Whats steps are involved to run a track car/speeder?

Recently i've seen alot of theard's on track car/speeder trips on various rail line in Northern New England. I was curious about what steps are involved to leagally run one of these.

Thanks!

Permission from railroad.
Liability insurance
be qualified to run one.
Safety training.
Membership in NARCOA will help you with all that stuff.
http://www.narcoa.org/

Join NARCOA or Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club.

By joining NARCOA you can participate in the long excursions in New England and across North America. Membership is $30 plus ~$140 for insurance. By joining CVRTC if you are local to ME/NH/MA you get ~18 miles of dedicated track to run on ( and we are adding more), work rides/fun rides on NEGS, CSRR, Maine DOT, NH DOT, Milford Bennignton, Claremont Concord, and others. Membership is $70 including insurance.

CVRTC does not compete with NARCOA, but has similar/different goals, and is more localized. Several of our members are also NARCOA members. ( I am not a NARCOA member)

Are the rules any different for a small pedal powered speeder?
I remember a few years back chronicale(channel 5) did a story on some guy riding a pedal powered speeder on some inactive line in Maine.

The rules are the same,big speeder or pedal power, inactive or not , your still tresspassing if you got no deal with railroad.
If nobody owned the railroad it would be impassible in less than two years with trees growing in the gauge.
Besides these days abandoned railroads no longer exist, the railroad would scrap the rail before abandonment.
Steel is over $200 per ton.

Exactly.

Make sure you have permission. Those who do not, make it very difficult for those of us who play by the rules...and it will generally take only one incident to end it for all of us.

I know of several people who have rode illegally with the pedal cars... and I try not to socialize with them. There are people with the pedal cars who operate legally, but it seems that many do not...(maybe because the guy who builds the Railrider condones trespassing!?)

Motorized, hy-rail or pedal in NH they all have to abide by the same equipment rules as defined in "On Track Equipment"

I am an owner / operator of the pedal car - Railrider (Electric) that uses it LEGALLY. I am a member of the CVRTC (Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club) as well as a volunteer with the FVRR (Friends of the Valley Railroad). I have done everything it takes to obtain permission to ride on rails in New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, New York, and even as far away as Pennsylvania. If anyone would like to know more, please email me.

Thanks,

Hank Walther
Riverside, RI
ARS: KA1MBX

Triker wrote:Are the rules any different for a small pedal powered speeder?
I remember a few years back chronicale(channel 5) did a story on some guy riding a pedal powered speeder on some inactive line in Maine.

Triker, are you interested in a pedal powered speeder?
I can give you a ride on mine if you would like to check out how they work.

Hank

Thanks for the invite steamer, id have to say no at this time, but thanks anyway (too busy with the kids). I actually saw your thread your in the b@m forum which lead me to start this thread. What lines in new england are you allowed to run a pedal speeder on?(legally)

Triker,
To operate on the MEC out of service track in Maine, you need to get a permit from the DOT. In NH, the state allows you to run on The Wolfeboro line as far East as RT16, and The Conway Branch track in Center Ossippee From RT28 to RT16. I joined the CVRTC to give them my support, and I suggest that anyone with a rail vehicle of any kind that wants to run there do the same. This also gives you insurance. In CT, I am a member of the FVRR (A volunteer group for the Essex Valley RR). I use my car, when we do track work on the VRR out of service track. In NY, I volunteer for the UHRR to pick up trash along the ROW, and they have allowed me access. I am in the process of obtaining a permit from York County Parks, PA to ride the out of service track down there this summer.

As you can see, you cant just go an ride on a track. It's really worth the effort, to do it the right way!

Hank

Does the state allow speeders on the Hillsboro Branch on the out of service section? (Specifically the tracks the Wilton Scenic Railroad operated on.)

The track from Wilton to Bennington is owned by the state, but is managed by the Milford & Bennington Railroad. It is all technically active track. Fortunately the MBRR people are nice guys and they give the CVRTC members permission to ride on it as a group at least twice a year. The next excursion is only 10 days away!

June, 22: Bennington, NH; Steve Medlyn has arranged for another spectacular 36 mile CVRTC member and guest excursion on the Milford-Bennington RR with set on at Bennington Station after 6:45 AM. Please note that the railroad requires all railcars to have working head, tail, and brake lights in addition to flags, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and operator/guest safety vests. Trailers must be parked at the paper mill; shuttles will bring everyone back and forth as needed. To reduce Sunday morning noise, please do not start engines until notified.

Come on down and watch the fun! Contact the club and/or the event sponsor. They may be an extra seat or two.

Hank

Steamer wrote:
June, 22: Bennington, NH; Steve Medlyn has arranged for another spectacular 36 mile CVRTC member and guest excursion on the Milford-Bennington RR with set on at Bennington Station after 6:45 AM. Please note that the railroad requires all railcars to have working head, tail, and brake lights in addition to flags, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and operator/guest safety vests. Trailers must be parked at the paper mill; shuttles will bring everyone back and forth as needed. To reduce Sunday morning noise, please do not start engines until notified.

Wasn't that trip cancelled?

OneForTheKick wrote:

Steamer wrote:
June, 22: Bennington, NH; Steve Medlyn has arranged for another spectacular 36 mile CVRTC member and guest excursion on the Milford-Bennington RR with set on at Bennington Station after 6:45 AM. Please note that the railroad requires all railcars to have working head, tail, and brake lights in addition to flags, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and operator/guest safety vests. Trailers must be parked at the paper mill; shuttles will bring everyone back and forth as needed. To reduce Sunday morning noise, please do not start engines until notified.

Wasn't that trip cancelled?

No still on at this time. Who did you hear it was canceled from?

Triker wrote:Are the rules any different for a small pedal powered speeder?
I remember a few years back chronicale(channel 5) did a story on some guy riding a pedal powered speeder on some inactive line in Maine.

Ron Forster's site has some good info:

http://www.railriders.net/index1.html

When I visited Ron's place he discussed his efforts to establish more parks in NH and the surrounding politics.

http://www.railriders.net/whyrailriding.html

I have retained an old bicycle for the purpose of becoming a railbike but proximity to useable tracks and my 1/2 ironman priorities have kept my attention away from wheeled devices not to exceed 10 mph. I think I did see an International Human Powered Vehicle Association entry for riding rails with speed.

You will find some interesting stuff if you Google "railbike." It looks like it might be great in Europe.