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.

Kalamazoo Model 57A speeder

Here's a video of the Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad Speeder No. 4 that I uploaded to YouTube this afternoon.

The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Speeder No. 4 is one of the most useful artifacts on the El Dorado Western Railroad. Originally purchased by the CP and LT Railroad, which ran from Placerville to Camino, California, today the EDWR uses to shuttle railroad volunteers from the depot in the town of El Dorado to the work site. It frequently pulls a Southern Pacific push car to and from the work site. And since July 2011, the railroad has coupled it to the former Richmond Pacific Railroad Fairmont A-4D gang car on Sunday afternoons.

Work day on the El Dorado Western

Yes, we were working on the railroad this morning. With Bob McCormack's backhoe, the crew is continuing to replace ties on the curve at the depot in the town of El Dorado. While the work is hot and dusty, we enjoy the outcome.

Come out and support your local home grown railroad. El Dorado County's own railroad has extended its operating schedule through December. Trains will operate from the El Dorado depot every Sunday, weather permiting.

Trail rides begin at noon and continue to leave the depot every half hour until 4 p.m. You may ride the rails for a $5 donation (age 9 and above).

DIRECTIONS: Take Pleasant Valley Road (west- or eastbound) to Oriental Street (across from the El Dorado Post Office). Turn onto Oriental Street and follow the signs. There is plenty of free parking at the Community Center. The ticket booth is located at the recreated train depot.

See you there ... highball!

Track work

Volunteer track workers Garrett Agustus and Jeremy McCormack excavate soil from under the rails in the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park on Saturday, August 20. The maintenance of way crew is preparing the site of a trail crossing adjacent to The Barn.

Horses at the depot

The train runs today from noon to 4 p.m. in historic El Dorado. Come to the depot and support the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour. Rides are $5 for adults, $3 for children 3 to 8 and free under 2.

Last Sunday the railroad crew spotted three young ladies riding their horses along the El Dorado Trail. As they rode east toward home, the riders guided Harley (from the left), Sassy and Skippy down to the tracks, where they enjoyed attention from visitors.

Harley enjoys attention from railroad volunteer Larry Howe.

Flagging the Mother Lode Drive grade crossing

Three El Dorado Western Railroad volunteers flag the grade crossing at Mother Lode Drive. In the foreground, Jeremy McCormack stops eastbound traffic. Larry Howe flags westbound traffic under the signal tower while Dwight Ridge gives the highball to the approaching train. Train crewmen volunteer for the El Dorado County Historical Museum .

Railroad operations on the Placerville Branch

The El Dorado Western Railroad has enjoyed growing popularity with the public in the last month. Since the railroad began regular passenger operations on July 17, 2011, it has operated on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line each Sunday afternoon. The cars are often packed to capacity.

The El Dorado Western will offer train rides each Sunday afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. through September 18. Please join the crew for an afternoon of fun on the rails. Watch conductor and motocar operator Davey "Doc" Wiser as he skillfully guides the Fairmont A4D gang car down the tracks.

Along the way Doc will tell stories from his 50-year career with the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. Did you know that he cooked breakfast in our SP caboose No. 1094? Yes, it's true. As the junior brakeman on the Chatsworth local, Doc tells that it was his duty to cook for the train crew.

Join the El Dorado Western on Sundays this summer. Each trainman has a unique story to tell. We'll see you soon.