LeTourneau is a company dedicated to the construction of work vehicles. In the 1950s, at the request of the US Army, it ordered three units of a (giant) cargo vehicle to them — thus was born the LeTourneau TC-497 Overland Train II.
Of the three units on the LeTourneau TC-497 Overland Train II, only one would have a total length of 183 m — I repeat… one hundred and eighty-three meters long — which would make it the largest all-terrain in the world. A kind of ground train, capable of traveling on all types of terrain.
Simply the greatest ever! It is always 183 m long. With such proportions, it was easy to claim the record for the largest all-terrain vehicle (or is it train?) ever.
It was designed to transport equipment and supplies to US military forces at the height of the Cold War, when fear of attack by the Soviet Union was extremely high. The LeTourneau TC-497 would be the alternative to the train if the rail infrastructure failed or did not exist in a certain area.
The LeTourneau TC-497 had a load capacity of 150 tonnes, with the power needed to move it being generated by four gas turbines with a total of more than 5000 hp. The top speed was 32 km/h, and it had a range of 563 km to 644 km at an average speed of 8 km/h.
The LeTourneu TC-497 Overland Train II was delivered to the US Army in 1962, but was short-lived. The arrival of helicopters capable of carrying heavy loads in the 1960s spelled the end of these monsters.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Of the immense vehicle, comprising a control unit, 10 cargo units and two power units, today only the control unit remains – which also included facilities for six crew members (sleeping, food and toilet facilities).
It is on display at the Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center in the state of Arizona, USA. The rest of this huge vehicle was sold as… scrap metal.
January 29, 2020 update — Original video was not running and has been replaced. Added more information about the LeTourneau TC-497 as well as new images