Tulloch Limited
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering, Railway rolling stock manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Phoenix Iron Works |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Founder | Robert Tulloch |
| Defunct | October 1974 |
| Headquarters | Rhodes, New South Wales , Australia |
| Products | Railway rolling stock, locomotives, railcars, naval vessels (Motor Lighters) |
Tulloch Limited was an Australian firm specializing in engineering and the manufacture of railway rolling stock, headquartered in Rhodes, New South Wales.
History
The company originated in 1885 when Robert Tulloch established Phoenix Iron Works in Pyrmont. It became Tulloch's Phoenix Iron Works in 1913 and moved its operations to Rhodes. Its main output consisted of freight wagons for the New South Wales Government Railways, alongside producing single-deck electric carriages serving Sydney’s suburban lines between 1926 and 1957. During World War II, Tulloch contributed to naval efforts by constructing vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, notably including multiple 120ft Motor Lighters. In April 1948, the company delivered the inaugural set of four seven-carriage HUB sets.
During the 1950s, Tulloch broadened its portfolio to include locomotive manufacturing, supplying 27 Victorian Railways W class diesel-hydraulic shunting engines as well as 13 diesel locomotives for the Commonwealth Railways NT class.
By 1964, Tulloch introduced Sydney’s pioneering double-decker trailer cars. Subsequently, in 1968, it produced four prototype double-deck power cars featuring electrical equipment sourced from English Electric, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric—the latter being chosen for the production of the S class fleet. These motor units were combined with modified trailers to create New South Wales’ first fully double-deck Electric Multiple Unit trains.
In the 1970s, the company manufactured 10 New South Wales 1200 class railcars along with two Victorian Railways DRC class railcars. Operations ceased in October 1974; today, the former Rhodes manufacturing facility is occupied by Rhodes Corporate Park.
A noteworthy example of their work includes a diesel-mechanical locomotive built in 1958—likely the first locomotive produced at Rhodes—which was acquired by the Skitube Alpine Railway in 1988 for use in depot shunting activities.
Products
Tulloch Limited’s production encompassed a wide array of rail vehicles, such as:
- 203 single-deck carriages for Sydney
- 28 HUB carriages for New South Wales
- 26 diesel-hydraulic W class locomotives for Victorian Railways and one NSW 71 class locomotive
- Two narrow gauge (two-foot) diesel shunting locomotives for the Lake Margaret Tram
- 15 T class shunting locomotives for Western Australian Government Railways
- 13 NT class locomotives for Commonwealth Railways
- 120 double-deck trailer carriages for Sydney
- Four prototype double-deck power cars (1968 series) for Sydney
- Ten railcars of the New South Wales 1200 class and two Victorian Railways DRC class railcars
- Three railcars built for South Maitland Railway