3000 series cars: 80km/h (50mph) (designed speed) 7000 series cars: 113km/h (70mph) (designed speed)
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 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 Tulloch suburban carriage stock are a type of electric multiple unit operated by the New South Wales Government Railways and its successors between 1940 and 1992, serving the Sydney suburban network. In their later years, they, along with the Standard and Sputnik trains, were nicknamed "Red Rattlers". The term was borrowed from Melbourne, originally referencing the Tait trains.
They were built as a response to help run the newly electrified lines of the east hill and the opening of the Cronulla line in 1939. Due to the higher passenger loads and further lines having been opened, the operating suburban trains proved to be insufficient for the network and so more trains had to be commissioned. By 1957, 203 new carriages had been built, with the first carriages entering service in 1940.[1]
When the first Tulloch double deck carriages were built in 1964, the plan was to only put them in the Comeng single deck sets since the power cars had more tractive capability.[1] However, the Tulloch power cars proved that they, the Standard, and even the Bradfield motor cars could handle pulling them and so 80 were put into single deck sets with manual doors which included the Tullochs. The Comeng trailers were shuffled into the manual door sets after having their power operated door equipment removed.
Between 1968 and 1975, some power cars were fitted with two motor air suspended bogies. These were renumbered upwards by 4000, e.g. C3453 became C7453.[2]
Tulloch carriage being prepared for disposal
Originally painted Tuscan red, from 1973 they were repainted in the Public Transport Commission blue and white livery before the livery was changed to Indian red in 1976.[3] The interiors were painted in two-tone green.
Overhauls of the stock continued up until 1988, with some receiving sliding aluminium Beclawat windows to alleviate rust problems. Withdrawals commenced in the 1980s, 94 remained in service with CityRail in July 1991.[2] The last were withdrawn in 1992.
These cars would be disposed of at various places along with other single deck suburban cars throughout the 1990s. Several have been preserved.[3][4][5][6]
Construction
By the 1930s, Australia had plenty of experience in steel carriage building with the construction of many suburban cars built between 1926 and 1937 by both Walsh Island Dockyard and Clyde Engineering and so it was decided that the next suburban trains would built locally.[1]
Standard carriage
Tulloch carriage
Similarly to the standard stock built in the mid-1920s and late 1930s, the Tullochs were built using riveting to hold the car body together. These cars also differed from the 1920s built carriages in having a pillar between the doors to increase passenger circulation space.[7][2][8][3]
This feature would also be included in the suburban single deck cars built by Commonwealth Engineering later in the same decade as the last of the Tulloch built cars. In addition to the spacing out of the passenger doors, a crew compartment door was installed on both sides of the power car, while the standard carriages were originally built with only one on the left-hand side. These cars also featured longitudinal seating in the vestibules, which some of the standard cars were fitted with at a later date during refurbishment. Most of the power cars were fitted with sun shades above the driver and guard's windows.
The Tulloch carriages were very similar to the previously built suburban cars aside from this aforementioned pillar and extra crew compartment door.
The next batch were not built for another 11 years due to a shortage in steel following World War II.
In 1951, a further three first series power cars were delivered, followed between May 1952 and March 1956 by 47 second series power cars, which featured an enlarged guard's compartment.[4] Between July 1950 and October 1957, 105 trailer cars were built.[2][8] They operated in sets with the 1920s built steel carriages along with the timber carriages built earlier the same decade across the Sydney suburban network.
These also had a row of large ventilators on the roof, as there were not many ways to keep the carriages cool in hot weather. This design choice would be used for all future single deck trains, both suburban and interurban. Like the previously built standard suburban carriages and wooden stock, the Tulloch carriages were supplied with tractive equipment from Metropolitan-Vickers with two motors placed on the bogie below the pantograph.[1]
These would use the same targeting system as the previously built suburban carriages. All Standard, Bradfield and Tulloch cars were allocated to the depots at Hornsby, Mortdale, Punchbowl, and Flemington.[9] Some Tulloch cars were put on the two sets of three car Y sets that worked on the line between Clyde and Carlingford.
Because of the doors being manually operated, passengers often would leave the doors open on warm days to make up for the lack of proper air conditioning.
Preservation
While several carriages were broken up for scrap, some carriages remain preserved. A fair portion of the existing cars were converted into alternatives for housing and other structures. Others remain as part of the heritage fleets of the heritage organizations of New South Wales. At least eight remain in their original state.
Most of these carriages are in very poor condition due to long term exposure to the elements and having been vandalised with smashed windows, missing parts, and seats.[10] None of the non-converted power cars survive. Car C7513 was planned for restoration but no efforts have been made.[11] None of these carriages are operational.
While not as old as the standard carriages that had been built only a few years before, it is more then likely that they will be will be restricted in their maximum speed due to the width of the cars if any cars are to run on the mainline.
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