News : Historic railroad maintenance cars bring enthusiasts to Vinton

Darrel Christy of Vinton pushes his railroad maintenance car to the tracks for the Saturday ride.

An important, but often-overlooked part of railroad life and railroad history came to life for a few hours in Vinton on Saturday, when nearly 50 railroad enthusiasts brought their track maintenance vehicles to the Vinton depot before taking a tour along the tracks between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo.

The maintenance cars are about the size of golf carts, and are powered by 1- or 2-cylinder gasoline engines and equipped with train-style metal wheels. They were used by railroad crew to travel along tracks to make repairs.

Local volunteers counted 47 such vehicles as they left Vinton on Saturday morning, heading toward Cedar Rapids. The group turned around before reaching that city, then enjoyed lunch made by Smoken’ on the Cedar at the depot. In the afternoon, they traveled to Waterloo before ending their day back in Vinton.

Accompanied by railroad workers driving a pick-up behind them, the riders had to wait until the train passed through before lining up their vehicles on the track.

Most of the cars are products of the former Fairmont Railway Motors company based in Martin County, Minnesota. Most of the ones that lined the tracks in Vinton were between 50 and 80 years old. Many have been restored and painted with the logos of the companies which used them, but a few are still in original condition. One owner of a turquoise car explained that the previous owner chose to restore his vehicle with the same kind of paint used for 1957 Chevrolets.

Vinton resident Darrell Christy brought his vehicle, which remains in mostly original condition. Like many of the other operators, Christy uses a crank to start the engine in his car.

Christy and local RR historian Phil Borlesky helped organize the event, working with members of the First Iowa Division of NARCOA (The North America Railcar Operators Association). Many area residents watched the trains leaving Vinton, or stopped at lunch time to speak to the drivers about their cars.

Carl Schneider, the leader of the First Iowa Division, says the organizations are hoping to encourage younger people to take up the hobby. One member said that the cars can sell for between $1,500 and $10,000, depending on their age, condition and added features.

See more photos of Saturday morning's departure from Vinton HERE.

See organization web sites, which include a variety of history and photos, below:

NARCOA

First Iowa Division