New South Wales Bradfield suburban carriage stock

Last updated

New South Wales Bradfield carriage stock
Bradfield cars to Milsons Pt 574.jpg
Train led by carriage C3082 at the North Sydney car sidings, c.1980
Bradfield Carriage Interior.jpg
Interior of car C3045
Stock typeElectric Multiple Unit
In service1921–1975
Manufacturer Clyde Engineering
Ritchie Brothers
Meadowbank Manufacturing Company
Eveleigh Carriage Workshops
Designer Edward Lucy
Constructed1921–1922
Number built100 (183 American Carriage Stock converted into trailer cars with 9 becoming driving trailers)
Fleet numbersC3000-C3100, T4101–T4284, D4001-D4009
Operators New South Wales Government Railways
Public Transport Commission
Depots Flemington
Hornsby
Mortdale
Punchbowl
Lines servedAll Sydney suburban
Specifications
Car length18.75 m (61 ft 6+14 in)
Width3.180 m (10 ft 5+14 in)
Height3.930 m (12 ft 10+34 in)
Wheel diameter42 in (1,067 mm)
Maximum speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Traction system2 x Metropolitan-Vickers MV172 motors per carriage, Semi automatic Electro-pneumatic resistance control, DC series wound brushed traction motors
Power output2 x 270 kW (360 hp)
Transmission58:18 Gear ratio. Straight cut gears.
Electric system(s) 1,500 V DC catenary
Current collection Single-pan diamond pantograph
Braking system(s) Westinghouse air
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

The New South Wales Bradfield suburban carriage stock are a type of electric multiple unit operated by the New South Wales Government Railways and its successors between 1921 and 1975.

Contents

History

With the electrification of the Sydney suburban network planned, in 1919 orders were placed for 100 carriages with contracts awarded to three builders, Clyde Engineering (42), Ritchie Brothers (18) and Meadowbank Manufacturing Company (40). [1] [2]

The carriages featured wooden bodies on steel underframes with 43 fitted out as EBB first class carriages and 57 as EBA second class. The carriages gained the Bradfield carriages nickname after the New South Wales Railway's Chief Engineer John Bradfield, even though they were designed by Chief Mechanical Engineer Edward Lucy. [2] [3]

SydneyHarbourBridgeMarch1932SamHood.jpg
First Electric Train on Main Span (6057732506).jpg
Bradfield carriages were the first electric train stock to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932

All were delivered between January 1921 and January 1922 numbered 2112 to 2211. One further first class carriage was delivered as 2212 by the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in January 1923. [3] All initially entered service as locomotive hauled stock with eight seats fitted in what would later become the driver's cabin. [1] [2] [4]

In preparation for the commissioning of the electrified network, the 101 newly-built carriages were converted to driving motor cars at Electric Carriage Workshops being renumbered C3000 to C3100 and operated with American Suburban stock. [2] [3] [4]

In the mid-20s 183 American Suburban end platform carriages were converted into trailer carriages numbered T4101 to T4284 along with a further nine converted into driving trailers numbered D4001 to D4009.

The Bradfield carriages would on occasionally operate in mixed train sets with the later constructed Standard and Tulloch Suburban cars built in the same and following decades which came as a result of the steel constructed cars using the same electrical system. After the retirement of many of the Bradfield trailers in 1968, the motor cars would continue to work with some hauling the newer Tulloch double deck trailer cars first built in 1964. [5] [6]

Bradfield Carriage C3067, converted cia 1961-62. C3067 a rebuilt Bradfield car.jpg
Bradfield Carriage C3067, converted cia 1961-62.

The last Bradfield motor car was withdrawn in 1975 with two preserved. [7] [8]

The last trailers and driving trailers were retired in the late-1970s.

Carriages C3001-C3080 were renumbered C7001-C7080 to allow newer Goninan-built S set carriages to be numbered C3001-C3080.

(Table is for power cars)

NumbersBuilder
2112-2153 Clyde Engineering
2154-2193 Ritchie Brothers
2194-2211 Meadowbank Manufacturing Company

Design and refurbishments

The power carriages were inspired by the New York City Subway cars used at the time. This reflects in their appearance with them having a similar door layout to those used in New York during this period. This was to reduce the dwell time at stations but not considered a necessary feature and was not given to later rolling stock. [6]

Since the trailer cars were converted from previously built steam hauled passenger stock, they were slightly shorter compared to the power cars that they operated with at only 15 meters long while the power cars were a further 18 meters. The trailers only have three doors on each side while the motor cars were built with six. In the 1950s, some cars had their roofs replaced by Tulloch Limited at Rhodes. [6]

In the 1960s, some of the motor cars were rebuilt with a door layout reminiscent of later introduced rolling stock. By 1967, 18 carriages were given this feature. These were C3005, C3012, C3035, C3037, C3040, C3041, C3042, C3046, C3050, C3052, C3054, C3055, C3067, C3074, C3077, C3090, C3094, and C3098. [9] [10] None of these carriages were preserved.

