Description
Cembre LD-42P Petrol Rail Drill – Limited New Stock
The Cembre LD-42P Petrol Rail Drill is a heavy-duty portable rail drilling machine renowned for its reliability, simplicity and long service life in demanding railway environments.
Although the LD-42P has now been discontinued by Cembre, Engineering Supplies purchased Cembre’s remaining worldwide stock of the model and continues to offer new LD-42P rail drills while stocks last.
The LD-42P has built an exceptional reputation with rail contractors and maintenance crews over many years and is often described as the “Toyota of rail drills” – simple, robust, dependable and capable of providing years of service when correctly maintained.
For customers who specifically want the proven Honda-powered Cembre petrol rail drill, Engineering Supplies has limited new stock available as well as spare parts, broach cutters, drill bits, templates and ongoing technical support.
Cembre LD-42P Proven Petrol Rail Drilling Performance
The LD-42P was designed specifically for railway applications to produce accurate, repeatable holes through rail webs in a wide range of track and weather conditions.
Its compact design allows drilling to be completed directly on the rail in locations where larger equipment may require surrounding obstructions to be removed.
Powered by the proven Honda GX35 four-stroke petrol engine, the LD-42P combines portability with the drilling capacity required for rail bonding, signalling, track connections and general railway maintenance.
The drill can be used with both Cembre spiral drill bits and broach cutters.
Drilling Capacity and Applications
Special spiral drill bits:
7–27.5 mm diameter on rail up to 45 mm thick
Cembre broach cutters:
13–40 mm diameter on rail up to 50 mm thick
A coolant system with reservoir and pump supplies cutting lubricant through a quick-connect coupling to help optimise drilling performance and cutter life.
Cembre LD-42PTechnical Specifications
Manufacturer: Cembre
Model: LD-42P
Product Type: Petrol rail drill
Engine: Honda GX35 four-stroke
Engine Capacity: 35.8 cm³
Motor Power: 1.0 kW
Fuel: Unleaded petrol
Starting System: Rope pull start
Clutch: Automatic centrifugal clutch
Drilling Range: 7–40 mm
Broach Cutter Range: 13–40 mm
Maximum Rail Thickness with Broach Cutter: 50 mm
Maximum Rail Thickness with Spiral Drill Bit: 45 mm
Operating Weight: Approx. 19.5 kg with rail clamping device
Why Rail Crews Still Prefer the Cembre LD-42P
Despite the introduction of newer battery technology, many rail crews continue to specifically request the LD-42P because of its established reputation.
Key advantages include:
- Proven Honda GX35 four-stroke engine
- Exceptional reliability and long service life
- Simple mechanical design
- No batteries or charging infrastructure required
- Up to 40 mm broach cutter capacity
- Suitable for rail up to 50 mm thick
- Compact portable design
- One-person operation
- Extensive range of Cembre rail templates and accessories
- Australian spare parts, servicing and technical support
For organisations with existing fleets of LD-42P drills, purchasing additional units also maintains commonality of operating procedures, accessories, templates, cutters and spare parts.
Discontinued – Limited New Stock Available
Cembre has discontinued production of the LD-42P as the rail industry transitions toward battery-powered drilling equipment.
Engineering Supplies purchased Cembre’s remaining stock of LD-42P rail drills and continues to offer new units in Australia while this stock remains available.
Once this remaining inventory has been sold, new LD-42P drills will no longer be available.
Engineering Supplies will continue to provide service, spare parts, broach cutters, drill bits, accessories and technical support for existing LD-42P rail drills.
Petrol vs Battery Rail Drilling
When to Choose the LD-42P
For customers specifically wanting the proven petrol-powered LD-42P, remaining new stock is still available.
When to Choose the LD-16B-RPT
For organisations purchasing new drilling equipment and looking for the latest Cembre technology, we recommend considering the Cembre LD-16B-RPT Battery Rail Drill.
The LD-16B-RPT provides several advantages over petrol-powered drilling, including:
- Zero harmful exhaust emissions at the point of use
- Significantly reduced vibration
- Lower operating noise
- 36V brushless motor
- Fast drilling performance
- Electronic drilling assistant to help optimise operator feed pressure
- Improved operating environment for rail crews
- Excellent performance in tunnels, underground networks and enclosed areas
- Suitable for night works and noise-sensitive environments
- IP44M protection for operation in rain and high humidity
- Improved control of the drilling process to help optimise broach cutter performance and service life
The LD-16B-RPT can drill a 19 mm rail hole up to approximately 40 times on a single battery charge, while Cembre specifies drilling times of less than one minute and substantially faster times for many common hole sizes.
For customers prioritising low vibration, low noise, zero local emissions and modern battery technology, the LD-16B-RPT is the recommended current-generation Cembre rail drill.
For customers who know and prefer the proven reliability and simplicity of the LD-42P petrol rail drill, contact Engineering Supplies while remaining new stock is available.
See the Cembre LD-16B-RPT Rail Drill in Operation
Watch Cembre’s official demonstration to see how the LD-16B-RPT Battery Rail Drill is set up, clamped to the rail and operated in the field.
Watch the Cembre LD-16B-RPT Battery Rail Drill operating demonstration
Spare Parts, Cutters and Ongoing Service
Engineering Supplies provides ongoing support for the LD-42P and maintains Australian stock of Cembre rail drilling equipment and consumables including:
- Cembre CY broach cutters
- PE series rail drill bits
- Guide pins
- Rail positioning templates
- Drill adapters
- Coolant systems and lubricant
- Replacement parts
- Rail drill servicing and repairs
- Associated Cembre railway tooling
Our support for the LD-42P will continue beyond the sale of the remaining new machines.
Australian Stock and Technical Support
Engineering Supplies supplies the Cembre LD-42P Petrol Rail Drill from our remaining stock of new machines.
These drills are no longer manufactured and availability is strictly while stocks last.
Contact Engineering Supplies for LD-42P pricing, stock availability, spare parts, servicing, broach cutters and technical support, or speak with us about upgrading to the current Cembre LD-16B-RPT battery rail drill.







