A Rapid Truck Ran in the 1908 Glidden Tour
Written by Donald E. Meyer, GMC Historian
(First published in American Truck Historical Society, Motor City Chapter News Letter, "Changing Times", May/June 2003)
In July 1908, a one-ton Rapid truck was used as the service vehicle for the Glidden Tour, following the other cars as they toured around Pennsylvania, New York and New England. The Glidden Tour was run annually, 1905-1913, by the American Automobile Association to test the performance and reliability of automobiles then being produced by a new industry. This account was condensed from a book written by "Doubting Thomas" (real name unknown) and published by the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in 1908.
The truck body had seating for four people and a screened rear cargo space. A canopy covered the entire vehicle with roll-down curtains around the perimeter. The cargo capacity was 1,400 lbs. but they carried 2,500 lbs. of compressed air tanks for servicing the tour vehicles. The truck was powered by a transverse 24 hp two-cylinder engine through a two-speed planetary transmission with chain drive to a jackshaft and dual chains to the rear wheels.
The truck was hastily prepared at the Rapid plant in Pontiac, Michigan. On July 7, 1908, it left Pontiac, driven by an 18-year old boy with Doubting Thomas and two other men as passengers. They arrived at Buffalo, New York, two days later for the start of the tour. After hearing about the rigors of the planned tour route, "Doubting Thomas" was convinced that the overloaded Rapid was doomed to failure.
Leaving Buffalo on the morning of July 9th, they covered the first leg of 112 miles to Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, in 7 hours and 40 minutes, averaging 14.6 mph. "Doubting Thomas" liked the way the truck rode over bumps much better than he expected. The driver oiled and inspected the truck each night and occasionally telephoned the factory to report the vehicle’s condition.
On the second day they went 110 miles to Pittsburg over some steep grades, arriving soon after the "pleasure cars". The third leg was 106 miles to Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. The road over the Allegheny Mountains had foot-high water break ditches running diagonally across the trail every 20 to 50 feet and partially embedded boulders and smaller rocks making it very rough. They drove 30 miles in low gear before they came to smoother roads. "Doubting Thomas" thought it was incredible that the driver found not even a loose nut on the truck that evening, but he wished they had a factory mechanic along to verify that the truck was in good condition.
On the 107 mile leg to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Rapid climbed four miles up a mountain on fine sand with the narrow hard rubber tires sinking in several inches. Outside Carlisle the road was flooded, again slowing progress. Later that day they traveled better roads. That evening the Harrisburg agent for Rapid demonstrated the truck to several prospective customers with positive results.
Tuesday they ran 134 miles to Philadelphia and the next day 132 more through the Delaware Water Gap to Milford, Pennsylvania. On Thursday they encountered sticky clay roads due to pervious rains but were able to stay out of the ditches. That day they covered 159 miles to Albany, NY. On the 194 mile leg to Boston, Massachusetts, they climbed "Jacob’s Ladder", a very steep section over rocks, ruts, water breaks and sand without any problems. On good roads they got up to 25 mph and reached Boston on time, where they had a two day layover.
The Tour’s next stop was at Poland Springs, Maine, 154 miles from Boston. On that leg they continually pounded over rocky roads. Next they went 141 miles to Rangeley, Maine. and then 130 miles to Bethlehem, New Hampshire, still on rough roads. On the 185 miles between there and Saratoga, New York, the road was mostly wet clay and the truck sank into the road, requiring power even on downgrades.
At the end of the tour in Saratoga, everyone present showed "their admiration for the wonderful performance of this simple two-cylinder truck at which they had laughed when the run started. That night the driver reported to the factory that the Rapid completed the Tour without even a loose nut."
After the tour they returned overland to Pontiac via Buffalo, Canada and Detroit. According to "Doubting Thomas" the heavily loaded Rapid covered "over 2,000 miles of the most damaging roads in America” with only “a new spark plug and a commutator part due to an accident". "The Rapid was in the severest [reliability run] ever given in America and made a perfect road performance."
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