Will it START? RARE 70yr OLD Section Car SITTING for YEARS!

In this video, I give this rare, vintage railway Section car a once over in anticipation of it possibly having a run back on the track in the coming weeks. Much smaller than the trucks and machines that I usually show in my videos, it was nonetheless a unique and rewarding experience to get to work on this piece of Australian railway history. Thanks very much for watching.

[@bruceinaus]

Question for the viewers - Have you ever seen one of these before?

[@pewsub2913]

I have three

[@albertmelchert573]

Yes. Life long hobby for me. I own 36 of them. I run with the Australian Society of Section Car Operators.

[@dh-_1011]

A friend of mine has one that ran on the Soo Line. He takes it on trips all over the upper Midwest and Canada. I think it has a Tecumseh engine.

[@pioneeradx]

No, but I did see a Suzuki with the added train wheels 🛞🛞 that you talked about.

[@dan_der_man3629]

@@pioneeradxwhere abouts?

[@Haven2U]

My dad worked on a section crew for most of his working years (45+ years) He loved railway maintenance but never encouraged us to do it. We kids called these little crew cars "Putt-Putts" because of the Putt-putt sound of tehe engines. I'm 80 this summer and the memories are sweet. :)

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks so much for this comment, did they call them putt putts because the noise of the fairmont engine do you think?. Congrats on the almost 80 milestone, hope i get that far too!

[@Isthatyoudermot]

What did you do for a living, sir?

[@diesel4life636]

@@bruceinausbruce you and @Haven2U will surpass 80 by a long shot man!! we’ve got years and years of content coming from you!!

[@sunshinestaterailproductio3101]

This car was originally numbered 315 in service as a 2 Stroke Fairmont model M15, would of entered service in the late 60s early 70s. There was a tall ganger based at Dingo who did the roof extensions. This car I believe did a few runs on the Cecil Plains line in private ownership after the lines closure. What is the owners plan. To run it at a heritage railway or on the mainline?

[@LookingForEntertainment112]

The background birdsong on this episode was just fantastic.

[@no2thenwo737]

That's a butcher bird. They have many tunes and squawks.

[@gordonagent7037]

Another great relic of our bygone railway history in beautiful Knick. My Dad worked on signals for the NZR on the west coast of NZ, he always used to call it the Jigger and I can remember as a young fella the old army issue .303 was always considered necessary kit for her, many a good deer, pig or goat shot and ended up on our dinner table. Great memories aye Bruce. Lovely service mate, she’ll be right for years now

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks so much for the feedback Gordon

[@randomthingsarebest1473]

@@bruceinaus The turbo rb30 motor do you think someone tried to take the spark plugs out hot, My grandfather use to tell me when the plugs are tight and don't move take them to a garage let them stuff it up.

[@brockmitchell3989]

I would love to see this roadrunner driving on a railroad track. That would be really cool to see.

[@jonathangriffin1120]

Great little vid Bruce, I'm a volunteer on our local heritage railway here in Midsomer Norton, England. The generic term for those is 'Track Inspection Vehicle' but they are more commonly known as 'Wickham Trolleys' after the D. Wickham company of Ware, Hertfordshire, England who manufactured the vast majority of the vehicles used on the British rail network. Our Wickham was purchased from the Swanage Railway in Dorset, they'd built one up out of two wrecks and we bought the leftovers! It was originally powered by a Ford 1172cc sidevalve engine running through a three speed Ford box plus a special Wickham reverser box and then by duplex roller chain to the back axle. As the Ford sv engines are a bit thin on the ground now and the the reverser boxes bloody impossible to find we had to improvise. We fitted a Reliant OHV engine and box running through a BMW 3 series final drive unit with a duplex chain and sprocket set to the rear axle. We didn't have to lock up one output shaft as BMW used a limited slip diff and the Wickham hasn't got enough power or traction to cause any problems. She's on KZbin, check out the Gwili Railway's 'Railway Oddities' from a couple of years ago, also 'Lawrie's Mechanical Marvels' from the same time..

