Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT Division)

Pay Bus FP 11 Paybus FP 11 was built by Commonwealth Engineering in 1968 and used to distribute wages to remote area railway staff in the days when pay packets and payslips were distributed direct to staff. Each of the pay buses would carry a driver, paymaster and guard, all armed for security, and they were usually designated a "run" which would deliver pay packets to station and permanent way staff. The use of these buses to make fortnightly runs around the rail system ended in 1986, when the practice of paying salaries or wages direct into bank accounts became commonplace. The last rail pay bus in service in the Monaro ran to Cooma on 1 April 1986. FP 11 is on loan from the Holbrook and Germanton Railway Preservation Society, and came to the Society in 1995. The unit has been restored for on-track operations and undertook its first test run since restoration in September 2004. It has been used on the Michelago Tourist Railway for track inspections and to carry permanent way work parties.

Click on picture for larger image; use your 'Back' button to return to this page    Railway pay bus FP 11    FP 11 trial run, 2004

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