By Gail Jansen
Southwest Saskatchewan
It may have been the first time the Great Sandhills Railway has hosted a Jigger Rally recently, but President and CEO Perry Pellerin said it definitely won’t be the last.

“It’s been a tremendous experience,” said Pellerin. “There’s 26 motor cars on this leg of the excursion with people as far away as New Hampshire and California as well as folks from all across the Midwest United States and across Canada. It’s been a pleasure to have them on the line.”

Approached by NARCOA, the North American Railcar Operators Association, the group responsible for organizing the excursion, Pellerin said any time NARCOA wants to run another trip, they’d be only too happy to accommodate them, not only for the rail- friendly camaraderie they experienced, but also because of the benefits to the communities along the line.

“Every trip they go on, they (NARCOA) make a contribution to a local charity, and they’ve been spending not only time, but money in a lot of different communities, so I think it’s great and something we should promote more.”

Starting in Cantuar, the group headed first for lunch in Lancer, before heading to Burstall and a tour of the Burstall Grain Terminal, ending their day in Leader with a barbecue dinner, and a night’s stay before heading back through Burstall, stopping for lunch in Cabri, and then back to Cantuar, on Day 2.

“All the folks along the line, were very accommodating,” said Pellerin. “It was good to see.”

But what exactly is a Jigger?

Used by the railroads in their maintenance departments for track and signal repair as far back as the 1920s right up until the late ’80s, when the Jiggers were retired from the railroad and replaced by high-rail vehicles, Jigger enthusiasts turned the little motor cars into a newfound hobby, says Mike Ford, the trip’s co-ordinator.

“It became a hobby, because a lot of us are railroad guys, and as the railroad retired them, we all started purchasing them and ended up starting a club back in the mid ’80s.”

With more than 1,500 members and close to 100 to 125 motor car excursions in the course of a year throughout the U.S. and Canada, Ford said on any given weekend, there’s probably at least a half a dozen running.

“We keep a list of all the excursions going on our website (http://www. narcoa.org) — all made up of members who enjoy the restoration and the safe legal operation of railway motor cars,” explained Ford.

While it’s illegal for non-railroad-sanctioned vehicles to operate on live rail lines, it is also against the club’s by-laws and Ford said simply not a good safety practice.

“Every railway track is owned by somebody,” stressed Ford. “There might be a train out there. We don’t do this illegally, we work with the railroads, we get permission, we’re insured and things are organized. That’s the way we like it to be.”

For two of the association’s newest members, who also happen to be the most local participants, this particular excursion was their first opportunity to take their new Jigger out for a spin.

Bart and Lisa Campbell, and their daughters Emma and Sydney, all from Medicine Hat, own Tri-Ways Disposal in Swift Current, and with the help of Swift Current resident Earl Gehl, got their Jigger track worthy for it’s inaugural voyage.

“This was our first trip, and it was fantastic,” said Lisa.

Choosing a four-seater Jigger so their daughters could join them in their new-found hobby, Lisa, who has always loved the prairies, says the vantage point from the Jigger gave her a new appreciation for them, and while they won’t join the rest of the group on the next leg of the journey, they will rejoin the group next Thursday when they travel from Shaunavon to Consul and back.

“Because we had just started we wanted to stay pretty local and do a shorter one, simply because we didn’t really know what it would be like,” said Lisa. “It was really beautiful and a totally different viewpoint than what you’d see from the road.”

While they may be the newcomers to the group, the group as a whole was more than ready to accept them into their midst.

“The people are fantastic,” said Lisa. “Everybody helps each other out, and they’re all really eager to see what kind of Jigger you have, and where you got it, and what you’ve done to it.”

It’s families such as the Campbells whom Ford hopes will help to keep the hobby alive.

“Most of the people who run these motor cars are generally older, anywhere from mid 40s to 70s, and as they get older, these things are harder to schlup around, so some people will get out when it becomes too physically challenging for them,” said Ford. The range of costs for the Jiggers can run anywhere from $1,000 up to $20,000, depending on its size and condition.

“The younger generation, just doesn’t seem to have the same appreciation for these things,” says Ford. “For the most part they’ve never even ridden a train before, and most weren’t around for these things when they were little, but for me … these were around when I was a little kid, and I totally love them.”