Historical information

TACL-Tractor Appliance Company Limited
TACL rail tractors manufactured by Malcolm Moore of Port Melbourne

Located in the Parishes of Moondarra and Telbit, Gippsland, the tramway terminated at Collins Siding on the Moe Walhalla 2'6"gauge branch of the Victorian Railways. Its construction by the Forests Commission of Victoria was to facilitate the extraction of timber from the Southern and Western slopes of Mount Erica and to replace the outlet tramways destroyed during the disastrous forest fires of February 1926.

Tyers Valley Tramway
The line, following the Eastern arm of the river, passed Ingrams Siding (7m.) to terminate at a forest area, known as "Ten Acre Block", 8m. 60c. from Collins Siding. The western branch of the line followed the Western Tyers Valley to Growlers Creek, 13m. 40c. from Collins Siding.

THE T.A.C.L. TRACTORS at Tyers Valley tramway.
On the 19th January 1928, T.A.C.L. locomotive, purchased from Tractor Appliance Co. Ltd. (Malcolm Moore), was delivered. This unit had a 20 h.p. Fordson engine coupled by a chain drive to the two axles, providing a tractive effort of approx. 2000lbs. Wheelbase was 5’ and weight was four tons.

It was intended that the two tractor locomotives, working with the grade, would deliver timber from the branch lines to Tyers Junction, from which place it would be steam hauled out to the Collins Siding transfer point. Following a breakdown of the steam locomotive, haulage during the early months of 1928 was carried out by the T.A.C.L. unit, supplemented by the Nattrass, which was, by this time, becoming unreliable.

During April 1928, after ensuring that no suitable locomotive was available in Australia, an order was placed with the Climax Manufacturing Co., U.S.A. for the supply of a geared locomotive.

A second T.A.C.L. engine was purchased during May and, on the 27th, the local mill owners, having obtained running rights on the tramway, commenced haulage with the Harman. The three tractor units worked the branch lines and transported ballast, whilst the Harman hauled the timber to Collins Siding in rakes of eight trucks (56 tons). The weekly loading of the line for the first, second and third weeks were 54, 62 and 71 trucks respectively.

info from : http://www.nmra.org.au/tyersvalley/Tyers-Tram.html

Significance

Historic - Industrial Narrow gauge Railway - Timber working - Rail Tractor used by the the Forests Commission of Victoria on the Tyers Valley Tramway

Physical description

Rail Tractor with Fordson engine coupled by a chain drive to the two axles - made of steel and wrought iron