CSAR Railmotor

[1][2][3][4] In January 1905 an order was placed by the Central South African Railways (CSAR) with Kitson & Co for two self-contained railmotors.

[1] To avoid further delay with the implementing of the new railmotor service, it was decided to construct a railmotor engine at the Pretoria Works, consisting of a light 19 Tonner 0-4-2 tank locomotive and a 52-seat side-door 3rd Class suburban coach.

It was a self-contained motor-coach with a 56-seat capacity in which the engine, boiler and coach were embodied in a single vehicle.

M2 initially worked out of Germiston on the Elsburg-Germiston-Rietfontein Mine route, but the service was extended on 8 September 1907 to include the Germiston-Jupiter section.

M1, which was considered to be superior in aspects like design, passenger comfort, economy in running and convenience in working.

With one end of the railmotor's passenger coach carried on the engine frame, the type of springs necessary for a locomotive caused unsatisfactory riding qualities in the vehicle.

Since the imported railmotor was a single vehicle, the carriage was unusable while the engine had to be withdrawn for service or repairs.

Since they were excluded from the SAR renumbering schedules, they retained their CSAR engine numbers.

Side view drawing of Railmotor no. M2
19 Tonner Railmotor Engine no. M1