Kevin
Looks to be a track inspector or signal maintainer car.

The Fairmont car I used on the tie gang sat four guys. Is there a number stenciled under the paint?

Mine ‘had’ a roof on it until we were just west of Lindsborg, Ks and motoring west on a super elevated curve there were flat wheat fields on either side of the right of way. The wind managed to pick the car off the rail with two of us riding, tear off the roof and dropped us down back on the ballast. Was a little shaken after that but I now had the only convertible motor car on the Western District.

Another motor car story. One cool morning in Marquette, Ks I added the oil to the tank before the gas so the oil sank to the bottom of the tank. Took a while to get the motor started (hand crank or by pushing and engaging the belt) but with every cycle ‘pop’ a large cloud of blue smoke came out the exhaust. Someone in town called the volunteer fire department saying the depot was on fire. I just waved as the fire truck slowly drove by my slowly popping motor car generating a huge clouds of smoke.

While working out of Marquette I’d motor towards Lindsborg to set out the four slow order boards to denote where the gang was working. For almost a week I had a Coopers Hawk wait for me on a certain telegraph pole and race me several poles and then watch me putting by. He must have thought it was great fun beating me.