A Primer on the Motorcar Hobby. By Jeremy Winkworth. With some editing by Wayne Parsons

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1 A Primer on the Motorcar Hobby By Jeremy Winkworth. With some editing by Wayne Parsons Do you remember those railroad motorcars you used to see in the fifties and sixties on virtually every line in the U.S. and Canada? Those little yellow or orange boxes with the characteristic putt-putt sound of a two-stroke engine, sometimes towing a trailer or two loaded with ties and spikes. Did you ever wonder what happened to them? Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority was scrapped, but a few thousand of these maintenance-of-way vehicles are still around today in running condition and in regular use. The North American Railcar Owners Association (NARCOA) represents a group of about 1,500 people who are interested in motorcars, otherwise known as railcars, speeders, jiggers or putt-putts. This group organizes 1 to 5 day rides on different railroads, with a ride being as short as 20 miles or as long as 1,000 miles. It also sets rules, makes liability insurance available, and publishes a bimonthly magazine that includes reports of rides, historical articles, technical tips and facilitates the sale of railcars and railcar parts. Of the total club membership about 600 people are currently licensed and insured to operate at NARCOA events. Last year 100 railroads around the country hosted 140 insured events. History of Private Motorcar Ownership in the U.S. Around 1970, a group in New Jersey started riding their railcars on abandoned track and little used branch lines in the Northeast of the U.S. At times, they would clear lines for the railroads in order to use them. After many of these lines were torn up in the late 70's and early 80's, this group decided to formally organize as the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA), with the hopes of finding a railroad that would let them ride the rails on a regular basis. One of the first railroads to allow this was the Delaware and Ulster Railroad in Arkville, New York. In exchange for such running, NARCOA helped clear the line of trees and trash in preparation for a tourist operation. During this period, private railcar ownership grew rapidly, as American railroads were liquidating large numbers of railcars in favor of Hi-Rail vehicles, selling them for as little as $100 to anyone who would haul them away. With few places to ride, some owners began to use them illegally on little used tracks. In 1985, the Southern Michigan Railroad, a tourist railroad that had purchased an ex-nyc Michigan branch line between Clinton and Lenawee Junction, invited NARCOA members to join them for the first National Motorcar Convention. Twenty-two motorcars, two handcars, a velocipede and 75 people participated in the activities, which included several rides over the 14-mile railroad, a banquet and a night photography session. This convention was a turning point for the hobby. Membership increased and a second group was formed, the Motor Car Collectors of America (MCCA), based in Wever, Iowa. They used a nearby line owned by the Keokuk Junction Railroad for riding. However, the demand to operate motorcars on other railroads was to remain unfulfilled, as few railroads would permit group rides on a regular basis. The breakthrough came in 1988 when a trip was organized over a 184-mile ex- Milwaukee Road line from Channing to Ontonagon in Michigan's remote western Upper Peninsula. Over 35 cars filled to capacity with coolers, suitcases and

2 tents attended. There were no accidents or injuries and the two-day ride set a precedent, demonstrating the safety and value of motorcar trips over freight railroads. It also showed that motorcar enthusiasts could provide well-maintained cars and conduct themselves responsibly when running on active tracks. After this success, freight railroads in South Dakota, Florida, Minnesota and Canada began allowing motorcar operation on their tracks. Out in the West, the first organized event was a time trial on the track of the Feather River Railroad Museum, California, in the early 1980's. This brought together a number of motorcar enthusiasts and lead to organized excursions in Oregon, California and Nevada. Eventually, this group became the Motorcar Operators West (MOW) with 370 members today. The biggest factors that made NARCOA the leading national organization and brought all the above groups together in the 1990's were safety and insurance. Liability insurance was thought to be a prerequisite to further expansion and the national availability of a $5 million policy (now $ 20 million policy) led to rides on other railroads, including Class 1's CSX, Canadian National and Burlington Northern. A rulebook acceptable to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was written, approved, and distributed. All rules must be followed and liability insurance is mandatory on every organized ride. Operators must pass a written rule book test before the insurance is issued. The NARCOA bimonthly magazine, called "The Setoff, contains details of all upcoming rides, each of which may attract anywhere from a handful to 70 motorcars. "Bootleg" running (use of any track without the owner's proper permission) is strictly forbidden to NARCOA members. U.S Manufacturers of Railcars There have been a number of manufacturers that supplied velocipedes or rail cars to American Railroads. The first was the Sheffield Motor Company, incorporated in 1878 by George Sheffield, who saw the potential in selling velocipedes with flanged wheels to the railroad companies. He did his experimenting on the Michigan Central Railroad in the West Michigan area at night and without authorization from the railroad. The Kalamazoo Velocipede and Motor Car Company went into production in the early 1880's and lasted until The Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Co. began in 1911 and by 1949 was offering 19 models of motorcars to customers, most being available in 11 different gauges from 23" to 66". Demand was very strong for half a century, but by the 1970's, sales were plummeting, due to the rapidly shrinking railroad network and a widespread switch to Hi-rail vehicles. The last of a total of nearly 73,000 Fairmont motorcars was manufactured in Other companies of historical note included Adams, Buda, Casey Jones, Fairbanks-Morse, NorthWestern, and the two Canadian companies, Woodings and Beaver. The only one of these manufacturers still in business today is Fairmont, who swallowed Tamper Inc. in 1991 to become Fairmont-Tamper. This name is familiar across the world, as they sell a wide range of track maintenance equipment. Fairmont built the majority of railcars privately operated today. Mechanical Overview

