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!
“I’m just getting ready for angry comment about..Barn Finds……(just)..old and dusty..American muscle car-related, and that’s it.” So, no European based cars like the Sunbeam Tiger, Allard’s or Ford Monte Carlo’s with Ford flatheads? Pretty ignorant bias IMHO..
When the Union Pacific had Big Boy (4014) cross the U.S. recently on display some good friends bought tickets for the stop at Portola, CA. and invited me along.
There were 10 of these Speeders there offering rides along the track; the group finds abandoned tracks in various locations for their meets!
SG, you all just keep the crazy stuff coming-we’ve got you 6.
Besides, Michelle or one of you might come up with some antique piece of equipment one of us having been searching for!!
Copy that, Curvette??
You certainly won’t get any angry comments from me. I rather like the variety, plus, I am attracted to the more rare items. It’s like going to a show and shine; the first place I go is to the bland, mundane section and look at the 4-door Pontiac instead of the showroom condition GTO. It’s amazing how many people gravitate to my ’49 Chevy Styleline than the muscle cars across the street; so that tells me I’m not alone.
Our car club spent a day at the local railroad club. There was a bunch of us spent more time examining the internal workings of a Fairbanks Morse scale in the workshop than we did in the main depot. I might add that they had a ratted-out speeder that was way off in the boonies and which half a dozen of us walked out to see.
My wife’s attractions are very similar; if it’s weird and off the wall she’ll drag it home. Maybe that’s why she chose me…
Geo, I’m one of those guys that would walk past all the restored muscle cars and go straight to your ’49 Chevy. I’m just like that.
Again, this is great, and so are the comments!!!
-Dave
Nevadahalfrack, that was fun wasn’t it! There are a few clubs that restore and run these on selected tracks. Here is a link to one of these. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.narcoa.org/&ved=2ahUKEwio8vf–JCUAxXsDDQIHaM3NyQQFnoECB8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3xQnBpkbp-cJjhFaLf2PJf
As he noted above they had several at the “BIG BOY” event in Portola CA. couple of weeks ago.I used to be on the mailing list of their club events. They will have 8 to ten events per year. They run abandoned rails and current rarely used spurs with approval from the rail roads. One that they do every year is from Scott’s Valley CA. At the Roaring Camp Railroad down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruze. (where there is the beach and carnival year round) In talking to the guy who was running the organized rides in Portola that day. He indicated that the average price for one of these is around $2,500 ( just happens to be the asking price for this one in the listing) These come in many styles, shapes and sizes. I once saw a 4 place unit with a Ford V8! (I don’t remember the type, but a flathead keeps coming to mind. With tube headers!) The people running the “speeders” were a very friendly group and eager to answer questions.They appeared to be a great bunch of people to hang out with.
This is great Scotty !!! I’m with ALL the above comments when it comes to having “other” vehicles written up on Barnfinds, I’m sure Jesse sees these positive comments and is glad so many of us are happy and enjoy this stuff. Like Nevadahalfrack said, keep the crazy stuff coming!! And Bob above too I know very little about railroad equipment. Pretty much what I do know…… Came from here and writers like you and Michelle and others that research all these pieces of equipment. Its a lot a time I’m sure, and I appreciate it. I’d love to take this thing for a drive but…… I don’t see the steering wheel!!! ( I really hope you folks know I’m joking). Thank you again Scotty!!
I’m holding out for a Trackmobile :)
I just spent an hour looking for a nice vintage one for sale. I’ll keep looking.
Tenacious rascal ain’t ya!
Try the above group that I listed. The guy I was talking to indicated that the club would assist in helping to find one for sale.
Scott, I just remembered that I got a card from the guy! West Coast Railroaders Group.
WestCoastRailroadersGroup.com
Also [email protected]
Also on Facebook and they have a YouTube Channel
Keep it coming Scotty! Nothing wrong the oddballs to mix things up and keep life interesting. Planes, trains, automobiles and everything in between I say.
