Rowan steam railmotor

Rowan steam railmotor
Rowan Car No.1 in the 1880s
Type and origin Power type Steam, vertical boiler Designer W.R. Rowan Builder Kitson and Company, Victorian Railways Build date 1883 - 1888 Total produced 1 + spare power unit
Specifications Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Driver dia. 36 in (910 mm) Length Original No.1: 42 ft 6 in (13 m) Loco weight Original No.1: 14.25 long tons (14.48 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 660 lb (300 kg) Water cap 230 imp gal (1,000 l) Boiler pressure 140 psi (970 kPa) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 9 in × 3.5 in (229 mm × 89 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 30 mph (48 km/h) Power output 40 hp (30 kW) Tractive effort 3,500 lbf (16 kN)
Career Operators Victorian Railways Number in class 2 Numbers Rowan Car No.1 (Motor No.1) - Rowan Car No.2 (Motor No.2) First run 1 June 1883 Disposition Sold

The Rowan steam railmotor was steam railcar operated by the Victorian Railways.

The type was designed by W. R. Rowan, Managing Director of the Scandia Company of Copenhagen, Denmark. The design was brought to the attention of the Victorian Railways by Captain F.C Rowan, brother of the patentee and author of a book on railways for sparsely populated country districts.

A feature of the design was provision for the easy removal of the power unit for repair, allowing a substitute unit to be fitted.

Rowan Car No.1 was delivered complete from the manufacturer. The power unit was built by Kitson and Company (b/n T69 of 1883) of Leeds, England, who were also sole agent for the type in the Australasian Colonies.

As built it was double deck with a capacity of 60 passengers and 490 cu ft (14 m³) of goods. Before entering service. Victorian Railways modified it to carry 42 passengers, 12 in first class and 30 in second class, on a single deck. The overall length was 42 ft 6 in (12.95 m) and the tare weight was 14.25 long tons (14.48 t).

It was test run on the Williamstown line on 1 June 1883. On 1 July 1883 it was test run between Lancefield Road and Sunbury where it was able to haul up to 30 tons in addition to its own weight and reach up to 30 mph (48 km/h) on level track.

It ran in regular local service between Camberwell and Box Hill for one month and was also test run to Lilydale. In 1884 it was running between Maryborough and Avoca.

For most of the 1880s it ran local trains between Essendon and Broadmeadows where it was known unofficially as the "Broady Car".