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A speeder (also known as railway motor car, putt-putt, track-maintenance car, crew car, jigger, trike, quad, trolley or inspection car) is a maintenance of way
Maintenance of way

Maintenance of way refers to the maintenance of railroad Right-of-way . It can include procedures from the initial grading of the right of way to its general upkeep and eventual dismantling....
 motorized vehicle formerly used on railroads around the world by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and from work sites.






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Speeder At Madcity Rail Show 2004
Chessie System Speeder, Linden, Indiana
Yeppoon
A speeder (also known as railway motor car, putt-putt, track-maintenance car, crew car, jigger, trike, quad, trolley or inspection car) is a maintenance of way
Maintenance of way

Maintenance of way refers to the maintenance of railroad Right-of-way . It can include procedures from the initial grading of the right of way to its general upkeep and eventual dismantling....
 motorized vehicle formerly used on railroads around the world by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and from work sites. Speeders were replaced with trucks (usually pickup truck
Pickup truck

A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling heavy loads....
s or sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle

A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing description for a vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on or off-road ability, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan....
s) using flange
Flange

A flange is an external or internal rib, or rim , for Shear strength, as the flange of an iron Beam or I-beam ; or for a guide, as the flange of a train wheel; or for attachment to another object, as the flange on the end of a pipe, steam cylinder, etc, or on the lens mount of a camera....
d wheel
Wheel

A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines....
s that could be lowered for on-rail, called road-rail vehicle
Road-rail vehicle

A road-rail vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle that can be legally used on both roads and Rail tracks. Combining the words "highway" and "rail", one is often referred to as a hi-rail truck or just , sometimes spelled high-rail, HiRail or Hy-rail....
s, in the 1990s. Now speeders are collected by hobbyists, who refurbish them and take them on outings organized by the North American Railcar Operators Association
North American Railcar Operators Association

The North American Railcar Operators Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and safe, legal operation of railroad equipment historically used for maintenance of way purposes....
 in the USA and Canada and the Australian Society of Section Car Operators, Inc. in Australia.

Speeders in the movies

The most famous speeder in a movie is, arguably, the Fairmont M19/M19AA that Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an Academy Award-winning United States comic actor and filmmaker. Best known for his silent films, his trademark was physical comedy with a stoicism, deadpan expression on his face, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face" ....
 rode across Canada in his 1965 film, The Railrodder
The Railrodder

The Railrodder is a 1965 short film comedy film released by the National Film Board of Canada and starring Buster Keaton in one of his final film roles....
. 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
Buster Keaton Rides Again

Buster Keaton Rides Again is a 1965 in film documentary film about the filming of Buster Keaton's film The Railrodder, which was also released in 1965....
, are still available from the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes innovative, socially relevant documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions....
.

Motorcar manufacturers and models

Beavercar — BMC-2, BMC-4, BMC-B

Buda Manufacturing

Casey Jones — 531

Commonwealth Engineering — Heavy Gang Car built for and Standard Gauge
Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge . The distance between the inside edges of the rails of standard gauge track is ....
 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

Kalamazoo — 23 Series B, 23 Series T, 27, 560N

Pacific ACE (AKA Tutt Bryant) — ,

Portec

Sheffield — 40-B

Sylvester Manufacturing Co — H21B - Medium Gang Car, E21B - Light Inspection Car

Tamper — TMC-2, TMC-6, TMC-8

D Wickham & Co Ltd — (59 models over their manufacturing history)

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.

Dimensions

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
Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge . The distance between the inside edges of the rails of standard gauge track is ....
  (56.5 inches)

Weight: ~

Width: ~

Height: ~

Length: ~ (~110 inches)

Wheel Diameter: ~

Floor Height: ~80% to 120% of the wheel diameter ~ to ~

See also

  • Draisine
    Draisine

    A draisine primarily refers to a light auxiliary train or tram.The eponymous term is derived from Germany Freiherr Karl Drais, who invented his Laufmaschine in 1817, that was called Draisine or draisienne by the press....
  • Handcar
    Handcar

    A handcar is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a maintenance of way or mining car, but it was also used for passenger service in some cases....
  • Railcar
    Railcar

    A railcar is a self-propelled Rail transport vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single Coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends....

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