RAILROAD MOTORCAR - Fairmont Model A4D

Newest acquisition to the outdoor display of railroad equipment, the Fairmont Model A4D is a mid 1950’s motorcar manufactured by Fairmont. It is powered by a 4 cylinder gasoline motor. These motorcars were usually referred to by the nickname, speeder. This speeder is currently in a state of historical research and restoration by the museum. The main usage of the speeder was by track inspectors and track maintenance crews in performance of their daily track maintenance duties. Usually 2 workers and their tools/supplies would ride in the speeder. It is equipped with a hitch to pull a 2 axle trailer for additional supplies. This motor car was donated to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum in the spring of 2009 by Col. Steve Sliwa, of Annandale, Virginia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News

• Haupt, Devereux, and the United States Military Railroad (USMRR)
  

  New to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum for 2010, the “Haupt, Devereux, and US Military Railroad” exhibit features brief biographies of both Herman Haupt, an American civil engineer and railroad construction engineer, and Chief of the Bureau of Military Railroads, and Devereux.  In addition to “single-handedly” running the USMRR, he made a significant impact in inventing the Haupt Truss Bridge and guiding the building of the Potomac Creek Bridge, described by President Lincoln as “cornstalks and beanpoles.”

  Featured in the exhibit is a prototype of a bridge torpedo and a wood auger that Haupt designed to destroy Confederate bridges with limited effort.
  

• The exterior of our caboose was cleaned in November, 2010, Thanks to our volunteers, Jack Migliaccio, Kathy and Stephen Johnson, Joan Rogers, Sherry Slawski and Jon Vrana, and a group of young, energetic Mormon missionaries, friends of the Johnsons. It is hard to believe that the caboose is forty-three years old. Now it looks like brand new!  It was a general clean up day.  John Gilbert worked with Country Boys (we highly recommend them) to take down some trees and clean up our woods.  Thanks also to Mow Cow Landscaping for our lawn maintenance program. We looked great for the 21st Train Show

Our Station and grounds are a pleasing historic sight on Fairfax Station Road.

 

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