A speeder (also known as railway motor car, putt-putt, track-maintenance car, crew car, jigger, trike, quad, trolley or inspection car, and also known as a draisine (although that can also be unpowered) in many other parts of the world) is a maintenance of way motorized vehicle formerly used on railroads around the world by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and from work sites.[1] Although it is slow compared to a train or car, it is called speeder because it is faster than a human-powered vehicle.
In the 1990s, speeders were replaced with trucks (usually pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles) using flanged wheels that could be lowered for on-rail, called road-rail vehicles. Now speeders are collected by hobbyists, who refurbish them and take them on outings organized by the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA) in the USA and Canada and the Australian Society of Section Car Operators, Inc. in Australia.
Contents |
The most famous speeder in a movie is, arguably, the Fairmont M19/M19AA that Buster Keaton rode across Canada in his 1965 film, The Railrodder. Keaton made tea, washed his laundry, hunted ducks and passed trains as he travelled across Canada. The Railrodder and its making-of documentary, Buster Keaton Rides Again, are still available from the National Film Board of Canada. One also makes an appearance in Wristcutters: A Love Story.
A speeder also features in the Russian film Stalker, where it is used to transport the protagonists into the heart of a forbidden area called The Zone, created in the aftermath of an alien landing.
Beavercar — BMC-2, BMC-4, BMC-B
Buda Manufacturing
Casey Jones — 531
Commonwealth Engineering — Heavy Gang Car built for 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) and Standard Gauge operation in South Australia
Fairbanks-Morse — 40-B, 101, 757
Fairmont Railway Motors Inc — 52, 52-A, 59, 59-A, 59-B, 59-C, 59-D, 1100, 2100, 3100, 4100, 5100, 6100, A2 Series, A3 Series, A4 Series, A5 Series, A6 Series, A7 Series, A8 Series, M2, M9, M14, MT14, M15, M17, M19, MT19, S2, ST2, C7, CD7, CK7, CR7
Gemco[2]
Kalamazoo — 23 Series B, 23 Series T, 27, 560N
Pacific ACE (AKA Tutt Bryant)[3] — C500, STT/E
Portec
Sheffield — 40-B
'Sylvester Manufacturing Co' (Australia) [4] — H21B - Medium Gang Car, E21B - Light Inspection Car
Sylvester Steel Products--Canada
"21" section car with "120" engine. Steel frame "21E" section car with "KP" engine. Aluminum frame. "K54" inspection car with "KP" engine. Aluminum frame.
Tamper — TMC-2, TMC-6, TMC-8, TMC-12
D Wickham & Co Ltd[5] — (59 models over their manufacturing history) See Wickham trolley.
Woodings — CBI, CBL
Railway Workshops — Various railways and their workshops also manufactured speeders. Often these were a copy of commercially available cars, such as Wickham and Fairmont.
Approximate dimensions of a common speeder car are given below. Due to the variety of base models and customization these are not fixed numbers. These values are from a Fairmont A4-D.
Rail Gauge: Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (56.5 inches)
Weight: ~3,500 pounds (1,600 kg)
Width: ~64 inches (1,600 mm)
Height: ~60 inches (1,500 mm)
Length: ~9 feet 2 inches (2,790 mm) (~110 inches)
Wheel Diameter: ~14 inches (360 mm)
Floor Height: ~80% to 120% of the wheel diameter ~11 inches (280 mm) to ~17 inches (430 mm)