Jump to content

South Australian Railways Redhen railcar

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ANR958 (talk | contribs) at 09:30, 8 September 2023 (→400 class railcars: Updated status 428). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

South Australian Railways Redhen railcar
Two 400 class Redhens working a
Belair line service in 1990
Interior of a Redhen railcar
ManufacturerSouth Australian Railways
Built atIslington Railway Workshops
ReplacedBrill railcars
Constructed1955-1971
Entered service1955-1996
Number built111
Number preserved27
Formation2/3 carriages
Fleet numbers300-373, 400-436
Capacity300-341: 91
362-373: 89
400-419: 80
420-436: 78
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
State Transport Authority
TransAdelaide
Specifications
Car length20.00 m (65 ft 7 in)
Width3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Height4.27 m (14 ft 0 in)
Wheel diameter914 millimetres (36 in)
Maximum speed88 km/h (55 mph)
Prime mover(s)2 x GM model 6/71: 300-341, 362-373, 400-436
2 x Rolls-Royce C6SFLH: 342-361
Braking system(s)Westinghouse
air brakes
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

Redhen railcar (originally, Red Hen) was the nickname given to the 300 and 400 classes of diesel-hydraulic railcars designed and built by the South Australian Railways’ Islington Railway Workshops between 1955 and 1971. The class remained in service until 1996 and remain a nostalgic part of South Australian culture; some are operated by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway and other railway preservation entities.

Configuration

The Redhens comprised two designs:[1][2]

  • 300 class had a driving cab at one end of each railcar. These needed to run in two-car formations.
  • 400 class had driving cabs at both ends as well as guard units at the B end, and could be used as a single car when needed, or in multiple with other railcars to make up longer trains.

In addition, there were a number of unpowered trailer cars, the 820 and 860 classes. These had been modified from steam-era suburban carriages and were used with the Redhens between 1955 and 1987.[1][3]

300 class
Unit
  numbers  		 Dates introduced Weight
(tonnes)		 Seating capacity
300–341 1955–58 40.7 91
342–361 1959–61 42.7 91
362–373 1968–70 41.9 84
400 class
Unit
  numbers  		 Dates introduced Weight
(tonnes)		 Seating capacity
400–419 1959–61 42.5 80
420–436 1968–71 42.5 78

History

Construction

The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam locomotive hauled trains in Adelaide.[4][5] Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars.[3] The Redhens were built in three batches. The overall design of the railcars was very similar, but there were differences in detail between the batches. Several railcars in the 300 class were re-numbered later in life, taking on the numbers of written-off or modified units. The exterior of the units was always painted red, with variations in the colour of roofs and bogies over the years. The interior design and layout remained largely unchanged throughout their life. Some 300 class units were modified to provide guard's accommodation or space for bikes when the 860 class trailers were withdrawn in 1987. This slightly reduced the seating capacity of these modified cars.

Deployment

Cab of 402 at the South Gippsland Railway

When first introduced, all the 300 class Redhens were formed as 3-car consists, comprising an 820 or 860 class trailer sandwiched between two powered 300 class railcars. In peak hours, two sets were coupled together to form 6-car trains. On rare occasions, at times of heavy traffic demand, trains of Redhens could be up to nine cars long.[6]

Instead of building trailer cars to work with the 300 class cars, the South Australian Railways chose to convert existing rolling stock. To operate with 300 to 347, five 800 class and nineteen 850 class carriages were converted, becoming the 860 class. These steel cars had been built at Islington Railway Workshops between 1944 and 1946 as part of a plan to electrify Adelaide's suburban railways.[1]

For use with 348 to 373, thirteen 327 class wooden end loading suburban baggage cars were converted, becoming the 820 class trailers. These had been built between 1912 and 1924.[1]

The 400 class were used as single cars on the main lines during the evenings and at most other times on lightly patronised services such as the Grange, Tonsley and Northfield lines. They were also used in multiple with other 300 or 400 class units.

These railcars became the backbone of the metropolitan services, relegating most loco hauled passenger trains to regional and interstate services.

