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South Australian Railways Redhen railcar

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The Redhen railcars (originally, Red Hen)[1] was the nickname given to the 300 and 400 classes of diesel-hydraulic railcars designed by the South Australian Railways and built at its Islington Railway Workshops between 1955 and 1971. The railcars, which operated in Adelaide suburban service until 1996, remain a nostalgic part of South Australian memory. Some continue to be operated by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway, the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide and other railway preservation entities.

Red Hen railcar
A typical 3-car Red Hen consist in original livery at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide: 400 class double-ended power car no. 400, 860 class trailer no. 875, and a 300 class single-ended power car no. 321


ManufacturerSouth Australian Railways
Built atIslington Railway Workshops
ReplacedBrill railcars
Constructed1955-1971
Entered service1955-1996
Number built111
Number preserved27
Formation1/2/3 carriages
Fleet numbers300-373, 400-436
Capacity300-341: 91
362-373: 89
400-419: 80
420-436: 78
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
State Transport Authority
TransAdelaide
Specifications
Car length20.00 m (65 ft 7 in)
Width3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Height4.27 m (14 ft 0 in)
Wheel diameter914 millimetres (36 in)
Maximum speed88 km/h (55 mph)
Prime mover(s)2 x GM model 6/71: 300-341, 362-373, 400-436
2 x Rolls-Royce C6SFLH: 342-361
Braking system(s)Westinghouse
air brakes
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

Configuration

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Two double-ended 400 class Red Hens working a Belair line service in 1990

The power cars comprised two designs:[2]

  • 300 class had a driving cab at one end of each railcar. These needed to run in two-car formations.
  • 400 class had driving cabs at both ends as well as guard units at the B end, and could be used as a single car when needed, or in multiple with other railcars to make up longer trains.

In addition, there were a number of unpowered trailer cars, the 820 and 860 classes. These had been modified from wooden, clerestory-roofed steam-era suburban carriages and were used with the Redhens between 1955 and 1987.[2][3]

Service history

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Construction

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300 class
Running
  numbers  		 Dates introduced Weight
(tonnes)		 Seating capacity
300–341 1955–58 40.7 91
342–361 1959–61 42.7 91
362–373 1968–70 41.9 84

The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam locomotive hauled trains in Adelaide.[4][5] Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars.[3] 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 were withdrawn in 1987. This slightly reduced the seating capacity of these modified cars.

Deployment

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Cab of 402 at the South Gippsland Railway

When first introduced, all the 300 class Redhens were formed as 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 form 6-car trains. On rare occasions, at times of heavy traffic demand, trains of Redhens could be up to nine cars long.[6]

Instead of building trailer cars to work with the 300 class cars, the South Australian Railways chose to convert existing rolling stock. To operate with 300 to 347, five 800 class and nineteen 850 class carriages were converted, becoming the 860 class. These steel cars had been built at Islington Railway Workshops between 1944 and 1946 as part of a plan to electrify Adelaide's suburban railways.[2]

For use with 348 to 373, thirteen 327 class wooden end loading suburban baggage cars were converted, becoming the 820 class trailers. These had been built between 1912 and 1924.[2]

400 class
Unit
  numbers  		 Dates introduced Weight
(tonnes)		 Seating capacity
400–419 1959–61 42.5 80
420–436 1968–71 42.5 78

The 400 class were used as single cars on the main lines during the evenings and at most other times on lightly patronised services such as the Grange, Tonsley and Northfield lines. They were also used in multiple with other 300 or 400 class units.

These railcars became the backbone of the metropolitan services, relegating most loco hauled passenger trains to regional and interstate services.

2300/2500 class ("Superchook") variant

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Following the introduction of the 2000 class railcars in 1980, two 300 class Redhens and an 860 class trailer were chosen for an experimental rebuild at STA's Regency Park workshops. Nos 300, 337 and 862 were modified in 1983 with new interiors, elevated cabs and stainless steel panelling similar to the 2000 class. The rebuilt cars were re-numbered 2301, 2302 and 2501 and entered service in June 1983. They soon acquired the nickname, Superchooks (a play on "Redhen" – a chook, in Australian vernacular, is a chicken)[2][7][8][failed verification] The exercise was not successful and no more were modified. The Superchooks saw only limited passenger service and often 2301-2302 was sandwiched in between two 400 class Redhens. They were withdrawn in 1992.[9]

Withdrawal

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All thirteen of the 820 class trailers were retired by December 1976. The corresponding 300 class Redhens were then coupled to a 400 class railcar to form 2-car trains (designated 300/400 class).[2] 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.

