80km/h (50mph) (TfNSW limit) 3000 series cars: 80km/h (50mph) (designed speed) 7000 series cars: 113km/h (70mph) (designed speed) 20km/h (12mph) (TfNSW limit through platforms)
Traction system
3000 series cars: 2 x Metropolitan-Vickers MV172 motors per carriage 7000 series cars: 4 x AEI149 motors per carriage Semi automatic electro-pneumatic resistance control, Series wound brushed DC traction motors
Transmission
3000 series cars: 58:18 Gear ratio. Straight cut gears. Wheel diameter 42 inch (1067mm) 7000 series cars: 74:17 Gear ratio. helical gears. Wheel diameter 36 inch (914mm)
The New South Wales Standard suburban carriage stock are a class of electric multiple units that were operated by the New South Wales Government Railways and its successors between 1926 and 1992. They served on the Sydney suburban network. In the years before their withdrawal, they, along with the Tulloch and Sputnik trains, were nicknamed "Red Rattlers", a term borrowed from Melbourne in reference to the Tait trains.
The initial 50 power cars were built in England by Leeds Forge Company and shipped to Australia in knocked-down condition. They were assembled by Eveleigh Carriage Workshops (10) and Clyde Engineering (40) between April and October 1925. Initially numbered 2213-2262, they entered service being inserted into sets with Bradfield carriages for haulage by steam locomotives until the early days of electrification of the suburban network in 1926.
At this stage they were renumbered C3101 to C3150.[1][2][3]
Between 1926 and 1929, a further 290 power cars, 248 trailer cars and three parcel vans were built in Australia by Clyde Engineering and Walsh Island Dockyard.[4] In 1937, Clyde Engineering built a further 12 power cars, to provide coverage while the 1920s built power cars were overhauled.[5] The reason for the imbalance between motor and trailer cars was the conversion of some American Suburban carriage stock to operate with the new power cars.[1][2]
In 1937, six trailers (T4543-T4548) were converted to driving trailers.[2] Between 1968 and 1975, some power cars were converted to 4 motors using traction equipments similar to the W sets and U sets and fitted on air suspended bogies. These were renumbered upwards by 4000, e.g. C3306 became C7306.[6] As built, the standard cars were painted in Tuscan red and russet with yellow pin striping.[7] In the 1940s, that was changed to Tuscan red with buff lining.[7]
Some sets which were lead by Standard motor cars would have Tulloch double deck trailers shuffled in with them in the 1960s. This was despite the original intent of only putting the double deck cars in comeng sets as the power cars had better propulsion power.[8] However the older standard cars were still capable of taking the heavier Tulloch double deck cars even if they did struggle to accelerate with the extra weight they had to bring.[9]
From 1973, the livery became Public Transport Commission blue and white, before that was superseded by Indian red in 1976. The original cream and brown interiors were repainted in two-tone green, but that was not done to all cars. Overhauls of the stock continued up until 1988, with some receiving sliding aluminium Beclawat windows to alleviate rust problems.[3][5][6]In 1957, the livery was changed to plain Tuscan red, which many cars retained until their withdrawal.[7]
Carriage C3124 in the process of disposal at Eveleigh
Withdrawals commenced in the 1970s, 92 remained in service with CityRail in July 1991.[6] The last were withdrawn in 1992. Many carriages would be scrapped, with the disassembly being done at many places on the rail network such as Homebush, Punchbowl, and Eveleigh.[10] This was likely done as a result of several single deck cars including standards as well as Tulloch and Comeng cars that were withdrawn in the same decade all being disposed of at once and the fact that over 800 single deck cars were built between 1925 and 1960. Several have been preserved.[3][11][12][13][14][15]
Construction and Introduction
Leeds Forge built class leader C3101 in 1926
Unlike the wooden cars they served with, the standards were of steel construction and only had four passenger doors on each side. The power cars were initially built with one cab door on the left side of the carriage and the trailers were built with a guard’s door.[8] Like the Bradfield cars, The standard power cars were fitted with Metropolitan-Vickers electrical equipment and two motors on the bogie below the pantograph.
The first 50 carriages were built by Leeds Forge Company in England. This choice was made as at the time; Australia had no prior experience with the construction of steel carriages.[8]
The Leeds Forge power cars were distinguishable by having a sun shade above the driver’s window, as opposed to the later built cars having one over the guard’s window as well as that of the driver.
All cars were assembled together via riveting to hold the carriage body together. A few cars also received Airmate pantographs, replacing the original Dorman Long pantographs.[7]
Just like the timber cars, these carriages were fitted with a row of ventilators on the roof due to a lack of alternatives for air conditioning. The final 12 cars built by Clyde Engineering were distinguished by the smaller windows and extra ventilators on the carriage roof.[8]
These cars along with the Bradfield cars would follow the same targeting system with all trains allocated to one of four depots at Mortdale, Flemington, Punchbowl and Hornsby.[16] In the early 1990s before their withdrawal, two sets as well as one back up train were chosen to run from Carlingford and Clyde. These were targeted Y1 and Y2 which would have a mix of Standard and Tulloch cars.
