The car was completely disassembled for a thorough inspection and cleaning. The axles had been cut and welded to 36" gauge so, in the interest of safety, I decided to replace them. New narrow gauge axles are available from Patrick "Smitty" Smith in Sedona, AZ or from Les King in Ohio. The engine was shipped to "Smitty" for a thorough inspection and repair. (Smitty was a great help and talked me through many small problems throughout the project.) The C-5 Carburetor went to Carey Boney in North Carolina. He is the Fairmont carburetor guru and completed a major overhaul at a very reasonable price. The engine had a steel hopper that Fairmont used during W.W.II because of aluminum shortages.

The frame was assembled with a square to ensure that everything would be aligned and track straight. The original car used square headed bolts and split nuts which were reused after cleanup and bead blasting to keep the car as original as possible.

This model M9 had no springs, but the axle bearings were the same as on other M9, M19 and MT19 cars. Bad bearings and races were replaced from stock by the local bearing store. They are not cheap, but are available. 

The single conductor spark plug wire proved elusive as it is unlike current automotive types. The proper wire was located in a hot rod shop. The original rear axle pulley had a chunk missing. A new one was purchased from Dudley Newman at Newman Machinery in Phoenix. Dudley has a large supply of many parts and is very helpful. He is a good resource for anyone undertaking a restoration. Another good source of parts is Brown Railroad Equipment.

The old G-4598 belt was in poor condition and was replaced with a new one from Phil Gandy at Gandy Dancer Products (843) 383-0309. This new belt has performed very well.

The Meter Gauge M9 as illustrated in the Fairmont catalogue used a duplicate of the rear hand rail in the front of the car. Such an arrangement might not comply with current NARCOA rules and certainly would offer little protection to riders from being catapulted off the front of the car in the event of collision. It was decided to modify the original standard gauge, already cut down front handrail to a common Fairmont configuration which would provide the normal level of protection found on other open cars.

A planked style cover as illustrated below was easily fabricated and finished with Minwax clear spar urethane. The side panels were drilled using the originals as patterns and then primed with wood primer. All parts were individually painted with orange Imron. Assembly was easy and the car seemed near completion. New data plates are available from Dick Ray through NARCOA or from Les King.

In order to comply with NARCOA rules some additional equipment was needed. A headlight, tail light and brake activated stop lights were required. A 12 volt single wire alternator (meaning the voltage regulator is contained in the alternator) was ordered from J.C. Whitney. The Part Number is 14zx6048x. A support bracket was fabricated and the adjustment arm salvaged from an auto junk yard. 

A visible, non original electrical system control panel was not desired, so one was built inside the tool box used to house the ignition coil. A motorcycle battery that fit in the box and left room for a small switch panel was found. A couple of switches (one for the battery and the other for the lights) and an amp meter from an auto store were installed in a plastic box from Radio Shack. 

Since the electrical system was 12 volts and the coil 6 volts, a NAPA p/n ICR 23 coil resistor was used to drop the voltage. The tail/brake light came from the auto store. A NAPA p/n SL128 stoplight switch was used that is easily mounted and has a lever actuator on top that connects to the spring hole on the brake lever with a small chain. 

A new fuel strainer bowl and shut off from NAPA (p/n 730-2357) was installed. The tank has two fittings in the bottom. The one not used for the strainer bowl was fitted with an aircraft style fuel tank quick drain to remove water and sediment. A new vented fuel cap (NAPA p/n 703-1220) was added. Be sure not to mix up the fuel cap (vented) with the hopper cap (non-vented) - they look alike.

Towing eyes were added to the front and rear of the car and a tow bar that is adjustable in length and fits inside the engine box was added to comply with NARCOA rules. A first aid kit that fits between the coil box and side panel was installed as well as a fire extinguisher. A new engine crank was purchased from Les King.

The engine timing was set up per the Fairmont M9 manual and the Dick Ray timing article.The "one wire" alternator was checked for proper charging. A problem was discovered; the alternator was overcharging the battery. The alternator was replaced by J.C. Whitney under warranty and the new one worked fine. 

I discovered that the hopper filler neck leaked quite badly as soon as the water temperature rose after several minutes of operation. A new filler cap and gasket was installed, but the leak continued. A careful examination of the filler neck showed some pitting where the cap gasket contacted the neck. A new filler neck was obtained from Les King and soldered in place by a local radiator shop. Problem solved - no more leaks.

This particular 2 1/2 mile section of track was probably the most scenic section of the entire line and includes the famous curve around Pardee Point. It miraculously survives in a very remote section of the river gorge that is very difficult to reach other than via the railroad right-of-way. November 16th 2000 was the big day, and inspite of the 40 degree weather, the car was set on at the retreat headquarters. The line immediately enters a curved tunnel and comes out in the pristine wilderness of the gorge. It was an unbelievable experience as the line is almost unchanged from the last day of operation in 1950. 

