Antarctic snow cruiser antarctic snow cruiser. Snow cruiser (monster photo, Antarctic period)

19.06.2019

Between the world wars, the crazy idea of a land cruiser took over the minds of many military engineers. Back in 1915, the Russian inventor seriously proposed putting decommissioned battleships of the Black Sea Fleet on tracks. Later, the Landcruiser concept was developed in Nazi Germany. Hitler approved the project, and Krupp began work on the creation of the P-1000 Ratte (Rat) tank, a monster weighing 1000 tons with 25 cm of armor, ship guns and diesel engines from submarines. The "Rat" was not destined to be born, but one land cruiser after all, it was created in 1939, only on the other side of the Atlantic.

Antarctic dreamer

History has retained the name Snow Cruiser for a car built by the American Thomas Poulter. Poulter was also a dreamer. In 1934, he participated in the Antarctic expedition, which almost cost the life of its leader, Admiral Byrd. On the third attempt, Poulter was able to break through to Baird, locked in a snow storm, on caterpillar tractors and save him. It was then that Dr. Poulter got excited about the idea of building a special Antarctic transport.

In the United States, Poulter served as scientific director of the Armor Institute Research Foundation in Chicago. He was able to convince the director of the fund of the feasibility of his project, and the staff of this organization for two years developed the design of the "Antarctic snow cruiser", as Poulter called his brainchild.

If you don't count low temperatures, lack of oxygen and a complex snow-ice cover, the main danger of traveling in Antarctica was cracks in the ice sheet of the continent, which were often invisible under a layer of snow or firn, and therefore were especially terrible.

The main danger of traveling through Antarctica was cracks in the ice sheet of the continent.

Poulter solved this problem in a cavalry way: it is enough to make the car so long and the overhangs so large that the bow of the “ship” has already overcome the crack by the time it hits front wheel. Yes, yes, the cruiser moved on four wheels! Why Poulter decided to choose such a scheme is unknown - he probably calculated caterpillar propellers excessive and too voracious.

In 1939, Poulter was able to "ignite" the US senators with his idea, and they agreed to finance an expedition to deliver the car to Antarctica.

In 1939, Poulter presented the Snow Cruiser project to the US Congress, so much so that he was able to “ignite” the senators with this idea, and they agreed to finance an expedition to deliver the car to Antarctica. The funds for the construction of the "cruiser" - almost $ 150,000 (and the dollar was then about 10 times "heavier") - Poulter was able to collect from some private investors.

So, the approval of the Congress was received, and the expedition was scheduled for the Antarctic spring - November 15, 1939. Meanwhile, it was August 8 in the yard. The unique machine had to be built and delivered to the ship in 11 weeks!

Technology in the 1930s

Structurally, Poulter's "cruiser" looks very interesting even today. It was a spatial tubular frame sheathed with metal sheets with multilayer insulation.

The unique machine had to be built and delivered to the ship in 11 weeks!

Four wheels were shifted to the center of the body - the base was only about half overall length cars. Tires with a diameter of 120 inches (more than 3 m) and a width of 33 inches were made by Goodyear from 12-ply frost-resistant rubber.

In front of the front axle were two six-cylinder Cummins diesel engines with a volume of 11 liters and a power of 150 hp each. They set in motion two electric generators, and those already fed four electric motors. General Electric(75 hp each), each standing in its own hub - good, there was plenty of space in two-meter hubs.

The Snow Cruiser was a diesel-electric hybrid: two six-cylinder Cummins diesel engines drove two electric generators, which already fed four General Electric electric motors, each standing in its own hub.

Thus, the Snow Cruiser was a diesel-electric hybrid. According to this scheme, mining dump trucks are now being made.

The suspension of the car was also unusual. She had, so to speak, adjustable clearance. More precisely, the wheels could retract 1.2 m into the arches. Thus, firstly, it was possible to warm up the rubber and clean it from frozen ice (in wheel arches served hot traffic fumes from diesel engines), and secondly, it was supposed to overcome cracks in a similar way.

The suspension of the car was also unusual: the wheels could retract 1.2 m into the arches.

