South Australian Railways East-West Stock
South Australian passenger cars and brake vans / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article describes the nine airconditioned sitting cars and fourteen brake vans that were built by the South Australian Railways at Islington Workshops between 1964 and 1967. All were distinguished by fluted stainless steel panels on their sides, compatible with the appearance of cars introduced to The Overland in 1950.
This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (March 2021) |
South Australian Railways East-West carriages | |
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Manufacturer | South Australian Railways |
Built at | Islington Railway Workshops |
Operators | South Australian Railways, Australian National Railways / Australian National, V/Line, Great Southern Rail |
Specifications | |
Articulated sections | Rubber corridor connectors |
Maximum speed | 70 mph (113 km/h) |
Power supply | Axle generators, later head end power 415vAC |
Braking system(s) | Westinghouse |
Coupling system | Autocouplers |
Track gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) & 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The new cars ran on the East-West Express between Adelaide and Port Pirie in lieu of late-1930s, non-airconditioned main line passenger cars. The broad gauge system had been extended north to Port Pirie in 1937 to meet a southern extension from Port Augusta on the Commonwealth Railways' standard gauge system, creating Port Pirie as a break-of-gauge and transshipment point. To encourage passengers to use the line despite the inconvenience of changing trains, a cafeteria car – the forerunner of The Overland cars – had been built in 1947. The new sitting cars were also allocated to the Blue Lake Express to Mount Gambier. The guard's vans operated widely on the SAR and, in the 1980s, the Victorian Railways.