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Babcock Mite
Originally owned by Bill Dau, Algona, IA
In early 1950, John Babcock designed a mite car for racing on high-banked oval rail tracks. Babcock called the car the "Rail Mite".
The car was built specifically for the .19-class and featured a low-slung, two-piece cast aluminum body with a lay-down engine mount and spur gear drive. The cars were introduced in the Spring of 1950 and were available from Babcock in kit form or, upon special request, as a complete car.
One of Babcock's Rail Mites was purchased as a complete car by Bob Diekmann of Algona, IA. When the car was finished, it was handed over to Babcock's good friend, Curly Glover, to proxy the car for Diekmann in the International Model Race Car Association (IMRCA) Rail Mite National Championship races held o July 16, 1950 at the San Jose, CA rail track. The car ultimately finished in 3rd place at the event.
Early the next year, Diekmann ordered another car from John Babcock, but this car was for his friend, Bill Dau, Jr., who planned to race the car on the 1/60th mile tether track in Algona, IA.
Having never before built a Babcock Rail Mite as a tether car, Babcock agreed to partially finish the car, leaving the installation of the engine, fuel tank and bridle brackets up to Bill Dau, Jr.
Dau installed a modified McCoy .19 race car engine (fitted with an after-market rear intake and rotary valve), a custom-built fuel tank, a set of modified Pac-A-Lite Mini-Mount bridle brackets, and a pair of 3 inch diamter semi-pneumatic Veco tires and wheels on the drive axle.
In a letter to Bob Diekmann, John Babcock noted that this was the first Babcock Rail-Mite which had been reconfigured for competition on a tether track.
