Victorian Railways rail tractor

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Victorian Railway rail tractor
RT 20 in Swan Hill, featuring Freight Australia livery
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel Mechanical
BuilderNewport Workshops
Total produced54
Specifications
Gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), some are 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)[1]
Length6.33 to 6.52 m (20 ft 9 in to 21 ft 5 in)
Loco weight10.4 t (10.2 long tons; 11.5 short tons)
Prime moverFordson
Engine typediesel
Performance figures
Maximum speed15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Power output40.3 to 51.8 hp (30.1 to 38.6 kW)
Career
OperatorsVictorian Railways
Number in class54
NumbersRT 1 - 54
First run1952
Disposition4 preserved, 14 stored, 16 scrapped, 20 in service

The Victorian Railways rail tractors are a small shunting unit used by the Victorian Railways of Australia for moving railway wagons in at country stations and private sidings. Varying in power output and size, they are agricultural tractors on top of a four-wheeled steel rail wagon frame.[2] RT1 was of a different design to the remainder of the class and is preserved at the Newport Railway Museum, Victoria.

The shunters are not fitted with air brakes but are through-piped to enable them to be worked dead as part of a normal train.[3] An exception to that is RT46, a standard "Aresco Trak Chief", the only one of its type built for the VR, which entered service in 1966. RT54 is a one-off unit acquired from the Portland Harbour Trust, which had used the vehicle on its private siding. In March 1989, it was reported that a refurbishment program for rail tractors was being undertaken at the Ballarat Railway Workshops and, as units went through the program, they were repainted into the then-current V/Line orange livery.[4]

Units currently authorised to operate on Victorian tracks are RT 3-40, 42-43 and 45–53, the second group being more powerful, and all are permitted to travel at 15 km/h maximum.[3] Units RT 18, 28 and 43 were gauge converted and transferred to Sydney for use on the construction of the Epping to Chatswood railway.[5]

Liveries

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The first RT tractors were painted red or silver, but yellow had become the norm by the 1970s.[6][7]

In the period 1982–1983, they were stencilled with a number-code, exceptions being RT42, RT46 and RT51. When they were refurbished for V/Line, most tractors had the code letters placed first, except 20RT at Redcliffs in 1988, and 48RT at Maryborough in 1987. Of the refurbished units, 5, 11, 20, 29, 45, 47, 48 and 53 had orange underframes with white steps, while 7 and 21 had black underframes and steps.[8]

Maximum loads

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As of mid-1986, RT units were limited to 30 km/h and the following loads:[9]

3-39RT 40, 42-53RT
Grade % Tonnes Tonnes
Level Level 190 210
1 in 40 250% 42 48
1 in 50 200% 51 58
1 in 75 133% 70 79
1 in 100 100% 83 95
1 in 150 67% 103 117
1 in 200 50% 117 132