[@RikkiSteele]

Hey Bruce my name is Rikki hail from the states Asheville N.C I just wanted to tell ya your videos are awesome and I use them them to decompress after a hard day of running my mental state is always Zen after watching your content keep it up!! I'm thoroughly enjoying it

[@johnjordan4647]

Bruce as kid growing up in NZ in the 1950/1960 we called them jiggers both manually and motorised ones. The manual ones worked with a mechanical system a bit like a rowing machine. Our neighbour worked for NZ railways on the bridge gang any there motorised jigger had a gearbox malfunction one day and at full speed it locked up. He got thrown off and received a broken collar bone. Thank you for an interesting video

[@briananderson5634]

Yep, that's what we called them too! (In NZ!)

[@Lex-Hawthorn]

I moved as a kid to Blackwater QLD, in the late 60s. We kids called them jiggers there as well. There was heaps of these sort of things around back then, from Gladstone, Rockhampton, all the way to Emerald, on the Coal/Freight lines.

[@johnliford6184]

Bruce acts like he’s working on a damn Ferrari the way he takes to much extra time and effort into so many simple tasks.

[@markmayger166]

Hi Bruce, my dad worked as a fettler ("Navvy") for the South Australian Railways while he developed the farm at Tintinara in the 1960's. He called the car a "Casey". I think that was another brand of American cars and engines. I remember that he advocated for a windshield or cabin, but SAR didn't care and left the riders exposed to the elements. (Freezing cold at 7am in the morning!). Thanks for the video, Regards Mark

[@drcovell]

Keep it up Bruce! Old cobbers line us still have a lot to give! ♥️ from Carmel, CA.

[@nemesismcc]

Here in the UK we had things similar to that little yellow thing, they were mainly used to ferry working parties along the line to carry out trackside maintainance , they were light weight, which allowed the workers to lift them off the tracks while working, this allowed normal trains to pass by, when I say working parties, I mean men/women who would trim trees/bushes and grass alongside the tracks, they would tow small wagons which the work crew would sit on and load the gear for the work they were doing.

[@scoates9910]

Great job and vid. What a luxury not having to fight on with mother nature to get a job done. Many thanks.

[@Anupam19781]

With Bruce and the old rusty iron, it isn't a case of will it ever start, but how soon he will get it started. What a patient guy.

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, you might be putting to much confidence in my abilities in some cases though 😅

[@adeeponionbreath]

I like your thinking and attention to detail. Like me when I built machines.

[@Journeyman53]

Great video Bruce, as usual. Just an interesting point, you mentioned the 2 stroke FAIRMONT engine and the radiator. Well it actually wasn't a radiator, it was in fact a condenser. The coolant fill cap was just a bit below the bottom level of the condenser. The steam/vapour would rise and condense and drop back down to the water jacket. I remember being surprised when I found that out. The engine would certainly get up to running temperature quickly. Just thought I would mention it as an interesting point. Cheers.

[@CraigSavinsky-y7x]

Awesome find to work on.. smashing.. !! 😀

[@focomatic]

Great as always! Particularly enjoyed the birdsong. Look forward to seeing it on some track

[@ajaks7636]

Yes, It would be Great to see you run it, on a stretch of track. Great Video and Maintenance! Thank You.

[@bilinda508]

Love to see this back on the track. Tks Bruce.

[@pete_stevens]

Hi Bruce...hope your vision is on the mend from watching some of your other vids. I used to work for State Rail NSW as a train guard initially on freight before moving across to passenger trains in Sydney. That was back from 1981 to 1994 which kept me busy around the clock. One of my shifts was to act as a safe working officer for a set of rail track machines with an open cockpit which meant you were in the weather elements when running along the track. I was glad when that shift finished as it was in the early morning with a cold overcast day and the wind factor when the track machine was running soon chilled your body down even with warm clothing on. There was no suspension so every track joint you heard and felt as you moved on the rails. I was so used to having worked in brakevans initially then across to the locomotives which were warmer and had suspension. It made me respect the track fettlers more from that experience as they do a great job in rail maintenance. Your KZbin vids are educational, and interesting to watch. 👍

[@user-gs6rx8pm6b]

Awesome has usual Bruce and it would be great to see it running along an old abandoned railway. 👍👍

[@bertoltb1358]

It would be great seeing it in action on an actual track. Cheers for the video Bruce.

