The Multi-Unit Motor was developed in the mid-1940s when four men from the New Haven Society of Model Engineers got together to produce a new motor design concept created by Roy Watrous. Roy's partners in the project were Melvin Ketchem, Richard Somers and John Somers. These men were all O Scale Trolley modelers and were looking for a better drive to power their model trolleys. Up until that time most drives were big, bulky and noisy. They usually stuck well up into the body of the car model inhibiting any detailing of the car interior. This new motor was to be the first one that was small and compact enough so it fit within the confines of the truck frame yet powerful enough to push a relatively heavy model around a layout. Remember trolley models were also heavier in those days. The Multi-Unit motor allowed the drive to be totally under the floor of the trolley model just like the prototypes of the cars they were modeling.

Design refinements, component drawings and tooling to produce the components for the motor including the truck frame components were completed in early 1948 and the first production motors were fabricated that same year. Al Pitman was one of their suppliers. His company produced the armatures for Multi-Unit motor. Also, in 1948 the first advertisements began to appear and this small group was off and running. Unfortunately, early into this partnership Roy Watrous passed away followed shortly thereafter by Mel Ketchem leaving Dick and John Somers to carry on the business. And carry on they did. John took care of the motor construction and testing and Dick handled the orders and installed the motors in the trucks. As a boy, I can remember my father building the motors several nights during the week and delivering them to his brother Dick at the New Haven model club on their Friday meeting night.

There were several side frames available and power trucks could be equipped with one or two motors in each truck. Trailer trucks were also available. The business continued through the 50's and 60's until 1971 when Dick and John sold the business to John Hughes of Illinois. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason Mr. Hughes did not begin his production of the motors and the Multi-Unit company has ceased to exist.

However, the legacy lives on in the motors themselves. It is unknown how many hundreds of motors were actually produced but there are lots of model trolleys out there still operating with these motors as part of the drives in them and one can still find the occasional motor or power truck for sale at train meets or on the web.

Roger Somers.