Fleet details

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ID Entered service[10] Withdrawn Scrapped September 1981[11] March 1982[12] January 1989[4] Last known location[13][14] Notes
RT1 11/6/1932 N/A N/A Museum Newport Railway Museum (2020) Wooden Bodied, Red Livery
RT2 24/01/1957 N/A N/A Huon Creek Sidings North Melbourne (2007) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT3 15/2/1957 Rochester Rochester Rochester Daylesford (2024) Operational at the Daylesford Spa Country Railway[15], yellow livery
RT4 29/8/1957 Warracknabeal Wodonga Seymour Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT5 6/9/1957 Spotswood Spotswood Wangaratta North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT6 18/9/1957 Rochester Rochester Ballarat, Bairnsdale[16] North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT7 1/10/1957 Euroa Oaklands Donald Bendigo (2006) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT8 16/10/1957 Ouyen Recliffs Ballarat Workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT9 12/9/1958 1990 Kyabram Kyabram Seymour Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT10 18/9/1958 Woodend Woodend Colac, Geelong North Yard[16] Bendigo (2006) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT11 29/9/1958 Horsham Ararat Bridgewater Allied Mills Ballarat (2014) Yellow livery
RT12 10/10/1958 Oakleigh Oakleigh Seymour Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT13 28/10/1958 Numurkah Numurkah Ballarat Workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT14 09/06/1959 Tottenham Colac Bendigo Loco North Bendigo (2015) Yellow livery
RT15 22/06/1959 Bendigo Horsham Euroa Trentham (2008) Yellow livery
RT16 Bendigo Bridgewater Warrnambool Bendigo (2006) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT17 Sea Lake Sea Lake Castlemaine Healesville (2010) Yellow livery
RT18 Hamilton Hamilton Dimboola Lithgow - NSW (2018) Yellow livery
RT19 Footscray Footscray Kerang Tocumwal (2018) Yellow livery
RT20 Redcliffs Irymple Irymple Swan Hill (2018) Yellow livery
RT21 Ouyen Ballarat Horsham Bendigo (2006) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT22 Kerang Kerang Ballarat Workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT23 Melbourne Yard Seymour Ballarat Workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT24 Traralgon Traralgon Leongatha Murray Bridge (2015) Yellow livery
RT25 Nhill Nhill Red Cliffs Eclipse Flour Mill, Albion (2015) Yellow livery
RT26 Ballarat Ouyen Geelong Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT27 Ararat Seymour, Yarrawonga[17] Traralgon North Bendigo (2014) Yellow livery
RT28 Seymour Seymour Kyabram Port Waratah (2018) Yellow livery
RT29 18/01/1962 Traralgon Traralgon Ballarat Loco Donald (2019) Yellow livery
RT30 Colac Tocumwal North Melbourne wagon workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT31 24/10/1962 Moe Moe Morwell Briquette Siding Victorian Goldfields Railway (2024) Yellow livery
RT32 19/11/1962 Swan Hill Swan Hill Bendigo Loco SCT Laverton (2019) Mounted outside SCT Laverton, SCT livery
RT33 Korong Vale Korong Vale Ballarat Workshops - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT34 Camperdown Warracknabeal Warracknabeal - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT35 24/4/1964 Orbost Orbost Traralgon North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT36 2/7/1964 Traralgon Cowwarr Bairnsdale - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT37 22/7/1964 Charlton Charlton Boort North Bendigo (2019) Yellow livery
RT38 15/8/1964 Leongatha Leongatha Sunshine North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT39 Nowa Nowa Nowa Nowa Morwell Dynon (2018) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT40 Westall Westall Seymour Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT41 N/A N/A Off register Moorooduc (2010) Yellow livery
RT42 Seymour Seymour Bendigo Loco North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT43 Echuca Echuca Swan Hill, Bendigo Loco[16] Port Kembla - NSW (2018) Yellow livery
RT44 1987 Traralgon Morwell "Wrecked" - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT45 Morwell Traralgon Benalla North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT46 Spotswood Spotswood Spotswood Graincorp Deniliquin (2012) Yellow livery
RT47 25/7/1969 Deniliquin Deniliquin Ballarat Workshops North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT48 7/8/1969 Morwell Portland Maryborough Port Kembla - NSW (2018) Yellow livery
RT49 20/8/1969 Portland Morwell Maffra North Bendigo (2012) Yellow livery
RT50 3/9/1969 Stawell Stawell Deniliquin Bendigo Roundhouse (2011) Yellow livery
RT51 19/9/1969 Tocumwal Camperdown Traralgon Bendigo (2006) Scrapped, yellow livery
RT52 Castlemaine Castlemaine Echuca Port Kembla - NSW (2018) Yellow livery
RT53 Redan Ballarat Ballarat Loco - Scrapped, yellow livery
RT54 6/10/1976 N/A N/A (Unlisted) North Bendigo (2025) Scrapped, yellow livery

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. ^ Railmac Publications (1992). Australian Fleetbooks: V/Line locomotives. Kitchner Press. ISBN 0-949817-76-7.
  3. ^ a b "Network Operating Requirements" (PDF). V/Line ~ Network Access ~ Information Pack. www.vline.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  4. ^ a b Newsrail March 1989 p92
  5. ^ "VICSIG - Locomotives - RT Class Rail Tractor". www.vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  6. ^ "VICTORIAN RAILWAYS RT RAIL TRACTOR" (PDF). steameramodels.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ Australian Model Railway Magazine, December 2004
  8. ^ Newsrail May 1991 p157
  9. ^ Newsrail July 1986 p.218
  10. ^ "vicrailways - RT Class". vicrailways. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  11. ^ Newsrail September 1981 pg284
  12. ^ Newsrail March 1982 pg48
  13. ^ "VICSIG - Locomotives - RT Class". VICSIG. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Railpage Forums - RT Rail Tractors". Railpage. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Locomotives and Rail Tractors", Daylesford Spa Country Railway. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Newsrail June 1989 p188
  17. ^ Newsrail July 1982 p160