| 1926 Dalby |
| About this Railway Ambulance |
| Basic data |
| Name | 1926 Dalby | Power | |
| 2-2wPMR | |||
| Gauge | 3ft 6in | exists | |
| Builder | Central Motor Garage T'wmba | |
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| Year | 1926 | |
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| In Service |
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| Commissioning of the 1926 Dalby (Citroen) Railway Ambulance seen here at Wyreema, Q |
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| These wheels are replaced in later photographs. |
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| Note the colapsable turnable under the stretcher. Photo considered to be taken at Toowoomba date unknown |
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| The Citroen rail motor ambulance outsite its special shed at Almaden on 2nd January 1968 |
| Photo used with Permission from JW Knowles |
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| Note the chain drive |
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| In service summary by J.W. Knowles 1990 |
| In 1924, The Dalby QATB investigated having a car convertible from a road to rail by a change of tyres, but eventually settled for anther rail specific vehicle. A 10hp (7.46kw) Citroen 11-4 truck with chain drive was converted to rail by the Central Motor Garage, Toowoomba. |
| As a chassis, it maide a trial from Toowoomba to Wyreema on the Southern Line in December 1926, climbing the one in 50 to Harristown at 20mph (32.2km/h) and running the 11 miles (17.7km) each way in 25 minutes. As the track arrangements at the shed were unchanged, it too presumably had a portable turntable. Known mileages are 1927- 2038 miles (3280km), 1928-1887 miles (3037km), 1929 -811 miles (1305km). |
| In the mid thirties it was usually driven by Superintendent Slaughter (who also maintained it) or Bearer Larsen. Of 32 trips it made between March 1933 and March 1935, the railwayman in charge was a guard or acting guard on 23, a porter on 7, an acting night officer on one, a shunter on one. It made several runs off the Dalby branch lines - in November 1933 to Mt Tyson on Cecil Plains branch; in November 1934 to Cecil Plains itself (which is 27 road miles (43.5km) due south of Dalby but 72 mile (116km) rail miles via the junction at Oakey, clearly demonstrating the the earth road was impassable); and in April 1934 to Toowoomba. |
| It was sold in 1946 to the Mareeba centre. Few roads in the Dalby district were then better than earth. |
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| About the location(s) |
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| About the railway line (extracts used from Triumph of Narrow Gauge, J Kerr) |
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| About the people helped |
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| More info ! |
| In the beginning....... |
| This unit was built in Toowoomba by the Toowoomba Foundry and entered service not too far from the foundary at Dalby. |
| "About 1926, the Toowoomba Foundry built a small 4 - wheel rail motor ambulance for the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (Q.A.T.B.) using either an 8 or 12 h.p. (opinions differ) Citroen engine, for use on the branch lines in the Dalby area." |
| Some time after the Second World War, this was transferred to Mt. Mulligan and in 1956, went to Almaden where it was housed in a special shed there. It was provided for use at flood times when roads became impassable and was tested before each wet season by a run to Chillagoe operated by the Almaden station master and the senior police constable. |
| It was withdrawn in 1968" |
| Extract from AHRS Bulletin, April 1977 article by R.F. Ellis |
| More Info - notes from JDK database. |
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