3 The earliest 3 wheel velocipedes and 4 wheel track cars were either powered by hand cranking, a pumping action or pedaling, the motion being transmitted to the wheels by chains and gears. The first cars that used the internal combustion engine for power did so via a direct drive, where the engine was permanently connected to the drive axle. This meant that they had to be pushed to start the engine and could not idle when stationary. Still, that was a distinct improvement over cranking and pumping all day! The direct drive was eventually replaced by the most common method of power transmission, the drive belt. Earliest belts were made of leather but heavyduty fabric quickly superseded this material. According to Fairmont literature, a properly installed and used drive belt should last 40,000 miles. The rugged one-cylinder two-stroke Fairmont engines used from 1911 onwards were reversible, in that you could set the position of spark ignition and then crank the engine in the required direction of travel. The name "puttputt" for a motorcar derives from the characteristic sound of these unmuffled two-stroke engines. A vibrating coil enclosed in a wooden box, commonly referred to as a buzz box supplied power to the spark plug. This type of coil was also used in early cars such as the Model T Ford. It was connected to a timer mechanism on the end of the engine shaft, and as the shaft turned, the coil discharged at a set point for a set period once per revolution. Batteries were initially 6V dry cells of limited capacity, which were replaced by 6V and then 12V car type lead-acid batteries. Starting in the 1950's, Fairmont began offering a more modern two cylinder, four-stroke engine with a clutch and mechanical transmission to get power to the wheels. However, the two-stroke engines and belt drives were still available as an option on new cars until the end. In fact, four of these venerable engines were assembled from parts by Fairmont and shipped to a Turkish railroad in The maximum speed of most motorcars is between 30 to 35 mph. Brakes are generally small cast iron shoes, one for each wheel. For cars with solid rubber tires on the wheels, flange brakes are used. The cars have insulated axles so that they will not set off crossing signals; a function reserved for locomotives. Today it s very rare to find a motorcar in the surplus equipment regularly auction off by railroads. Motorcar prices are rising from the 1990 auction price of $500 to $3500 for open MT-14 s. Rare cars such as a Fairmont MT-14M (with only 91 enclosed cab models ever made) in good condition with a turntable will easily bring $9000. MT-19 s with fiberglass bodies are still available for $3500.

