I was looking through the photos of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (color photos from the early 1900s!) for the thousandth time and got to wondering about this one.
What is that thing, and how did it move? Is there an engine on it somewhere? If so, where?
It is a handcar. They are propelled by pumps powered by the people in it. They were used to inspect the tracks.
It is a railroad pump car, also known as a hand car.
It is propelled by a lever which the passengers pump up and down to drive the wheels. You can’t see it in the picture because it’s behind the passengers.
Here is a picture that shows a more modern design.
Oh, okay. Just didn’t look like the ones I’ve seen in movies.
Heh. They even used that picture I linked to to illustrate the Wikipedia article on handcars. :smack:
Bah. It’s wind-powered. I can even see the little sail.
So the question becomes… If this was powered by a treadmill, would the sail move in the wind?
I think it is a hand car or pump car?
I’m just sayin’…
Since the question seems answered, I’ll just say that I think his photographs are great. It’s very interesting to see high quality color photos from that time. There seem to be more of them at the wiki article about him.
Comparing it to the others pictured in the Wiki article, I think the one in the OP’s link might be the push type. It appears to be coasting downhill, so the designated pushers have climbed on board. Notice that the fellow in uniform is clutching the hand brake.
Weren’t they a required prop in comedy movies of the early 20th century?
I don’t think it’s rolling downhill. There’s a piece of rock acting as a chock under the right front wheel for the photographer’s benefit.
There is also a substantial metal pedestal just behind the VIP’s bench that two of the crewmen are gripping. I think it’s substantial because I can see flanges and rivets. My guess would be that it is a more traditional hand car with the beam arm removed for temporary push car duty.
The tent in the background doesn’t look like they’ve gone too far from their base camp at any rate…
It’s a skateboard for the whole family to ride! 
WOW!! I was just blown away by those photos… I guess I must have been thinking of people at the turn of the (last) century as – well – living in sepiatones or something. Thank you so much! That was very cool!
