A member of the North American Railcar Operators Association drives a ‘speeder’ on Thursday down the track at the Chehalis Train Depot.
Members of the North American Railcar Operators Association maneuver a ‘speeder’ car on the tracks at the Chehalis Train Depot.
Visitors to the Chehalis Train Depot are generally there to see and experience the towering steam engine along with one of the historic passenger or dining cars operated by the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum.
They certainly don’t expect to see boxcars, let alone railcars shaped like square boxes that aren’t capable of carrying more than a few people, let alone pulling additional cargo down the tracks.
That’s precisely what passersby saw there on Wednesday thanks to members of the North American Railcar Operators Association. About 30 individuals from across the West Coast brought their restored motorcars to Chehalis for a day trip along the rail lines operated by the CCR&M.
“Often times, people come find us because in smaller towns, it’s a pretty big deal for to them,” said Dave Balestreri, who led the excursion. “There’s probably a ride going on somewhere in the United States every single weekend. Occasionally we’ll put like 10 different groups together and be out somewhere for a couple of weeks.”
The railcars owned and operated by members of NARCOA are small, enclosed vehicles that used to be a dime a dozen on major commercial railways. Work crews used to be responsible for specific sections of track during the heyday of railroad commerce in the United States, so they used the downsized engines to patrol their turf. The cars usually top out at about 30 miles per hour, though they rarely eclipse 25 mph.
Members of the Motorcar Operators West and Pacific Railcar Operators organizations, which operate as affiliates of NARCOA, towed their railcars to Chehalis as part of a weeklong tour of Washington and Oregon lines. The group was scheduled to explore the Battle Ground area before heading to Prineville and Lakeview in Oregon, finishing up in Northern California.
Operators need to have a driver’s license and complete a NARCOA training process that includes a written test and an on-track review by an experienced member. People tend to find the organization by word of mouth, or by stumbling onto it at train museum like Balestreri did with his granddaughter.
NARCOA is governed by a board of officers and geographic representatives who are responsible for everything from financial solvency to planning out the trips. Bill Andrews of Grants Pass, Oregon represents Area 10 (six states including Oregon and Washington), but did not attend the spring jaunt through the Pacific Northwest. He is in charge of a June 20 through 24 run from Eugene to Coos Bay in Oregon, one he calls his favorite of all the short-line and privately owned tracks available to the group.
“The largest rails are too busy and too popular for us to get on,” Andrews said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and gone for more than 30,000 miles. Most of the time, we’re on shorter railroads who allow us to come in for a fee, which makes it worth their while, too.”
Those interested in finding out more about NARCOA or the small railcars can visit narcoa.org, mowonline.org or pro-online.org for information regarding future excursions, membership, railcars posted for sale and other details.