"Superchook" variant

Following the introduction of the 2000 class railcars in 1980, two 300 class Redhens and an 860 class trailer were chosen for an experimental rebuild at STA's Regency Park workshops. Nos 300, 337 and 862 were modified in 1983 with new interiors, elevated cabs and stainless steel panelling similar to the 2000 class. The rebuilt cars were re-numbered 2301, 2302 and 2501 and entered service in June 1983. They soon acquired the nickname, Superchooks (a play on "Redhen" – a chook, in Australian vernacular, is a chicken)[1][7][8] The exercise was not successful and no more were modified. The Superchooks saw only limited passenger service and often 2301-2302 was sandwiched in between two 400 class Redhens. They were withdrawn in 1992.[9]

Withdrawal

All thirteen of the 820 class trailers were retired by December 1976. The corresponding 300 class Redhens were then coupled to a 400 class railcar to form 2-car trains (designated 300/400 class).[1] In 1987, the steel-bodied 860 class trailers were withdrawn and all the 300 class Redhens were reconfigured as 2-car trains, usually consecutively numbered pairs.

The first group withdrawal of Redhen railcars and 860 trailers occurred when 6 300 class railcars and 2 860 trailers were condemned in 1984, following the delivery of 30 2000 class railcars from 1979 to 1981.[10] In 1987/88 the State Transport Authority introduced the first of its new fleet of 3000 class railcars, which were intended to replace the Redhens. As more 3000 class were delivered through the early 1990s, mass withdrawals of Redhens commenced and they were gradually restricted to operating only during weekday peak hours. This was especially the case when driver only operation (DOO) was introduced in the early 1990s. The manual sliding doors made Redhens unsuitable for DOO and guards had to be retained to supervise passenger boarding and alighting.

In 1995, Redhens 400, 875 and 321 were restored to their original silver roof and red body livery to form TransAdelaide’s heritage set. They continued in service and were used on special tours until 1996, they were later transferred to their new home, the National Railway Museum on the 15 December.

By January 1996, only 16 remained in service, confined to peak-hour Gawler, Outer Harbor and Tonsley services.[11] The last Redhens in service were 428 and 436.[12][13]

Preservation history

402 at Leongatha on the South Gippsland Railway in December 2008

The first Redhens to be preserved were 303, 328, 329, 333, 338, 354, and trailers 877 and 881 which were moved to the Barossa Valley Junction Motel at Tanunda in 1986.[10] They were converted for use as accommodation and had most operational parts stripped as a result. The Motel continued operating until 2014, when the owners retired and closed the motel. Everything at the site was auctioned off, with all rolling stock sold to private buyers and being dispersed across Australia. Redhens 303 and 338 were moved to land adjacent to the northwest boundary of the Blackwood railway station, and were repainted to the original silver roof and red body livery by their new owners.[14] 329 and 354 were moved to Blewitt Springs, now planned for use as an accommodation venture known as "redhens". 333 went to the Two Wells area, while trailer car 877 was moved to Hallett and is now used as accommodation for hikers on the Heysen Trail. [15][16]

The Superchook set consisting of 2301, 2501 and 2302 were moved to The South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGR) in Victoria in 1994 and operated there for a few years. In 1995, railcars 311, 366, 373, 402, 416, and 436 were also moved to the SGR.[17] In December 1999, railcars 436, 366, 373, 2302, trailer 2501, 2301 and 416 were transferred from storage at Nyora to Bendigo for a new tourist operation named Centrail, while 311 and 402 remained at the SGR operating services.[10] The railcars had a test run in 2001, but they came under CFCLA's ownership in 2002 after the collapse of Centrail's owner, Great Northern Rail. 366 was moved to Australian Train Movers in NSW. In 2003 CFCLA swapped the railcars with Yorke Peninsula Railway locomotive T387, with all railcars but 436 being moved to Wallaroo for operation on the railway.[18] 436 was stripped of parts and scrapped, having suffered an arson attack during their time at Bendigo. 366 was moved back to Bendigo in 2015. Upon closure of the SGR in 2016, 311 and 402 were originally given to Mornington Railway, but they changed hands again in August 2020, when they were privately acquired with the intention to restore them in South Australia. They were moved to private property in May 2022, following the scrapping of remaining rolling stock at Korumburra.