The cars were fitted with electrical equipment from the english engineering company, Metropolitan-Vickers with two motors placed under the bogie underneath the pantograph. This would extend to the suburban and Tulloch carriages that the wooden stock would mix with. [6]

The sets were fitted with target plates on the leading and trailing power cars of each train. Every aspect of the target plate had a purpose. The Target plates had a letter for the depot, a number, and the colour would indicate how long the train was and weather or not it could be broken up into a smaller consist. All single deck sets were kept at four Depots these were Flemington, Hornsby, Mortdale, and Punchbowl.

All would have the same letter that the name of depot would start with. Punchbowl was the outlier as all train had B instead of P on their target plates as a result of the close proximity to Bankstown at the end of suburban electrification.

Blue Target Plates were fitted to sets that were seven or eight car trains that couldn’t be divided. Red target plates were fitted to seven and eight car train that could be divided and would be give an extra letter e. g. one half of the set would F5A and the other half F5B. With the trains could be broken up further into two car sets then they would be given yellow plates with an extra number. Such as F5A1 and F5A2. There were also plans to use green plates for four car sets that could not be split up however there is no record of these in use. [5] These would have had a display like the red target plates.

Preservation

Sydney Electric Train Society has Bradfield motor car C3082 preserved. This car were previously owned by RailCorp (now Sydney Trains) but was sold to SETS in 2008 (along with C3104 and C3444). This car is currently in undercover storage at Bilpin.[ as of? ]

Bradfield Carriage C3045 and a NSWGR FS class passenger car at the NSW Rail Museum in Thirlmere H13 and a NSWGR FS class.jpg
Bradfield Carriage C3045 and a NSWGR FS class passenger car at the NSW Rail Museum in Thirlmere

Sydney Trains / Transport Heritage NSW / Historic Electric Traction has Bradfield motor car C3045 and wooden trailer car T4279 preserved. C3045 is on static display at the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere. T4279 is in undercover storage at Redfern, with the rest of the heritage electrics fleet.

Bradfield motor car C3080, Bradfield parcel vans C3661 and C3662, wooden trailer cars T4186 and T4224, and wooden driving trailer car D4004 are all in undercover storage at Rothbury. C3661 is privately owned and the ownership of the other carriages is unknown.

Surviving Bradfield carriages
NumberLocationOwnerStatusReferences
C3045NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere Transport Heritage NSW Static Display [11]
C3082Bilpin Sydney Electric Train Society Stored [12]
C3080Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyUnknownStored
C3661Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyPrivate OwnershipStored
C3662Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyUnknownStored
T4279Redfern Carriage Works Transport Heritage NSW Stored [13]
T4186Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyUnknownStored
T4224Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyUnknownStored
D4004Hunter Valley Railway Trust, RothburyUnknownStored

References

  1. 1 2 Kerry, Michael (1990). Sydney's Wooden Electrics. Sydney: Transit Australia Publishing. ISBN   0-909459-14-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cooke, David (1999). Coaching Stock of the NSW Railways. Matraville: Eveleigh Press. pp. 200–203. ISBN   1-876568-00-3.
  3. 1 2 3 C3045 Bradfield Suburban Car NSW Environment & Heritage
  4. 1 2 C3082 1921 Ritchie Bros Wooden Bradfield Motor Car Sydney Electric Traction Society
  5. 1 2 City Connections (9 October 2024). Trains of Sydney Trains . Retrieved 27 July 2025 via YouTube.
  6. 1 2 3 4 City Connections (15 February 2023). Rolling Stock of Sydney: The Bradfield Suburban Trains . Retrieved 27 July 2025 via YouTube.
  7. "Building Sydney's City Circle Railway". www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  8. Doyle, Matthew (2003). "SETS Fleet". www.sets.org.au. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  9. Henderson, R G; Dornan, S E (1976). The Electric Railways of New South Wales.
  10. Clark, Howard R; Keenan, David R. First Stop Central.
  11. "C 3045 - 'Bradfield' Suburban Car | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  12. "SETS Fleet - Single-Deck Suburban Cars". www.sets.org.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  13. "T 4279 - Suburban Trailer Car, Wooden | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.