Allis Chalmers "Parade Train"

Allis Chalmers "Parade Train" FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 30-5-25 We spotted this Allis-Chalmers "parade train" at the Little Log House Antique Power Show held last July on a farm near Hastings, Minn. It was part of the Allis-Chalmers "Gathering of the Orange" display, and was made by Jim Polacek of Phillips, Wis., a former Allis Chalmers dealer. The train consists of a locomotive and eight cars, all painted Allis-Chalmers orange and equipped with Allis-Chalmers decals. "I built it for my grand kids and occasionally take it to parades. Everyone likes it," he says. The cars are made out of plastic 55-gal. barrels that ride on the front wheels off junked-out lawn tractors. None of the wheels were the same size so Polacek built his own frame and axle for each car. Each rider has his own fake steering wheel and gets to pull on a lever to ring a cowbell. The seat for each car is made out of 13 individual wooden pieces, cut out to fit into the barrel and then screwed together. The locomotive is actually a Simplicity 16 hp riding mower equipped with a barrel over the hood and a cab enclosing the driver's seat. Homemade "driver rods" extend back to the rear wheels on each side and are mounted on cams, causing them to rock back and forth whenever the train is moving. An empty pto shell forms the exhaust pipe, and there's a wooden cowcatcher on front. A CD player inside the locomotive plays "The Orange Blossom Special" over a set of speakers located behind the cab. "If I want I can also play a recording of a steam train blowing its whistle. It's really loud," says Polacek. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Polacek Implement, Inc., N8068 State Hwy. 13, Phillips, Wis. 54555 (ph 715 339-4369 or 3323).

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