and machine protection controls.

Also in 2006, a new pivoting mainframe was introduced on the Titan models, offering increased traction on rough tracks.

2008

The Marmon Group announced in 2008 that a majority interest of their stock was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Warren Buffet company.

2016

In response to the needs of rail shippers, Trackmobile engineers developed the patent pending Ad-Trac option for the Titan model. This technology features a hydrostatically-driven third axle that is fitted with solid material proprietary rail tires. It more efficiently utilizes the engines excess available horsepower by rerouting it through its hydrostatic system, creating up to 15% more tractive effort. Once activated, the axle is automatically lifted and lowered as needed with no operator intervention required.

2018

The Atlas is designed for applications requiring greater tractive effort due to unfavorable application conditions or applications requiring longer strings of railcars to be moved. Offering 44,000 lbs of single coupled tractive effort and 60,200 Ibs when double coupled, the Atlas not only offers the capacity to meet requirements, but also offers state-of-the-art operator comfort, ease-of-use, and includes many options as standard.

Space Exploration.

Trackmobile has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with the aerospace industry. In 2000, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that provides spacecraft launch services for NASA, bought three Trackmobile railcar movers. The three Trackmobile machines were 4850TM model railcar movers, which they named Larry, Curly, and Moe. The Trackmobile railcar movers were notably responsible for rolling out the Atlas V rocket for its successful May 13, 2003 launch from Cape Canaveral, FL. This was the second successful Atlas V boost using the Trackmobile model 4850TM mobile railcar movers.

The 4850TM machines were chosen to roll the spacecraft from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to Launch Complex 41. Lockheed Martin engineers responsible for the design of the mobile launch platform and rolling it to the launch pad considered competitive railcar moving equipment. After extensive analyses and tests, they chose the Trackmobile model 4850TM because of its steel wheel design and availability of Trackmobile’s exclusive Max-Tran® weight transfer management and Max-Trac wheel slip control systems. Using these microprocessor-based systems, operator teams were able to precisely synchronize and optimize power delivery and traction.

The 4850TM Trackmobile machines pushed the Atlas V poised on its Mobile Launch Platform along two parallel railroad tracks. In addition to the launch vehicle and platform, the 4850TMs transported launch support equipment: a generator and environmentally controlled systems (ECS), a payload support van, a ground, command, control and communication van, and ECS vans.

Trackmobile has maintained its relationship with ULA as it continues to use Trackmobile railcar movers to this day.

Most interestingly, ULA does not use a fleet of Trackmobiles—it uses the same three units it purchased over 18 years ago. One vital factor in the use of Trackmobiles is the lack of any margin for downtime when moving rockets or rocket boosters; ULA finds that even after 18 years of use, its Trackmobile machines still provide the high level of consistency and performance demanded of them. Prior to using the 4850TM railcar movers, ULA used locomotives to fulfill its rail moving needs. Now, ULA maintains an on-site Andress Engineering & Associates technician to evaluate their Trackmobiles and ensure their consistent performance. Even with the cost of keeping service and support on-site, ULA has found using Trackmobiles to be greatly more cost efficient than using locomotives.

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