Pete Clemens, Dennis Hawthorne, Euclide Bisson and Pinto Rondeau have restored a 1940s railway speeder to original condition. Rondeau explains the speeder required about 100 hours of work from the four men.

One hundred hours of hard work by four McLennan men was well rewarded with the completion of a restored railway speeder. Pinto Rondeau, Pete Clemens, Dennis Hawthorne, and Euclide Bisson tackled a project to fix up a 1940s speeder to its original condition earlier this year. All four men are members of the Northern Alberta Historical Railway and Museum Society. Pinto Rondeau explains the four men have put in a lot of hard work to restore the speeder to its original condition. “We used about $90 worth of nuts and bolts, $100 of lumber, $100 of paint and around 100 hours of labour,” says Rondeau. “We believe this speeder was built sometime in the 1940s and was used until about 1960 or 1970.” Speeders (also known as putt-putts, track-maintenance cars, crews and trolleys) were once used on railroads around the world by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and from work sites. They were replaced with trucks with flanged wheels on them that could be lowered to use on rails. The speeders were replaced in the 1990s, but are still purchased by hobbyists who enjoy restoring parts of history. “This machine was used to patrol and maintain the track everyday,” says Rondeau. “Even during winter months in 30 and 40 below Celsius weather with high winds and drifting snow.” The men were elated when they were able to restore the motor on the speeder to working condition. However; shortly after repairing the contraption, it once again ceased to operate. They are hoping to get the machine working again in short order. “The speeder travelled at about 25 miles per hour and sometimes had to be pushed to get through a snow drift,” explains Rondeau. “The men would sit along the side of the speeder as it went down the tracks.” Rondeau explains the workers who worked on the speeders were called Section Men. He says this is because they had to take care of a 20 mile section of track. “The speeder was in really poor shape when we began our project,” says Rondeau. “It was stored outside of shelter for 40 years, so the wood was deteriorated.” Although estimated to have been built in the 1940s, the machine was used all the way into the 1960s or 1970s. Although speeders have a top speed of only about 30 miles per hour, they were nicknamed because they were much faster than the manually powered pump cars they replaced. Rondeau, Bisson, Hawthorne and Clemens have two other projects planned for upcoming months to add to the current refurbished speeder. Rondeau says the experience was well worth their donated time. He explains their goal is to continue adding to the museum and providing additional information on railway equipment. The speeder will be showcased at the McLennan museum this summer.