Gasoline Motorcar ("Speeder")

The earliest motorcars (often called speeders or section cars) appeared just after the start of the 20th century, using many of the same mechanical components as the first automobiles.

The first speeders used single-cylinder engines connected directly to an axle; such motorcars had to be pushed to start, and turned off to stop. Later designs had multi-cylinder gasoline engines, hand cranks or electric starters, geared or belt drives, and electric lights. Most speeders had open sides and room for four or five workers, but models were available with enclosed bodies or space for up to [a] dozen passengers.

The most common use of motorcars was to transport a section gang (track workers responsible for a designated "section" of up to ten miles of track) to a work site. Unpowered trailer carts could be coupled behind to haul tools, rails, or other equipment. Speeders were built until the early 1990's, though most were replaced by "hi-rail" trucks (standard pickups with retractable railroad wheels) by the 1980's.

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Show me all markers in:  Union, IL  |  McHenry County  |  60180  |  Illinois  |  United States of America

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