Hobbyists take to northern Ontario tracks in 'putt-putt' railcars

This week the Ontario Northland track from North Bay to Temagami is looking a little more colourful thanks to a group of hobbyists and their small self-powered railcars, called putt-putts.

Members of the North American Railcar Operators Association, from across Canada and the U.S., have taken 23 of the small, historic railcars to the tracks for a scenic tour of northern Ontario, with a dip into western Quebec as well.

Mike Ford, the association's excursion co-ordinator, said the railcars date from the 1950s to the 1970s. They are often painted in bright reds and yellows.

"They started retiring these things back in the 1980s, but they're basically all self-propelled," he said.

"They usually have an 18 to a 22-horsepower engine and usually just run on gas."

The putt-putts get their name from the sound the engines made.

Before they were gas-powered, the railcars used a pump system that let a couple of workers navigate the railroads and reach areas that needed repairs or maintenance.

Today, pickup trucks with drop-down rail wheels do the same thing.

"If you have a problem, I'll say 100 miles up the tracks, you can get most of the way on the highway at, you know, good highway speed," Ford said.

But for hobbyists who grew up before the putt-putts were retired, they still hold a certain appeal.

"I get the satisfaction of just riding down the rails, getting away from all the other things that get in the way of life sometimes," Ford said.

"And it's kind of like a vacation where you just get away and escape and you could see the wildlife, see the trees, see the lakes, meet some nice people along the way."

Ford said most of the participants in the excursion are in their 50s to 70s, since younger people generally don't have the same connection to the railcars.

He said the putt-putts travel at around 40 km/h in a long caravan that takes a siding if other trains are using the main track.