S type carriage
Encyclopedia
The S type carriages are a compartment layout passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria
, Australia
. The carriages were constructed by the Victorian Railways
in 1937 for use on the Spirit of Progress
, with additional carriages built until the 1950s for other trains.
Two major types of carriage were constructed - AS first class cars with 3+3 seating in each compartment, BS second class cars with 4+4 seating. A number of conversions were made in later years, with the addition of beds to some to produce the sleeping car
s, and buffet modules to others to provide on board catering facilities. The BRS cars were the most recent conversion made as part of the 'New Deal
' reforms of the early 1980s.
The cars saw little use by the early 1990s with the introduction of the Sprinter
railcars, and a number were sold to West Coast Railway
. After the demise of WCR their cars passed to preservation groups such as the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
, Steamrail Victoria
, and 707 Operations
.
5 BS cars that were owned by V/Line
were retired in July 2006, almost 69 years after their introduction. However owing to a boom in patronage (and the Kerang rail crash) they were re-introduced to service to replace N set N7 as a dedicated train set on the Geelong line from late September, 2007. This set was withdrawn from service on 9 August 2010, running the 7:47am service from South Geelong to Southern Cross.
were uncoded and were simply numbered. The codes did not appear until 1940. Individual carriages in each class were numbered upwards from 1, until they were renumbered into the 200 series in the 1980s as part of a general renumbering of all V/Line carriage stock.
Conversions:
Standard gauge:
Operation of fixed carriage sets was not introduced until the 1980s and the introduction of the N type carriage
s. Before this time S cars could appear on various intrastate trains with other Z type
steel carriages, as well as older wooden bodied stock.
From the 1980s most of the S cars was placed into the Z type carriage sets
, and from the mid 1990s were also added as additional cars in the N type sets
. Today the 5 BS cars in V/Line service are placed in a single carriage set coded SZ7 (formerly SN7), along with a single BCZ carriage
. The BS V/Line cars are in a Z coded set because the BCZ car is a classed as a Z.
Rail transport in Victoria
Rail transport in Victoria, Australia, is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. Victorian lines use broad gauge, with the exception of a number of standard gauge freight and interstate lines, a few experimental narrow gauge lines, and...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The carriages were constructed by the Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
in 1937 for use on the Spirit of Progress
Spirit of Progress
The Spirit of Progress was the premier express train passenger service on the Victorian Railways in Australia, running from Melbourne to the Victorian border, and later through to Sydney.-Route:...
, with additional carriages built until the 1950s for other trains.
Two major types of carriage were constructed - AS first class cars with 3+3 seating in each compartment, BS second class cars with 4+4 seating. A number of conversions were made in later years, with the addition of beds to some to produce the sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
s, and buffet modules to others to provide on board catering facilities. The BRS cars were the most recent conversion made as part of the 'New Deal
New Deal (railway)
The New Deal' for Country Passengers was a timetable introduced on 4 October 1981 in Victoria, Australia that revolutionised the provision of country passenger railway services. 35 little-used passenger stations were closed, rolling stock utilisation improved, and new rolling stock introduced...
' reforms of the early 1980s.
The cars saw little use by the early 1990s with the introduction of the Sprinter
Sprinter (Victorian train)
The Sprinter is a high speed diesel railcar train manufactured by Goninan for use on interurban and semi-regional rail services in Victoria, Australia...
railcars, and a number were sold to West Coast Railway
West Coast Railway (Victoria)
West Coast Railway was the trading name of The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd, a railway company operating in Victoria, Australia. The company operated passenger services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from 1993 to 2004.-History:...
. After the demise of WCR their cars passed to preservation groups such as the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
, Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
, and 707 Operations
707 Operations
707 Operations is a railway preservation group based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer organisation was established in 1980 to restore R class locomotive R707. The company has its own section of the Newport Workshops that is used for storing carriages and locomotives when not in...
.
5 BS cars that were owned by V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
were retired in July 2006, almost 69 years after their introduction. However owing to a boom in patronage (and the Kerang rail crash) they were re-introduced to service to replace N set N7 as a dedicated train set on the Geelong line from late September, 2007. This set was withdrawn from service on 9 August 2010, running the 7:47am service from South Geelong to Southern Cross.
Coding
The S type carriages that appeared on the inaugural Spirit of ProgressSpirit of Progress
The Spirit of Progress was the premier express train passenger service on the Victorian Railways in Australia, running from Melbourne to the Victorian border, and later through to Sydney.-Route:...
were uncoded and were simply numbered. The codes did not appear until 1940. Individual carriages in each class were numbered upwards from 1, until they were renumbered into the 200 series in the 1980s as part of a general renumbering of all V/Line carriage stock.
- AS: First class sitter
- BS: Economy class sitter
- CS: Guard's van
- DS: Bulk Mail van
- Dining Car, later named Murray
- Parlor Car, later named Norman
- Long Buffets, named Mitta Mitta and Wimmera
- Short Buffets, named Moorabool and Tanjil
- State Car No. 5
Conversions:
- ABS: First and economy class sitter (1953)
- MBS: 'Mini Buffet' and 5 sitting compartments (1965)
- MRS: Refreshment car (1977)
- BRS: Economy sitting car with snack bar (snack bar layout similar to that in BRN carriagesN type carriageThe N type carriages are an intercity passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. They were introduced between 1981 and 1984 as part of the 'New Deal' reforms of country passenger rail services...
) (1983)
Standard gauge:
- VFS: Second class sitter (1962)
- VFX: Second class sitter with hostess accommodation (1962)
- VAC: Composite sleeper and sitter (1962)
- VFR: Composite buffet and sitter (1964)
- VRS: Long buffet (1962)
Carriage sets
N type carriage
The N type carriages are an intercity passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. They were introduced between 1981 and 1984 as part of the 'New Deal' reforms of country passenger rail services...
s. Before this time S cars could appear on various intrastate trains with other Z type
Z type carriage
The Z type carriages are an air conditioned steel passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. The carriages were constructed by the Victorian Railways from 1957 for use on intrastate services....
steel carriages, as well as older wooden bodied stock.
From the 1980s most of the S cars was placed into the Z type carriage sets
Z type carriage
The Z type carriages are an air conditioned steel passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. The carriages were constructed by the Victorian Railways from 1957 for use on intrastate services....
, and from the mid 1990s were also added as additional cars in the N type sets
N type carriage
The N type carriages are an intercity passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. They were introduced between 1981 and 1984 as part of the 'New Deal' reforms of country passenger rail services...
. Today the 5 BS cars in V/Line service are placed in a single carriage set coded SZ7 (formerly SN7), along with a single BCZ carriage
Z type carriage
The Z type carriages are an air conditioned steel passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. The carriages were constructed by the Victorian Railways from 1957 for use on intrastate services....
. The BS V/Line cars are in a Z coded set because the BCZ car is a classed as a Z.