Motor Rail

Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company whose products played an important role in the development and spread of lightweight internal-combustion railway traction. The business began in 1911 as The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co Ltd, following the development and patenting of a change-speed and reversing gearbox by John Dixon Abbott of Eastbourne. Abbott established the company with his father, John Abbott, and his brother, Tom Dixon Abbott, with the original intention of applying the gearbox to tramcars and railcars. The company initially operated in Lewes, Sussex, where it rented space at the Phoenix Foundry operated by John Every. There it developed a small narrow-gauge rail vehicle using the Dixon-Abbott gearbox and a water-cooled, twin-cylinder Dorman petrol engine. The decisive turning point came during the First World War. In 1916, Motor Rail responded to a War Department requirement for a compact locomotive for military supply railways. The resulting design used a 600 mm gauge, a lightweight outer longitudinal frame, two driven axles, a centrally mounted Dorman 2JO petrol engine and the company’s chain-driven gearbox arrangement. The driver’s position allowed operation in either direction without turning the locomotive. After the prototype was accepted, Motor Rail received orders for military use in France. Production expanded quickly, prompting a move to larger premises on Houghton Road in Bedford in May 1916. The company also produced armoured variants for the Ministry of Munitions, with open, protected and fully armoured configurations. More than 900 locomotives of the wartime type were supplied to the War Department and Ministry of Munitions. These machines became widely associated with the Simplex name and helped demonstrate that petrol-powered locomotives could provide a practical and economical alternative to steam for light industrial and military railways. After the war, the large number of inexpensive surplus military locomotives created a broader market for internal-combustion traction. Motor Rail used this opportunity to build petrol and diesel locomotives for narrow-gauge industrial, plantation, quarry, construction and railway applications. The company also produced other forms of light transport equipment. Its early activities included a self-propelled rail coach, and in 1919 it manufactured standard-gauge inspection cars for the Ministry of Munitions. In 1939 it introduced the Motor Rail Dumper, a rubber-tyred, two-wheel-drive tipping vehicle using related engine and transmission technology. The company changed its legal name from Motor Rail & Tram Car Co to Motor Rail Ltd in 1931. Although Simplex had been used commercially earlier, the trade name was formally registered in 1953. In 1972 the business became Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd. Locomotive manufacture ended in 1987, after which the business line was sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye. Alan Keef continued to supply spares and built a number of locomotives based on Motor Rail designs. Many original Motor Rail and Simplex locomotives survive in preservation and remain operational on heritage and industrial railways in the United Kingdom and overseas. As a result, the marque remains particularly visible among preserved narrow-gauge locomotives.

Motor Rail originated with John Dixon Abbott’s work on a change-speed and reversing gearbox. The relevant patent was filed in 1909, and in March 1911 Abbott formed The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co Ltd with his father, John Abbott, and his brother, Tom Dixon Abbott. The company was intended to develop the gearbox for tramcars and railcars. Operations moved to Lewes in Sussex, where the company occupied part of the Phoenix Foundry and developed a small narrow-gauge vehicle powered by a water-cooled, twin-cylinder Dorman petrol engine. The company’s major breakthrough came during the First World War. In January 1916, it submitted a design to meet a War Department specification for a 600 mm gauge locomotive with a low axle load and sufficient power to haul military supply trains. The resulting locomotive employed a distinctive outer longitudinal frame, two driven axles, a centrally placed Dorman 2JO petrol engine and a Dixon-Abbott gearbox. Chain drive connected the transmission to the unsprung axles. The driver sat at one end facing sideways, making it possible to operate in either direction without turning the locomotive, while the radiator, fan and silencer occupied the opposite end. Following approval of the prototype, a small number were sent to France for evaluation. Their success produced larger orders, and Motor Rail moved to new premises in Houghton Road, Bedford, in May 1916. John Abbott died in August of that year, after which John Dixon Abbott became chairman. The company also developed armoured locomotives for the Ministry of Munitions. These were offered in open, protected and fully armoured forms, using a more powerful Dorman 4JO engine and a two-speed gearbox. Motor Rail’s wartime work established its characteristic design philosophy: compact dimensions, low weight, straightforward mechanical construction and the use of petrol engines where steam locomotives would be unnecessarily heavy or expensive. More than 900 locomotives were supplied to the War Department and Ministry of Munitions. After the war, the availability of surplus military locomotives helped introduce internal-combustion traction to industrial and narrow-gauge operators. Motor Rail continued producing petrol and diesel locomotives for industrial railways and other specialist applications. The company’s work was not limited to locomotives. A Simplex Rail Coach was reported in 1915, with a body built by the Brush Company, for intended use by the South Indian Railway Company. In 1919, Motor Rail produced lightweight standard-gauge inspection cars for the Ministry of Munitions. These vehicles used Dorman engines and Dixon-Abbott gearboxes and were tested at speeds exceeding 30 miles per hour, with one reported test reaching 43 miles per hour. In 1931, the company dropped the words “Tram Car” from its name and became Motor Rail Ltd. The Simplex trade name, already used by the company during the First World War, was registered in 1953. The business diversified further into construction equipment, introducing the Motor Rail Dumper in 1939. Later dumper models included the MR450 and MR375, with differing capacities, engines, gear arrangements and control layouts. The company was renamed Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd in 1972. Locomotive production continued until 1987, when manufacture ceased and the business line was sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye. Alan Keef retained support for the existing fleet by supplying spares and constructing several locomotives to Motor Rail designs. The original products have had an unusually long afterlife: many survive in museums, private collections and heritage railways, and Motor Rail is regarded as one of the most commonly encountered preserved narrow-gauge locomotive makes in the United Kingdom.