Well, first of all, for the umpteenth time, nowhere in the title “BarnFinds”, does it say it has to be a car. Sure looks like it’s in a “barn” to me, and anything goes. Having an abandoned rail line going through my town, the defunct Denver&Rio Grande hits a nerve. It went from Canon City all the way to Glenwood, and was a viable line for many years. That came and went, and nothing will be done with the line, so a speeder would be pretty useless, unless you have your own little track. Back in the day, they had an important job, transporting inspection crews, train breakdowns, or emergencies, trains stop in some pretty desolate areas, a speeder was the only way. I don’t think these had any radios until much later, so a train schedule was paramount. I’m sure there’s plenty of engineer stories, pushing a speeder down the track. 30 mph doesn’t sound like much, but beat walking or the hand cart, and I bet stopping it was tense. Speeders, or Maintenance of Way vehicles, were phased out in the 90s, and now replaced by “hi-wheel” trucks, with a/c, and such. Not sure what you would do with it.
Howard,
A number of years ago there was a guy who gave rides on a handcart from B.V. past the prison down to Johnson’s Village and back on that abandoned line. I talked to him one time and he said he wanted to extend it further south, but then he just disappeared. I suppose there were luability/insurance/regulatory issues he couldn’t overcome.
As a railroad buff, I enjoyed seeing this and reading the write up.
One of my very earliest memories was as a 5 y.o. kid in 1949 riding on one of these, sitting on my Dad’s lap. He was chief engineer during the building of a 20 mile spur between the main line and the Eagle Mountain Mine east of Indio Ca. I got to ride with him many times as he did inspections. Of course no idea what the make or model of the car was, but it was sure fun! Just one of those great memories that has remained in place through all the years. Thanks for writing this one up Scotty!
I grew up in a northwest logging town. My dad and grandpa both worked for the railroad. I got to ride on these “scooters” many times.
Great memories and thank you for sharing.
Like they say, “if you don’t like the post, keep scrolling! “
Thanks, don’t stop sharing things like this.
Plenty of abandoned rail lines in Arizona. People go for miles in these things, usually with like minded enthusiasts.
There are dozens of YouTube videos about people making their own rail cars for abandoned lines.
Some as far away as Patagonia and Peru.
This would be a “Luxury” vehicle, compared to some of the home made jobs.
Here’s proof that “if it has wheels and moves” somebody probably loves it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaY4A1_3j5A
I worked as a signalman for over 20 years. I hired out with the B&O out of Akron Ohio. Later Chessie and in to CSX. These smaller units were no longer used and that was in 76, my understanding that these smaller units were used by signalmen and kept in their tool house. He had a helper and they would put these on live tracks to inspect or repair signals etc.Saftey and trucks made them obsolete, the larger motor cars were still being used with rail gangs yes we had gangs not teams. There were signal gangs and track gangs etc..Anyway they still used the large motor cars and some even had 4 cylinder engines and a 3 speed transmission. They were used to pull a cart or trailer so to speak with some supplies such as kegs of spikes, tie plates you get the idea. They were later phased out as the track machines became larger and they carried their own materials as needed. The large 4 cylinder units could really move along. Another quick addition I knew a fellow that had a restored motor car and offered to take me and a couple of my children along. He even had a dedicated trailer for it. So we travel to southern Ohio and there was a club that had permission to take make use of about 20 miles of track. Kids had a ball and most of the adults that made it possible. Me well I was already familiar with the hyrail trucks.
a few years back i bought surplus parts and jiggers as they were called ,to reverse you almost stalled the motor and moved the spark lever and the motor would run in reverse like a golf cart,sold them to texas r/r ,a club that miles of tracks
Scotty, A great write up. Please tell Jesse to keep these oddballs coming. This is the main reason I joined your site. A member of our ATHS Palmetto Upstate chapter, a RR engineer by trade, has a larger one which he displays on his drop deck trailer, with wooden rails, towed by an early 80’s Kenworth day cab conventional. Whenever he shows up at a truck show with it, he ALWAYS has large crowd of spectators around holding an extended conversation!!!
I’ve had the pleasure of running one of the slightly larger ones at our local railway festival. They’re a crank start with the crank visible as the pipe running forward of the right seat and it inserts into the hole just below it. Dead simple machines just like any early single lung engine.
I have watched videos about the trips that folks take with their speeders. I’ve shown some of them to my wife but she doesn’t show any interest. I’d love to buy something like this and do a few trips each year, but…