FOLSOM, Calif. — Every year, a seemingly ordinary stretch of railroad tracks in Folsom becomes the site of a fierce race. This race is known as the Folsom Handcar Derby. If you don’t know what a handcar is, derby volunteer organizer and racer Dan Bocinski explains it like this...
“They used to use this back in the early railroad days either to get the workers out to the tracks - workers and equipment - or just to inspect the tracks,” said Bocinski.
You may recognize handcars in old Westerns or Buster Keaton movies. They are a simple human-powered maintenance vehicle that rides on the tracks. Handcars weren’t made for speed, but it hasn’t stopped railroad enthusiasts from racing.
“It’s never been clocked on radar but I would guess it’s close to 30 mph,” said Bocinski.
It’s unclear when or where the first official handcar derby took place, but Gary Putman has organized handcar races all over the nation for more than 40 years.
“I’ve done handcar races from Stone Mountain, Georgia, clear to Alaska. Probably about 150 handcar races I've put on,” said Putman.
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The rules are pretty simple. It's a timed race and a team of five people see how fast they can move the handcar. Only four people pump the handcar while the job of the 5th teammate is to get the handcar moving by pushing it.
“[Handcars weigh] over 800 lbs., so it's not easy to get going from a dead start,” said Putman.
Competitors are a mix of return racers and random people off the street. In total, the teams pump and push down a 750-foot-long stretch of railroad tracks. Bocinski says few contestants train for the race so it's a level playing field, but he does have some advice for anyone looking to set a record.
"Pump 'til you puke," said Bocinski.
Men, women, young and old, handcar racing is a sport everyone can participate in, and though it may not be popular enough to become an Olympic sport, Putman has high hopes it will someday catch the attention of Hollywood.
“I’ve always wanted to get Clint Eastwood to direct a movie about handcar racing,” said Putman.
There’s nothing wrong with having big dreams, but until handcar racing hits the silver screen, you’ll just have to experience it in person.
ANOTHER PEOPLE-POWERED RACE ON THE BACKROADS: Artists propel kinetic sculptures more than 50 miles over land, sand, water and mud in a chaotic race to the finish line.
