South Australian Railways Brill railcar
| Brill railcar | |
|---|---|
Model 75 railcar no. 41 at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide | |
| In service | 1924–1971 |
| Manufacturers | J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, United States (chassis), Islington Railway Workshops (body) |
| Constructed | 1924, 1926–1927, 1930 |
| Entered service | 1924–1925, 1927–1930 |
| Number built | Model 55: 12 Model 75: 39 |
| Fleet numbers | 4–15, 30–59, 100–106, 487. Power car converted from trailer by SteamRanger Heritage Railway: 60. |
| Operators | South Australian Railways SteamRanger Heritage Railway Pichi Richi Railway |
| Lines served | Adelaide suburban (broad gauge); country (broad and narrow gauge) |
| Specifications | |
| Prime movers | Model 55: Midwest 4-cylinder petrol engine; later refitted with Gardner 6LW six-cylinder diesel engines. Model 75: Winton 4-cylinder petrol engine, later refitted with Gardner 8L3 six-cylinder diesel engines and in the 1950s with Cummins NHS 6 B1 diesel engines. |
| Power output | Model 55: 68 hp (51 kW) (original), later refitted 102 hp (76 kW). Model 75: 186 hp (139 kW); Gardner re-fit 204 hp (152 kW). |
| Transmission | Mechanical, with preselector: 4-speed manual |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) |
Two models of the Brill railcar were operated by the South Australian Railways (SAR) between 1925 and 1971. They were introduced to reduce the cost incurred by locomotive-hauled trains on lightly trafficked country routes and off-peak suburban services. The first, the Model 55, entered service in 1924; the larger Model 75 entered service in 1927. Both were deployed on suburban lines. At first the Model 55 also operated in country areas but soon the Model 75 serviced all but the principal country passenger services on the Adelaide, Peterborough and Murray Bridge Divisions and the South-East Subdivision. They were eventually replaced by the Bluebird and Red Hen railcars; the last units were withdrawn in 1971.