Visit With a Speeder

On the evening of June 11, 2019, I was driving past where the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society stores its equipment in Orrville.

A member of the ORHS had his restored speeder at the end of the track closest to the  road.

As you can see the speeder is painted for use by the Ravenna Arsenal, where weapons were made during World War II and during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The arsenal had a complex of railroad tracks, which were described several years ago during an Akron Railroad Club program by Ralph A. Pfingsten, author of the book The History of the Ravenna Arsenal.

Thankfully the owner of the speeder gave me permission to photograph his speeder and the caboose stored there.

A friend of his showed up, and we had a ride in his speeder down a small still-intact portion of Cleveland, Akron & Columbus track (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) that is used by the ORHS.

At the far end of the track beyond where we stopped was this bridge.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Tags: caboose, Orrville Ohio, Orrville Railroad Heritage Society, PRR Cleveland Akron & Columbus line, Ravenna Arsenal, Robert Farkas photography, speeders