Throughout the 19th and into the early 20th centuries, Polar explorers occupied a place in the culture akin to that of astronauts in later years. The environment they ventured into was nearly as hostile as outer space, and more than one disappeared into the vast frozen emptiness, never to be seen again. Perhaps the best-known American Antarctic adventurer was Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Between 1928 and 1956, he would make five trips to the bottom of the world. The subject of this post is the unique vehicle built for his third voyage in 1939.
There had never had been anything quite like it before. The creation of Dr. Thomas C. Poulter, himself an experienced polar explorer, it was larger than even the biggest construction equipment of the time. It was assembled by the famed manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, the Pullman Company, between August and October of 1939. When completed, it was 55 feet 8 inches long, 19 feet 10.5 inches wide and 16 feet high. You will find many detailed construction photos showing the structure, engine installation and outer skin being built at the Pullman Factory.
Fully loaded, it weighed 75,000 pounds. Power came from two 150 HP 672 cubic inch Cummins diesels driving generators that in turn ran four General Electric traction motors, one in each of the wheel hubs. It carried tanks for 2,500 gallons of specially formulated cold temperature diesel fuel and another for 1,000 gallons of aviation gas for the Beech 17 “Staggerwing” it carried. Originally dubbed The Snow Cruiser, the crew nicknamed her Big Bertha. The final cost was a staggering $150,000.
Hard as it may be to believe, this behemoth was actually driven from Chicago to Boston on public roads in order to meet the ship that would transport the expedition southward. It caused a sensation and drew curious crowds everywhere along the route and, despite a trip that was fraught with mishaps and breakdowns, Dr. Poulter and crew eventually arrived at the dock in time.
