Viking, September 28, 2010.
by Lorraine Poulsen, Editor,
The Weekly Review
Calling the 150 mile ride in an old speeder, a “blast from the past” Viking’s Harvey Chrystian, CN Track Supervisor – Wainwright West Subdivision, was joined by a couple of his co-workers on a ride he said he wanted to make one last time before he retires.
Chrystian has been with CN for 35 years and plans to retire in November of this year.
A speeder is a motorized, fully enclosed railroad maintenance car, used by rail crews until the advent of the high-railer pickup.
This particular car was retired from service about 25 years ago and now can be seen at the Wainwright Railway Museum. The car belongs to Dennis Lever of Viking.
The trio left Edmonton around noon Tuesday, Sept.21 and arrived in Viking at about 5:30 p.m., not because the car is slow-moving but because the travellers had to make way for regular train traffic. Top speed for the car is an estimated 45 miles per hour.
