Alaska Railroad Photographs

Today on the modern-day Alaska Railroad one can see other things on the tracks besides trains, LC cranes, Ballast Regulators and even trucks. The trucks you see are called Hy-Rails, (Highway-Railroad) and have special rail gear that can be raised or lowered so the vehicle can be used on the rail or the road and are used by MOW, Signal, and even Haz-Mat. Now Hy-Rails have been around for several decades now in one form or another but another form of transportation by the section crews was the gas car.

A gas car is a small car that has flanged wheels with an engine and transmission that a section gang, track inspector or anyone that had a need to travel along a railroad. Most were open to the elements and some did have enclosed cabs and heaters. Many on the ARR had open sides but were retrofitted with plywood doors and canvas to keep the crew warm, or in some cases warmer than the outside temperatures.

There were a few different manufactures of gas cars, also known as speeders. Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Company was the best known and most popular builder having built their last gas cars in the early 1990s. The gas car when new replaced the old hand car, the classic cart seen in movies where the person or persons manually with a manual see-saw like crank. With the advent of more reliable vehicles and Hy-Rail set ups, the gas car was slowly replaced and phased out. The Alaska Railroad pretty much retired all their gas cars by the early 2000s, the last one I remember being used was in 2001 in Wasilla.

At most sections there was a speeder shed next to the tool shed or section house. Some are still used today as just a tool shed. They sat close to the tracks and had rails that ran from the track's edge inside the building. Some gas cars had a turn table mounted underneath so a speeder would come to a set out which was a short section of planks in the track like a railroad crossing and the operator would drop the turntable, jack up the speeder and turn it to face the shed and would roll it inside. The same idea was used to mount the gas car on the track or for turning it around when the crew reached the end of their route. There were also set outs in sidings or places along the main line for a section or track inspector to clear for a train.

There were little carts or trailers that were used with gas cars that had drawbars and pins that were used to tow the cart around. These were used to haul sticks of rail or barrels of spikes or ties, anything that was needed to be brought to the site was moved this way. Some larger flats were used and could haul a truck. Today the carts are still used but there are no gas cars in use. Every so many years North American Railcar Operators Association, comprised of gas car owners, will come to Alaska with their personal gas cars and travel the whole route. Their gas cars come from many different railroads, some are now fallen flags and have been restored. This is the only time one can see gas cars on the Alaska Railroad.

There are four gas cars at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla Alaska, and are true classic examples of ARR gas cars. There are a few other survivors on display with one in Curry, two in front of the Fairbanks Depot, one in front of Potter, and one converted to narrow gauge by the Friends of the Tanana Valley Railroad in Fairbanks.