POWERGRAMS

PROFILE Mobile employee's been working on railroad cars T his first run under the watchful eye of an experienced operator. Through NARCOA, Thompson and his wife, Maria, Hillcrest Business Office supervisor, have taken many one- to two-day excursions across the Southeast in their 1957 two-seater railcar, which he purchased from Norfolk Southern Railroad and restored four years ago. Thompson and his wife, who earned her operator license last year, have traveled on the rails through North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Photos by Dan Anderson Mobile Apprentice Cable Splicer Thompson enjoys hobby. he son of a train engineer, Chris Thompson's passion for restoring old motorcars and riding the rails comes naturally. "To me, there's nothing like starting out with a piece of junk, restoring it and then taking it out on the railroad for the first time," said Thompson, apprentice cable splicer, Mobile-Michigan Avenue Complex. "The only problem is when you finish one railcar, you want another one." For the past 17 years, Thompson has been overhauling and returning old rail motorcars to their original glory. Before they were retired in the mid-1980s, the cars transported employees who maintained and repaired thousands of miles of tracks that crossed the United States and Canada. Although they only traveled up to 35 miles per hour, the vehicles were known as speeders because they were much faster than the manually powered pump-cars they replaced. Thompson's current project is a 1967 Fairmont Brothers Railway Motors model originally used by Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Working in his garage, Thompson has rebuilt the motor, added a new frame and windshield and painted the body. After he installs seats, signal lights, a beacon and fire extinguisher, the car will be ready for the rails, he said. "Finding the parts is like a quest," said Thompson. "It's surprising what people will sell on the Internet. I've also acquired enough tools to make some of my own parts and taken parts from several old railcars I have in my backyard." Before he begins rebuilding a railcar, Thompson researches its history. "I like to get the cars back to the way they looked when the railroad had them," said Thompson, noting he returns the cars to their original color and adds the logo of the particular railroad that owned them. He bought the Fairmont Brothers Thompson is working on model from a 1967 Fairmont Brothers. retired railroad employee in Arkansas about a year ago. Thompson already has another railcar waiting for restoration. Thompson's interest in his hobby began when he saw several railcars running on a track at a festival in Atmore in the mid-1990s. Soon afterward, he bought two rusted speeders, restored them and sold them to CSX Railroad to maintain track in Georgia. With a yearning to get in the driver's seat, Thompson joined the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA). To receive his railcar operator license, Thompson had to pass a test on safety procedures and operations. He completed PAGE 6 Thompson has restored motorcars for 17 years. Like Alabama Power, the railroad makes safety a top priority, Thompson said. All operators are required to wear a safety vest and high-topped shoes to protect their ankles from injury while walking on the tracks. Before the start of every excursion, a railroad representative outlines safety procedures and provides information such as the radio frequency operators should use, and the location of bridges and highway crossings. "Even though we're out there having fun, we're in an industrial environment. The railroad is allowing us to be there, so we have to follow all the rules," Thompson said. The Thompsons are already looking forward to their next trip – a two-day run through the Great Smoky Mountains in June. "We meet people from all walks of life," Thompson said of the excursions. "The scenery is really pretty," he said. "Railroads go right through the middle of towns, through neighborhoods and through the countryside. You see a view most people don't get to see." For a look at the Thompsons' excursions, go to his YouTube channel at CBT1960. By Carla Davis

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