[@iv2sab512]

I'd love to see it out on the track in its native habitat.

[@daviddamico4288]

Very interesting equipment nicely done with getting it running again..

[@user-mg5wx9hu3l]

Hi Bruce, really enjoying your vids, nice change from all the usual "will it starts" , your (huge) knowledge of vehicles etc is understated and that's what's really enjoyable - hope your eye ops goes well and you can get back to entertaining us once more - all the best

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much for that kind comment

[@colta51]

Really appreciate you taking time to do these videos. You remind me of a bloke named Bernie Watson he was a truck driver and speedway sidecar racer and the best bloke I ever met he was like a dad/mentor to me but unfortunately his health got the better of him and I no longer get to spend weekends with him learning 😢

[@not-pc6937]

Another gem Bruce 👍I remember seeing these as a boy in the rail yard next to our house

[@richardjulien8745]

Hi Bruce in north america we called them railcars and in french we called them draisine,In the usa there is a association called NARCOA, they are organising excursions in many states .keep the good work.

[@linasvelavicius330]

Nice job Bruce. Yes! I would like to see it run on some old railway line.

[@bruceinaus]

Yeh I’ll keep everyone updated if it can be organised

[@michaeldallimore8590]

Lots of great tips, thanks Bruce.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Of COURSE it'd run. It's a BRIGGS! We had an old mower that was made in 85 that had a Briggs 11 horse vertical shaft, It ran fine but smoked a little but it didn't have the I/C cast iron sleve but would start any time. I hauled firewood with it besides mowing when the grass was growing. FINE rigs. I've seen those cars but they were blowing black smoke from a diesel of some kind. Thanks, Pal and God Bless ALL Yall! NICE trowling machine next to the door too! Costly with the Honda motor.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Lewie, yes the chopper in the back looked in very good condition

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@bruceinaus 10/4!

[@davidhongkong5657]

Another fascinating unusual video. Well done and thank you.

[@GeoffDunnett]

Great Video - again! There are 2 railway section car/ ganger car groups in Australia that I know of. Both are mainly ex Queensland Railway section cars. Australian Society of Section Car Operators ASSCO and Section Cars Australia - Both have accreditation to operate on sections or track - Government and Private. Both groups have pretty good web sites.

[@yasseroua1802]

I really love your videos Bruce ❤

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks you for that

[@Tuilaione]

Another Machine being restored... Love ya Bruce

[@robertjospeh1097]

Great job and would love to see it running on a track.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Bruce, luckily you're not Most Jokers, that why we really love your videos. I'd really like this little Jigger. Here in Hobart, we have an unused rail line from the city to the Derwent river at Bridgewater that the government hasn't used for 11 years and Hates the idea of a light rail corridor, it's 3'6" too and I'd love to give it a run on that

[@bruceinaus]

thanks so much for this, yes this is 3ft6"so it would go straight on lol

[@garrybrischke53]

Interesting old Motor Quad with the Briggs conversion. I recall the earlier variations with the Fairmont and JAP v twins. Back in the day I rode one of these from Maryborough to Monto in Qld doing maintenance to QR 's copper wire phone lines . A 3 day trip thankfully with hearing protection . Keep up the good work mate.

[@freeo7601]

Love when you start a new episode and it’s over an hour

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

I like the longer videos and really like your stories! Thanks for sharing with all of us!