First, the Snow Cruiser reaches the opposite edge of the crack with its front overhang, then pulls the front wheels into the body, and, “rowing” only the rear ones, pushes the front axle to the “shore”. Then the front wheels are lowered, and the rear, on the contrary, are drawn into the body. The front axle should now pull the car out. It was envisaged that this procedure takes place in 20 steps (after all, all actions had to be performed manually) and takes about an hour and a half. In addition, all four wheels were steerable - it was possible to move sideways or turn around "on the patch".

Tires with a diameter of 120 inches (more than 3 m) and a width of 33 inches were made by Goodyear from 12-ply frost-resistant rubber.

Inside the hull, there was enough space not only for the engine room, a three-man control cabin placed upstairs, and fuel tanks for 9463 liters of diesel fuel, but also for a five-bed bedroom, a wardroom with chairs, a kitchen with a sink and four-burner tiles, a workshop with a welding machine and a room for developing photographs, a warehouse for provisions and equipment and two spare wheels (they were located in a special compartment in the rear overhang).

Inside the building, there was enough space for a kitchen with a sink and four-burner tiles, a workshop, a warehouse for provisions and equipment ...

Moreover, it was supposed to place a small biplane aircraft on the roof, which would act as a GPS navigator for the "cruiser". On the roof, another 4,000 liters of fuel for the aircraft were stored. It was possible to lower the biplane and raise it back, as well as change the wheels with the help of a special winch that was pulled out of the roof.

Road to port

History is silent about whether the Pullman plant employees left their jobs, and how long they slept. One way or another, the construction of the "land cruiser" was completed in a month and a half!

Structurally, Poulter's "cruiser" was a spatial tubular frame sheathed with metal sheets with multilayer insulation.

On October 24, 1939, the car was first started, and on the same day it set off on its own from Chicago to the military port of Boston, where the North Star was already waiting.

The dimensions of the Snow Cruiser really made it possible to consider it a land ship. With a length of 17 m, a width of more than 6 and a height of 3.7 to 5 m (depending on the position of the suspension), it towered over the crowd of onlookers that invariably surrounded it, like an aircraft carrier towering above the rest of the ships in the port.

On October 24, 1939, the car was started up for the first time, and on the same day it set off under its own power from Chicago to the military port of Boston.

Painted in bright red color(to be more noticeable in the snows of Antarctica), he had to travel 1,700 km, accompanied by police cars.

Snow Cruiser "had to drive 1700 km accompanied by police cars.

Max Speed the cruiser was quite worthy 48 km / h, but it did not fit into some turns in one step, and not all bridges were able to withstand a mass of 34 tons - they had to go around them “from the bottom”, simultaneously forcing small rivers.

The maximum speed of the cruiser was quite decent 48 km / h.

In one of them, Snow Cruiser damaged the power steering, as a result of which he spent three days under the bridge in repairs. In general, when driving on the highway, the car showed itself well. Off-road, including loose sand, she also moved quite confidently.

Not all bridges were able to withstand a mass of 34 tons - they had to go around them "from the bottom", simultaneously forcing small rivers.

However, the “cruiser” was not tested with a heavy off-road, because the main task was to arrive at the port on time. If Poulter had been late for loading, the ship would have set sail without him.

If Poulter had been late for loading, the ship would have set sail without him.

However, the road to Boston was eventually overcome successfully and on November 12, three days before sailing, the Snow Cruiser arrived at the army port. In order for the giant machine to fit across the deck of the Northern Star, rear end(spare wheel cover) has been removed.

The road to Boston was successfully covered and on November 12, three days before sailing, the Snow Cruiser arrived at the army port.

Poulter drove himself up the ladder to the deck. November 15, 1939 the ship went to the shores of Antarctica.

Poulter fiasco

On January 11, 1940, the ship landed on the coast of the sixth continent in the Bay of Whales. According to the route map drawn by Poulter for Congress, the Snow Cruiser was to cross Antarctica twice, criss-crossing, traveling almost the entire coastline and visiting the pole twice. The fuel supply in the tanks should have been enough for 8000 km!

