Special work [Was: First look at the roomy new tram coming to Melbourne’s network]

On 26/10/2025 17:56, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

I'd say it's been a while since railway and tramway turnouts and crossings have been manufactured in Australia. DPP Prague has its own special-work manufacturer, Prague Engineering, which also exports around the world, including to Melbourne and Auckland. Another Czech special work manufacturer,  DT-Výhybkárna a Strojírna, also supplies tramway special work to Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Canberra and railway special work to ARTC and other Australian railway operations. The work is assembled on the factory floor and then, presumably, partly dismantled for export and reassembled at the site.

Pražská strojírna is located at Vinoř on the outskirts of Prague and DT is located at Prostějov, about 50 km from Brno. 

Thus is former Australian industry being scattered to the four corners of the globe. Meanwhile CKD or part-assembly is being promoted by dishonest politicians as Australian manufacturing. In part unavoidable, because the third-party OEM suppliers have gone belly-up in Australia and even local manufacturers have to source these inputs overseas.

Davies and Baird of Melbourne were probably the last manufacturer of 'special work' in Australia.

They started making wheels for the Melbourne cable trams.

They supplied Melbourne, Toronto and Christchurch in recent times.  The attached pic shows a pair of crossings ready to ship to Christchurh in 2024 - one of their last orders.

Once Yarra started using heel less points they lost viable quantities to continue with that product line.

MOTAT in Auckland just installed dual gauge points manufactured by PRAŽSKÁ STROJÍRNA in Prague. 

Mal Rowe - who visited the D&B plant as a guest of Dave Hinman