Just thought I would post the new project I am going to add to my workshop! Hope to be running the rails next summer.
Neat toy!
A small, and relatively unsung portion of the railfan hobby. And they make arrangements to ride legally on the rails, too.
wait until adrainspeeder see’s that…he’s gonna lose it…
The speeder folks are generally great usuers of track and very safe in my experience. Most short lines welcome them as they are safe and work hard to keep it that way and can provide a welcome additional revenue stream. What is the name of the organization again? It has slipped my mind…
LC
You are probably thinking of NARCOA (North American Rail Car Operators Association) www.narcoa.org which includes our Northern neighbors, Canada.
SPEEDER!!!
Sweet, my friend has one, and it is at the wiring stage now. But im now down here at widener, and he has a kid now, so the speeder sits in storage till later.
What do you use to tow it?
Adrianspeeder
Adrianspeeder,
I tow with my wife’s poor old Chevy S-10 2.5L Ext. Cab with 197,000+ miles. Don’t know how long it will last. I just pulled the fuel pump last weekend to swap with a new one. (I had to cut a hole in the bed, really rusty anyway, to make access hole to the pump.
Jim,
Very cool. You’ll have to explain how you got “clearance from the tower” for this purchase. I’m sure I’m not the only husband in this forum who would like to know some of your negotiating and/or persuasion tips. They obviously work quite well. [:)]
One last thing… please don’t try to take that up Edelstein Hill. [:D]
Hope all is well in Peoria. Go Braves!
Bergie
No, no, no. you need a POWER STROKE DIESEL!!!
I am guessing that you are overloaded with the s10, what type of trailer do you have? Do you know howmuch you weigh in at? One thing that is very important is to never be overloaded and involved in an accident. Usually the insurance cos will weigh a trailer and if it is too heavy for the truck, even if not your fault, you get screwed. I saw a case in which a drunk ran a red light and was t boned by a heavyduty pickup that was towing. The truck would have no chance anyway to stop in time, but since the trailer was a little bit overloaded, the drunk got off, and my friend got screwed.
Be safe with that speeder,
Adrianspeeder
Erik,
Everything is going well in Peoria. To tell the truth I had to sell my F440 car to negotiate this with the “tower” (my wife). It was a trade off. We lost our site at Illinois Central College for autocrossing. This was my F440.
I am going to try to run the speeder next summer when they have the Chillicothe Corn Fest. It should be around the end of July. If Iowa Interstate RR will give us a track warrant, they are planning on running the whole weekend. If you make it, I could give you a run in it. I hope everything works out!!
Jim
Jim,
I am assuming you are speaking of using all or a portion of the the old Rock Island Bureau to Peoria line. That would be a neat trip.
I was down that way a couple years ago and it looked like the track was still good for a speeder!
Jay
Damn!
Now that looks like some serious fun!
Jay,
Yes, the track is in pretty good shape and yes this is the Old Rock Island line. Iowa Interstate still uses it to move freight, mostly sand cars near Chillicothe and I have noticed some coal being moved north towards Chicago, scrap metal and some covered hoppers with grain.
Jim
The speeder survived the 200 mile trip and is safely in the workshop. The trailer was another story, as one of the trailer tires lost some tread on the way and I had to make a long journey to a Super Walmart for a new trailer tire. It was a long day last Saturday!!
Congrats on the addition. I wish I could get’ tower’ clearance for something
like that myself.[:)]
Is that an actual C & O speeder[?] And are you going to keep that paint job[?]
What is involved in running a speeder privately? Where can they be run and what kind of engines do they have?
locomutt,
Yes, this is mostly original C&O used in Michigan by the looks of the documentation. I am keeping the C&O colors. I am trying to keep it as original as possible. I will have to touch up the roof area as alot of paint has peeled off. Just got it to run last night for brief periods, just have to figure out the spark advance to keep it running!!
miniwyo,
Most Railroad musuems with operating trains will let railspeeders run, you usually have to become a member and probably help them out. I have been a member of the Monticello RR museum in Monticello, Illinois. They allow members to run their speeders most of the time. I think they require a short safety test.
Ooops, oh yeah the engine is called an ROC, not sure what it stands for, but it is a 2-stroke engine (requires oil in the gas) and is single cylinder. There are many other variations and some are 4-stroke even V-8 engines in the big motor cars.
Good to hear about the trip.
Ahhh yes, the trailer tires. Worst pieces of poo ever called a tire. I carry at least two spares and bearings with me. What was the weight on your trailer again? One problem is using too light a tire for the load.
Adrianspeeder