Hunter railcar | |
---|---|
In service | 2006–present |
Manufacturer | UGL Rail |
Built at | Broadmeadow |
Replaced | 620/720 railcars |
Constructed | 2006–2007 |
Entered service | 23 November 2006 |
Number built | 14 carriages (7 sets) |
Number in service | 14 carriages (7 sets) |
Formation | 2-car sets |
Fleet numbers |
|
Capacity | 77 (HM) 69 (HMT) |
Operators | NSW TrainLink |
Depots | Broadmeadow |
Lines served | Hunter |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Stainless steel with fibreglass end bonnets |
Train length | 50.5 m (165 ft 8+3⁄16 in) |
Car length | 25.25 m (82 ft 10+1⁄8 in) |
Width | 2.93 m (9 ft 7+3⁄8 in) |
Height | 4.24 m (13 ft 10+7⁄8 in) |
Floor height | 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) |
Maximum speed |
|
Weight |
|
Prime mover(s) | Cummins QSK19-R |
Power output | 559 kW (750 hp) |
Transmission | Voith T312 bre |
Auxiliaries | Cummins 6ISBe-G1 - 150 kW (201 hp) |
Bogies | PKA (powered), NKA (trailer) |
Coupling system | Dellner |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Hunter railcars, [1] are a class of diesel multiple unit (DMU) operated by NSW TrainLink on the Hunter Line in New South Wales, Australia. Built by UGL Rail between November 2006 and September 2007, they initially operated for CityRail. The railcars have received only one refurbishment in their years of service. This changed their livery from CityRail, to NSW TrainLink. [2]
In 2001, the Government of New South Wales called for tenders for seven two-carriage railcar sets to replace the remaining 620/720 railcars on Hunter Line services, with a contract awarded to Goninan in 2002. [3] [4] [5]
Each set comprises two powered cars with one having a toilet. [2] The first set entered service on 23 November 2006, operating a small number of Newcastle to Telarah services on Thursday and Fridays only. [6] The second set entered service on 8 January 2007 also operating a limited number of services. By September 2007, all seven had entered service. [7] They operate services from Newcastle to Dungog and Scone alongside the Endeavours.
All sets passed from CityRail to NSW TrainLink with the Hunter line services in July 2013. In 2014/15, they received refurbished seats, improved toilet facilities, anti-graffiti interior paint and NSW TrainLink vinyls. [8]
The design of the J sets is derived from the Transwa Prospector and AvonLink - the major difference being the driving cars are each single-engined instead of dual-engined, due to the lower top speed requirement for the Hunter line. Reversible seating is covered with durable, vandal proof woollen moquette fabric in 3x2 formation, and have retractable footrests. CCTV is installed. The cars have been fitted with Dellner SP couplers. They are able to absorb the impact of a collision, and the anti-climbers will also reduce the force of impact. They also have a different body design. Instead of the entire body being of the same design, such as the Tangara, the driver's cab is built as a protective cage, made of fibreglass, which stretches to the end of the guard's door. The stainless steel paneling starts at the guard's door. The guard's door is designed to operate separately from the passenger doors.
The trains have multiple-unit capability with the earlier Endeavour and Xplorers, but only in the event of failure or for empty coaching stock movements. These cars normally operate as two-car sets, however during peak periods they can operate as four-car sets.
Each car is powered by a Cummins QSK19-R diesel engine rated at 559 kW (750 hp) at 1800rpm coupled to a Voith T312bre hydraulic transmission driving both axles on one bogie via Voith SK-485 final drives. An auxiliary 150 kW (201 hp) Cummins 6ISBe-G1 diesel engine drives a Newage Stamford UCI274H alternator to supply power for the air conditioning and lighting. [9] Hunter Railcars are capable of 160 km/h (99 mph) but in service are limited to a maximum of 145 km/h (90 mph). [10]
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.
The T sets, also referred to as the Tangara trains, are a class of electric multiple units that currently operate on the Sydney Trains network. Built by A Goninan & Co, the sets entered service between 1988 and 1995, initially under the State Rail Authority and later on CityRail. The T sets were built as "third-generation" trains for Sydney's rail fleet, coinciding with the final withdrawals of the "Red Rattler" sets from service in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Tangaras were initially built as two classes; the long-distance G sets and the suburban T sets, before being merged after successive refurbishments.
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Media related to New South Wales Hunter railcars at Wikimedia Commons