According to the route scheme, the Snow Cruiser had to cross Antarctica twice, crosswise, bypassing almost the entire coastline and visiting the pole twice.

A special ramp made of wood was built to lower the "cruiser" to land. During the descent, a catastrophe almost happened: one wheel broke through the flooring. But Poulter stepped on the gas just in time and the Snow Cruiser successfully slid down onto the snow.

During the descent, a catastrophe almost happened: one wheel broke through the flooring.

But Poulter stepped on the gas just in time and the Snow Cruiser successfully slid down onto the snow.

But the real disaster came immediately after that. It turned out that the "Snow Cruiser" was not designed to drive on snow! The 34-ton colossus on four absolutely smooth wheels instantly fell on the bottom. The wheels sank a meter into the snow and turned helplessly, unable to move the "cruiser".

In an attempt to rectify the situation, the team attached the spare wheels to the front ones, thus doubling the width of the latter, and rear wheels dressed in chains. As a result, the car was able to somehow move back and forth.

The "snow cruiser" turned out to be not suitable for driving on snow!

Spare wheels attached to the front, rear put on chains, — the car somehow managed to move forward and backward.

After a series of futile attempts, Poulter discovered that when moving in reverse The Snow Cruiser behaves much more confidently - the “crooked” distribution of mass along the axles has affected.

On a trip to Antarctica, Poulter's team of dreamers set off in reverse. In addition to the fact that the wheels without a tread constantly slipped, other problems also opened up. So, the giant overhangs, which are good for airfield tractors, turned out to be a hindrance in the Antarctic - the car could not overcome any even the slightest noticeable break in the surface even in the very top position pendants, resting on the snow with their nose or tail.

Giant overhangs turned out to be a hindrance - the car could not overcome any more or less noticeable break in the surface.

In addition, the engines, despite the temperature of tens of degrees below zero, constantly overheated. After two weeks of torment, Poulter abandoned his creation in the snows of Antarctica, said goodbye to the dream of traveling around the entire continent and went to the USA. By that time, the Snow Cruiser could only travel 148 kilometers.

The rest of the crew of the "cruiser" remained to live in it as the scientific staff of the polar station. Snow Cruiser turned out to be a disgusting SUV, but a good home. The interior heating system was well thought out. The coolant and exhaust gases of diesel engines circulated in special channels, providing almost room temperature inside the car, and also melted snow in a special boiler. The stock of diesel fuel for diesels and provisions in the warehouse of the "cruiser" was enough for a whole year of autonomous existence.

After two weeks of torment, Poulter abandoned his creation in the snows of Antarctica, having traveled only 148 kilometers. The crew of the "cruiser" remained to live in it as the scientific staff of the polar station.

The crew covered the "cruiser" with wooden shields, finally turning it into a house, and started scientific research- space radiation measurements, seismological experiments, etc. A few months later, before the onset of the Antarctic winter, the Snow Cruiser was finally abandoned by people.

The next time the polar explorers found the car at the end of 1940. After examining it, they came to the conclusion that it is absolutely efficient - you just need to pump up the wheels and lubricate the mechanisms. However, the United States had already entered the Second world war and romantic adventures were not a priority.

In 1958, an international expedition found the Snow Cruiser.

The land cruiser has not been seen since.

In 1958, an international expedition found the Snow Cruiser again. For 18 years, the car was covered with several meters of snow, but its location was betrayed by a high bamboo pole sticking out on the surface, prudently installed by the crew. By measuring the amount of snow from the bottom of the wheels, the polar explorers were able to find out the amount of precipitation during this period. In the cabin of the "cruiser" there were still cigarettes left by the Americans.

The land cruiser has not been seen since. According to one version, it was completely covered with snow. According to another, he ended up on one of the huge icebergs that annually break off the ice shelf of Antarctica by dozens, and then sank somewhere in the Southern Ocean.

According to one version, it was covered with snow. According to another, he ended up on one of the huge icebergs that annually break off the ice shelf of Antarctica by dozens, and then sank somewhere in the Southern Ocean.

