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Welcome to the Official History of Fairmont Motorcars here in Australia.

Unlike most aspects of railway operation the humble motorcar, trolley, quad, trike or numerous other names these machines were called where in the main the poor forgotten cousins as far as fame and fortune goes in the history of Australian Railways. They were nowhere near as grand as a mighty Steam Locomotive or modern Diesel Electric, ornate as a Wooden Sleeping Carriage or streamlined as a Modern Passenger Carriage. Yet despite their humble status they played a significant role in maintaining Australia's Rail Network and without this network the grandeur of railways and its rolling stock would never have been appreciated.

The Motor Car was never photographed on mass, very few numbers or locations recorded so obtaining detailed history is to say the least, a daunting task. Most records were disposed of because no one cared, cars scraped or sold without recording details or numbers. Most railway workers were glad to see the end of them with the advent of modern High Rail Vehicles. No more broken arms, deaf ears or exposure to the elements.

I am grateful that at least some had the foresite to photograph them and some recognised their place during their working life. This has enabled me to slowly piece together the history and thus allowing me to share it with you.

Motorcars are finally coming into their own and being discovered by enthusiasts like myself. They are fun, easy to restore and operate and you haven't really seen a piece of railway line till you have traveled over it by motorcar. Now there are web pages devoted to them and clubs world wide where you can go and share this great hobby with like minded people.

Within these pages I can now pay homage to the cars and people who built, operated and maintained them. It is long overdue and I am honored to be in a position to do this.

I am concentrating on the Fairmont Model as this was the most extensive one used in Australia. I will be including other makes and models as data comes to hand.

Your Help wanted

The present Fairmont fleet was first brought to Australia by the firm Tutt-Bryants in the late 40's after the 2nd World War...Queensland Railways had Fairmont models before this time and I will expand on this as data comes to hand

I have gaps in the history till the mid 50's when production with Australian produced components commenced at the Tutt-Bryants plant in Rydlemere, Sydney. If you can supply any information for this time, or for any time between the end of the second world war (or before) and present I would be most grateful. I will of course acknowledge your contribution.

I am also seeking serial plate info to fill in more of the jigsaw puzzle I have created for myself so if your car still has its plate attached I would dearly love to know the style of plate and the info it contains including the car type and railroad number it is/was fitted to. I do not wish to know the exact location of any section car as part of my research and I can assure you the data supplied will only be used for research purposes.

I am producing a broad outline which I hope to post shortly.

Please email me with any info you would like to share