Two railroad-related finds in a week?! I’m just getting ready for angry comments about this not being “Railroad Finds,” but Barn Finds, where all good and dusty vehicles are American muscle car-related, and that’s it. Well, this is how I roll, and it’s on steel wheels on two steel rails whenever possible. This 1958 Fairmont M9 Speeder car is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Waconia, Minnesota, and they’re asking $2,500. Here is the original listing. I couldn’t pass up this when I saw it listed. Let’s check it out!
It’s hard to know the exact model of these railroad inspection cars, or speeder cars, when sellers don’t provide numbers or photos of number plates or other designations. There are so many models that it makes my head spin, sort of like the M-9’s smaller 14-inch wheels spin, compared to the larger 16-inch wheels on the M-19. Sometimes, the hyphen is left out, so either is acceptable nomenclature for these cars, M9 or M-9.
Typically a bit smaller than the M-19 inspection car (we’ve seen three on Barn Finds over the last decade since I’ve been around: here, here, and here), the M9 speeder was a one or two-seater putt-putt, or inspection car for railroad workers to “speedily” get down the tracks for maintenance or repairs. The seating is a little confusing on this model, as in the photo above, it’s shown without the soft blue seat on the right side that’s shown in some other photos.
The seller actually included some nice photos, taking the time to show this area without the cover plate on it, which is great. I’ve included this link in the past, but here is a very cool 1944 Fairmont speeder brochure. Fairmont Motors in Fairmont, Minnesota, was the biggest supplier of speeders from around 1911 to 1991. You should be able to start this one by spinning the red wheel on the side, down inside under the controls. Here’s a video on YouTube showing one in action. And just for the heck of it, another one on YouTube.
Here’s a photo of the controls from the other side with the surrounding plate in place. The controls look somewhat daunting, but they really aren’t too tricky. The bottom lever is the spark advance or retard. Next up is the throttle, then the one with two notches, and the highest handle is the brake. I’d want a red handle on that one. The top one is the belt take-up lever. This rig is belt-drive.
The engine should be around a 9-hp two-stroke, more than enough to power this 540-pound two-person open speeder to around 30 mph on the tracks. The seller says it shouldn’t take much to get it running again, as it was restored at some point. I think this would be a super fun project, and it’s small enough to do in a corner of a garage or, heck, even in a storage unit (hmmm…). The biggest issue would be finding a legal place to use it once it’s running again. Are any of you up for bringing this little speeder back to life again?
SG, I enjoy reading about other “vehicles” such as this. My home town had a railroad, and I vaguely remember seeing railcars. But I know nothing about them, so this was educational to me.
I also wonder about where one could use one. Thinking again about my home town, one of the rail lines still looks to be useable, though I don’t think it is in active use.
I like this stuff too – thanks for showing this one to us!
This would be a blast to cruise around on with a big group of them.
Thanks, Bob/RAR/Howie! I’m hoping to keep this offshoot, oddball side of Barn Finds going as long as I can without getting a beatdown from the boss. Jesse is as nice a guy as you’ll ever meet, so hopefully it’s ok to show a few non-muscle cars every once in a while.
And toys too!!
Enjoyed the write up. I live in Noblesville Indiana where there was a traditional arrival of Santa Claus to the courthouse square where the city had a “house” for kids to visit Santa. Noblesville had a train line that ran through downtown past the courthouse. Santa was delivered via a convoy of inspection cars, hi-rail pickups, etc. There were usually around 30 vehicle participants. It was a great tradition until the tracks were pulled for a trail. We were lucky that our son was young enough to enjoy the “parade” and visit Santa. Sorry for the long winded story.
Thanks, Sam61. There’s no such thing as a long-winded story when it comes to great memories. Thanks for sharing.
These little speeders have an enthusiasts club! Check out narcoa.org if you’re interested. This is one of those hobbies that I tell myself I’ll get into one of these days… need a place to work on and keep one of these speeders first!