Finally, according to the version beloved by the Americans, the Snow Cruiser was dug up by polar explorers from the KGB and taken to Siberia for research. Here it would be appropriate to recall that in the same 30s in Antarctica, the forces of prisoners of war created the secret underground city "New Swabia", into which, after the war, Hitler and the top of the Wehrmacht crossed in submarines. In 1947, Admiral Richard Byrd's Fourth Antarctic Expedition engaged alien flying saucers, losing one ship and 13 aircraft. And in 1955, the same Baird met at the pole with the civilization of the Atlanteans living inside the globe...

Let's leave these conjectures on the conscience of the yellow newspapers. At least the beginning of the history of the land cruiser, although it looks like fantasy, was absolutely real. Just then there was such a time - dreamers.

What should be a “survivor” car, taking into account operation in harsh winter conditions, with bitter frosts and snowstorms? At least, very warm or at least equipped with warm sleeping places, having enough free space for various supplies high traffic and the most autonomous in terms of fuel.

Modern technology makes it possible to build such a car, although it will be very expensive. However, it is interesting that such a machine was built in the USA back in 1939. Judge for yourself, the car for extreme conditions "Snow Cruiser" had huge fuel tanks, which contained 9463 liters of diesel fuel. This should have been enough for 8,000 kilometers of ice off-road. Other stocks, primarily products, were designed for 1 year of autonomy in the most extreme conditions. Crew of five, thanks to Very efficient system heating, felt great even at a temperature of -50 degrees overboard. The engine coolant, which circulated through the entire living area, provided comfortable temperature, but only used while sleeping light blankets.

"Snow Cruiser" in section

A spacious cabin with a driver and a navigator was located above the engine room. In the cockpit, in addition to the controls of the car, there were various radio equipment and instruments for research. The engine room cannot be said to be large, but nevertheless it made it possible to maintain power plant and even had a small workshop with welding equipment. And here's the rest inner space The “cruiser” was navy compact and ascetic, but nevertheless there was a place for a wardroom with armchairs, a five-bed bedroom, a kitchen with a sink and a 4-burner stove and a special room for developing photographs. The warehouse of equipment and provisions and a special compartment for storing 2 spare wheels, apparently did not have their own heating circuit.

"Snow Cruiser" in section

But that's not all! On the roof, or upper deck (a cruiser though), it was equipped regular place for a small plane and 4 tons of fuel for it. This five-seat Beechcraft biplane was designed primarily for track reconnaissance and aerial photography. Also, through special hatches, crane beams with winches could be extended onto the roof of the all-terrain vehicle, designed to lower and raise the aircraft and to change wheels.

Design features

The idea to create such a machine was born by the American scientist and Arctic researcher Thomas Poulter.

Thomas Poulter

In 1934, he participated in the Antarctic expedition, which almost cost the life of its leader, Admiral Byrd. Poulter only on the third attempt was able to break through to Baird locked in a snow storm on caterpillar tractors and save him. Apparently then Dr. Poulter thought about the idea of building a special Antarctic transport.

As scientific director of the Chicago Armor Institute Research Foundation, Poulter assembled a team and spent two years developing the design. special transport"Penguin". Poulter himself often called his offspring the "Antarctic snow cruiser" and it was under this name that the device went down in history. Probably the prototype of the "cruiser" was the fantastic ship "Electric Snow Cutter" from the book "Cross the Frozen Sea" by the writer Frank Reed, which was published in 1891. This book described a ship on giant skis to conquer the pole. It was driven by a notched paddle wheel, which in turn was powered by a battery-powered electric motor.

Electric Snow Cutter

In general, in that period of time, the idea to make ships plow not only the sea, but also the land, was simply in the air. For example, in 1915, a Russian inventor seriously proposed putting decommissioned battleships of the Black Sea Fleet on tracks.

