When you’ve been around as long as Jeep, there are bound to be a few odd things in the back catalogue.
That they’re hugely customisable, either by their owners or specialist manufacturers make our favourite brand particularly susceptible.
Take, for example, the Hy-Rail wagon. You’re unlikely to have seen one of these in the metal because there are less then ten still known to exist.
The four cylinder four door wood-panelled wagon was made in house by Willys for rail companies to carry crews and their tools to their work sites. And because of the nature of the job meant that the work site was almost always something to do with the railways, the Hy-Rails came with flanged wheels that could be lowered so that crews could use the tracks to get to work.
Sounds like a crazy idea that wouldn’t fly these days? You’d be wrong. In 2009, the Oregon Pacific Railroad, a ‘shoreline’, privately owned railroad converted a JK X for exactly the same purpose.
Details of the vehicle in action, and some detailed shots of the gear setup can be found here: http://www.oregonpacificrr.com/Jeephyrailer.html
by:
Charles Kooij