The AEC railmotors were the first 'successful' railmotors that the Victorian Railways ran. Previous railmotors were a mix of unseccessful experiments and marginally successful vehicles. The vehicles were ther only railmotors that were built with 4 wheels and were constructed on a standard AEC 'Y' type chassis. The body was constructed of wood at the VR's Newport workshops. There were various seating configurations within the class. They were built for use on lightly patronised branchlines that did not require a 'large' train to be run for passengers. Like most other railmotors that would follow the AEC's they were ordered with trailers that matched the railmotors themselves which were known as the AEC trailers.
AEC's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 - seating for 37 2nd class passengers only
AEC's 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19 - seating for 32 passengers in 1st class only
AEC's 7, 14, 18 - seating for 10 passengers in 1st class with seating for 22 passengers in 2nd class
AEC 9 (one off arrangement) - seating for 11 passengers in 1st class and seating for 21 passengers in 2nd class
1 RM was fitted with a diesel engine in 1951 as an experiment but was shortly cut up in 1951. Of note 11RM went 'missing' in 1942 when it was not found in the anual stocktake and was subsequently removed from the register. The fate of this vehicle is unknown. Some vehicles were used as workmans sleepers for some time after withdrawal with some of the vehicle bodies being sold off to private owners. The Daylesford Spa Country is hoping to find the remains of one of these vehicles and restore it to operating order.
Drive Type: Diesel Mechanical
Engine: AEC ???
Horse Power: 45hp
Max Rated Speed: ??? km/h