Sketch of an armadillo on tracks

Later, the Landcruiser concept was developed in Nazi Germany. The project of engineers Grotte and Gakker was a monster weighing 1500 tons with 800 mm ship guns. A little later, Hitler approved the supertank P-1000 Ratte (Rat) and Krupp began work on its creation. This more advanced model of the same engineers weighed 1000 tons, but the armor of 25 cm, two 283 mm SKC / 34 ship guns, and diesel engines from submarines undoubtedly indicated a cruiser that had become on tracks. Which is actually reflected in the full name: "Land cruiser weighing 1000 tons" Rat "".

"Rat" of engineers Grotte and Gakker

However, let's get back to our sheep, that is, the "penguins". The design of the vehicle was a spatial tubular frame sheathed with metal sheets with multilayer insulation. The body was 17 meters long and 6.06 meters wide. The total curb weight of the car was 34 tons.

Pullman factory workers assembling the frame of a "cruiser"

The specially designed Goodyear tires, measuring just over 3 meters in diameter and 85 cm wide, consisted of 12-ply frost-resistant rubber. A modern person is immediately struck by the fact that the tires did not have developed lugs. However, it is worth considering the fact that the technologies of that time did not allow creating even a simply developed tread pattern, and “winter” tires, as a class, generally appeared a little later.

Four giant wheels were driven by 75 hp electric motors built into each wheel. With. This fact made it possible to hide all the equipment and mechanisms inside the hull, and they could be repaired without going out into the cold. In addition, all four wheels could turn, so that the "cruiser" could move not only forward or backward, but also at an angle.

Hull painting "Snow Cruiser"

The wheels could also be retracted into the arches by 1.2 m. Therefore, the height of the “cruiser” could vary from 3.7 meters to 4.9 meters. Thanks to this adjustable clearance, firstly, it was possible to warm up the rubber and clean it from frozen ice, for which hot exhaust gases from diesel engines were supplied to the wheel arches. And, and secondly, it was supposed to overcome cracks in a similar way. And this was the main difficulty of traveling in Antarctica, except for low temperatures, lack of oxygen and complex snow and ice cover. Cracks in the glacier are often invisible under a layer of snow and therefore especially dangerous.

To overcome them, the wheels were shifted to the center of the hull and therefore the "cruiser" had long overhangs in front and behind. It was assumed that the Snow Cruiser, hitting a crack, rests its front overhang on the opposite edge, then pulls the front wheels into the body, and using only the rear wheels, pushes the front axle to the opposite edge. Then the front wheels are lowered, and the rear, on the contrary, are drawn into the body. The front axle should now pull the car out. Since all actions had to be performed manually, this procedure took place in 20 steps and took about an hour and a half.

Technique for overcoming ice cracks

For the power plant, the designers used a diesel-electric ship scheme. In front of the front axle were two six-cylinder Cummins diesel engines with a volume of 11 liters and a power of 150 hp each. They set in motion two electric generators, and those already fed four General Electric electric motors (75 hp each), each standing in its own hub. Thus, the “cruiser” used the already familiar to us, but still quite rare, hybrid power plant. And in those days, such a design, although it was not a revelation, was practically not used.

From project to reality

On April 29, 1939, Poulter presented the Snow Cruiser project to the US Congress. Officials from Washington liked the car and it was decided to finance an expedition to deliver the car to Antarctica. The funds for the construction of the “cruiser” (the project was estimated at $300,000, but in reality $320,000 came out) - Poulter was able to collect from some private investors. If someone was not impressed by the amount, then let me remind you that it was 1939, when the dollar cost ten times more. Eg, average price rent in New York was $39, and the average in America was $29.

Solemn departure of the "Snow Cruiser" from the territory of the plant

The construction of the "land cruiser" was completed in a record month and a half! The workers and foremen of the Pullman plant, inspired by the ideas of the development of Antarctica, quickly and efficiently did a colossal job. Under a different political system, they could become American "Stakhanovists", but in a decaying bourgeois society, none of them even received the honorary title of Hero of Capitalist Labor 🙂

One way or another, but on October 24, 1939, the "cruiser" was first launched, and on the same day it set off from Chicago to the military port of Boston on its own, where the North Star ship was already waiting. It was necessary to hurry, in case of delay, the ship would have set sail without him. This was due to the fact that the expedition to the pole had already been formed and therefore it was necessary to unload on the coast of Antarctica before the onset of the polar night, i.e. no later than mid-January 1940.

