I know a bunch of us are pilots, play with old cars, are railfans, etc.
I’m up for a new motorized hobby:
Railroad inspection cars (speeders) made by Fairmont and others with Onan type motors.
There are several clubs around the country that “ride the rails” (MOW, NARCOA etc).
Any Airstreamers involved?
Anyone have an MT-19 for sale?
Anyone on West Coast willing to take newbie for a ride?
There are forums for them, just like for Airstreamers, in fact, several of them use the same forums software as us. I've mistakenly posted Airstream stuff a couple of times there, and gotten WTF? replies...
There are also several email groups for foamers and speeder fans, you can check them out as well. I used to work for the local railroad museum, and we caught several people with speeders on our tracks.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
There's even a guy with a '57 Pontiac station wagon (bright yellow) that toured with these little guys from Prince George to North Vancouver BC, and then along the Atlantic Coast. It looks like fun, but they don't pull Airstreams so my DW would think I was going down the wrong path with my hobbies.
Barry
__________________ Barry & Donna Life is short - so is the door on a '51 Flying Cloud (ouch)
There's even a guy with a '57 Pontiac station wagon (bright yellow) that toured with these little guys from Prince George to North Vancouver BC, and then along the Atlantic Coast. It looks like fun, but they don't pull Airstreams so my DW would think I was going down the wrong path with my hobbies.
Barry
Would that be considered "getting off-track?"
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
I know where there are a couple of Speeders sitting in the woods around here. One has the Onan engine. I know who owns them if anyone is interested.
I have a track that goes by the house. It is only used about once every 2 weeks or so. The tracks are in such bad shape the train can only go 10 mph. They just haul molassas for the feed mill, peanuts and plastic resin up to the plastic conduit factory. It was a CSX spur, but is run by Florida Northern Railway now. I see speeders on it once a year or so.
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ARS WA8ZYT
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You buy the beer and we can modify your A/S for rail travel.
You can then drive the speeder and tow the Mrs. in her private "rail" car. We'd make Red Green proud.
I suspect if I even suggested something like that I'd be dead meat. She's pretty particular, and protective, of the old wagon. The Airstream she really enjoys, but the Safari is part of the family after almost 30 years.
But, I may just suggest the alterations to her when we are out with friends (witnesses) and see how she reacts.
Barry
__________________ Barry & Donna Life is short - so is the door on a '51 Flying Cloud (ouch)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by safari57
I suspect if I even suggested something like that I'd be dead meat. She's pretty particular, and protective, of the old wagon. The Airstream she really enjoys, but the Safari is part of the family after almost 30 years.
But, I may just suggest the alterations to her when we are out with friends (witnesses) and see how she reacts.
Barry
No worries. I figured this all out today while in a meeting. Actually figuring this out saved me from jumping up and running screaming from the room.
The answer is Hydrolics.
Many RR companies fit pickup trucks with hydrolic axles w/track wheels at the bumpers. The truck is powered by it's own drive axles with a dually rim turned inwards. When your on the rails you just lower the axles and raise them when you are on the road. Get one at a RR auction and a couple extra axles and hydrolic pumps.
So attach two hydrolic axles to the trailer fore and aft of the current road axles and your done.
Get a train schedule to avoid an unfortunate and short right of way dispute with a locomotive. Set the cruise control and head South so you can join us for a FCU rally. Look at the upsides. You don't have to steer or deal with traffic. (unless you read the train schedule wrong.) Just lean back and ride the rails. The Mrs. can enjoy the passenger seat again.
Milo
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Yes, we have courtesy parking for you. About an hour North of Los Angeles.
WE have speeders roll in every so often in our bug city of Bertram TX. The schedule accordingly on our freight and tourest train track. Hm, does make ya wonder, my AS would make one heck of a caboose
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Catmando
"There’s not much in life we can’t over-analyze”
jim, if you get down this way, you can rent the engine for an hour or two, and drive it yourself (supervised, of course).
Howdy, Terry. "Down this way"? Cool idea, but I cannot tell where "this way" is!
Here is a graphic of a Speeder used on the flyer for the Tri-State Model Railroader's Ride the Rails Festival in Sept 07. They had about 10 or so different speeders there, and some were giving rides.
I do like trains, but didn't get a chance to ride a speeder that day (I was working), so sorry no pics of the event.
However, here is a pic from Sept '07 of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad train on it's way up to the Hiawassee Loop from Blue Ridge, GA. The Hiawassee Loop is a historic railroad feat that wraps the track around a small mountain to descend, and it makes 1.75 loops, crossing over itself on a tall trestle one time.
I was thinking about using my '73 project as a model railroad room...HO scale, but I know better than to suggest that to my wife. We need to sell it as soon as possible, so I will have to put a new floor in, and then see.
__________________ Phil and/or Sue w/ Cheryl & Annie and Stuart
"Down this way" is currently the Tampa Bay area. The place is the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum. Operates on several miles of Florida Power's (Progress Energy) Big Bend power plant spur. regular power is one or two of three diesels, the aforementioned RS3, a GM GP7L, and a GE 44 ton switcher.
Steam occasionally makes an appearance, you'll have to call for dates. Thomas also rolls in periodically, for those of you with little kids that like the little blue engine.
Also, I know y'all were kidding about driving down the rails, but a train, even a small one, is proportionately as large compared to your truck and Airstream, as your truck and Airstream are to that hubcap you ran over on your way to work yesterday. Remember how flat the hubcap looked?
__________________
Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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