[@PilotMcbride]

Back in the 70s we needed transport to remote locals quite often. One of these locations was quite a way from the nearest stations so to get our work gear out to it we used an old fettlers’ cart which had seating for 8 (longitudinal bench seats) and a VW engine & gearbox, fettler driver included in the deal. It went like the clappers and we’d actually chase a train along the line and quickly get the cart off the rails before the next train came through, 😂. Only salaried toffs got to ride in vehicles like that one, 😂. Ming you, Land Cruisers with the appropriate mods were being used over on the Sydney Eastern Suburbs Line construction in the tunnels to run up and down the lines. Thanks for posting.

[@richardw.foxhall3392]

YES PLEASE, Bruce see if the next voyage it takes makes it to your channel. With the owners permission, of course. Good O, well done again.

[@donaldhalls2189]

I've seen them on the line but never got close, but my father was a Ganger back in the 60's but they had manual pump car's, call on a phone they connected to the pole ,one day they were told the line was clear,then there was two needless to say the brakes didn't stop them and one person ended up with a wrecked back, thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones

[@silasandwesvlogs6595]

Hey Bruce I love this kind of content can you do more train will it start videos please?

[@bruceinaus]

Hello, I’d be open to it, but abandoned locos (diesels) are harder to come by than trucks or other equipment

[@biggooddad]

54:42 heavy duty aluminum foil can be used to direct the oil from trouble spots too, drape it over the belt to keep it clean and dry

[@litz13]

I have a Fairmont MT-19 sitting in my garage (in GA in the States) So I'm more than passingly familiar with these... 😎

[@zonie70]

G'Day Bruce . Unique video for sure . Lots of USA part s on that one mate. The old carby played up a bit on start up but with a few choke application and a bit of running it went right ! Thanks for taking us along again Bruce ! Scott 🌵

[@woozleboy]

I have a 1972 Fairmont M19 with the hit or miss 1 cylinder engine with cloth belt drive. No transmission. Want to go backwards? Shutvthe engine off, throw the timer handle the other way and hand crank the engine *backwards*. Crazy old tech!

[@brockmitchell3989]

I loved watching you work on this, Bruce! 😊

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Brock, appreciate the support

[@michaelsimpson9779]

Good to see another project sorted. Nice work

[@realdeathpony]

Very cool! Hate it when spark plugs gall up the threads. No going back to anti seize them!

[@texaskidzuk]

My grandfather operated one of these for Missouri Pacific railroad in Kenefick, Texas. We. Call them motorcars in America.

[@madswillum6763]

We love you Bruce!

[@stevesalvage1089]

Yep like to see it in action Bruce, interesting,

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, stay tuned

[@rossdoughton7638]

Nice one Bruce. To see it back on the rails is a must and the final scene should be you and camera man going along away from the camera (on tripod between the rails) towards a sunset if possible. As the Section Car is a fair way along, the scene closes gradually to black a screen. That's All Folks.

[@dennis38y]

Nice video Bruce, interesting little machine, makes a change from the bigger stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@brendantennick4394]

Love your content Bruce, watching history being kept alive. Keep it coming mate!

[@Neil-ru7kw]

Hi Bruce and Cam Man , this was a nice change . Cheers and 🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Neil, something a bit different

[@biggooddad]

Great show! I learned heaps! And yes, i would love to see it rip down the tracks. Myself, i would probably soup it up with a motorcycle engine or something..........perhaps a cattle guard just in case of zombies. 👍😁

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

That's a great project. I the U.S. they also call them rail speeders. There are clubs with private owners of such vehicles. They get together on disused or private museum type railway lines and go touring with picnic supplies. It looks like a fun time. They put trips on KZbin

[@bruceinaus]

I will check this out, thanks for this information

[@54mgtf22]

Another great job, Bruce 👍

[@brycesefonte9093]

Fascinating video & machine Bruce, it'd be great to see it out on the tracks.