4 (PLEASE TAKE THIS ALONG TO SHARE WITH OTHERS) Wayne Parsons believes this was written by Chuck Lee and this is the text of a brochure that he wrote and would hand out when asked "WHAT'S THAT?" ZERO TO 20 MPH IN 90 SECONDS! Yes, you can go faster, and farther, and easier, and cheaper in many other ways - but would it be as much fun? Not for me, or for others who restore these old "railroad speeders" and run them along the tracks. Speeders are very small, four-wheel, rail vehicles, generally having a wheelbase of only three feet. The wheels have a diameter of 16 inches. The speeders are about five feet wide, and vary in length between five and seven feet. Some models are a few feet longer. Speeders have small gasoline engines that have replaced the human energy used on earlier "pump" or "pedal" models occasionally seen in older movies. Railroads used the shorter speeders for track, signal, and other inspection work, and the longer cars (sometimes with trailers) to carry workers, tools, and supplies for small repair jobs along the track. Railroads phased out the use of speeders starting around 1970, replacing them with "hy-rail" vehicles. These hy-rail vehicles (so called from one of the manufacturers, Fairmont-Tamper whose trade name for these vehicles is Hy-Rail) are ordinary pickup or other model trucks (in some cases, sedans) with small-flanged wheels mounted near the front and rear bumpers. These flanged wheels can be raised and lowered, so that the vehicle can travel along the railroad tracks when needed, and then the operator can raise the flanged wheels and drive on pavement as desired. This greater versatility and cargo capacity made the speeder obsolete. As the railroads scrapped or sold these no-longer-needed speeders, they were acquired by railfans, restored and repaired, and used for hobby purposes. Sometimes this involved illegal trespassing on seldom used rail lines; today there are several clubs which obtain permission from railroads to operate on the tracks. These clubs are under the organizational umbrella of the North American Rail Car Operators Association (NARCOA).* The large, well-known railroads in the United States do not allow speeder clubs to rent their tracks for outings. There are, however, many small railroad companies which have taken over former branch lines of the major carriers (as well as some large railroads in other countries) which are much more friendly toward the speeder clubs. Often smaller railroads operate trains only on weekdays, so a group of speeders on a Saturday or Sunday does not cause the coordination problems the larger lines would have. Also, the smaller carriers find the income significant R4zero01.doc,11/29/2007

5 whereas the major railroads in the United States view it as too small to be worthwhile. Riding in a speeder provides a perspective on rail travel that most people never experience. One is seated low, perhaps only a foot or two above the top of the rail. One can see directly ahead and to both sides, similar to the view a locomotive engineer has, but even better in my opinion. Travel is relatively slow, generally less than 15 miles per hour. Every culvert, bridge, road crossing, tunnel, and building along the rails is seen from an uncommon vantage point. Dogs sometimes chase us, running beside the speeder with their barking mouths just inches away. Because speeders are so uncommon, they attract much attention from people along the track. We often notice people following in cars, and racing ahead to stop and take photos of us as we pass. When we pause for lunch or other extended periods of time in populated areas small crowds often gather to look and ask questions. A few speeders have no sides or tops, and are fully open vehicles - one holds on and relies on a seat belt for safety. Most speeders have a windshield and roof that provides some protection from the wind and rain. Many also have sides and backs (sometimes made of canvas) with doors (or opening flaps) and windows, and these are the most desirable speeders for wet and cold weather. However, even these enclosed speeders can be quite breezy and cool in cold weather, because of the many openings and loose fitting doors. The lifestyle of speeder fans on trips involves driving long hours, arriving late in the afternoon or early evening at a new town, and locating a motel room. Many have made reservations ahead of time; others seek lodging at the last minute and sometimes end up sleeping in their cars. A few travel in RVs and are less dependent on the local economy. Meals are often eaten late at night, with a limited selection of cafes open in small towns in remote areas. Sometimes only a cold sandwich and soda are available from 24-hour gas stations. Midday meals are usually cold sandwiches purchased the night before, or fast food if available. The speeder fraternity (and 99% of the operators I've seen are male) is a very mixed and friendly group. There are professors and programmers, farmers and physicians, teachers and truckers, as well as cops, engineers, firemen, plumbers, and many retired people. Almost all of them have good mechanical skills for restoring and repairing speeders. Many of them travel, with their speeders on towed trailers, in pickups, Porches, SUVs, and palatial motor homes; others have family sedans or station wagons. Although certainly much less expensive than thoroughbred horse breeding or sports car racing, it is still not a hobby for the financially challenged. See'ya along the rails! 2

6 *If you want to learn more about speeders and the various clubs involved, you will find a great deal of useful information at the following Internet website: 3

AGENDA: June 26, 2014 TO: FROM: RE: Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Luis Pavel Mendez, Deputy Director Rail Motorcar Excursion on the Santa C

AGENDA: June 26, 2014 TO: FROM: RE: Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Luis Pavel Mendez, Deputy Director Rail Motorcar Excursion on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends