The Leyland railmotor (also known at the ''double-ended railmotor'') was introduced by the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

in 1925. After the success of the

AEC railmotor The AEC railmotor was the first generally successful railmotor built for the Victorian Railways. 19 vehicles were constructed from 1922 to 1925, along with 24 trailer vehicles built to a similar design. Design Four different internal layouts ...

, the Victorian Railways wanted a more powerful and comfortable vehicle, for longer journeys. Two similar railmotors were constructed for the

Tasmanian Government Railways The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) was the former operator of the mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the railway company was managed by the Government of Tasmania, and existed until absorption into the Australian Na ...

in 1925.

History

Four of the railmotors were built by the Victorian Railways for use in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, mostly on the services to

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...

Cohuna Cohuna is a town situated north of Melbourne, on the Murray Valley Highway, in northern Victoria, Australia. At the , Cohuna had a population of 2,428. History A post office opened in the area on 18 September 1875, known as Mologa until 18 ...

, Whittlesea and

Tallangatta Tallangatta () is a town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The town lies on the banks of the Mitta Arm of Lake Hume, approximately south-east of Albury-Wodonga along the Murray Valley Highway. At the , Tallangatta had a population of 1 ...

, with the occasional trip to Mansfield and Maffra. They were also used on some mainline services. The Leyland railmotors remained in service until the last two were withdrawn in July 1954, following the introduction of the

Walker railmotor The family of Walker railmotors were a type of diesel railcar operated by the Victorian Railways in Australia. After World War II, the Victorian Railways undertook a major rebuilding program known as Operation Phoenix. One of the first tasks w ...

Preservation

53RM is preserved at the

Daylesford Spa Country Railway The Daylesford Spa Country Railway (which is operated by the Central Highlands Tourist Railway) is a volunteer-operated gauge tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a section of the closed and dismantled Daylesford line ...

. It is planned to return it to service when time and funds permit. The vehicle had been taken off-register on 30 July 1954 in lieu of 52RM, which experienced a crack in the drive bogie at Picola.Bray, Vincent & Gregory, Preserved Rolling Stock of Victoria, 2013, , p.59

References

Victorian Railways railmotors Leyland vehicles {{Victoria-rail-transport-stub