I just joined and this is my first post. I live in Rochelle IL and just finished displaying my Whitcomb locomotive research project. My primary reason for posting here is to find any person(s) who can help me in my research on the Whitcomb locomotive. They were built in my home town of Rochelle but the company records were transfered to the California State Railroad Museum and I have no way of accessing them. The librarian at the CSRM has told me that there are too many documents for her to copy and I'm too poor to travel out to California and spend the time I need to research for my proposed book. Whitcomb cataloged their 5,000 + locomotives on index cards and the librarian stated that just the index cards alone fill 12-14 boxes. Do any members here live near the CSRM in Old Sacremento and could help me in my research? You can help write history that has never been written. I can obtain the existing Rochelle newspaper articles on microfilm that exist. Steve
This is hot off the press today. I just got off the phone with the Army Transportation Museum in Virginia and the librarian emailed these images to me all from WW II: The second image I believe to be a 65 ton Whitcomb. In 1945 the Army sent photos and a letter expalining how a Whitcomb was the first locomotive to enter Germany during the war. This is from my display last weekend so excuse the format errors: WHITCOMBDOING THE IMPOSSIBLE “Duringthe latter part of 1940 we were asked to design a locomotive whichcould operate successfully through desert sand storms and keep coolwith the thermometer registering 125 F. in the shade. The only otherknown factors, besides the gauge of track was that they needed allthe power we could give them but the weight had to be reduced to theabsolute minimum. That is just about as contradictory as wanting thestrength of a draft horse in a Shetland pony. As the boys in theengineering department were only working about 60 hours a week atthat time, they decided there wasn't any particular reason why wecouldn't tackle the problem. By actual count there are 10,756different items necessary to build that Diesel electric locomotive,and the fact it is still in production offers conclusive proof thatthe engineers did their work well. Incidentally, in that count theBuda diesels, Westinghouse Electric Equipment, the Young Radiators and all other materials purchased in a finished state are merelyfigured as individual items. The balance had to be designed,detailed, weights estimated, purchased, machined, fabricated,assembled, crated and the completed product sent on its way. Wereceived the actual contract shortly before Christmas and the firstunits were operating in Egypt the following May. That is less thanhalf the normal time required on a completely new design. Certainlythere isn't much I could say to further emphasizes the splendidspirit of cooperation which not only exists within the Whitcomborganization but also extends out among all of our suppliers. Theyhave done a grand job and all of us know it.” H.G. Heulguard VicePresident, General Manager WhitcombLocomotive Company TheRochelle News, January 26, 1944 ARMY-NAVY“E” AWARD Becauseof the outstanding performance that the Whitcomb Locomotive Companyachieved in war production, on December 31, 1943 the War Departmentconferred the Army-Navy “E” Award – the highest honor possible– to the Whitcomb Company and its employees. HOWTO HIDE A 65 TON LOCOMOTIVE “WhitcombDiesel locomotives built here in Rochelle have played an importantpart in this war on almost every front. Being smokeless and easy tocamouflage against air attacks these locomotives have beenextensively used where standard coal burning locomotives provedimpractical. Inour January 12[SUP]th[/SUP] 1945, issue of the Leader we printed aninterview with W.F. Eckert, chief engineer at Whitcomb in which hetold how Whitcomb built locomotives had solved the English andAmerican transprtation problem in north Africa, German bombers hadblasted most of the regular locomotives as their smoke was easilyspotted by the fliers. RochelleWhitcomb Diesel locomotives were then camouflged as regular box cars.In the make up of trains the location of the “ box-car-locomotive”was constantly changed to elude the Germans in their bombingattacks. Theplan proved very successful, and it has been credited as one of themajor forces in the Briritsh success in the drive from Egypt toTunisla during the latter four months of 1942 and early 1943.” TheRochelle Leader May4, 1945 Steve
Here is a photo from June 20, 1944 in Italy. The locomotives are 65 ton Whitcombs: Appears to be a scan from a book I found on the internet. Don't know what book. Steve
Still hoping for a California member to contact me about research at the California State Railroad Museum. Here is another photo from the Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustis, Virginia: In the lower right corner is hand written "W-11873" which I've seen on other builder's photos. The Whitcomb factory is visible in the background. This appears to be a 50 ton model just like the one on display at the Rochelle Railroad Park. Steve
A pair of aerial photos of the Whitcomb factory in Rochelle IL circa 1930s. Whitcomb locomotive during assembly inside the factory circa 1947. Electrical assembly of Whitcomb locomotive inside the factory circa 1947. Steve
