A speeder is a small railcar regularly used by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly between railroad work sites.
This speeder was used on New York Central’s Harlem Division. The New York Central and Harlem Railroad was one of the first railroad in the United States, this line was established in 1832 at New York City’s original Grand Central Terminal, reaching Chatham in 1852.
While the speeder may be considered slow compared to the speeds reached by a train or car, the speeder is named for its speed as compared to the previous human-powered handcars that were used to travel up and down the tracks for maintenance purposes. The motorized inspection car was invented in 1895 by the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company and became a regular part of railroad maintenance for much of the 20th century.
A speeder like this one would have held up to 6 people, and the remnants of the original canvas curtain can still be seen on the sides. In use, it had a crank-start and went 10-15 miles per hour.
The former railroad bed of the now trackless line that extended through Chatham, paralleled Union Turnpike (Route 66). The train passed directly in front of the Blinn-Pulver Farmhouse and its path will be part of the expanding Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
This speeder is owned by Chatham Village Historical Society.
Interested in learning more about railroad speeders? Train Fanatics shares this video of “a rail speeder’s adventure”.