Surviving E.M.C. Railcars located around the world in order of build date

m35(2)(T)
mw31i(T)
derm 55(T)
tidewater_railmotor[1](small)(T)
1450(T)
m177
0232(T)
59RM (T)
derm 60(T)
20813(T)
62RM
derm 63 daylesford(T)
Erie 5012(T)
derm 64(T)
m190(T)
20811(T)

M31

On the 28th October 1925 Great Northern Railroad’s M-2313 was completed at the St Louis Car Company. They gave it there job No. 1368-C, it cost $34,000 and was given EMC serial number 130 It was their 30th production car. M-2313 entered service for the Great Northern on the 27th November 1925 for their trains 259 and 260 between Marcus, Washington and South Nelson, British Columbia.

The Great Northern Railway performed an actual cost comparison between its steam hauled service in its last full month of operation and the railmotor service in its first full months service. The steam hauled service in October 1925 made 27 round trips and travelled 5,348 miles, costing $115.34 per trip or $3,114.28 per month or58 cents per mile. On the other hand the railmotor service in December 1925 made 27 round trips and travelled 5,348 miles, costing $51.12 per trip or $1,380.24 per month or 29 cents per mile. This showed a saving of 50% over the steam service. Another benefit was faster schedules, on tests in the first days of operation, Mountain Station to Apex a distance of 9 miles was covered in 21 minutes by the railmotor against 32 minutes for the steam hauled service.

By 1939 Great Northern considered this railmotor to be too expensive to maintain. On the 28th December 1939 Great Northern sold M-2313 to the Montana Western for $11,763.79, Montana Western merely dropped the first and last numbers to renumber it to their M-31. The Montana Western operated M-31 on the 20.13 mile railroad between its connection with the Great Northern Railroad at Conrad, Montana and Valley, Montana.

In 1966 the Great Northern Railroad regained possession of M-31 when it traded a steel passenger/baggage combine for it. On the 12th August 1966 the Great Northern donated GN-2313-MW-31 to the Mid Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, where it resides still today.

M-31 was operated at the museum in the late 1960’s, a four year restoration effort was completed in 1972 when the railmotor was featured at the General Motors Electro-Motive Division plant for their 50th anniversary party and open house on the 9th September 1972.

The Railmotor weighs 32 ton is approximately 60 feet long and 10 feet wide. It was powered by a 106 model Winton petrol engine of 175 H.P. using a G.E. main Generator.

The car still uses its Winton petrol engine, the car is currently undergoing an overhaul to return it to traffic as the car had been sidelined due to repairs waiting on its Winton engine. This railmotor received The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark on the 16th August 2003, recognising the significant contribution made by the railmotor to American transportation.

mw31i

Order No. 130   Date built. 28-Oct-1925   

St Louis Car Company Job Number: 1368-C

Location currently preserved. Mid-Continent Railway Museum, U.S.A.

Current Web Address. www.midcontinent.org

Photo - Bill Buhrmaster

M35

m35(2)

Order No. 185   Date built. Jan-1927   

St Louis Car Company Job Number:

Location currently preserved. Illinois Railway Museum, U.S.A.

Current Web Address. www.irm.org

This car was completed in January of 1927 by the St Louis Car Company for the Union Pacific Railway as M-35. The car ceased operation with U.P. in 1955. It was stored for fifteen years, before being acquired by the Stuhr Prairie Pioneer Museum. The car became part of the Illinois Railway Museum in 1975when it was donated by the Stuhr Prairie Pioneer Museum. The car was found to be unserviceable as at some point the water in the cooling system had frozen cracking the block to the original 120 model Winton engine. Sperry Rail Services donated a Roline Petrol engine and generator as a replacement and the car has been made functional again.

55RM

derm 55

This car was completed in April 1928 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 55 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. In 1978  the car had a major overhaul with engine relocation and seating rearrangement. This car was transfered from the South Gippsland Tourist Railway in august of 2019 and is being restored to run on the Yarra Valley tourist railway operating between Healesville and Yarra Glen in Victoria, Australia.

Order No. Unknown   Date built. Apr-1928

Location currently preserved. Yarra Valley Railway, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.yvr.org.au

M 99

tidewater_railmotor[1](small)

Order No. 349   Date built. Dec-1928

Current location: Mexican Railway, U.S.A.

This car was completed in December 1928 by the St Louis Car Company for the Tonopah and Tidewater Railway as M-99. It spent its entire life in the Western deserts operating in the death valley of California until the Tonopah and Tidewater Railway closed down in 1940. It was purchased by Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California, in October 1943 and renumbered 11001. At some point, Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California cut off the passenger compartment, removed its Winton model 120 engine and made it into a commissary car for maintenance of way work.

56RM

1450

This car was completed in July 1929 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 56 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. In 1976 this car underwent a refurbishment which modernised the interior including reclining seats and carpet. This car is currently unserviceable pending restoration by Steamrail.

Order No. Unknown   Date built. Jul-1929

Location currently preserved. Steamrail, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.steamrail.com.au

M 177

m177

Order No. 381   Date built. Sep-1929

Location currently preserved. Travel Town Railway Museum, U.S.A.