The path is 1700 km. accompanied by police cars was held under close public scrutiny. On the way to such an honorary convoy, whole strings of motorists were attached, who wanted to see this miracle of technology. In every locality huge crowds of onlookers gathered and flashes of cameras flashed over and over again. Painted bright red (to be more noticeable in the snows of Antarctica), the "cruiser" was the focus of attention throughout America and its very existence is "living" evidence of the triumph of technological progress.

The maximum speed of the cruiser was quite decent 48 km / h, but it did not fit into some turns in one step, and not all bridges were able to withstand a mass of 34 tons - they had to go around them "down", forcing small rivers along the way. In one of them, Snow Cruiser damaged the power steering, as a result of which he spent three days under the bridge in repairs. In general, when driving on the highway, the car showed itself well. Off-road, including loose sand, she also moved quite confidently.

On November 12, three days before sailing, the Snow Cruiser successfully arrived at the military port of Boston. In order for the giant car to fit across the deck of the Northern Star, the back (spare wheel cover) was removed. Poulter drove himself up the ladder to the deck. November 15, 1939 the ship went to the shores of Antarctica.

Oops…

On January 11, 1940, the ship moored on the coast of the sixth continent in the Bay of Whales, where the Little America base had already been equipped. According to the itinerary drawn by Poulter for Congress, the Snow Cruiser had to drive around almost the entire coastline and visit the Pole twice. The fuel supply in the tanks should have been enough for 8000 km!

To lower the "cruiser" to land, a special wooden platform was built. During the descent, a catastrophe almost happened: one wheel broke through the flooring. But Poulter stepped on the gas just in time and the Snow Cruiser successfully slid down onto the snow.

Thomas Poulter driving Snow Cruisers.

But the real disaster came immediately after that. It turned out that "Snow Cruiser" is not designed to drive in the snow!

The smooth wheels plunged almost a meter into the snow and turned helplessly, unable to move the "cruiser".
In an attempt to rectify the situation, the team attached the spare wheels to the front ones, thus doubling the width of the latter, and put the rear wheels in chains. As a result, the car was able to somehow move back and forth.

After a number of attempts, Poulter found that the Snow Cruiser behaves much more confidently when reversing due to the uneven distribution of mass along the axles.

On a trip to Antarctica, Poulter's team of dreamers set off in reverse. In addition to the fact that the wheels without a tread constantly slipped, other problems also opened up. So, giant overhangs, which in theory helped to overcome cracks, turned out to be a hindrance in practice. No, even the smallest break in the surface, the car could not overcome even in the highest position of the suspension, resting on the snow with its bow or stern.

In addition, the engines, despite the temperature of tens of degrees below zero, constantly overheated.

After two weeks of torment, Poulter abandoned his creation in the snows of Antarctica, said goodbye to the dream of traveling around the entire continent and went to the USA. By that time, the Snow Cruiser could only travel 148 kilometers.
The rest of the crew of the "cruiser" remained to live in it as the scientific staff of the polar station. Snow Cruiser turned out to be a disgusting SUV, but a good home. The interior heating system was well thought out. The coolant and exhaust gases of diesel engines circulated in special channels, providing almost room temperature inside the car, and also melted snow in a special boiler. The stock of diesel fuel for diesels and provisions in the warehouse of the "cruiser" was enough for a whole year of autonomous existence.
The crew covered the "cruiser" with wooden shields, finally turning it into a house, and engaged in scientific research - measurements of cosmic radiation, seismological experiments, etc. A few months later, before the onset of the Antarctic winter, the Snow Cruiser was finally abandoned by people.

Further fate

The next time the polar explorers found the car at the end of 1940. After examining it, they came to the conclusion that it is absolutely efficient - you just need to pump up the wheels and lubricate the mechanisms. However, the United States was already entering World War II and romantic adventures were not a priority.

Finally, according to the version beloved by the Americans, the Snow Cruiser was dug up by polar explorers from the KGB and taken to Siberia for research.

