Worlds only Model T rail car??

[edkowal]

When the Depression hit small and short lines, one of the ways to economize was to scale back the size of the train. If you had the mail and express contracts, you still wanted to run the same schedule as before. Many shop crews realized that it was much less expensive to run a converted automobile than to keep one of the engines in steam.

So a lot of model T's, as well as other autos were converted into railcars and put to work hauling mail, express, and a few passengers. As well, there were other model T's which were made into inspection cars, or trackworker's vehicles, sometimes pulling a trailer with tools and supplies, sometimes not.

Later on, manufacturers began to produce railcars and railbuses, using some of the same techniques that the rairoad shop personnel had invented.

Some of the very first railcars produced by railroad shop workers were pretty bizarre looking.

-Ed

[cmulligan01]

I believe in the 1920s the Rio Grande Southern used a Ford Model T as the base for an inspection car.

[GMTRacing]

Matt,
What - no Austin 7 rail cars?

[NZRMac]

Thanks Tom, Welcome to the forum. I must get down there one weekend and check it out. Only an hour and a half away.

Ken.

[Anonymous]

Colonel Holman F Stephens, engineer and manager of several light railways (US - short lines) in England and Wales used a number of rail motors of this general type in the 1920s and 1930s. Some based on Ford Model T components, some on other makes. There was also a Ford Model T 'rail lorry' - see the Colonel Stephens Museum (Tenterden, Kent, England) website at -
http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/pages/topics/oddity/oddity_of_oddities.htm
The railmotors generally ran in back-to-back pairs and the trailing one was put into neutral. There have been a couple of articles by people who drove the cars in the 1930s in the 'Tenterden Terrier', magazine of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, a steam line which operates some 10 miles of the Colonel's first line for tourist purposes.
Some 15 years ago, the K&ESR had discussions with Ford UK about building a replica railcar (with modern engine) as an apprentice project but it didn't come to anything at that time, so the NZ version is of interest.
Tom Burnham, Staplehurst, Kent, England

[mersenne6]

I did some more rummaging and while the Pleasant Point car may be the only one in New Zealand there are others based on Model T's here and there. Most, as I suspect the New Zealand one is, were built by the homeguard. For example, the Sierra Railway has a homebuilt Model T inspection car/rail car. As with much of their equipment it has shown up in the movies from time to time. There is also a well preserved Model T railcar that was part of the Edaville collection and is now part of one of the Maine 2 foot rail museums.

It would be interesting to know if the coachwork of the New Zealand car was a homebuild or if it is a custom from one of the many places that specialized in such things back in the first half of the 20th century. If the coachwork is custom then this may be the reason for the claim of being the world's only Model T rail car.

The practice of using a Model T chassis as the base for a railcar was quite common. The magazine Narrow Gauge Gazette has published pictures of some of these in past issues.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tutaenui

Pleasant Point's model T railcar is a 12" to the foot scale model, built in the late 90's, of a pair of railcars built by NZ Rail in the 1920's for branch line service. They had a built in turntable to change direction at the end of the line. Though economical, they were prone to overheating and had diobolical ride quality and due to their light weight prone to derailment.

Thank you for the info so its a rebuilt of the original,still looks pretty cool to me.Ken nothing from the muesum yet what ever they send back I will post here.Thanks all What a great scratch building project this little guy would make powered with sound i can allmost hear the Oohgaaa .Trolleyboy you are right with all the advances in the hobby i am a little susprised no one has manfactured something along these lines in on30 or something.Terry

[NZRMac]

Are you sure it's a model?
I've seen it (two hour drive from here) and it's real, I've had a ride!!

Ken.

[tutaenui]

Pleasant Point's model T railcar is a 12" to the foot scale model, built in the late 90's, of a pair of railcars built by NZ Rail in the 1920's for branch line service. They had a built in turntable to change direction at the end of the line. Though economical, they were prone to overheating and had diobolical ride quality and due to their light weight prone to derailment.

[NZRMac]

Railguyho

Any word from the museum about the Model T?
I've been looking around the net but nothing has come up that we didn't already know.

Ken.

[trolleyboy]

Terry your welcome, the small odd cars and trucks that railways have converted over the years could become yet another sub hobby in the model railway world. Rob

[Anonymous]

Ken i sent an e mail to the museum asking for any info on the rail car now you have me wondering about the history of the little guy. It does say the worlds only railcar .mersenne6 railroadingbrit and trolley boy thank you for all the info and links makes for some very good reading Terry.

[trolleyboy]

The car is very similar to the Grand River Linetruck m6 at our museum. it's a 20's fordd truck that was convertted by the GRR shops from a Pepsi delivery truck check the museum site on my profile as we have pictures of it. Rob

[Anonymous]

I think there were a few of these little Model T railcars over here as well - think a light railway owner/builder by the name of Colonel Stephens made use of a few on his lines though this is based on my memory of an article in a magazine a few years ago, so could be slightly wrong! Typing Colonel Stephens into a search engine should produce something about his work. As I recall they were arranged as a pair of Model Ts coupled back to back, not sure if they had some form of multiple working (to allow both engines and transmissions to be controlled by one driver) or if they relied on hand signals like the Irish railbusses needed to if more than one was coupled. I'm guessing the latter as the Colonel was famed for building on a very tight budget!

[Anonymous]

ok sorry for the confusing pic i just came acrooss it in an old 1948 nagazine and posted it before i read this post as far as the rail car though thanks for the info it does look very interesting and i would like to know more about it if anyone has more info thanks Terry didn't mean to mess up your post ken again sorry.

[NZRMac]

We were talking about the Model T!!

But thanks for the info on the other Loco.

Ken.

[mersenne6]

Railguyho, Not Ford - Grant Locomotive Works - The Fontaine locomotive was a patented locomotive design. It had a patent date of 1880 and the engine in your picture was built for the Canada Southern Railway.

"Fontaine's objective was to produce a fast-running engine; in his opinion, the fastest ever made. His rationale was that locomotive speed was limited by driver size or piston strokes, both of which, for practical reasons, could not exceed certain limits. His solution was to mount a large diameter (72 inch) wheel above, and driving, a smaller diameter (56 inch) "friction" wheel that was mounted on the same axle as the wheel contacting the track. Steam pressure was applied to the upper drivers to keep them in intimate contact with the friction wheel, and thus prevent slipping. This arrangement provided a 30 percent increase in revolution of the lower wheels and a corresponding increase in speed. In addition to the Canada Southern one was used on the Pennsylvania Railroad and another on the W&LE." Apparently his engine did hit 70 mph in one test but the general criticism was "he gets more power out of the cylinders of his engine than ever goes into them." - from Trains and Technology - Bianculli - 2001

[NZRMac]

I believe it was built by ford

someone may be able to correct me?

Ken.

[Anonymous]

so this was built by ford? or was it converted by the railroad. Terry

[NZRMac]

I did a Google search and came up with several sites, they all seemed to refer to Pleasant Point museum.

One site was about Henry Ford and a one off Model T railcar so I guess it's true!

Ken.

[Anonymous]

Cool pic Ken.Kinda like a minature Galloping goose. And your right it is interesting. I seen some pics of a simular track car used up in Canada,and the stories that accompied it was very entertaining and a real insight into the way railroads used what they had available to solve perticular problems,and how the workers became so attached to it.I bet the history of this little guy would be filled with many great stories. Terry

[NZRMac]

Have you seen a Model T railcar.

This is at Pleasant Point Museum and Railway, South Island New Zealand.



Not sure of it's history or motive power but it sure is interesting.

Ken.