Scottish Railway Preservation Society Collections pages

"Locopulsor" Type 601 Motorised Shunting Unit

motorised shunting unit

This is a "Locopulsor", a powered unit which can be used to move single wagons in dockside or factory sidings, wherever the railhead is flush with the ground level, as in our picture. It is fitted with a JAP petrol engine, which drives a rubber tyred driving wheel. The pushing head (not very clear in the picture, at the far end of the machine) is raised to bring it into contact with the underside of the wagon frame, and the driving wheel then generates a traction force. A four speed gearbox is provided.

The machine was supplied by E.G. Steele & Co., of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, and possibly manufactured by them as well.

It was used at Lochside Distillery, Montrose, where production ceased in 1992, and was acquired from a private collector. It is a proprietary piece of railway equipment designed for shunting wagons in industrial premises where a locomotive would be uneconomic.

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Back to Cranes and Machinery list