People living and working along the railroad tracks may notice dozens of small unique vehicles putting along the tracks over the next few weeks. They are part of the Motorcar Operators West’s 15th Annual Pacific Northwest Tour on the Alaska Railroad between September 8th and 22nd.
The Motorcar Operators West group of 29 vehicles will spend nine days on the track, while exploring railbelt communities along the way. Members of the non-profit organization are rail fans and hobbyists who restore and operate historic railroad motorcars (also known as track speeders), which were used by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly between work sites.
According to Tour Meet Coordinator Chris Baldo, by the late 1980s, most speeders were replaced by trucks outfitted with flanged steel wheels (known as hyrail vehicles) that enable travel by road AND rail. Obsolete motorcars are now often collected and refurbished by hobbyists, such the MOW group.
The 2011 tour involves 29 motorcars traveling 500 feet apart and operating 25 mph on average, accompanied by two Alaska Railroad track maintenance/safety hyrail vehicles. The group, which includes 70 participants, is paying for railroad resources involved in ensuring a safe trip, and the tour activity will not interfere with regular Alaska Railroad operations. According to Baldo, the 2011 tour brings some significant economic benefit during the tourism shoulder season, with spending expected to total several hundred thousand dollars on fees, airfare, lodging, tours, dining and retail sales.
This year marks the fourth time MOW has toured the Alaska Railroad. The rail motorcar group overnights in Talkeetna Thursday the 8th on their way north, and two nights in Talkeetna the 16th and 17th, on their way back south.
