Queensland Railways 1900 class rail motor

The 1900 class railcars are a class of self-propelled railcars built by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville for the Queensland Railways in 1956.

Queensland Railways 1900 class railmotor
1901 at Texas in 1991
ManufacturerComeng, Rocklea, Queensland
Built atGranville
Constructed1956
Entered service1957
Scrapped1988 (RM1900)
Number built2
Number preserved1
Number scrapped1
Design codeRM
Fleet numbers1900-1901
Capacity58 passengers (RM1900)
50 passengers (RM1901)
OperatorsQueensland Railways
Specifications
Car length16.76 m (55 ft 0 in)
Width2.79 m (9 ft 2 in)
Maximum speed50 miles per hour (80 km/h)
Prime mover(s)2 x AEC AH590
Power output250 horsepower (190 kW)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

History

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In 1956 two 1900 class railmotor prototypes were constructed by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville using Budd construction techniques. The railmotors suffered from continuous gearbox problems and Queensland Railways elected to purchase 2000 class rail motors instead.

RM1900 was stripped down for an overhaul in the mid 1980s but the work didn't proceed and it was scrapped in August 1988.

RM1901 is retained by Queensland Rail as part of its Heritage Fleet. It is used for heritage tours and occasionally used for track inspections. When not required for use it is stored at the Workshops Rail Museum, North Ipswich.[1]

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References

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  1. ^ Dunn, John (2010). Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 2: 1955-1966. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 89–99. ISBN 1877058734.
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