Information below was provided by Rob Baur, Oregon, USA, and was first published in SETOFF in 2009.
Tamper motorcars were made in West Columbia, South Carolina, from 1980 to 1984. The manufacturer's plate says Tamper, a division of Canron Co., short for Canadian Iron Co. Tamper and Fairmont merged with Harsco which still has rail equipment manufacturing at the site. Harsco believes that less than 250 cars were made. They no longer have records as it was 25 years ago and motorcars were a tiny fraction of the factory production of rail equipment. They entered the motorcar market as Hy-rails were displacing motorcars.
The Tamper motorcars had fiberglass bodies. The TMC-2 was a 2 man car with a very large single front window set back toward the operator giving an excellent view of the track over the sloping hood. The car was powered with a 16 HP B&S opposed flathead twin with 18 HP as an option. The engine is installed “sideways” compared to a Fairmont MT car. To prevent hot air from circulating back to the cooling air intake, a duct conveyed the exhaust pipes and the hot air out above the left wheel. The earliest car we know of does not have the ducting so we think cooling was an issue on the very first cars that was resolved by the ducting
The fiberglass body was bolted to the steel chassis with rubber cushions in-between. The axle bearing support used a rubber bushing at each end to absorb shocks and allow the wheels to follow the track. On later cars, the rubber bushings and cushions were replaced by springs that were inserted between the chassis and the body so the chassis could flex and the body could ride independently. This makes for a very smooth ride, allows for chassis flex to follow the rails and eliminates flexing stress on the fiberglass.
On early cars the drive system was a Salisbury 1190 variable pulley system connected to a forward/neutral/reverse non-syncro Hester gearbox and chain to the rear axle. When idling, belt drag kept the input shaft spinning in neutral so it would grind the gears when engaging unless you shifted with the motor off and started in gear. Woodings solved the problem in their cars by adding a disk brake to stop the input shaft on their similar belt drive. Tamper replaced the transmission with a bullet proof 74 pound planetary gearbox that is still made in New Hampshire by Granite State Machine (www.SNPT.BIZ). The gears are always engaged, shifting tightens a forward or reverse clutch band like a Ford Model T transmission. The car weighs 1,500 pounds. The axles are solid with a bronze bushing in a hub of one front wheel to allow for turning. For some reason, all nuts are oversize heavy Nylocks (nut size 1/8 inch larger than bolt head size).
Other unique features include a removable marine 6 gallon gas tank with a quick disconnect. It is reached through the lockable “trunk” lid in the rear that also provides access for storage behind the seats. The engine and storage space is assessable by lifting the hood. A locking glove box is standard! Vinyl curtains or fiberglass doors were options. The brake lever is a forklift parking brake that latches over top dead center for parking. Several TMC-2s had flange brakes with an additional foot brake pedal.
There are two operating TMC-2s, three are in the midst of rebuilding and six others are known to exist. Partial Tamper records from 1980 show three were sold to BN, two each to Uruguay, Brazil and Conrail with one each to AT&SF and FW&D. Their present existence is unknown. Two known cars have sequential xxxx-RD numbers which is thought to be SP Rental Department, three were BN and mine had S.F. Municipal RR paperwork inside.
Operation of the Tamper motorcars is very simple, start the engine, push the fwd/rev lever forward and open the throttle to 2,500 or so rpm to accelerate and then adjust the throttle to the desired speed. The variable diameter pulley system has nearly a 4:1 ratio and it automatically shifts up when accelerating and downshifts when pulling a hill. There is no lugging of the engine at any speed or when towing. My wife enjoys driving this car, but would not consider my operating my M-19 with its timer, mixture adjustment, throttle, brake and clutch levers to manipulate.
My TMC-2 serial number is 33806263. The serial numbers decode like this: 33 = motorcar, 8 = decade, 0626 = production number, 3 = year. Motorcar made in 1983, production number 626. Other equipment used the production number so mine was not the 626th motorcar. The modifications I made to my TMC-2 are homemade wooden “suicide” doors, turntable, and a thermostatically operated fan to supply cooling air to the engine compartment. The fan only operates when idling at an intersection after a hard run on a warm day. I installed a Honda 20 HP V-twin, Comet 94C torque converter and a Granite State transmission since there was no engine or drive train when I got the car. I looked at all sorts of drive train options and am very happy with the OEM system. As with the Woodings you can not push start a pulley drive motorcar.
The Tamper TMC-6 is even rarer motorcar, mine is the only one operating, another is a static display with no drive train, one is close to operating and two others are known. Designed as a 6 man car with no seats, the operator sat sidesaddle on the right and the throttle, gear shift and brake lever operated sideways. I have no idea why it was designed for right side operation. The wipers were on the right side front and rear as well. The exterior of the car is identical at either end with 2 very large windows and two automotive headlights and brake lights. The strange thing is the engine is in the rear and drives the front axle! With the engine in the rear, the tunnel is smaller in the front for more driver room and the heat and noise is behind the operator. The removable marine fuel tank is in a storage area in the front of the tunnel. Roll up vinyl curtains were an option.
My TMC-6 is an ex Clinchfield RR car that I added a turntable, an input shaft brake to the Hester transmission for easier shifting and springs between the chassis and the body like the later models to prevent damage to the fiberglass body and provide a smooth ride. I also relocated the brake, throttle and shifter to the left front. Adding a seat on top of the raised engine tunnel provides a great view for the fifth passenger. I also added a sheet metal duct to direct the hot air to the rear. My TMC-6 serial number is 33801070 = motorcar made in 1980, production number 107, an early motorcar.
The Tamper TMC-12 was a 12 man gang car with a Perkins 4 cylinder, 44 HP diesel engine. It weighed 3,200 pounds. It was exported to El Salvador and Mexico (rumor is that one was sighted in Mexico a few years ago), possibly other locations, but never sold in the US according to Harsco.
Australian Tamper factories made 71 motorcars. Only one TMC-6 (Queensland Railroad # M009) was imported whole, probably as a demo. The transmission, engine and plans were imported and the chassis and bodies were fabricated locally. Thirty TMC-2s were made in 42, 56.5 and 63 inch gauges. Thirty six TMC-6s were made 42 inch gauge and five TMC-8s were made in 42 inch gauge. The TMC-8s are unique to Australia; basically a TMC-6 body lengthened and placed on a longer chassis for an 8 man car. The TMC-6s were different from their US cousins in that the dash and controls were switched to the opposite end and located on top of the engine housing. It was a more typical front engine/rear drive arrangement, probably for better cooling of the engine in the heat of Australia. Australian serial numbers range from 33804010 to 33804714 and are sequential. It appears that the 4 in the fifth place means Australia. The very last TMC-2 made is unique as it has also been stretched to make room for a manual hydraulic turntable pump. It was a single car made 2 years after the initial production run ended. An excellent website has photos of lots of the Australian Tampers. http://www.kenssectioncarshed.org/id51.htm" http://www.kenssectioncarshed.org/id51.htm
If you know of any Tampers I missed I'd like to get photos and serial numbers off them and am happy to offer advice on anyone restoring a Tamper. Parts are available for the engine, pulleys and Granite State Transmission. I have several thousand miles on my TMC-2 and TMC-6 and find them to be incredibly smooth riding, with great visibility and easy to operate with lots of power due to the variable pulley drive.