Burlington Northern Railroad speeder at work in 1982

Here's a frosty video of Burlington Northern Railroad employee Gary Meek from around 1982. At the time this news report was filmed, Gary was a track inspector for the railroad. His territory spanned some 60 miles from St. Paul to Hastings, Minnesota.

Riding the rails year-round, Gary rode a speeder over his area of responsibility each workday. Inspections were critical in winter because the rail contracted in the extreme cold, which caused the track bolts to snap. He certainly served a critical safety function.

I enjoyed the video because it shows the railroad speeder in action. Note the use of the setout at the beginning of the video. Gary turned the speeder 90 degrees with a pair of lifting bars. The El Dorado Western will build a similar setout in due time.