Current Web Address. www.traveltown.org

58RM

0232

Order No. Unknown   Date built. January-1930   

Location currently preserved. DERMPAV, Newport, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dermpav.net.au

Contact: Colin Kelly, Secretary

This car was completed in September 1929 by the Pullman Car and Manufacturing Company for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as M-177. M-177 was utilised by the ATSF its entire life. It did not operate in Southern California. It last operated on the line between Pampa, Texas and Clinton, Oklahoma, in October 1953 when it was retired to Topeka, Kansas, where it remained until its donation to the Travel Town Museum in 1958. Mechanically, M-177 is a unique survivor in that it retains its original Winton Petrol engine, while other motor cars were converted to diesel operation. The baggage compartment served not only for baggage and freight but also as a post office and as a refrigerator car (by sitting perishables on metal plates with ice blocks)

This car was completed in January 1930 by the Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 58 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car is currently serviceable and operating on the Broad Gauge State railway system across Victoria, Australia.

58RM Arriving at Springhurst off the branch to Wahgunyah in North East Victoria. 28-Oct-1989

Photo: Colin Sharp

56RM at Warragul. 17-Sep-1994

Photo: Colin Sharp

59RM

59RM

Order No. Unknown   Date built. Mar-1930

Location currently preserved. DERMPAV, Newport, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dermpav.net.au

Contact: Colin Kelly, Secretary

This car was completed in March 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 59 RM In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car is not in a serviceable condition.

Photo: Ken Coram

59RM at Newport, Victoria 18-Sep-2015

60RM

derm 60

Order No. Unknown   Date built. May-1930

Location currently preserved. DERMPAV, Newport, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dermpav.net.au

Contact: Colin Kelly, Secretary

This car was completed in May 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 60 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car is not in a serviceable condition pending future restoration.

61RM

20813

Order No. Unknown   Date built. Jul-1930

Location currently preserved. Victorian Goldfields Railway, Maldon, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.vgr.com.au

This car was completed in July 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 61 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. In 1978  the car had a major overhaul with engine relocation and seating rearrangement. This car is allocated to the Victorian Goldfields Railway at Maldon in Victoria, Australia and is currently stored pending restoration to active service.

62RM

62RM

Order No. Unknown   Date built. September-1930   

Location currently preserved. Daylesford Spa Country Railway, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dscr.com.au

This car was completed in September 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 62 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car is not in a serviceable condition.

62RM at Healesville, Victoria May-2014

Photo: Ken Coram

63RM

derm 63 daylesford

Order No. Unknown   Date built. December-1930

Location currently preserved. Daylesford Spa Country Railway, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dscr.com.au

This car was completed in December 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 63 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car has been restored and runs regular trips on the tourist railway at Daylesford in central Victoria, Australia.

63RM departing Daylesford, Victoria 11-Feb-2007

M 5012

Erie 5012

Order No. 473   Date built. January-1931

Location currently preserved. Ohio Railway Museum, Worthington, Columbus, U.S.A.

Current Web Address. dev.ohiorailwaymuseum.net

M-5012 was completed in January 1931 by the Bethlehem Car Company at its Harlan & Holingsworth plant in San Fransisco for the Electro Motive Company who supplied the car to the Erie Railway. M-5012 was part of an order for 11 railcars from the Electro Motive Copmany which carried the road numbers M-5005 to M-5015. M-5012 passed into preservation and is stored at the Ohio Railway Museum. It has had its roof painted with what appears to be primer, not much other maintenance has been done on it. The Ohio Railway Museum has some other impressive pieces, but lacks the dedicated consistent staff to keep regular open hours at the museum. All the equipment sits crammed together behind a chain linked fence on a small plot of property.

5012 stored at Ohio Railway Museum

Photo: Bob McGilvray

64RM

derm 64

Order No. Unknown   Date built. Apr-1931

Location currently preserved. DERMPAV, Newport, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dermpav.net.au

Contact: Colin Kelly, Secretary

This car was completed in April 1931 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, under license from Electro Motive Company for the Victorian Railways as 64 RM. In the early 1950’s the Winton six cylinder petrol engine that turned the main generator was replaced with two Detroit General Motors series 71 six cylinder diesel engines. This car is not in a serviceable condition and is currently being restored with the aim of running main line tours around the Victorian system in the near future.

64RM resting in the workshops at Newport undergoing restoration

Photo: Colin Sharp

M190

M190

Order No. 499   Date built. June-1932

Location currently preserved. Belen, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Current Web Address.

This car is probably the most famous of all EMC’s railmotors. It was completed in June 1932 by the Pullman Car Manufacturing Company for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as M-190. Whilst not being the last conventional type railmotor constructed by E.M.C. it now holds the distinction as being the last E.M.C. car in existence. It has no passenger facilities and was designed to haul a passenger carriage. The engine section is articulated with its baggage section. It was fitted with a new engine (GM 12/567) in 1949. M-190 was retired from the A.T.S.F. in July 1968, being gifted to the California State Railroad Museum in March 1986. In 2008 the car was donated to the State Museum of New Mexico and moved to Belen, New Mexico.

26MT DERM Trailer

M190 after being moved to Belen, New Mexico. 3-Jul-2008

Photo: Greg Dixon

20811

Date built. 1930

Location currently preserved. Central Highlands Tourist Railway, Victoria, Australia

Current Web Address. www.dscr.com.au

The standard trailer.  This vehicle was built to a standard design for the purpose of being towed behind an E.M.C. car. Five of these cars were built being numbered: 26MT, 27MT, 28MT, 29MT and 30MT. This car was completed in 1930 at Newport Railway Workshops, Victoria, Australia, by the Victorian Railways. 26MT is the only car that survives on rails and can be found on the tourist railway at Daylesford in Victoria.  This car has been restored for use on the tourist railway at Daylesford in central Victoria, Australia.

26MT at Daylesford, Victoria 25-Jan-2009

Photo: Colin Sharp