[@fredharrowven1040]

Good Evening Bruce, Nice to see you back I have seen them on KZbin look like great fun, So it’s nice to see you giving it the once over as always I love your videos, You take care of yourself and stay safe.🛠️🛠️⭐️⭐️👍

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much

[@bobbritten5673]

Yes bruce ,we would like to see you have a run on track , i dont know about around were this was ,But Gympie station old one ,if some one makes an inquire there ,might get a run around the old gympie station yard ,or something like that would be great to see. Best of luck with that ,thanks for the video bruce .As an x rail employee inthe Brisbane mayne yard area inthe years gone by i use to see those track cars quite often in years gone by ,there yse to be a work shop in the yard a big yellow building up from were i worked short walk there ,and thay use to maintain them there .

[@ednax1]

I grew up along a rail line in Washington state and we called these a putt putt. Google railroad putt putt and you get a wikipedia for a railroad speeder. fun video. Thanks Bruce.

[@robertschaefer7151]

That would be awesome to put it on railroad tracks, hope your able to do it

[@tdotw77]

Never saw one like that before. I've seen the old hand pump versions on old movies before though. Looks really cool to fly down a set of old RR tracks! I'd end up putting in some gears to be able to increase the speed! The RR tracks are some of the smoothest tracks, so I'd have to get the car going 30 -40+mph or something. I just started this video so I'm not sure how this is powered yet either. But I'd have to make sure the brakes were good & strong to stop me when I go flying down a set of tracks! Ps Bruce. I'm 99.9% sure I've been subscribed to your channel for several months now, but I just seen that I wasn't subbed anymore for some reason. I heard(read) a few others saying they were un-subscribed from other YT channels too in the past few months. I don't know what is going on with KZbin but make sure people check and make sure they are subscribed & stay that way! There's some shady stuff going on around here! 🤔🤦🏻‍♂️👍🏻👌🏻🏗️🚜🦺⚠️🚧🛢️🛠️🔧🔩⛓️⚙️

[@tdotw77]

This make me think it's the precursor to what we have today - track wheels mounted underneath a 3/4 or 1ton pickup so the trucks rubber tires become the 'drive' wheels and the small steel RR track wheels just ride along following the railroad tracks. So the normal truck drives up on tracks then lowers steel wheels, then rubber tires just provide the moving force to steel tracks. Those trucks are so really cool, I really wanna drive one of those things too! It'd be so sweet to fly down the tracks riding along RR tracks!

[@hoopduerr2381]

My favorite channel - would love to see you film it running!

[@mikek5298]

Your videos are simply fantastic. Very enjoyable to watch.😊

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for the kind words

[@johngibson3837]

Hey up Bruce this just what you need for your property, funny enough I have a hacksaw blade somewhere shaped a bit like yours but for sparkplug gap I've been using my thumbnail for years on chainsaws just measured it and she's bang on 25 thou

[@jackflak]

I remember seeing these on the rails here in Canada when I was younger we used to call em putt putts usually to guys would ride together .. same color yellow .. you could here them coming putt putt putt .. cool little beasts they are

[@lutomson3496]

Very nice video! They are not that uncommon here in the states I didnt live far from Fairmont Minnesota and there were a lot around and would see the old hit a miss engine ones also, and with a few Gandy cars! great video! always enjoy your work

[@rexharvey8420]

Hi Bruce Mr. Attention to Detail - magic! I love your vids. I am sure you are there before me and it is a yes or no by some, but a little dry chain lube on that drive chain! Yes Rex, watch the vid to the end, I knew you would not forget!!!

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Bruce, that’s a little ripper, for the age it’s in good order, nice job mate, cheers

[@TheCitroenman1]

i take it that the handles on the front and rear are where 4 men would lift it of the lines .

[@bruceinaus]

I think that’s right, or they extend them either way so they can pivot them off the track into a pull off

[@erickvond6825]

If I' not mistaken I think the front seats were for driving it backwards so that the bloke driving it wouldn't have to turn it the other way around...

[@NeilABliss]

There is the classic Canadian Film "The Railrodder" starring Buster Keaton , that was made in 1965 and is a comedic travelogue of Buster travelling across Canada on a Speeder. It can be found on KZbin and it is well worth watching, for the comedy, the scenery and for the speeder.