• 1987

  Locomotive manufacture ends

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  Loco production ceased and the relevant business line was sold to Alan Keef Ltd.

• 1972

  Renamed Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the name Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd.

• 1953

  Simplex trade name registered

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  Motor Rail formally registered the Simplex trade name, although the name had been used by the business earlier.

• 1939

  Motor Rail Dumper introduced

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched a four-ton, two-wheel-drive rubber-tyred dump truck for construction and industrial work.

• 1931

  Company becomes Motor Rail Ltd

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  The legal name was changed from Motor Rail & Tram Car Co to Motor Rail Ltd.

• 1919

  Standard-gauge inspection cars produced

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  Motor Rail manufactured lightweight inspection cars for the Ministry of Munitions and tested them at speeds above 30 miles per hour.

• 1916

  Military locomotive production begins at Bedford

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  After its 600 mm gauge locomotive was accepted for military use, Motor Rail moved from Lewes to larger premises in Bedford and received significant orders.

• 1915

  Simplex Rail Coach reported

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  A self-propelled rail coach was reported as being built at Lewes, with a body supplied by the Brush Company and intended for the South Indian Railway Company.

• 1911

  Motor Rail & Tramcar Co is formed

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  John Dixon Abbott, John Abbott and Tom Dixon Abbott established the company to develop gearbox-powered tramcars and railcars.

• 1909

  Dixon-Abbott gearbox patent

  [1]Motor Railen.wikipedia.org

  John Dixon Abbott patented a change-speed and reversing gearbox intended for motor trams and rail vehicles.

Lightweight, mechanically simple and economical traction for military, industrial and narrow-gauge railway applications, later preserved as a significant British heritage locomotive marque.

• Military narrow-gauge locomotive · 1916

  Simplex military supply locomotive

  Developed in response to a 1916 War Department requirement, this compact 600 mm gauge petrol locomotive used a Dorman engine, Dixon-Abbott gearbox and chain drive to two axles. Its sideways driving position enabled operation in either direction, making it suitable for military supply railways where turning facilities were limited. The design was also adapted into open, protected and fully armoured versions for wartime service.

• Industrial locomotive

  Simplex narrow-gauge locomotives

  The Simplex range developed from Motor Rail’s wartime experience and included petrol- and diesel-powered locomotives for industrial, construction, quarry, plantation and other narrow-gauge railway duties. Their relatively low weight, compact format and mechanically direct construction made them practical for lines where steam locomotives were too costly, heavy or operationally complex.

• Railway inspection vehicle · 1919

  Standard-gauge inspection cars

  Produced for the Ministry of Munitions in 1919, these lightweight inspection cars used a two-cylinder Dorman engine and Dixon-Abbott two-speed gearbox. Their removable seating allowed the vehicles to carry payload as well as passengers. Testing demonstrated substantially higher speeds than those normally associated with small industrial rail vehicles.

• Dump truck · 1939

  Motor Rail Dumper

  Introduced in 1939, the Motor Rail Dumper was a four-ton, two-wheel-drive rubber-tyred tipping vehicle. It used a Dorman engine and a related version of the company’s gearbox technology. Later specifications included diesel power, multiple forward and reverse ratios, and alternative front-control or rear-control layouts for different site conditions.

• Dumper · 1960

  MR450

  The MR450 was a later Motor Rail dumper model with a stated 4.5 cubic-yard capacity, a reversible seat and three speeds in either direction. It used a Dorman 37 bhp 2LB diesel engine and was intended for industrial and construction transport.

• Dumper · 1960

  MR375

  The MR375 was a 3.75 cubic-yard dumper equipped with a Lister 33 bhp HA3 air-cooled diesel engine. Its transmission provided six forward gears and two reverse gears, supporting work on construction and industrial sites.

• 1987

  Transfer of the locomotive business to Alan KeefM&A

  Background

  Motor Rail ended locomotive manufacture after decades of producing Simplex and related industrial locomotives.

  Action taken

  The locomotive business line was sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye.

  Aftermath

  Alan Keef continued to supply spares and built several locomotives based on Motor Rail designs, extending support for the installed fleet.

  Source

• 1939

  Diversify into rubber-tyred dumpersProduct launch

  Background

  Motor Rail applied its engine and transmission experience beyond rail vehicles.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the four-ton Motor Rail Dumper for construction and industrial duties.

  Aftermath

  The dumper line broadened the company’s industrial-equipment activities and later produced the MR450 and MR375 models.

  Source

• 1931

  Drop the tramcar designationStrategy

  Background

  The company’s business had become closely associated with industrial and narrow-gauge locomotives rather than tramcars.

  Action taken

  The legal name was changed from Motor Rail & Tram Car Co to Motor Rail Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The change reflected the company’s established focus on locomotive and industrial equipment production.

  Source

• 1916

  Enter the military supply railway marketProduct launch

  Background

  The War Department required a lightweight locomotive for 600 mm gauge military supply lines, with strict axle-load and hauling requirements.

  Action taken

  Motor Rail designed and submitted a compact petrol locomotive using its Dixon-Abbott gearbox and a Dorman engine, followed by armoured variants for the Ministry of Munitions.

  Aftermath

  Successful trials in France led to large wartime orders, relocation to Bedford and production of more than 900 locomotives for government users.

  Source

1. 1Motor Railen.wikipedia.org