Simplex railways solved the last-mile logistics problem

The Motor Rail and Tram Car Company grew out of work by John Dixon Abbott, his father John Abbott, his brother Tom Dixon Abbott, and collaborators at the Phoenix Foundry. They took ideas from home experiments back into the workshop, including work on gearboxes and compact petrol propulsion. The earliest development trail is placed at about 1905, followed by specialization in 1909 and company formation in 1911. Production for a War Department specification drew on that earlier work. The small locomotives carried First World War supplies over lightly laid track beyond the reach of larger trains. Boer War supply difficulties had already encouraged the search for better last-mile transport. The 600 mm railway also carried people, although that was not its main purpose here. Most locomotives were open, with an armored version providing crew protection.