I am restoring a 1953 Fairmont S2, F series, railway motorcar [a so-called speeder] delivered to Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) in 1953; for maintenace of way (mow) use.

I want to know if SAL mow speeders had unique identification and paint schemes; particularly those speeders equipped with blunt nose sheetmetal, windshield and top assemblies. I'm torn between being historically accurate and romanticizing the speeder's blunt front end with a large SAL emblem, or Silver Meteor logo; maybe even a touch of the '50s citrus paint scheme.

Has anyone seen any uncharacteristic paint scheme on a SAL mow speeder? And can anyone recommend a sourch for technically accurate information with regard to SAL mow identification and paint schemes?

-- Patrick A. Daniels (lehara@earthlink.com), December 16, 1998

Answers

The few SAL speeders that I saw up close while they were off the rails and parked on depot platforms did not have roofs. These were all simply marked S.A.L. No. 3. As these sightings were years apart and in different parts of greater central Florida, could this have benn the same speeder, or was SAL #3 a division marking? We had a yellow SAL DL #3 dragline ditching beside the Orlando branch in the early/mid 1960's. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks.

-- David E. Peterson (davidsalcrr@prodigy.net), May 06, 2003.

Several of my friends have and operate SAL motorcars.

this is a reply to an old thread I know.

We operate our cars twice a month at Red Springs, near Fayetteville, NC

Contact me for more info.

-- Tom Stallings (tlstalli@libertybay.com), July 05, 2000.

I remember several in Roanoke Rapids and 1 in Weldon were painted yellow with silver roofs. Had numbers in black. Don't remember any emblem or anyother id marks.

-- Larry Denton (saled@3rddoor.com), December 18, 1998.