The next day, accompanied by my wife and Mark, it was off to the Tweetsie Railroad near Blowing Rock, NC. We had received permission to run on the 3 mile line which is a tourist attraction and recreates the E.T.& W.N.C. railroad. This run was a good test as it has a 5 1/2% grade. This grade, although steeper than the Cumbres Summit climb found in Colorado is at a much lower elevation and while steep, is not as difficult to climb. I had to tighten the belt adjustment to get up the hill. But after some practice, the steep grade was climbed without any trouble. Coming down the hill presented a different problem as quite a bit of manual braking was needed.

I later discovered that the trick to descending a steep hill in a 2 cycle car is to keep the belt engaged and turn off the ignition. The throttle may be opened to increase compression braking, but should not be fully closed with the ignition off or the engine may be damaged by lack of lubrication. As soon as engine power is needed, the ignition switch is turned on and the engine will (should) resume normal operation.

Another lesson learned is that if a problem occurred, it was because the Fairmont instruction manual was not being followed EXACTLY. If the car is set up mechanically and operated according to the Fairmont instructions, it will operate as advertised - every time. 

I found operation of the 2 cycle car to be much more challenging and fun than the Onan powered car. Advice from "old timers" can be helpful and a real sense of satisfaction is gained when the car performs exactly as designed. Expect a learning curve. Don't put yourself in a position of being embarrassed if you are carrying friends until you gain some experience. If you end up on the wrong end of a towbar, carry a copy of the Dick Ray articles, most of the time, you will be able to troubleshoot the problem with these well written instructions

After returning home from the initial run, it was decided that the original flat wooden seats would be very uncomfortable on a long trip. A quickly removable mounting board was constructed with a pair of tractor seats from Northern Hydraulics added to make longer trips more comfortable. 

The seat modification is quite comfortable, did not require drilling of any holes in the motorcar and can be completely removed in a few seconds without tools to return the car to factory configuration. They actually look like something Fairmont might have installed.

MOW - Motorcar Operators West, the organization that sponsors the Colorado narrow gauge runs, requires a spark arrestor on all cars due to extreme fire hazards in the West. 

I took the car to a muffler shop to have a custom length of exhaust made of 2 1/4" O.D. pipe that was flared in their shop to exactly fit over the 2 1/2" diameter elbow. The pipe was bent in their shops equipment to give sufficient ground clearance and fit in the limited space available. One flexible exhaust hanger (available in any auto parts store) is attached just forward of the arrestor to support the aft end of the exhaust pipe. Cost for the custom pipe - $50.

A re-usable wooden crate with portable ramps was fabricated and the motorcar shipped via truck freight to Durango, Colorado for the 2001 narrow gauge runs. 

M9 with removable seats in the yard at Chama, NM ready for the long climb to Cumbres Summit at 10,015 feet above sea level.

The next day we proceeded to Chama, N.M. for a 90 mile run on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. The big challenge on the C. & T. S. RR is  the 14 miles of 4% ruling grade, with some places even steeper, between 7,863 feet at Chama, NM and 10,015 foot Cumbres Summit. I was concerned that the 5 hp OD-B engine would not make it up the long grade at such high elevations. The little car struggled along at a slow speed, but finally reached the Summit to my great relief. Continuing East from Cumbres Summit, the grade is 1.42% descending so we could relax and enjoy the fantastic scenery. There are two tunnels and several trestles to cross. The railroad runs along the New Mexico and Colorado borders and crosses back and forth eleven times. No break downs occurred and a good time was enjoyed by all.

The little M9 spent the winter of 2001 - 2002 on display in the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Durango, Colorado awaiting the next run. 

The WP&Y was constructed during the 1898 Klondike gold rush to allow the "stampeders" an easier way than climbing the mountains on foot, to reach the gold fields of the Yukon from the Pacific Coast. We ran about 250 miles on this excursion reaching Carcross in the Yukon Territory from Skagway, Alaska. This has to be one of if not the most scenic run in the world. 

In the first 20 miles the line climbs nearly three thousand feet to cross the Pacific Coast mountain range at White Pass which is the border between Alaska and British Columbia. The grade approaches 4% in several locations, but unlike the equivalent grade crossing the Cumbres Summit at over 10,000' on the Cumbres and Toltec, the lower elevation made it much easier for the 5 hp engine, and the car was able to keep up with the Onan powered cars on the hill.

After crossing the pass, trains proceed to Fraser B.C. to clear customs and then descend slightly to Bennett at the North end of Lake Bennett which forms the headwaters of the Yukon River. The "stampeders" followed this river to the Klondike gold fields. The rail line follows the shores of Lake Bennett for 27 miles through a beautiful valley carved out by glaciers. The lake is crystal clear and no roads or other civilization is seen until reaching Carcross, Yukon Territory at the North end of the lake. 

What's next? Well... let's see.. Still haven't done the East Broad Top in Pennsylvania.

Keith Mackey