Did something different this weekend, Rode the Rails. (Page 1/4)
blackrams OCT 12, 06:22 PM


My Brother In Law is into this, he's been trying to get me to go with him for a couple of years.

They (or he) calls it a Speeder Adventure.
There were 30 of these "motor cars" or as they call them Speeders, not all are shown. This run occurred in Central Alabama but, they travel all over the country. My BIL has two versions, a narrow gauge Speeder for the Colorado and mountainous areas and a Standard gauge version for (I guess) everywhere else. His both have two cylinder (two stroke) horizontally opposed engines, I think they are belt drive.

We rode the rails about 60 miles one way, then about 70 miles back then returned to the original starting location. Got up to a blinding speed of about 36 miles per hour.
Saw a lot of country only the train folks get to see normally. It was a nice time. Not something I would invest my money in. Too restrictive on where and when you can do it.

Yes, this was a sanctioned event, the rail road folks were there, we were all masked up and during the safety briefing we all stood at least 6 feet apart.

I did find it interesting at how close our use/timing was to a freight train rolling through on the same tracks. We dismounted the last Speeder off the tracks with a good 2 minutes to spare before a train with about 40 cars came barreling through. Was fun and will probably do it again.
Just thought I'd share my "different" adventure with you.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 10-12-2020).]

olejoedad OCT 12, 08:03 PM
That sounds like a really good time!
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 12, 08:12 PM
That's pretty wild.. never heard of such a thing!
blackrams OCT 12, 09:12 PM
All of these "Speeders" are retired/restored rail inspection or rail work crew transports. Similar to our Fieros, they are definitely a "niche" thing.


There was one there that was for sale. It was a much bigger version, looked like it would haul six folks. My BIL also has a rail "trailer" he could pull but, why if you're not needing to haul something.
Edited: BTW, every car is required to carry a tow/push bar with pins just in case of break down. It's up to each "crew" to keep the car behind them in sight in case of a break down but, all cars were also able to push using the bar. A car three or four cars in front of us broke down and had to be towed back in. Was fun and looking forward to my next adventure.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 10-13-2020).]

sourmash OCT 12, 09:49 PM
I've seen it, but didn't know you could travel that far. Sounds pretty fun.
blackrams OCT 12, 10:16 PM

quote
Originally posted by sourmash:

I've seen it, but didn't know you could travel that far. Sounds pretty fun.



My BIL has told me of rail trips of over a hundred miles one way. I assume it is dependent on how long the rail roads will let you go. Obviously, freight and work trains/crews have priority.

He has another adventure planned for next weekend in Northern Alabama and then two next month. If I remember correctly, I think he said W VA and PA.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 10-13-2020).]

Jake_Dragon OCT 12, 10:40 PM
This is like canoeing for gear heads. I like it!
randye OCT 13, 12:18 AM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

All of these "Speeders" are retired/restored rail inspection or rail work crew transports.




I couldn't visualize what these things look like when we talked about it.

Now that I see them they look like a grungy little Tuk Tuk....only smaller.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 10-13-2020).]

css9450 OCT 13, 07:49 AM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

I assume it all dependent on how long the rail roads will let you go. Obviously, freight and work trains/crews have priority.




I would guess it must've been on a quiet short line of some sort, without much traffic. The big railroads (CSX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern etc) are increasingly unwilling to let other organizations onto their tracks unless they have enormous insurance policies.

On the other hand, there are people who ride these speeders on abandoned railroad lines. Or, sometimes they use bikes with special "outriggers" with railroad wheels. No worries about opposing train traffic, but the dangers come from hitting fallen trees, washed out tracks, collapsed bridges.... Lots of interesting videos on the Youtube.
maryjane OCT 13, 08:34 AM
I figured Ron was riding the rails thusly.