| NZR RM class Articulated 88-Seater | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:RM_114.jpg) 88-Seater railcar RM 114 at Kaikōura Railway Station during the 1960s. | |
| In service | 1955–1978 |
| Manufacturer | Drewry Car Co, England |
| Built at | Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co, Smethwick, UK |
| Entered service | 1955–1958 |
| Scrapped | 1978 |
| Number built | 35 |
| Number in service | 0 |
| Number scrapped | 33.5 |
| Formation | No 1 end (36 passengers & luggage compartment) articulated over a Jacobs bogie with No 2 end (52 passengers) |
| Fleet numbers | RM 100 – RM 134 |
| Capacity | 88 passengers |
| Operators | New Zealand Railways |
| Lines served | Many main and branch lines |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 105 ft (32.00 m) total |
| Width | 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) |
| Maximum speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Weight | 63.1 long tons (64.1 t; 70.7 short tons) |
| Prime mover(s) | Two Fiat 700.040, six cylinder, horizontal underfloor, 1500 rpm naturally aspirated |
| Power output | 420 hp (310 kW) total (original) 370 hp (280 kW) (derated) |
| Transmission | Wilson 5-speed gearbox (per engine) |
| UIC classification | Bo–2–Bo |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The NZR RM class 88-Seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand.[nb 1] New Zealand Government Railways (NZR) classified them as RM (Rail Motor),[nb 2] the notation used for all railcars, numbering the 35 sets from RM100 to RM134. They were the most numerous railcars in NZR service.[4] Their purchase and introduction saw the demise of steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains,[4] and was part of a deliberate effort to modernise NZR passenger services at a time of increasing competition from private motor vehicles.[6] Being diesel powered and lighter the railcars were less expensive to operate and able to maintain quicker timetables,[6] although they became plagued with mechanical and electrical problems, with a number of the classes eventually being turned into depowered locomotive-hauled carriages and reclassified as the AC class "Grassgrubs".[7]
- ^ Perfect 2007, p. 76.
- ^ Leitch & Stott 1988, p. 115.
- ^ "Drewry Twinsets". Pahiatua Railcar Society Incorporated. 2 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Bromby 2003, p. 124.
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 47.
- ^ a b c Brett & van der Weerden 2021, p. 170.
- ^ Brett & van der Weerden 2021, p. 176.
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