The Section Car Pages

Victorian Railways "Casey"

 

My information suggests that these broad gauge (63") cars from Victoria followed the traditions of Australian Railways and were a knock-out of the American Casey Jones - possibley a series 531 car. These cars were built by the Spotswood Workshops, with castings coming from the Newport Workshops, just out of Melbourne.

I have not had a look at one of these closely for a number of years.

I found my VR book on trolleys and identified two versions the "K" and the "KS". The above being the KS.

My book advises that the KS is lighter car capable of carrying 4 men or sevenhundredweight, whilst the heavier K can carry 8 men, or half an imperial ton. The cars were two stroke powered, with a larger unit (8 BHP verses 6BHP) fitted to the K Class.

Richard Andrews advises;

"The Victorian 63" trolley is the original KS type, which became the 6W when the engine in it and the K type where replaced with the Wisconsin AENLD 9.2 hp engine, and the Granite State Machine Co. model 5101E reversing gearbox.

When the KS became the 6W, the seat was too narrow to fit the Wisconsin engine with its upright cylinder between the seat frames, so the VR widened the seat by welding in some L shaped gussets into the seat frame. This also necessitated drilling three new holes in the seat timber to keep the handbrake ratchet relative to the ferodo drum brake mechanism. And this is why there are three holes in the metal seat frame that line up with the handbrake ratchet, but are a few inches away. The slide mechanism to tighten the belt was ditched for a chain drive, and a piece of 1/4" plate welded to the middle frame rails to hold the Wisconsin and gearbox. I believe Naismith Engineering was the firm that organised this modification.

They still sell the same Granite gearboxes, the design hasn't changed in 30 years".

Interestingly, there was an "NKS" car built for Victorias' 30" gauge lines. Heres some pics.

There are several of these privately preserved, including the one above.
References;

Email - Richard Andrews

Motive Power in Miniature - The Victorian Railways Newsletter April 1956

Instructions - for the operation, care and mainetenance of ----- VR February 1961

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Page uploaded August 23, 2003 Updated August 31, 2007