Trackmobile最初是作為位于伊利諾斯州Whiting公司的內(nèi)部業(yè)務(wù)，在1947年，一個(gè)名為Marshall Hartelius的年輕離役戰(zhàn)機(jī)機(jī)師與工程師被指派修整一輛Whiting廠內(nèi)適用了數(shù)年的舊式工業(yè)機(jī)車(chē)，其總是被困在末端軌道上，數(shù)小時(shí)不能運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。Hartelius被要求尋找一種新的使其在路面運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)方法，以避免軌道式移動(dòng)的難題。他首先設(shè)計(jì)出了一種裝載于機(jī)車(chē)上的路面輪式系統(tǒng)，但發(fā)現(xiàn)其笨重又復(fù)雜，而且，盡管它增加了適用于路面——軌道的選擇，但耗費(fèi)掉大量的燃料與燃油，且需要經(jīng)常的維修。Hartelius廢棄掉這個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)，向其老板提交了一種專(zhuān)門(mén)設(shè)計(jì)適用于廠內(nèi)軌道移動(dòng)的概念，它擁有可運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)于路面的結(jié)實(shí)橡膠胎，還有可運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)于軌道上的凸緣鋼輪。

　　核心問(wèn)題是如何設(shè)計(jì)出一種既足夠輕以在路面上行走，又足夠重以起動(dòng)及阻止軌道運(yùn)行的機(jī)械，Hartelius對(duì)于這一工程兩難問(wèn)題的方案是：借助于雙軌道的重量以增加車(chē)輛牽引的重量。他設(shè)計(jì)出一種操作于駕駛座位的車(chē)鉤頭，通過(guò)它可以增加軌道車(chē)舉升的液壓，轉(zhuǎn)換為到車(chē)輛輪子的49,000磅重量。

　　1948年，其原型被制造出來(lái)，取名為“Mule”，運(yùn)作在Whiting工廠，立即取得了成功，其軌道式移動(dòng)只占用于舊機(jī)車(chē)運(yùn)行的一小部分時(shí)間，并耗費(fèi)小量的燃料，需求的維修少，與舊機(jī)車(chē)相比，極大地減少了運(yùn)作成本，Hartelius為他的公司解決了這一軌道車(chē)輛轉(zhuǎn)換的難題。1950年的一天，Hartelius想到其他的公司可能也會(huì)對(duì)“Mule”感興趣，其在拖車(chē)上放置了一輛產(chǎn)品，攜帶它到全國(guó)展示此移動(dòng)軌道車(chē)的優(yōu)勢(shì)，自那天起，已有10,000多輛Trackmobile車(chē)輛服務(wù)于54個(gè)國(guó)家。

　　到1980年，Trackmobile從Whiting廠獨(dú)立出來(lái)，并作為一個(gè)獨(dú)立的部門(mén)搬至喬治亞州的另一個(gè)市，在1987年，芝加哥Marmon集團(tuán)收購(gòu)了Trackmobile，并將其與他們的Switchmaster生產(chǎn)線合并，今天，Trackmobile是從屬于Marmon運(yùn)輸服務(wù)領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的子公司。

Trackmobile began as an in-plant project at Whiting Corporation, Harvey, Illinois. In 1947 a young ex Navy fighter pilot and engineer named Marshall Hartelius was assigned to modify an old industrial locomotive Whiting had used for years inside their plant. Their locomotive was constantly being trapped on dead-end tracks, losing hours of productivity. Hartelius was charged to find a way to move it by road to avoid bottlenecks to railcar movements. He first designed a road wheel system to mount on the locomotive, but found it was cumbersome and complicated. Furthermore, in spite of the added utility of road-to-rail capability, the locomotive consumed a lot of fuel and oil and required constant repair. Marshall scrapped his first design and in its place submitted to his boss a concept for a vehicle specifically designed for in-plant rail movement. It had hard rubber tires to move by road and flanged steel wheels to work on rail.

The central problem was how to design a machine that was light enough for road movement and yet heavy enough to start and stop railcars. Hartelius’ solution to this engineering dilemma: borrow weight from coupled railcars to increase the vehicle weight for traction. He designed a coupler head that could be operated from the driver’s seat, and that would raise hydraulically to lift the railcar, transferring up to 49,000 lbs (22,680 kg) to the wheels of the vehicle.

A prototype was built in 1948, and designated the “Mule.” It went to work in the Whiting plant and was an immediate success: railcar movement was accomplished in a fraction of the time the locomotive had required. It consumed little fuel, required little maintenance, and dramatically lowered operating costs compared to the locomotive. Hartelius had solved a difficult railcar switching problem for his company.

One day in 1950 Marshall wondered if other companies might be interested in a Mule.

He put one on a trailer and took it around the country, demonstrating the advantages of a mobile railcar mover.

Since that day, more than 10,000 Trackmobile units have been put into service in 54 countries.

We think Marshall Hartelius had a good idea.

By 1980 Trackmobile had outgrown the Whiting plant in Harvey and moved to LaGrange, Georgia as a separate division. In 1987 The Marmon Group of Chicago acquired Trackmobile, Inc. and merged it with their Switchmaster product line. Today Trackmobile is a company within the Marmon Transportation Services Division.