Rail Paybus FP1

About

Rail Paybus FP1 is a heritage-listed former railbus and now museum exhibit at NSW Rail Transport Museum Barbour Road, in the outer south-western Sydney town of Thirlmere in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New South Wales Government Railways Road Motor Section and built in 1937 by Waddingtons Ltd (body), Ford Motor Co. (chassis and mechanical components). It is also known as Rail Bus and Rail Pay Bus FP1. The property is owned by Rail Corporation New South Wales, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 26 September 2003.

The first group of rail buses, of which FP1 was the first, were built in 1937 to an overall design of the NSW Railways' Road Motor section, by coach-building firm Waddingtons Pty Ltd, Granville (subsequently to become Commonwealth Engineering ).

Although essentially similar, in being constructed on a truck chassis with Ford mechanicals (V8 petrol engine and gearbox), the bodies of this group, numbered FP1 to FP6, differed somewhat. No's 1 and 6 were single ended, and originally had to be turned (using a locomotive turntable or a triangle junction) at each end of a run. Despite their design similarities, FP1 was different in style from FP6, while both the single-ended buses were different from Nos. 2 to 5, which were substantially identical. As well as having driving controls at both ends, buses Nos. 2 to 5 were slightly larger, and had a door on both sides, originally accommodating 18 passengers.

The rail bus concept was intended to provide a passenger service on minor branch lines where the available traffic did not support economic use of a conventional steam-hauled passenger or mixed train, or even a rail-motor service provided by one of the relatively new "42 footer" CPH "tin hare" motors. FP1 entered service on 7 July 1937, and apparently operated in the south-west of the state, with some evidence that it suffered a failure at Grenfell on 29 November. The rest of the fleet entered service in September 1937, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 on the 27th. The others may well have entered service on the same date, but this is not recorded.

It appears that the rail bus concept was less than successful, because all were withdrawn from passenger service, to be used as pay buses, within a year or two of their commissioning. It is not recorded why they were not successful, but it is likely that the depressed economic circumstances of the time impacted on the number of available passengers, while road transport was by that time emerging as a serious threat to rail, particularly for passenger services – the road bus concept being by then quite well established.

Information on when FP1 and its sisters were converted to pay buses is sketchy. FP1 is thought to have been converted in September 1937, so that its career as a passenger vehicle was very brief indeed, but it has also been suggested that the conversion occurred some time after its failure at Grenfell in November, possibly in conjunction with repairs. In any case, it had certainly become a pay bus by 30 June 1938, as it is noted as such in the Railways Department's Annual Report for 1937–38.

It is believed that the other buses of this group entered service variously at Harden and Cowra (still in 1937). Most sources state that they began, as with FP1, as passenger vehicles, but there is also a suggestion that they never entered this service at all, being used as pay buses from the outset. In view of the record in the Annual Report for 1937–38 of only one pay bus, it seems likely that the conversion of Nos. 2 to 6 occurred after June 1938, so that they were all commissioned as passenger buses.

David Cooke's book Rail Motors and XPT 's indicates that the Railways' 1938–39 Annual Report records a general overhaul of FP1 in October 1938, carried out mainly to ascertain the degree of wear, as the vehicle had travelled some 74,000 kilometres (46,000 mi) since it entered service. Apparently the results were pleasing, as cylinder bore wear was negligible.

The most significant event involving a pay bus was the infamous Yanderra pay bus incident of 8 December 1941. At approx. 11.40 a.m. Pay Bus FP5 was heading in the down direction south of Yanderra Station on the Main Southern line, when explosives placed under the line by intending thieves were detonated, de-railing and severely damaging the bus. The crew of three were all killed.

The culprits, believed to be two men, escaped with some ( Pounds ) 2000 in loose notes and change, but most of the money carried remained in the safe, which was fixed to the bus chassis. The bus was so badly damaged that it was written off (in November 1942). A replacement, again built by Waddingtons, entered service in September 1945 as No. 5 (2nd). This new bus was single-ended, being patterned on No.6.

All the surviving pay buses were transferred to the Mechanical Branch in 1942, presumably as part of a reorganisation – possibly the original Road Motor section being absorbed into the Mechanical Branch. All except No. 2 (and of course also excepting No. 5) were transferred on 23 August that year, with No. 2 apparently following on 5 October.

FP1 received another general overhaul in June 1943, and again in 1949 after it was submerged by floodwaters at Maitland.

Apart from the minor changes required to convert them to pay buses, these vehicles received various modifications during their life. Nos.3 and 6 suffered accident damage in 1940 and 1942 respectively, and it is likely that subsequent repairs involved minor modifications. No. 4 was fitted with a canopy or double roof in 1947, while it appears that at least Nos. 1, 5 (2nd) and 6 were similarly fitted at some stage. From photographic evidence, it is certain that at least No. 5 (2nd) was so fitted by 1956 (and of course No.1, which still has this feature). Nos. 4 and 6 are recorded as having chassis fractures repaired in the 1960s, and this may have entailed some degree of modification – e.g. strengthening.

It has been stated that the engines originally fitted were of the Ford Mercury type. However this is unlikely since this model was not introduced until 1939. In all probability the original engines were the 1937 Model 78, with 21-stud cylinder heads. These were to the basic 3.62 litres (221 in 3 ) side-valve V8 design introduced by Ford in 1932.*

All the buses were originally fitted with a pair of headlights at waist level at each end, together with circular marker lights, but by c. 1950, and probably earlier, these had been removed and replaced with a single roof-mounted headlight at each end, and these remained throughout their life. For a brief period, some buses, including FP1, had both the twin lights and the roof mounted light at the same time, as a transitional arrangement. At around the same time, new marker lights with twin lenses were provided. It appears that the single-ended buses did not receive their headlight at the rear until they were modified for reverse running. Although no external horns were fitted originally, photographic evidence suggests that all the buses had twin air horns fitted on the roof from c. 1939 –40. Again from photographs and comparison with FP1 in its present configuration, it is evident that the radiator grille was changed at some stage.

Some time after conversion to pay buses, the single-ended buses were modified to allow reverse running. This entailed body modifications (retractable air scoops) to provide engine cooling, and mechanical changes including to the transmission (addition of a supplementary reversing gearbox). The driving position (and location of the instruments) was also altered. All sources are silent on when this modification was made, but it seems likely that it happened fairly early in their life, as turning such a small vehicle using a steam locomotive turntable must surely have seemed like overkill.

During the 1950s, some of the buses were fitted with visors above the windscreens to reduce glare when travelling into the sun, but it is not clear which units had this modification. It is uncertain whether No.1 was one of the buses which received this addition; there are no photos showing it, there is no evidence of such a fitting, and it is not fitted now.

Relatively late in their lives, several of the rail buses were apparently fitted with English Ford Thames engines, probably because the US version was no longer available, having been displaced by an overhead valve design in the early 1950s. FP1 received its new engine in December 1964, FP3 in August 1969, and FP6 in January 1962. The Thames engine was of the same basic Ford side-valve pre-war design, but reverted to 21-stud cylinder heads, the same as the original 1937 version. The engine currently fitted to Pay Bus FP1 is of this type.

All the original rail buses were painted green and cream, but the livery design varied. The photo on Page 2 shows the original livery for FP1, with sweeping curves in cream over the wheel spats and a cream flash under the windows, in what would now be called art-deco style.

The double-ended buses were originally painted in a much simpler style, with cream down to the waist-line, sweeping down at the ends to the bottom of the grille.