[@bruceinaus]

I’ll have a look for that over the weekend, thank you

[@ducewags]

@NeilABliss "The General" from 1926 also was a great Buster movie with trains. Hyce here on "YT" did a show about that and the train and how things were done to make the movie.

[@NeilABliss]

@@ducewags yes true, but the railrodder is specifically built around one of these little speeders.

[@matty_isthemotto]

Hahah you love mixing the different fuels in jerry cans 😂

[@johnhall235]

Very interesting video thank you for the great show!

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks john

[@markclifton14]

Great little track vehicle. I work on the Railway in the uk for the last 36 years. First on the permanent way track gang. I am now a signalling installer. We had similar vehicles in the 80s and 90s. Been on one with no cab on. Bruce you said you work on the Railways . What job did you do. Would be great to see you take it on track. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Finndawg]

Love your work Bruce, I'm fairly sure I'm local to you, if you ever want a hand I'd always be happy to help and learn from you. Cheers, Al.

[@trevormccamley1468]

Get a full size train bruce

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Trevor, its on the agenda in the future if one comes up to do a video on

[@davestark2015]

Good to see a new video

[@bruceinaus]

I post them up as i can but dont have any particular schedule or order at the moment

[@dylannewby3926]

Thanks for another banger Bruce

[@bruceinaus]

thanks very much Dylan

[@ProfessorWeissAlles]

I like to see what you do. You do it exactly like I do. Keep the videos coming. Best regards Professor weiß alles

[@bruceinaus]

thanks so much for your support, it means the world to me, never thought i would have so many people interested in what i do

[@michaelweatherhead9470]

My Father used one of those for work on the railroad.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for that, hopefully a few of the viewers might know abit more about them than i do

[@damienmilk6309]

Bugger. You got caught with the Gympie show holiday too 😩

[@MrBarrySell]

Love this video!

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for your ongoing support Barry

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

Looks like a plywood and perspex cab, blast from the past Bruce, they retired them in NSW many years ago, today they use the "AK Cars" and "MTPV" track recording cars or just a Toyota Landcruiser "High Railer" to do track inspections. There is a club dedicated to those little track patrol units in NSW, they have quite a collection. Rainbow Lorikeets and Butcherbird quite chatty in the background too. Another job well done Bruce, enjoyed the video.😉

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much Dave

[@aserta]

19:30 can also use a hook, if the plug well is deep and you can't reach with a screw driver. I've actually made myself a tool from an old broken screw driver where i welded half a stainless steel washer that fits perfectly under the clip. I just have to work it in there, and gently press it against then pull up. Much safer than breaking the wire or loosening it.

[@bruceinaus]

That’s a great idea

[@markbout257]

In the US they are called speeders, and i think they came with Wisconsin engines also air cooled. Any way a Briggs engine nearly cant be killed😅

[@michaelsimpson9779]

Plenty of disused line out Mungar/Aramara way etc. Be good to see it going for a burn...

[@ericvonwiegen5672]

Nice 👍

[@bruceinaus]

thanks very much

[@pouwakaruwhiu8349]

Love your videos Bruce keep bringing more videos, from Warwick Qld 🦘

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, i will do what i can, i dont have a scheduled upload and just post them when i can

[@Michael-he7xn]

I got one of those. Great video Bruce!

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much Michael, does yours still have the fairmont?

[@Michael-he7xn]

Yup. A Fairmont MT19 A 2 12. Two speed transmission with a 20hp Onan. From Canadian National. It has an orange fibreglass body (last generation before hirailers). Looks like a pumpkin 🎃.

[@bruceinaus]

That sounds great

[@wimalasenawijethunga1668]

Thank you

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for the support

[@mischef18]

Made for a great video for sure bro. Safe travels. Ken.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for the ongoing support Ken

[@joeholland7812]

Good onya brucey!