Due to the cars having manually operated doors, it wasn’t uncommon to see the doors left open on warm days. This was also seen in the suburban cars built by Tulloch both single and double deck.
The vast majority of single deck carriages were scrapped both manually and with machinery over the course of the 1990s.[17] Some cars still survive and have been left in sidings in places such as Chullora where the cars have sustained elemental damage and excessive vandalism. Some carriages were chosen for preservation with all preserved cars going to the Sydney Electric Train Society or SETS that was formed in 1991 specifically to preserve the suburban single deck carriages as they were retired. On the 10th of July 1993, SETS would run a rail tour with heritage set M1.[18]
This four-car set was made up of surviving Walsh Island Dockyard carriages C3218, D4052, T4527, and Leeds Forge car C3102. In 1994, C3102 was replaced by the acclaimed carriage C3426 and in 2001, C7396 would take a leading role in the consist and simultaneously resulting in the removal of D4052. SETS would run further tours with the M1 consist until 2002.[19] The cars would end up in the care of Historic Electric Traction which was formed by members of SETS that left the group over differences in carriage ownership. The set would be retargeted F1 after the release of the Millennium M sets in 2002.[20]
F1, which remains made up of four carriages (C7396, C3218, T4527, C3426), is preserved and in operational condition. This is as a result of collaboration between Sydney Trains, Transport Heritage NSW, who plan public trips and tours on the train, and Historic Electric Traction. The restored train resumed carrying passengers on 11 June 2016, 14 years since its last such trip.[19][21] One of the carriages of set F1, power car C3426, led the first electric train to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge. All four cars were built in 1927.[22]
Transport Heritage NSW / Sydney Trains has seven Standard cars in the care of Historic Electric Traction:[23]
C3102 - Leeds Forge (2 motor) Power Car - Stored at Redfern Carriageworks
C3218 - Walsh Island (2 motor) Power Car - Operational at Flemington Car Sheds
C3426 - Clyde Engineering (2 motor) Power Car - Operational at Flemington Car Sheds
C3653 - Walsh Island (2 motor) Parcel Van (ex C3903, C3553, C3773) - Stored at Redfern Carriageworks
C7396 - Clyde Engineering (4 motor) Power Car (ex C3396) - Operational at Flemington Car Sheds
D4052 - Walsh Island Driving Trailer Car (ex T4547, D4673) - Stored at Redfern Carriageworks
T4527 - Walsh Island Trailer Car - Operational at Flemington Car Sheds
Sydney Electric Train Society has two standard carriages in storage:[24]
C3104 - Leeds Forge Standard Motor Car - Stored - Bilpin
C3444 - Clyde Modified Standard Motor Car - Stored - Bilpin
Other surviving cars include:
C3650 - Walsh Island (2 motor) Parcel Van - Stored - Chullora
C3660 - Walsh Island (2 motor) Parcel Van - Stored - Chullora
T4408 - Walsh Island Trailer Car - Stored
Walsh Island Trailer Car T4310, owned by Transport Heritage NSW / Sydney Trains, is on static display at NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere.
Due to their width and age, Transport for NSW limits the speed of these carriages to 80km/h (50mph) during normal running and 20km/h (12mph) when passing platforms. They are further limited to running in wide loading gauge track areas only, which includes the whole suburban network, but does not include the Main North line leaving Sydney.[citation needed]
Walsh Island Dockyard Carriage T4353, Now an Office Building for Richmond Valley Motors
Private ownership
Many cars were sold via contract to Milfren Pty Ltd from 1990 to 1994 to private buyers.[26] Usually this would only include the body of the carriage, lacking pantographs and bogies, however there are some exceptions to these.
Usually ran with a parcel van to fill up a 2 car consist in case of an equipment failure.
Painted as "The Giraffe" for Cityrail Zoo Train H22 in March 1991 as part of a brand deal with Taronga Zoo. Restored back into this livery after a period in grey.[32]
↑ Howarth, Roy; Ryan, Glen (2010). THE LEEDS FORGE CARS C3101 to 3150. 95 Allawah Road Dungowan NSW 2340: Bow River Publishing. pp.150–151. ISBN978-0-646-53011-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
↑ Howarth, Roy; Ryan, Glenn (2017). SINGLE DECKERS FROM NEWCASTLE - THE CARS BUILT AT WALSH ISLAND DOCKYARD - VOLUME 2: TEH POWER CARS C3251 - 3300. 95 Allawah Road Dungowan NSW 2340: Bow River Publishing. pp.181–182. ISBN978-0-646-95320-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
↑ Howarth, Roy; Ryan, Glenn (2014). SINGLE DECKERS FORM NEWCASTLE - THE CARS BUILT AT WALSH ISLAND DOCKYARD - Volume 1 - The Power Cars C3171 to C3220. Bow River Publishing. ISBN978-0-646-91348-3.
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