Diesel Electric railmotor (VR)

D.E.R.M. (originally P.E.R.M.)

RM58 At Newport Workshops
Power type	Diesel engine, Originally Petrol
Designer	St Louis Car Company
Builder	St Louis Car Company (First) Victorian Railways
Build date	1928 - 1931
Total produced	10
Locomotive weight	34 pounds
Power output	220 hp (Petrol), 255 bhp (Diesel)

The Diesel Electric Rail Motor (commonly referred to as a DERM) was a railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways of Australia.

1 History
2 Preservation
3 See also
4 References

History

Originally built as a Petrol Electric Rail Motor (PERM) they were the longest-lived railmotor on the Victorian Railways, with the first entering service in 1928 and the last being withdrawn in 1991. The first railmotor was built by the St. Louis Car Company and shipped to Australia where the Victorian Railways built a further 9 copies of it. It was powered by a 220 hp Winton petrol engine which was used until the 1950s when they were converted to twin Diesel Electric engines giving a total of 255 bhp.^[1]

By the 1970s the longest regular scheduled journey run by a DERM was the Bendigo to Robinvale run, withdrawn on 3 June 1978. A DERM with a DERM Trailer car ran a regular passenger train on the South Gippsland Line from the 1960s - 1970s.^[2] In the late 70's RM 55 and RM 61 were extensively modified with the cab being rebuilt, the engine being relocated and the engine room rebuilt with porthole windows, and new aluminium cabin windows fitted. As such they looked significantly different, as can be seen in this photo.^[3]

DERMs with the porthole windows were a familiar sight on the Mornington and Stony Point lines prior to the line closures in the early 1980s.

Preservation

55RM and 61RM are operational on the South Gippsland Tourist Railway. 63RM was restored to the 1930's livery of dark red with silver stripes and runs on the Daylesford Spa Country Railway. 58RM is preserved for mailine use by the Diesel Electric Rail Motor Preservation Association Victoria at the Newport Workshops along with RM64 which is under restoration and 60RM which is stored. 62RM is undergoing restoration at the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway and 59RM is stored at the Mornington Railway. 57RM is the only DERM to have been scrapped. DERM 56, which is stored at Newport Workshops, is apparently going to be sold to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway.

References

^ "DERM railmotors". www.victorianrailways.net. http://www.victorianrailways.net/motive%20power/derm.html. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
^ Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)) 25 (3): pages 77–82.
^ "Photo of modified DERM". www.victorianrailways.net. http://www.victorianrailways.net/motive%20power/rmpics/rm55mod.jpg. Retrieved 2008-04-05.

Locomotives and rolling stock of the Victorian Railways and successors

Steam	'Old' A class 'New' A class A^A class A2 class B class C class D class Dd class E class F class H class J class K class L class M class N class O class P class Q class 'Old' R class 'New' R class R class S class T class U class 'Old' V class V class W class X class Y class Z class Crane locomotives

Diesel-Electric	A Class B class C class F class G class H class N class P class S class T class V class X class XR class XRB class Y class

Diesel-Hydraulic	M class V class W class

Electric	E class L class

Road Transferrable Locomotives	RTL class

Carriages	Fixed wheel carriages A/AA type carriages AA/A type carriages BG type carriages E type carriages H type carriages K type carriages N type carriages PL type cars S type carriages V type carriages W type carriages Z type carriages Royal Trains Dining & Buffet cars Sleeping cars Joint and shared stock (SAR) Joint and shared stock (NSWGR)

Railmotors	McKeen Kerr Stuart AEC Leyland DERM 102hp Walker 153hp Walker 280hp Walker DRC railcar Sprinter DMU VLocity DMU Trailer cars

Suburban electric	Swing Door Tait Harris Hitachi Comeng 4D double deck X'Trapolis 100 Siemens

Freight vehicles	Car Transport Box & Louvre vans Flat Wagons Hopper wagons Livestock Open wagons Tank wagons

Vans	Z vans Power vans Bogie guards vans Fixed-wheel vans

2 ft 6 in (762 mm) Narrow Gauge	G class NA class Passenger carriages Freight vehicles Guards vans Other

Other	Rail tractors Cranes Miscellaneous Special loads Way and Works stock

Rail transport in Victoria Railways in Melbourne Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways Victorian Railways V/Line Metro Trains Melbourne

Diesel Electric railmotor (VR)

Contents

History

Preservation

See also

References