Monster, just a monster. With an unenviable, as is often the case with monsters, fate. He was loved, admired, hoped for. Disappointed in him, abandoned and forgotten. Largely because the idea, born in a hot head 70 years ago, was implemented in a hurry. They hurried, but did not make anyone laugh.

And it was like that. In 1934, the second US Antarctic expedition nearly cost Admiral Richard E. Byrd his life. Poisoned by carbon monoxide, he lay at the base, in a snow-covered hut, while the expedition's deputy commander, physicist and researcher Thomas C. Poulter, made heroic efforts, trying to take the admiral out on snowmobile tractors.

On the third attempt, Poulter succeeded, but in the technique, which barely overcame the unfortunate two hundred kilometers in the snow, he was disappointed. Therefore, this tragic incident, as is now commonly believed, became the spark from which the original concept of the Antarctic Snow Cruiser ignited.

After a dramatic expedition, Poulter joined the Research Foundation of the Armor Institute of Technology (now IIT) and convinced his new colleagues of the need for a new vehicle to explore Antarctica. By the way, at that time they claimed its territory different countries hoping to find under the ice and appropriate natural resources.

Before traveling to Antarctica, the car was tested for its ability to overcome cracks in glaciers. In the absence of these, the tests were carried out in remotely similar conditions. It turned out, it seems, not so bad (photo from joeld.net).

And when the United States, as usual, decided to become leaders in the race for natural resources, in 1939 announced plans to send a third Antarctic expedition, Poulter, who at that time had been nurturing the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Cruiser for more than 2 years, rushed to Washington and went to the authorities with a tempting offer.

He said there is a project unique machine. Its construction will cost $ 150 thousand, but it will be the funds of private investors - Poulter persuaded more than 70 American companies to donate labor force, materials, and equipment.

The completed Snow Cruiser, the concept author promised to provide the government with a "loan" if it would cover the costs of the operation to transfer the vehicle to and from Antarctica, after which it would return the Cruiser to the Foundation.

Officials were delighted with this idea, and on August 8, 1939, construction of the Snow Cruiser began at the Pullman plant in Chicago. Moreover, the deadlines were running out - in order to fully build, test and deliver giant car to the port, its creators had less than 3 months!

On October 24 of the same year, 1939, the almost completed (!) "Cruiser" began its almost 1,700-kilometer journey to Boston, where the ship "North Star" was waiting for its arrival. Note that if the Cruiser had not arrived on time - by November 15 - it would not have hit the deck of the ship.

In the Antarctic mobile home there was a place for five people, and for everything they needed. Including - for the aircraft (illustration from the site joeld.net).

The long march was rich in a variety of events. The incredible bright red car turned out to be so huge that the roads on which it was traveling had to be blocked, removing all other vehicles from them. It must be time to describe this monster.

The parameters are impressive even today. Length - 17 meters, height - 4.9 meters, width - 6 meters. Gross weight - 34 tons. The maximum speed is 48 km / h. Each wheel was driven by its own electric motor with a capacity of 75 "horses", and the energy for them was supplied by two 6-cylinder diesel generators of 150 Horse power every.

It was expected that the "Cruiser" would be able to operate in the range of more than eight thousand kilometers. That the crew of the car will consist of 5 people, including the pilot, because it was planned to place an airplane on the “back” of the Cruiser!

November 1, 1939. Rare color shot of the Cruiser entering Ohio (photo courtesy of thule.org).

In addition to the cabin, the vehicle had a number of rooms, including a workshop, kitchen and living quarters, that rivaled many pre-war bungalows in terms of comfort.

In the rear of the Cruiser, storage areas were provided for fuel, spare tires, food and water, the stocks of which, in theory, should have been enough for at least a year (yes, the antifreeze that cooled the engines also passed through the radiators in the living quarters, to keep them warm).

Thus, according to the original plan, the Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a mobile Antarctic base where several researchers could live and work with all the conveniences.

But, as you remember, the Cruiser first had to get to Boston, get on board the ship. It was a hard road, accompanied by police and press cars, the "motor run" invariably gathered huge crowds along the route.

