Redhen railcar
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A Redhen is a type of diesel railcar, formerly used on the suburban railway system in Adelaide, South Australia.
Redhens were the backbone of Adelaide’s metropolitan rail system between the late 1950s and the early 1990s. They operated on all the State Transport Authority (STA) routes, including several lines which are now closed to local trains (for example Bridgewater, Port Dock, Hendon and Wingfield).
The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways (SAR) in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam trains in Adelaide.
Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars known as Barwell Bulls.
TransAdelaide withdrew the last Redhens from regular service in October 1996, following delivery of a new fleet of 3000-class diesel-electric railcars. A number of Redhens have been preserved and are now operated by heritage and tourist railways in Australia.
Fleet details
The Redhens comprised two designs:-- 300-class had a driving cab at one end of each railcar. These needed to run as a minimum of 2-car trains.
- 400-class had driving cabs at both ends, and could be used as a single car when needed, or in multiple with other railcars to make up longer trains.
Construction
| Redhen railcars | |
|---|---|
| Built by: | South Australian Railways Islington Workshops |
| Track Gauge: | Broad Gauge 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Number in class: | 74 (300-class) 37 (400-class) |
| Length: | 20.0 m (65 ft 8 in) |
| Height: | 4.27 m (14 ft) |
| Width: | 3.05 m (10 ft) |
| 300-class | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit numbers | Dates introduced | Weight (tonnes) | Passenger seating capacity |
| 300 - 341 | 1955 - 1958 | 40.7 | 91 |
| 342 - 361 | 1959 - 1961 | 42.7 | 91 |
| 362 - 373 | 1968 - 1970 | 41.9 | 84 |
| 400-class | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit numbers | Dates introduced | Weight (tonnes) | Passenger seating capacity |
| 400 - 419 | 1959 - 1961 | 42.5 | 80 |
| 420 - 436 | 1968 - 1971 | 42.5 | 78 |
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 had been withdrawn in 1987. This slightly reduced the seating capacity of these modified cars.
Mechanical details
Each Redhen had two under-floor diesel engines and hydraulic transmission.Engines were sourced from either General Motors or Rolls Royce as follows
| Redhen power plant | |
|---|---|
| Unit numbers | Engine Details |
| 300 - 341 400 - 419 | 2 x GM model 6/71 – 6086 inclined 2-stroke diesels 6.97 liter displacement. 163 kW (219hp) at 2100 rpm. |
| 342 – 361 | 2 x Rolls Royce model C6SFLH horizontal 4-stroke diesels with supercharger 12.17 liter displacement. 170 kW (229hp) at 1850 rpm. |
| 362 - 373 420 - 436 | 2 x GM model 6/71–6086 inclined 2-stroke diesels 6.97 liter displacement. 157 kW (210hp) at 2100 rpm. |
- GM and Rolls Royce engines were subsequently exchanged between cars in the interests of standardisation.
- All Redhens were equipped with twin disc hydraulic torque converters with reversing gearbox.
- Braking was by Westinghouse SEM electro-pneumatic air brakes.
Deployment
When first introduced, all the 300-class Redhens were made up into 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 make 6-car trains. On rare occasions, at times of heavy traffic demand, trains of Redhens could be up to 9 cars long.400-class were used as single cars on the main lines during the evenings and at most other times on lightly patronized services such as the Grange and Northfield lines. They were also used in multiple with other 300 or 400-class units to increase the length of trains when necessary.
Super Chooks
Following the introduction of the STA’s new 2000-class railcars in 1980, two 300-class Redhens and a 860-class trailer were chosen for an experimental rebuild at the Regency Park workshops. Nos. 300, 337 and trailer 862 were modified in 1983 with new interiors, elevated cabs (similar to the 2000-class) and an exterior appearance like a hybrid between a traditional Redhen and a 2000-class Jumbo.The rebuilt cars were re-numbered 2301, 2302 and 2501 and nick-named Super Chooks (a chook is a chicken in Australian vernacular).
The exercise was not successful and no more Redhens were modified. The Super Chooks saw only limited passenger service and were withdrawn in 1992. They are now preserved and used by the [Yorke Peninsula Railway]tourist operation.
Withdrawal
All thirteen of the 820-class trailers were retired by December 1976 (these were wooden-bodied coaches and most had originally been built between 1912 and 1918). The corresponding 300-class Redhens were then coupled to a 400-class railcar to form 2-car trains (designated 300/400-class).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.
By the mid-1980s the Redhens ranged from 15 to 30 years in age. Whilst they had been faster and more comfortable than the steam trains they replaced in the 1950s, the design of the Redhens compared unfavourably with contemporary standards of passenger rolling stock. For example, they have neither heating nor air conditioning, which made them unpopular with commuters in mid-summer and mid-winter. They also have manually operated sliding doors, which were perceived as a safety hazard (particularly since de facto airconditioning was achieved during hot summer weather by passengers leaving the Redhens’ sliding doors wide open between stations).
In 1987 and 1988 the State Transport Authority (STA) introduced the first of its new fleet of diesel electric 3000-class railcars, which were intended to replace the Redhens. As more 3000 and 3100-class railcars were delivered through the early 1990s, the Redhens began to be withdrawn and were gradually restricted to operating only during weekday peak hours. This was especially the case when the STA moved towards driver-only-operation (DOO) of the rail system 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.
Following the final delivery of 3100-class railcars, TransAdelaide operated their last Redhens in public service in October 1996.
Preservation
In spite of their age and 1950s design, the Redhens were mechanically robust and reasonably reliable, and were attractive options for use on heritage and tourist railways after retirement from TransAdelaide. A number continue to operate on broad gauge lines in south-eastern Australia.
| Preserved Redhens (June 2006) | |
|---|---|
| Unit Numbers | Location |
| 321 400 875 | [National Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SA] |
| 364 412 428 824 | [SteamRanger Mount Barker, SA] |
| 334 405 424 874 | [Limestone Coast Railway Mount Gambier, SA] |
| 2301 2302 2501 406 416 432 435 | [Yorke Peninsula Railway Wallaroo, SA] |
| 311 402 | [South Gippsland Railway Korumburra, VIC] |
Other Redhens that still exist but are not in operatable condition, 409,436,339,365,368,372,373. Railcar 436 had its interior burnt out in 2004.
The National Railway Museum’s 3-car Redhen set was a centerpiece of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port Adelaide railway. On Sunday 23 April 2006, the Redhens worked a number of special trains between Adelaide, Woodville and the Port Dock station museum.
References
- S.T.A. Railcars S. McNicol, pub. Railmac Publications (1981) ISBN 0-949817-01-5
- Bulletins of the Australian Railway Historical Society vol.26 no.576 (Oct 1985); vol.26 no.577 (Nov 1985); vol.26 no.578 (Dec 1985). ISSN 1449 6291
- Transit Australia (Journal of the Australian Electric Traction Association Inc.), pub. Transit Australia Publishing, Sydney. ISSN 0818 5204
See also
External links
- [TransAdelaide]
- [More information on individual Redhens]
- [National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide]
- [SteamRanger]
- [Limestone Coast Railway]
- [Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail]
- [South Gippsland Railway]
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