The Rail Motor Society
 
GT FOUR-WHEEL TRAILERS
for the 42-foot rail motors

    Four-wheel Louvred Trailers  (Coded GT-71 to 79, 82, 83)

The substitution of a rail motor for a locomotive hauled train often complicated the working due to the large amount of parcels traffic available. One Rail Motor could handle the passenger demands but the space available for parcels was limited, so where the grade prevented the use of a large bogie trailer, a small parcels only trailer was required.

The New South Railways solved this problem by producing five small four-wheel louvred vans in the Eveleigh Carriage Works. The first vehicle was coded LT-71 with a carrying capacity of 5 tons (baggage, mail, etc..) and entered service on the 28th August, 1929.

These vehicles were a smaller version of a goods vehicle with a light steel under-frame to minimise the stresses placed upon the CPH Rail Motors with which they were to operate.

Body Dimensions
overall length	l7'  11"	over buffers
overall body length	15'    0"	outside
overall body width	8'  10"	outside
overall height	10'  11"	above rail

The 15' body was of wooden construction with louvred panels in the sides and sliding doors for access to the vehicle. An electric light was provided inside for night use and the electrical power was obtained from the rail motor. The vehicle had a tare weight was 3 tons 13 cwt and a speed limit of 40 m.p.h. was imposed.

Wheel & Wheelbase Dimensions
wheel diameter	2'   8-1/2"
wheelbase	9'   6"	rigid

Rail Motor type drawgear and buffers, together with air brakes which were controlled from the rail motor and a handbrake similar to that used on goods rolling stock were fitted. LT-75 being the last in an order of five was introduced into traffic in time to help with the Christmas rush of 1929.

The success of these four-wheel trailers resulted in three similar KY four-wheel open vehicles being converted and coded GT. The vehicles were :-
KY-615 (built by Russell 1871)  became GT-77 
KY-621 (built by Russell 1870)  became GT-78 
KY-673 (built by Hudson 1879) became GT-79

These converted vehicles entered service during September, 1939. They differed from the earlier LT four-wheel trailers in having wooden underframes and a tare of 4 tons 1 cwt.

The earlier LT trailers were re-coded GT to make the Rail Motor trailers a uniform group. Eveleigh Carriage Works was again called upon to build more four-wheel trailers to meet the increased demand for these vehicles and in July, 1942, three new vehicles numbered GT-76, GT-82 and GT-83 entered traffic.

January, 1954 saw GT-76, 77, 78 and 79 condemned and scrapped, but most of the trailers continued in operation well into the 1980's.

    Four-wheel Open Trailer  (Coded GT-80)

Still more trailers were required, but the onset of World War II caused reductions in the availability of petrol and other materials, so during 1940 a four-wheeled open vehicle, KY-806 built by Hudsons in November 1879 was chosen for conversion to a Rail Motor trailer.

The Eveleigh carriage works converted the vehicle by fitting rail motor brakes, drawgear, buffers and wheels. This wagon being an open type vehicle did not offer any protection to the cargo area from the natural elements of sun and rain, so a small canvas shelter, reminiscent of a tent was fitted which was secured by lashing it to the lower sides of the vehicle. The vehicle was coded GT-80 and entered service in June 1940.

Body Dimensions
overall length	l7'   5"	over buffers
overall body length	14'   6"	outside
overall body width	7'   9"	outside
overall height	8'   1"	above rail

The tare weight of this vehicle before conversion was 4 tons 1l cwt and
after conversion to the GT trailer the tare weight had risen to 4 tons 15 cwt. 2 qrs.
The payload was also increased from 2-1/2 tons to 4 tons.

Wheel & Wheelbase Dimensions
wheel diameter	3'   1/2"
wheelbase	8'   0"	rigid

GT-80 was finally condemned in May, 1952.

Ron Preston has kindly given permission for this extract from his work on 42-foot Rail Motors to be used in the TRMS Web Site.