The National Railway Museum (NRM) received trailer car 875 in 1987, and it was restored in 1995 for use with the TransAdelaide special set, which included railcars 321 and 400.[16] The set was used on the metropolitan network until 15 December 1996, when it was moved to the NRM for preservation.[19][20] The full set was last used in 2006 for the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Adelaide - Port Adelaide line, with 875 returning to display afterwards. 321 and 400 were used for shuttles from the museum to Adelaide Railway Station from 2013 to 2015.[21] They have since been restricted to running on the NRM's 1 km portion of track due to the high cost of getting them accredited for running on the Adelaide Metro rail network. 875 was given to SteamRanger due to a loss of space in the museum caused by the impending extension of Adelaide Metro rail services to the site. It was moved to SteamRanger's Mt Barker depot in February 2019.

SteamRanger Heritage Railway restored trailer car 824 in 1985, and it was joined by railcar 412 in 1995.[22] The transfer movement of 412 from SteamRanger's Dry Creek depot to their Goolwa depot became the last passenger train to operate between Adelaide and Victor Harbor.[17] In early 2012, 412 was legally painted into a graffiti livery for the 'Just Add Water' festival in Goolwa, the car was painted again in another graffiti livery by the same artists in late 2012 for the 2013 festival before returning to its Regal Red in late 2014. 428 and 364 moved to SteamRanger by road later in 1997, with 428 became operational in 1998 and 364 remained stored. 428 was given a unique livery in 2000, based on the mustard pot livery used by numerous SAR diesel locomotives. This livery was never worn by Redhens while in service. In 2006, the Council of Port Adelaide and Enfield offered SteamRanger wooden trailer 830, which was displayed at the historic wharf area in Port Adelaide. SteamRanger took up the offer, and transported it to their Mount Barker depot later that year. It remains stored awaiting restoration.[23] SteamRanger took delivery of ex-Limestone Coast Railway railcars 334, 405, and 424 in 2014, as well as trailer 820 which was damaged by fire as a result of an arson attack, destroying everything but the frame and bogies.[24] 820 has since been delivered to Strathalbyn where it remains stored. The LCR railcars and trailers were previously stored in the roundhouse at Mount Gambier. SteamRanger did not get steel trailer 874 from the LCR, which was instead scrapped. In February 2019 however, they received steel trailer 875 from the NRM and it is now undergoing restoration. In May 2023, Steamranger's 4 car Redhen set consisting of 428-824-334 & 412 derailed between Victor Harbour and Port Elliott, later in June 428 was involved in a level crossing accident at Middleton, with visible damage to the front of the railcar.

Yorke Peninsula Railway (YPR) took delivery of railcar 435 from Islington Railway Workshops to its depot in Wallaroo in February 2000, following its purchase from Great Northern Rail. In April 2002, railcar 406 was moved from the Port Milang Historic Railway Museum to the YPR.[25] The YPR's sole locomotive, T387 broke down in June 2003, but was repaired and returned to service. Rolling stock leasing company CFCLA offered the society to swap the locomotive with the Superchook set (2301, trailer 2501, 2302) and railcars 416 and 436. This offer was previously refused by YPR, but they agreed to it after T387 failed again in December 2003.[18] All railcars but 436 were transferred to Wallaroo, with 436 being stripped of parts and scrapped after an arson attack.[17] The railway's first 2 redhens, 435 and 406 remained stored as a source of parts while the Superchooks and 416 were put into service. They operated until the railway closed in 2009. 435 was given to SteamRanger, who stripped remaining parts on it and placed it at Strathalbyn station for use by the art gallery at the station. 406 was moved to the Big Orange tourist attraction in Monash, near Berri for use as a restaurant, but this proposal has since fallen through and the railcar is now for sale.[17] The Superchooks were moved to private property in Coolac, NSW and remained there until they were moved to Kandos, NSW on 12 December 2021.[10]

Preservation list

This list contains all Redhens that have been in preservation, including those which have since been scrapped.

