10/08/2026
91RM catches the winter sunlight as it coasts through the forest between Musk and Bullarto on the Daylesford Spa Country Railway in 2019.
12 months later extreme weather tore through Victoria, with over 280mm of rain recorded in a 48-hour period and winds in excess of 100km/h. Hepburn Shire was one of the more affected areas, with over 800 trees falling onto the railway between Musk and Bullarto alone. The damage across the region was widespread with 1000 properties affected.
91RM is one of 68 Walker railmotors built for the Victorian Railways. Comprised of four distinct types classified by their power output, the railmotors were a joint effort with the power units being built by Walker Bros. in the UK, the underframes in Castlemaine, and the car bodies in Melbourne. Built with a 10-year lifespan in mind, most remained in service for up to 30 years before being withdrawn from service in 1980.
Despite the car bodies being built on the other side of the world to different track and loading gauges, they bear a striking resemblance to diesel railcars 19 and 20 of the County Donegal railway in Ireland, with the Irish flavour also using Walker Bros. power units and controls.
June 9th, 2019.
