102hp Walker railmotor

102hp Walker Railmotor

102hp Walker railmotor soon after delivery

Type and origin Power type Diesel Designer Walker Bros. Builder Walker Bros. (Power Unit), Martin & King (Body), Victorian Railways (Assemble). Build date 1948-1955 Total produced 13

Specifications Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Length 8.5625 ft (2.6 m) Loco weight 18.00t Fuel type Diesel Engine type Gardner 6LW

Performance figures Maximum speed 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) Power output 102 horsepower (76 kW) Tractive effort 2,969 pounds-force (13.21 kN)

Career Operators Victorian Railways Number in class 12 Numbers 1RM-13RM First run 15 March 1948

The family of Walker railmotors were a type of diesel railcar operated by the Victorian Railways in Australia.

After the Second World War, the Victorian Railways undertook a major rebuilding program known as "Operation Phoenix". One of the first tasks was the upgrading of passenger services on country branch lines, through the replacement of 23 wooden bodied railmotors built in the 1920s, and the withdrawal of steam locomotive hauled mixed trains.

An initial order of twelve 102 hp (80 kW) railcars, six 153 hp (110 kW) railcars with trailers and twelve 280 hp (210 kW) railcars from Walker Brothers in Wigan, England was placed, and this was extended to include a further ten 153 hp railmotors and trailers. The first was delivered in 1948, with new additions to the fleet running through to 1955.

The power units and controls were shipped out from England and the car bodies built locally by Martin & King in Malvern, with the finished units assembled at Newport Workshops. The van bodies were constructed with composite wood and steel framework, and aluminium sheeting screwed to the frames.

The intended life of the Walker railmotors was only 10 years. However, most remained in service for up to 30 years.

The final fleet included 13x 102 hp engine/driving units 1-13RM and 16x 153 hp engine/driving units 20-35RM which looked similar; these shared 27x trailing units each mounted on only one bogie, and attached semi-permanently to the associated motor unit, leaving one motor unit of each type spare. The trailing units were not identified normally when in service, but some correspondence notes individual identities No.100 to No.111 (or No.101 to No.112) and No.220 to No.234. This was marked on a small plate on the passenger/driver door of cabs.

The passenger units were all identical with room for 18 1st class and 22 2nd class seated passengers plus 2 tons luggage, except for 100, 104 and 220, which had 18+27 seats and room for only 1.27 tons of luggage; their tare weight was a ton less than the rest of the fleet.