"Speeders" stop in Waitsburg on Wine to River tour

WAITSBURG - Twenty-one "speeders," also known as motor cars, traveled through Waitsburg by rail on Thursday, September 14. The group was on a "Wine to Rivers" excursion hosted by the Pacific Railcar Operators (PRO). The owner/operators are club members and came from as far away as New Mexico. There were operators from Oregon, Idaho, and the Bay Area in California.

I ran into Russell Homan from Grants Pass, Oregon, on Waitsburg's Main Street and asked him about the colorful train cars on the tracks near Rankin Park. Homan is a Director at Large for PRO, a non-profit member of the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA.) According to its website, PRO provides railcar excursion coordinators with a safe, legal, and professional environment for excursions on North American railroads.

The privately owned railcars were used by railroad workers who traveled the rails to inspect and maintain the tracks. The speeders were replaced in the 1990s by Hirail trucks that could be driven on highways or lowered to ride the rails. They also had air conditioning and heating, which the little rail cars lacked.

Most of the railcars were manufactured by Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Company. Fairmont produced around 73,000 of the motor cars between 1911 and 1991. The two-stroke cars get about 100 miles on seven gallons of gas. Operators carry extra cans of gas. The two or four-seat vehicles are all a little different, some with hard doors, curtain doors, and no doors. Some are newer or in better shape than others. Most cars have a hand lever rather than a foot brake to operate the brakes. The clutch could be hand or foot-operated, depending on the car.

The group brought their 1000-pound railcars on trailers to Dayton, where they unloaded onto the Columbia-Walla Walla Railway to begin their tour to Walla Walla. In Walla Walla, they had lunch at the golf course before heading back to Dayton.

One enthusiastic first-time passenger was a woman from Walla Walla. She met one of the railcar owners about five years ago, and he invited her to ride along on this trip.

The excursion leader, Rich Wilkins, has been an event coordinator for about 20 years. Planning the trip and getting permission to use the railway is part of his duties as coordinator. He also arranges for the railcar that tows the all-important "honey bucket" for the 70-mile roundtrip.

Homan said the group's next railcar trip would start in LaGrande, Oregon. They will travel by rail to Enterprise, Oregon, and spend the night. The following day, they will head to Joseph, Oregon, before returning to LaGrande.

After their brief stop in Waitsburg, Wilkins tooted the horn, the operators started their railcars and headed to Walla Walla. I heard the leader's instructions through their headsets as they passed. "Okay, everyone, stop and go at the intersection."

What a fun way to see the countryside by riding the rails. Anyone interested in the club, future excursions, or owning a speeder can find all at http://www.pro-online.org.