On railroads, a 'Motor Car' is a small motorized rail car used by 'Maintenance Of Way' personnel to inspect or repair the tracks. Some are strong enough to pull small flat cars to bring the needed tools. At one time these work cars were extremely common but they have been replaced with "high railers," which are regular road vehicles, often pick-up trucks, fitted with small rail wheels that are lowered to enable them to use the rails. The adaptor kits are made by the same companies that once made the old cars. A number of old fashioned motor cars have survived, most in the hands of private owners. The Texas Transportation Museum has several of these railroad work vehicles, including one that was powered by its occupant, rather than a motor. Follow the link on the right hand side of the page to see it.

Fairmont M19 Rail Motor Car at TTM

The rail motor car above is a Fairmont M19, built in the late 1940s, as were most of the motor cars presented here. It is a one seater open car used by the Track Supervisor. It was owned by the Southern Pacific RR. It has a one cylinder engine, is belt driven and was started by a hand crank. This car was restored by Ken McWilliams in the early 1990s.

Various Fairmont M19 Rail Motor Cars at TTM

There are several variants of Fairmont M19 motors cars at the Texas Transportation Museum in San Antonio. The first car is a basic Fairmont M19. It has an open cover and seats two people. It was used by the S.P. RR Maintenance of Way crews. The car behind it is a Fairmont M19F, from 1948. It was owned by Seaboard RR and now belongs to Museum Curator, Jared Davis. It has two front side panels, in addition to the front wind shield. The third car is featured in the next three pictures.

Restored Fairmont M19 Rail Motor Cars TTM

Compared to the Fairmonts, this Kalamazoo is a lot bigger, in every way. It's four cylinder Ford Industrial engine enables it to pull significant loads. This car was originally owned by the United States Air Force. A car like this could be used not only for maintenance of the tracks but for the movement of men and materials, such as ammunition and bombs from secure locations to aircraft.



Rail Rod Motor Car at TTM

This is the stripped down, final version of motor cars, called a rail rod. It was built for only two years in the late 1960s by a company called Tabers based in Perry, Oklahoma. It is relatively light weight and versatile, as it can be easily dismantled or folded up for storage or transportation. It was replaced by a version with its engine centrally located for better weight distribution. Coming as it did at the end of the rail-car era, it, too, was made oboselte by road vehicles fitted with hi-rail equipment to allow them to run on tracks.

Latest Addition to our Motor Car Fleet

The museum's latest acquisition is yet another Fairmont motor car, this one formerly owned by the US Marines. It has a unique driver position and operates much like an automobile. It is powered by a four cylinder Ford industrial engine. We have encountered some unexpected mechanical issues, but anticipate introducing the motor car to service as soon as possible. It's size will allow it to carry up to four persons as well as the driver, providing a very up front and personal way for our visitors to experience rail travel.

As of the Fall of 2008, this car is now in service. It took some time to find a number of the parts, plus much of the original wood needed to be replaced. We now use it to give rides on Thursday and Fridays. Riding the rails on a motor car provides our visitors with a much closer idea of what it takes to maintain a railroad as they get a chance to experience how track gangs and rail inspectors moved around to work on the tracks and make sure passenger and freight trains could travel with safety.

We are already working on another unique motor car. Pretty soon we will have a good number of these classic rail vehicles in operation. An invitation has been extended to members of the Texas "Speeder" club to have a special day at the museum, so the public can see a significant number of these wonderful railroad relics in action. In the mean time our visitors are having a grand time riding on our ex-Marine car.