BEAVER COVE—A collection of classic railroad motorcars, or “speeders”, set off from the North Island last weekend on the beginning of another tour of the Northwest coast.
Motorcar Operators West (MOW) is an organization based out of California dedicated to the restoration and safe, legal operation of railroad motorcars.
Motorcars are small vehicles that were formerly used to inspect the rails for defects, but their use has been phased out over the past couple decades. Now, motorcar owners take excursions through scenic locations, revisiting the tracks for recreation, rather than work.
The MOW Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Washington Tour set off from Beaver Cove September 13. Regular visitors to the North Island, the motorcar operators traveled to the Nimpkish Valley on the rails of the Englewood Railroad, which is known as the last “logging only” railroad in North America.
The motorcars continued down-Island with tours of Port Alberni and Parksville/Qualicum, then traveled to the Lower Mainland and continued further south. The tour wrapped up at the Mt. Hood Scenic Mountain Railway in Oregon on September 22.