Wherever the Antarctic Snow Cruiser drove on its way to Boston, it was invariably greeted by enthusiastic crowds (photo by Richard C. Schmal from the website lowellpl.lib.in.us).

In New York, Poulter made a short stop so that a group of blind children could touch the car. In Springfield, sick children jumped out of hospital beds and, despite the cold, ran outside to meet this red miracle.

Well, the meeting with the public reached its climax already at Boston itself, in the city of Framingham, which tourists from all over the country actually squeezed into a ring with 70 thousand cars.

While driving huge machine all vehicles were removed from the roads. The presence of a motorcyclist in the frame does not mean the "pardon" of two-wheeled vehicles - this is an escort (photo from joeld.net).

Finally, on November 12, the Cruiser, apparently not without God's help, reached the Boston pier and plunged onto the deck of the Polar Star. In order for the giant to fit on it, it was necessary to temporarily remove its tail section. And on November 15, the ship set off.

There were no incidents this time either. One night, rough seas almost caused the loss of the car - it was barely managed to be kept on chains.

With sin in half, the ship arrived in Antarctica on January 11, 1940, and the search began suitable place to unload the cruiser.

January 12 "Polar Star" anchored in the Gulf of the Whale. And so that the Cruiser could leave the side, a special ramp was built from heavy wood, which began to fall apart when unloaded, so that only the skill of Poulter, who was sitting behind the wheel and in right moment who gave full throttle, allowed the monster to move out onto the safe ice.

From that moment on, the vehicle began to lose its charm at a fantastic rate. As soon as Poulter tried to ride it, it became immediately obvious that the designers' ideas about traction were wrong.

Huge tires easily spinning idle, plunging into the snow for almost a meter. In addition, the engines immediately overheated. In short, the Cruiser was completely helpless in Antarctica.

Unloading in Antarctica (photo from joeld.net).

On January 24, heartbroken, Poulter departed for America, where the press had finally lost its enthusiasm. The journalists called the mission " complete failure”, and the car itself was dubbed a “dinosaur on wheels”. The crew members who remained with the Cruiser tried several times to bring him to his senses, but in vain.

A few months later, the approach of the Antarctic winter began to take its toll. The completely frustrated members of the expedition decided to make a stationary base for wintering out of the car. They covered the Cruiser with trees, covered it with snow ...

And then it turned out that it turned out quite well: the Cruiser was perfectly heated, so that the team could sleep under the lightest blankets. Expedition scientists even conducted small series scientific experiments.

A dull, long and dark winter came with the news of the war in Europe. As America prepared for possible involvement in World War II, the Antarctic Survey lost all funding.

It became clear that the third expedition would not be, as planned, a multi-year one. Although Poulter, who was in the States, continued to talk about modifications that could revive the car, the team left Antarctica in early 1941, leaving the Cruiser to its fate. The war made people quickly forget about him.

Thomas Poulter joined Stanford in 1948. Research institute(Stanford Research Institute; now SRI International), where he worked until his death in 1978, doing a variety of research, from explosives and ballistics to communications between marine animals.

The cruiser may have amused the penguins in Antarctica, but the people were very disappointed (Ray D. Gottfried from thule.org).

In 1958, scientists from the international organization IGY established the exact location of the Cruiser, went to Antarctica and dug up the car. In it they found piles of old magazines, scraps of papers and cigarettes. We looked and left.

One can only guess what happened to the extraordinary vehicle after that. Its approximate location is known, but the Cruiser has never been found again. Or maybe he didn't look for it.

According to one version, the car ended up on a floating ice floe, went out to sea on it and drowned. Another option, more intriguing for the Americans, is the possible fall of the Cruiser into the hands of the USSR. Which, of course, is extremely unlikely, because the Russians, when exporting the car, should have faced the same difficulties as the members of the expedition from the United States.

According to experts, the Cruiser had no effect on the development of vehicles for Antarctica. Indeed, for many years and to this day, the most effective vehicles for snow they move on caterpillars. But you can find something useful in the history of the Snow Cruiser, right?