Key: Operational Stored Preserved Static Under Restoration Formerly Preserved, now Scrapped

300 class railcars

Number Entered Service Current/Last Owner Location Status
300 (now 2301) 6 October 1955, Rebuilt 18 July 1983 Private Owner Kandos, NSW Preserved Static
303 6 November 1955 Private Owner Blackwood, SA Preserved Static[14]
311 17 April 1956 Private Owner Victoria Stored
317 17 August 1956 Private Owner Riverton, SA Preserved Static
321 12 April 1957 National Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SA Operational, limited use.
328 29 June 1956 Private Owner Tanunda, SA Stored Pending Move 2014
329 29 June 1957 Private Owner Blewitt Springs, SA Preserved Static
333 7 August 1958 Private Owner Two Wells, SA Preserved Static
334 4 June 1958 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Goolwa/Mount Barker, SA Operational
337 (now 2302) 20 June 1958, Rebuilt 18 July 1983 Private Owner Kandos, NSW Preserved Static
338 3 July 1958 Private Owner Blackwood, SA Preserved Static[14]
339 3 July 1958 Private Owner Riverton, SA Preserved Static
354 27 April 1961 Private Owner Blewitt Springs, SA Preserved Static
364 8 July 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored
365 17 July 1968 Private Owner Riverton, SA Formerly Preserved, Now Scrapped
366 20 July 1968 Private Owner Bendigo, NSW Preserved Static
367 23 August 1968 Private Owner Riverton, SA Preserved Static
368 23 August 1968 Private Owner Riverton, SA Formerly Preserved, Now Scrapped
372 29 June 1970 Private Owner Riverton, SA Preserved Static, Near Operable
373 2 July 1970 Australian Train & Railway Services NSW Stored, For Sale[26]

400 class railcars

Number Entered Service Current/Last Owner Location Status
400 17 September 1959 National Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SA Operational, limited use.
402 2 October 1959 Private Owner Victoria Stored
405 12 November 1959 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored
406 14 November 1959 Private Owner Monash, near Berri, SA[27] Stored, For Sale
409 11 December 1959 Private Owner Riverton, SA Formerly Preserved, Now Scrapped
412 5 December 1960 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Goolwa, SA Operational
416 3 February 1961 Private Owner Kandos, NSW Preserved Static
424 16 September 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Operational
428 6 December 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Out of Service, Level Crossing damaged June 2023
432 13 February 1970 Private Owner Hunter Valley, NSW Preserved Static
433 20 May 1970 Private Owner Riverton, SA Formerly Preserved, Now Scrapped
435 30 June 1971 Stationmaster's Art Gallery Strathalbyn, SA Preserved Static
436 22 July 1971 Yorke Peninsula Railway Bendigo, Vic Formerly Preserved, Now Scrapped

820 class trailers

Number Original Number Entered Service Conversion Current/Last Owner Location Status
820 429 1 December 1917 23 February 1961 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Strathalbyn, SA Frame and Bogies stored,

Remainder burned down[28]

824 329 17 December 1912 June 6, 1961 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Goolwa, SA Operational
830 467 30 June 1924 29 September 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored
831 458 20 April 1918 24 December 1969 Port Milang Historic Railway Museum Milang, SA Preserved Static
832 468 24 July 1924 24 December 1969 The Almond Train McLaren Vale, SA Preserved Static

