The Section Car Page(s)


Welcome to my Section Car Pages. I hope you find this site useful! if there is something you are looking for that is not mentioned, please email me.

John Kirk took the photo of me (to the right) and my M19 at Neuroodla, on the Leigh Creek Line on the last run there in 2003.

My interest in section cars goes back as far as I can remember. The earliest pic I have with me and a section car was in 1971! I recall seeing them at various museums and parks when I was young, but it was not until I moved to Port Lincoln South Australia in 1985 that I actually got to ride on one.

A friend and I had traveled up to Cummins (a small farming town, and railway junction on Eyre Peninsula about 60km north of Port Lincoln) and was heading south when I saw a small headlight coming towards me. We pulled over to take a photo, when the obliging operator slowed down to let me take a photo. The car was a Fairmont M15-B fleet no. M116, substantially modified for its task, and was under the control of the Port Lincoln based length runner, "Hoppy".

After an invite to board, I rode for about 2km into Cummins, and was thus bitten by the Fairmont Bug. This car now resides in my shed!

A few months after my encounter, I managed to wangle a section car from the Railways in Port Lincoln, which turned out to be a Fairmont ST2-Z42 H series car, fleet no F175. It was joined a few months later by another small Fairmont, M21,one of three M19Z42s imported from the US for the SAR.Thanks to a considerate District Engineer!

Since then I have had a passionate interest in the hobby. I have been involved with all the preservation groups that have specialised solely in section cars in Australia (not those who are preserving a railway, and running cars for the public) - founding three of them, including the Australian Society of Section Car Operators, Inc. Some info on their earlier runs is available off links on My Runs Page. Its hard to believe that it is over 22 years since ASSCO was established. 2022 is the twenty firstyear they have been accredited and operational!

My current efforts are estabilishing Motorcar Consortium Ltd.

In June of 2003, I was invited to attend the Motorcar Operators West, Inc. Pacific North West Tour, as a guest of John Black and Jeanne Kleyn. This was my second trip to the States. I stayed with "SPEEDER" editor and long time pen-friend Jeffrey Dobek in frozen Iowa in 1993 (and got a ride on the Keokuk Junction Railway).The chance to be a part of the Pacific North West Tour has been a highlight of my involvement with the hobby. My third trip overseas, during 2006, took in the White Pass and Yukon Route, in Alaska as a guest of John and MOW. By far the most amazing run I have done (and the slowest I have been at uploading a run subsite).

2016 marked the Thirtieth Anniversary of my first "big trip" on a speeder, the Quad to Quorn. Sadly, the remaining section of the Quorn line was removed late in 2008.

I have had a lot of fun working with the hobby and its supporting industry, and the many bright and capable people who make running section cars a great past-time, and Australia, a great place to live. The hobby has given me many wonderful freindships, across Australia and the World. I enjoy hearing from people who have now found how much fun the hobby is.

Congrats to Section Cars Australia on acheiving accreditation.

Thanks to those who have contributed to these pages. If you wish to see what has been updated recently try the History Page. I have also added a navigation page to help you get through it!

And because I am open minded - I have been adding road-rail and MIC technologies to the page. I hope that this site, and its links, gives you further inspiration as to the fun of the activity.

I look forward to welcoming you back soon.


What I own and have done!

My Cars | My Runs | In the Workshop

Buying and selling | Technical Stuff

Video on Youtube | Rhani the Speeder Dog


Section Cars and on-track machines seen in Australia

  FRM M19 | FRM ST-2 | FRM MT-14 | FRM M15B-Z42 | FRM A series | Pacific/FRM STT/E series | Pacific "C" series | VR Casey | Tamper TMC-2 | Tamper TMC6 | Tamper 27-AWF | NSWGR Trackman | NSWGR/CR Villiers | NSWGR VW car | NSWGR SIC/TIC | WAGR Groper | WAGR Motor Quad | QR Motor Quad 1 | QR Motor Quad 2 | SAR "T" class | SAR "S" Class | SAR Motor Quad. | SAR Trikes | Sugar Mill Villiers | Comeng Cars | "AN" Section Car | SAR Road-rail | SAR MIC | AN Hirails "Rocky" - "Sierra"| Tasmanian Government Railways WG cars | Tasrail Mini Mokes| GEMCO Hi-rail | AWR Hirail

Sylvesters In Australia | Wickham Cars in Australia | SAR Car Register | WA-WAGR Cars | Tamper Cars

Alberrie Creek Gang | History of the Hobby

New Zealand Jiggers

Road-Rail ATV | NZR Light car | NZR Type 30

Private Pages in Australia and New Zealand

Greg Lees Pages (hosted by Albert Melchert) | National Railway Museum (Port Adelaide) Section Car Pages | Albert Melcherts' NSWGR Trikes

Books and Publications

Triking the Length | Wickham Works List| North American Railroad Section Car | Cyclopedia of Railroad Motorcars | C&O MoW

Motor Car Groups

North American Rail Car Operators Association Inc

Motorcar Consortium Ltd | Pacific Railcar Owners | Motorcar Owners West |SouthWest Railcars | Section Cars Australia

Events in Australia

Flinders Ranges Kalamazoo

Black Rock South Australia

Motor Car and Track Maintenance Machinery News Groups OS

US Maintenance of Way | British On Track Plant| Motor Car Maintenance (US) | US MOW | Sylvester Cars | Wickham of Ware | RailSpeeders

General speeder and track maintenance links

Faimont-Tamper Home Page | Wayne Parsons Site | MOW Yolo Shortline | Rail Safety| German Speeders | Motorcar Restoration Page | Glenn Butchers Database| Carls Alberta Motorcar Page | On Track Plant

Australian Road-rail manufacturers

Aries Engineering


Useful Data/search Engines

Railserve | RailPage | Trainnet | Railroaddata | Railspeeders


My Pages 

 HOME | BHP's Coffins Bay Tramway | Y82 | Site History | About | Navigation

Constantly being improved!

Page First uploaded August 1999 ©1999 -2023 Nic Doncaster and acknowledged contributors

Last fiddled with this page September 30, 2023