Talk:Transporter wagon

Transporter flatcar
During an intermediate phase of the conversion of the Port Pirie to Marree railway from narrow gauge to standard gauge, train lengths of standard gauge flat wagons were fitted with narrow gauge rails, to allow narrow gauge coal trains to by pass the difficult Flinders Ranges. The narrow gauge vacuum brakes were connected to the standard gauge train air brakes, to allow some flexing around curves

(Why? The narrow gauge wagons, would they not simply be properly tied down (secured) on the standard gauge flatcars and would that not be the end of it?). There are no tight overbridges (overpasses) or tunnels to resrict operation of these double deck trains. --Peter Horn 18:57, 23 March 2006 (UTC)


 * The narrow gauge wagons remained coupled together, and also IIRC coupled to a buffer stop on the first wide gauge wagon.   Tabletop (talk) 07:29, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Air or Vacuum brakes
Were the narrow gauge wagons carried on standard gauge trains between Port Augusta and Maree really vacuum brakes? Tabletop 06:12, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Commissioner
The Chief Engineer or Commissioner at the time of this Flinders Range transporter train was Keith Smith who described these event in his biography. Tabletop (talk) 07:36, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Leigh Creek Piggyback
The last two issues of the Australian Railway Historical Society's "Bulletin" magazine (2000) have had articles on transporting coal from the Leigh Creek coalfield in South Australia to a power station during the construction of a standard gauge line replacing the narrow gauge (1067mm) line. In a reverse of the "larger gauge transported on smaller", 1067mm gauge track was laid on the underframe of rakes of 1435mm wagons (these wagons were purchased for the new coal service, but didn't yet have the hoppers installed) and entire narrow gauge coal (and other) trains were transported "piggyback" style. At each end, an approach ramp was built and narrow gauge trains driven were driven directly onto the standard gauge transport. This operation lasted a few years until the standard gauge line was completed.

Leigh Creek Piggyback Book
The book "Tales from a Railway Odyssey" by Keith A Smith, p114, has some pictures of this process, including a four fold piggyback where a standard gauge train is carrying a narrow gauge train, which is carrying a small lorry which is carrying a car. Unfortunately copyright won't expire for a few decades, so if you want to view this picture, then you will have to buy a copy of the book on say ebay. A cartoon of this somewhat ridiculous scene appears in the 1962 book about the history of the break of gauge which was issued for the opening of the Standard Gauge line from Albury to Melbourne. This book would probably also be in copyright. Tabletop (talk) 04:10, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

A File
From the French Wiki. Peter Horn User talk 13:34, 23 August 2020 (UTC)

Speed Limits
The text says "Additionally, a large wider gauge wagon balanced on a narrower gauge transporter wagon is not very stable, and is generally restricted to low speeds of 15 mph (24.1 km/h) or so."

While this may seem reasonable, are there any citations to say so? MountVic127 (talk) 11:34, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

It is noted that the rollbock vehicles have very small diameter wheels, and this may impose speedlimits so that the axle boxes do not overheat. MountVic127 (talk) 10:02, 27 September 2020 (UTC)