Victorian Railways rail tractor

The Victorian Railways rail tractors are a fleet of small shunting units used by the Victorian Railways of Australia for moving railway wagons at country stations and in private sidings. Varying in power output and size, they are generally comprised of an agricultural tractor engine on top of a four-wheeled steel rail wagon frame, recycled from scrapped four-wheel goods wagons.^[2]

The first unit, RT1, entered service in 1932, though some references indicate a second RT1A entering service in 1938 having been transferred from the Public Works Department.^[3]. The classleader was primarily used on new line construction^[4] and is preserved at the Newport Railway Museum, Victoria, while RT1^A, if it existed at all,^[5] was scrapped in 1965.^[3] Further rail tractors entered service in batches from 1957, as lower-powered steam engines and horses were withdrawn from regional and suburban stations around the state. The units were used within station yards, and operated by station staff not otherwise qualified as locomotive engine drivers.^[4] The low-powered units were only powerful enough to move eight to ten loaded four-wheel wagons on level ground (noting that not all station yards were perfectly flat), and while they were through-piped for air brakes when transferring around the state, the only braking facility the tractor units were given was a ratcheted lever in the cabin, connected mechanically to the underframe's pre-existing brake rigging.

RTs 2 through 8 were built at Newport Workshops and entered service in 1957, with a few more entering service each year through to RT39 in 1965. Six more were built at Ballarat North Workshops in 1967 and six more in 1969, with a final two units built in 1975 and 1976.

The design of the RTs was constantly under review, with changes to the windows, brake systems, sanding arrangement and even the prime mover, with later units being more powerful.

Fewer RTs were required over time as branch lines closed and block train working (without the need to shunt) was introduced, so many units were withdrawn.^[4] However, some were converted to standard gauge for use in Victoria and in New South Wales,^[4] and others are still in use as depot shunters.

Medlin (2004) lists RTs 5, 6, 14, 18-19, 27-28, 31-32, 35 37-38, 42, 45, 47-48, 51-52 and 54 as being transferred to Freight Victoria on 1 May 1999; as well as RT11 on 1 September (this may be a typo), and RT49 as to either Freight Victoria or Great Northern Rail Services.^[3]

As of 2008, units authorised to operate on Victorian tracks were 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.^[6] Units RT 18, 28 and 43 were gauge converted and transferred to Sydney for use on the construction of the Epping to Chatswood railway.^[7]

The first RT tractors were painted red or silver, but yellow had become the norm by the 1970s.^[4][8] One unit is thought to have been painted white,^[4] and a number were repainted with yellow cabins but green underframes for use with Freight Australia.^[4]

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.^[9]

The shunting units are not fitted with air brakes but are through-piped to enable them to be worked dead as part of a normal train.^[6] When they were transferred between stations and/or workshops the drive chains had to be removed and stored in the cabins, with the doors locked and signs provided indicating the lack of air brakes.^[6] The tractor was to be attached immediately behind the locomotive/s, and with a maximum trailing load of 2,400 tonnes.^[6] Additionally, the speed of the train is restricted to 65 km/h.^[6]

As of mid-1986, RT units were limited to 30 km/h and the following loads:^[10]

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.^[11]

RT46 was built by Aresco Track Chief for the Victorian Railways in 1966. It was originally used to assemble briquette trains at Morwell,^[5] and occasionally to run construction trains to and from the Hazelwood power station then under construction.^[12] It was later transferred to Spotswood and eventually repainted in V/Line orange (with black lettering instead of white on the logo),^[5] and by the 2000s it had been transferred to and repainted for use at the Deniliquin grain storage sidings; it is not clear whether it was sold to new operators, or if so, when.^[13]

RT54 was built for the Portland Harbour Trust, which had used it in their private siding. It was acquired by V/Line in 1994,^{[3][5]: 128–130} and as of 2008 instructions had been issued for its use in Echuca Yard. These included a maximum speed of 10 km/h while hauling wagons, 15 km/h while running on its own; a maximum trailing load of 450 tonnes without air brakes connected to the trailing vehicles.^[6] It has since been reclassed to LT4.

Two Aresco Track Chief units were built for use at the Long Island steel plants. Track Chief No.1 was seen at Crib Point and No.2 at Leongatha in 1995; both are now with the Mornington Railway Preservation Society.^[5]: 134

Locomotive V56 was built for shunting at Jolimont Workshops. It entered service between RT18 and RT19, so its number 56 would have followed on from then-in-service steam locomotives C1 to C26 then X27 to X55, and its numbering being adjacent to the final RT54 is coincidental.

Another four-wheel wagon was modified for the Portland Harbour Trust in 1959, becoming RT201. It was still present in 1979.^[5]: 129

In November 1961, Malcolm Moore Industries provided a small shunting tractor for the Massey Ferguson plant in Sunshine, which had until then been using a former Victorian Railways F class steam locomotive. This unit uses a Massey Ferguson 65R engine, which develops 56.6 hp (42.2 kW) horsepower at 2000rpm. It is fitted with a four-speed hydrostatic transmission and a differential rear axle assembly, with a chain drive to both axles. It is now preserved at the Daylesford Spa Country Railway.^[5]: 131

Malcolm Moore Industries provided a small rail tractor to the Australian Paper Manufacturers in 1939. This was originally used for shunting at Maryvale but later moved to Broadford. It is now with the Victorian Goldfields Railway.^[5]: 132

Hopper wagon O145, built in 1887, was scrapped in 1950 and the underframe recycled by the Department of Munitions to construct a tractor for shunting at Maribyrnong and later Mulwala. It was sold circa 1997. There may have been an earlier attempt to create a tractor using the frame from hopper O152 in 1948, but no records were available as of 2014.^[5]: 133

• New South Wales X100 class
• New South Wales X200 class