860 class trailers

Number Original Number Entered Service Conversion Current/Last Owner Location Status
862 (now 2501) 850 4 November 1944 12 December 1955 Rebuilt 18 July 1983 Private Owner Kandos, NSW Preserved Static
863 853 13 February 1946 13 February 1956 Private Owner Tanunda, SA Stored Pending Move 2014
864 851 22 March 1945 17 March 1956 Private Owner Strathalbyn, SA Preserved (Static)
870 810 24 July 1945 12 April 1957 SA Support Services Murray Bridge, SA Preserved (Static)
873 816 13 February 1946 29 May 1957 Australian Train Movers NSW Stored as of 2018
874 807 24 July 1945 17 August 1957 Limestone Coast Railway Mount Gambier, SA Formerly Preserved, now Scrapped[28]
875 812 24 July 1945 3 April 1957 SteamRanger Heritage Railway[16] Mount Barker, SA Under Restoration
877 805 22 March 1945 4 June 1957 Private Owner Hallett, SA Preserved (Static)
880 818 13 February 1946 25 July 1957 Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village Tailem Bend, SA Preserved (Static)
881 803 4 November 1944 19 August 1959 Private Owner Tanunda, SA Stored Pending Move 2014

Model kit

The SAR Model Company makes powered and unpowered HO scale kits of both the 300 class (single-ended) and 400 class (double-ended) railcars. The company also makes a kit of the 860 class trailer baggage car.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The 300-400 Class Railcars and 829-860 Class Trailer of the South Australian Railways" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 577 November 1985 pages 243-261
  2. ^ "The 300-400 Class Railcars and 829-860 Class Trailer of the South Australian Railways" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 578 December 1985 pages 279-283
  3. ^ a b McNicol, Steve (1981). STA Railcars. Elzabeth: Railmac Publications. ISBN 0-949817-01-5.
  4. ^ "Multiple-Unit Diesel Trains" Railway Gazette 30 July 1954 page 120
  5. ^ "Australasia" Diesel Railway Traction April 1956 page 134
  6. ^ "STA Happenings" Catch Point issue 69 January 1989 page 24
  7. ^ "Metropolitan Area - Broad Gauge Lines" Catch Point issue 36 July 1983 page 17
  8. ^ "Here & There" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 552 October 1983 page 114
  9. ^ "STA Railcars to be Saved" Catch Point issue 102 July 1994 page 11
  10. ^ a b c d Redhen Railcars 300 to 373 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  11. ^ "Red Hen's Indian Summer" Railway Digest March 1996 page 17
  12. ^ "Farewell Red Hens" Railway Digest February 1997 page 16
  13. ^ "TransAdelaide Redhen Disposal - The Final Chapter" Catch Point issue 119 May 1997 page 14
  14. ^ a b c Wong, Marcus. "Redhen railcars 303 and 308 converted into private accommodation near Blackwood station". Wongm’s Rail Gallery. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. ^ "The Carriages". Heysen Trail. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b c 860 Class Steel Railcar Trailer Cars Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  17. ^ a b c d Redhen Railcars 400 to 436 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  18. ^ a b Bailey, Keith (2010). End of the Line. The Story of Y.P. Rail. Openbook Howden. pp. 57–60.
  19. ^ "Where Did All the Red Hens Go?" Catch Point issue 168 July 2005 page 16
  20. ^ Red Hens return for a special weekend ABC News 29 November 2013
  21. ^ "Return of the RedHen Trains to Adelaide". Epsilson's World. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  22. ^ SAR 820 Class Wooden Railcar Trailers Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  23. ^ "A Look Back at Enthusiast News from our website in 2006". SteamRanger Enthusiast Pages. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Our Locomotive Fleet". SteamRanger Heritage Railway. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  25. ^ Bailey, Keith (2010). End of the Line. The Story of Y.P. Rail. Openbook Howden. pp. 45–46.
  26. ^ 342 Australian Train & Railway Services
  27. ^ "Yorke Peninsula Rail Disposals" Catch Point issue 195 January 2010 page 42
  28. ^ a b Masson, John. "Trashed Rail Heritage". Johnny's Pages - Old SAR Shunter. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  29. ^ "SAR Model Co. products". Junction Models. February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.

Media related to Redhen railcar at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Australian_Railways_Redhen_railcar&oldid=1174419064"