I’ve talked about brass-era RV’s before, but if Dr. Harvey’s 1913 machine, as described in The Automobile, August 28 1913, ever rolled, it must have been one of the most interesting sights ever seen on American roads. Given that I haven’t been able to turn up another mention of it, let alone a photo, I suspect he didn’t make it very far. Kind of a spiritual ancestor of the Dobbertin Surface Orbiter, though.
Dr. L. C. Harvey, of Upland, Cal., near Los Angeles, after working for years to make an ideal touring outfit, announced recently that he had succeeded, and will shortly start with his wife and son on a 10 or 12-year tour throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Harvey has constructed a trackless train which provides every comfort and even many of the luxuries of home. His motor caravan, consisting of the auto and two large inclosed wagons, has in the equipment electric lights, running water, screen doors, spacious beds, writing tables and a library. And, should the doctor decide to leave the bulky wagons of the train behind, he can detach the motor car and tour about with all the comforts still at his command. For on a smaller scale he has duplicated the living facilities in the auto, which serves as a tractor. A Ford car is used, and the car, together with the various other conveniences, has cost nearly $10,000. The wagons are of special construction throughout. The running gear is the best, with roller bearings and springs, and equipped with air brakes. The floors are maple, the framework of hickory, and the siding and ceiling of oak. The furniture is built in as units with the body, also of oak.
The couplings are arranged so that the two wagons pulled by the Ford will trail around corners and curves in the same tracks where the machine goes. The water system is arranged with a 15-gallon tank under the car. This tank is connected to the air line that operates the air brakes, and the pressure forces the water to the sink for cooking, dishwashing, and drinking. The radiator on the Ford is also connected to the water tank and is kept constantly filled for the extra cooking needed at the slow speed while pulling the train. An air tank on the tractor is kept filled with air by a pump on the engine, from which the tires are filled, the airbrakes are operated, the water forced to the pipes, the horn blown, and the motor started. The electric lights are supplied from a storage battery, which is kept charged by a dynamo on the auto. This supplies all lights on the car, as well as furnishing light for all purposes about the cars and the camp.
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