The history of the Hansen Engineering "section" car is all very Queensland. (See John Peterson's paper below)
Hansens Motor and Engineering Works is in Ingham and were contracted to build "Line" cars for CSR sugar. The majority of the units were used between Macknade Mill and Victoria Mill, a connected tramway system.
Other mills also purchased units as well.
C Hart
Photo by C Hart.
CSR Victoria Mill provide steam train rides twice year to coincide with local community events. By 1988, the events were becoming so popular that the Lucinda Carriage (c 1880) could not cope with demand so Hansen Line Cars were added to the consist. Since then, a duplicate Lucinda Carriage has been built by the mill and the line cars are all but gone..... or are they?
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Hansen Linecars and their Derivatives by John J Peterson
Introduction
Line cars, sometimes called section cars are small self-propelled cars used by fettlers or gangers as transport with their tools for maintenance of track. They were also used as a means of personal transportation, including as ambulances in the early days and miscellaneous maintenance purposes including weed control hauling suitable wagons. Nowadays they have been replaced by 4wd vehicles and/or hi-rail vehicles [motor vehicles with retractable rail wheels] and more specialised track maintenance equipment.
E M Baldwin Prototype
In 1969 CSR commissioned a `fettlers trolley' from EM Baldwin which formed the basis of comparatively large numbers of a similar design made by Hansen Motor and Engineering Works, Ingham; mostly for CSR use. Wilson gives the following details in his book: Serial no: 3092.1 10.69; job no 3092; Volkswagen engine, fettlers trolley; built for The Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd., Goondi Mill. Built by E. M. Baldwin and Sons Pty. Ltd. [1]. A builder's photo can be found in Roberts [2].
The prototype car had many unique features compared to previous line cars. The body frame was made up of a series of ladder type connected lightweight square tube steel pieces welded together. This is in contrast to traditional practices, which had a separate `wagon' type chassis made out of channel steel. The outer body was covered in aluminium sheeting riveted to the square tube frame. A VW motor and clutch assembly was used mated to a Prometheus gearbox, which was specifically designed for the VW. This assembly was mounted midway across the body with chain drive to both axles. There were 2 speeds in either directions, 3 speeds in the final Hansen built. There are two levers, one for forward/reverse and the other for 1st and 2nd gear. The use of a VW motor seems appealing being lightweight and not needing a radiator but after experiencing owning VW's over a 25 year period I believe they would not the ideal choice for a hot climate due to limited oil capacity so that minor problem can cause overheating with catastrophic results. They also are `different' from other engines and require a degree of understanding to maintain them well. Having said that, except for one, all surviving linecars finished with VW engines so suggesting they were successful in service. VW motors were also used in a series of section cars for the NSWGR in the early 1960's. They may have provided the idea for their use although the drive setup was longitudinal and different from those used on the Hansen's. The driving position was in the middle of the longitudinal seating [3]. VW components were used extensively for components: handbrake levers; even the fuel tank. Another interesting feature was the use of automotive drum brakes [also from a VW I suspect] fixed directly over each axle and hydraulically connected to a foot brake pedal and cable connected hand brake. The builder's photo also shows the use of rubber springs. Compared to previous line cars the design allowed 8 people to sit crossways sitting directly over the wheel height allowing a low centre of gravity. The seats were hinged allowing for limited storage underneath as well as access to components like the fuel tank, battery, etc.
At some stage at Goondi this linecar was extensively modified by CSR. The side frame was considerably beefed up by the inclusion of solid sections and the addition of an extra length of square tube at the bottom of the frame effectively raising the whole unit. This may be to provide sufficient height and support for the solid plate ends with standard centre buffer and hooks to allow coupling with standard wagons. For some reason the pivoting of the axles was changed from the centre to the ends and the rubber springs replaced by pairs of coil springs. The seats were replaced by S shaped plywood one-piece units. A rather ugly exhaust stack has been made out of galvanised iron rainwater downpipes in the centre of the car exhausting through the roof. To allow increased ventilation boxed in vents placed above the windows. The windows were also removed at some stage. There are fittings that suggest that roll up side curtains were fitted.
It is not known how many years it was in use at Goondi but eventually it was taken out of service and stored in the open for many years before being relocated for private preservation.
The Hansen Cars
The next series of linecars were built initially for the CSR by the Hansen Motor and Engineering Works in Ingham Queensland. Bill Hansen founded the company in 1929. It is believed to still exist but now owned by a former employee [4]. The overall design closely followed the original E M Baldwin but with the side chassis containing an extra length of square tubing. The S shaped seats were duplicated in sheet metal. The copy of plans that I have are uncredited but have been sourced from Hansen's. It is not known if they are working plans from a CSR original or built up from them from measuring up the E M Baldwin original. Nevertheless the basic dimensions from the E M Baldwin unit and the Hansen plans are the same. No 1920 varies in having a 3-speed gearbox. The plans show provision for safety glass windows installed initially but CSR installed roll up blinds at either end to cover the open end windows. Photos also show the use of louvers in the end aluminium sheets.
The Hansen linecars built are as follows [5]:
12 1972/3 CSR [Victoria Mill] V3 preserved
34 1972/3 CSR [Victoria Mill] V4 preserved
56 1972/3 CSR [Victoria Mill] V2 preserved
78 1972/3 CSR [Victoria Mill] V1 preserved
910 1972/3 CSR [Macknade Mill] M1 preserved
1112 1972/3 CSR [Macknade Mill] M2 preserved
1314 1975 Plane Creek Central Mill OOU
1516 1976 CSR [Hambleton Mill] OOU
1718 1977 Racecourse Cooperative Sugar Ass. OOU
1920 1978 CSR [Victoria Mill] in use
2122 Chassis built for stock preserved
The CSR units in particular moved around their mills and so were renumbered where appropriate. It is interesting that so many units have been preserved. A detailed roster can be found at Ken McHugh's excellent web site [6].
The units were designed as personnel carriers to suit 8 people. This did not leave much room for gear so 4 was the norm at CSR. Bumpers and hook were fitted so that light trolleys could be towed: a tool trolley and a compressor wagon being the norm. Weed spraying was another duty undertaken hauling a tanker weighing roughly 2 tons. While main line operation was adequate the units became stressed on sidings due to grass making the rail slippery for the lightweight unit [7].
The Clyde Unit
Another surprising linecar to the same design was built by Clyde with the following details [8]:
QC2664 [job No] 1975 Fiji Sugar Corporation [Lautoka] still in use
It is currently based out of Lautoka and believed to be re-engined. It is not clear why Hansen was not used as the builder as were subsequent linecars for CSR but this source does suggest that the plans used were provided by CSR.
References/Footnotes:
Special thanks to Chris Hart for support during this project.
1. “Built by Baldwin”, by Craig Wilson, Light Railway Research Society of Australia, 2002; p 146.
2. “One for the Road”, by Andrew K Roberts, published by auther, Eton, QLD., 1999, builders photo p 73
3. http://www.nswgrtrikes.4t.com/triketrolley/chapnine/
4. http://www.kenssectioncarshed.org/id140.htm
5. Light Railway News No 18
6. http://www.kenssectioncarshed.org/id138.htm
7. Chris Hart personal correspondence
8. Stack Talk, 04/1979, p 26
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See more detail about individual units at the Car Roster page.