The first group withdrawal of Redhen railcars and 860 trailers occurred when 6 300 class railcars and 2 860 trailers were condemned in 1984, following the delivery of 30 2000 class railcars from 1979 to 1981.[10] In 1987/88 the State Transport Authority introduced the first of its new fleet of 3000 class railcars, which were intended to replace the Redhens. As more 3000 class were delivered through the early 1990s, mass withdrawals of Redhens commenced and they were gradually restricted to operating only during weekday peak hours. This was especially the case when driver only operation (DOO) was introduced 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.

By January 1996, only 16 remained in service, confined to peak-hour Gawler, Outer Harbor and Tonsley services.[11] The last Redhens in service were 428 and 436.[12][13]

Preservation history

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402 at Leongatha on the South Gippsland Railway in December 2008

Barossa Valley Junction Motel

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The first Redhens to be preserved were 303, 328, 329, 333, 338, 354, and trailers 877 and 881 which were moved to the Barossa Valley Junction Motel at Tanunda in 1986.[10] They were converted for use as accommodation and had most operational parts stripped as a result. The Motel continued operating until 2014, when the owners retired and closed the motel. Everything at the site was auctioned off, with all rolling stock sold to private buyers and being dispersed across Australia. Redhens 303 and 338 were moved to land adjacent to the northwest boundary of the Blackwood railway station, and were repainted to the original silver roof and red body livery by their new owners.[14] 329 and 354 were moved to Blewitt Springs, now used as accommodation known as "redhens". 333 went to the Two Wells area, while trailer car 877 was moved to Hallett and currently serves as accommodation for hikers on the Heysen Trail. [15][16]

South Gippsland Railway

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The Superchook set consisting of 2301, 2501 and 2302 were moved to The South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGR) in Victoria in 1994 and operated there for a few years. In 1995, railcars 311, 366, 373, 402, 416, and 436 were also moved to the SGR.[17] In December 1999, railcars 436, 366, 373, 2302, trailer 2501, 2301 and 416 were transferred from storage at Nyora to Bendigo for a new tourist operation named Centrail, while 311 and 402 remained at the SGR operating services.[10] The railcars had a test run in 2001, but they came under CFCLA's ownership in 2002 after the collapse of Centrail's owner, Great Northern Rail. 366 was moved to Australian Train Movers in NSW. In 2003 CFCLA swapped the railcars with Yorke Peninsula Railway locomotive T387, with all railcars but 436 being moved to Wallaroo for operation on the railway.[18] 436 was stripped of parts and scrapped, having suffered an arson attack during its time at Bendigo. 366 was moved back to Bendigo in 2015. Upon closure of the SGR in 2016, 311 and 402 were originally given to Mornington Railway, but they changed hands again in August 2020, when they were privately acquired with the intention to restore them in South Australia.[10] They were moved to private property in May 2022.

National Railway Museum

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The National Railway Museum (NRM) received trailer car 875 in 1987, and it was restored in 1995 for use with the TransAdelaide special set, which included railcars 321 and 400.[16] The set was used on the metropolitan network until 15 December 1996, when it was moved to the NRM for preservation.[19][20] The full set was last used in 2006 for the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Adelaide - Port Adelaide line, with 875 returning to display afterwards. 321 and 400 were used for shuttles from the museum to Adelaide Railway Station from 2013 to 2015.[21] They have since been restricted to running on the NRM's 1 km portion of track due to the high cost of getting them accredited for running on the Adelaide Metro rail network. 875 was given to SteamRanger due to a loss of space in the museum caused by the impending extension of Adelaide Metro rail services to the site.

SteamRanger Heritage Railway

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SteamRanger Heritage Railway restored trailer car 824 in 1985, and it was joined by railcar 412 in 1995.[22] The transfer movement of 412 from SteamRanger's Dry Creek depot to their Goolwa depot became the last passenger train to operate between Adelaide and Victor Harbor.[17] In early 2012, 412 was legally painted into a graffiti livery for the 'Just Add Water' festival in Goolwa, the car was painted again in another graffiti livery by the same artists in late 2012 for the 2013 festival before returning to its Regal Red in late 2014. 428 and 364 moved to SteamRanger by road later in 1997, and 428 became operational in 1998 and 364 remained stored. 428 was given a unique livery in 2000, based on the mustard pot livery used by numerous SAR diesel locomotives. This livery was never worn by Redhens while in service. In 2006, the Council of Port Adelaide and Enfield offered SteamRanger wooden trailer 830, which was displayed at the historic wharf area in Port Adelaide. SteamRanger took up the offer, and transported it to their Mount Barker depot later that year. It remains stored awaiting restoration.[23] SteamRanger took delivery of ex-Limestone Coast Railway railcars 334, 405, and 424 in 2014, as well as trailer 820 which was damaged by fire as a result of an arson attack, destroying everything but the frame and bogies.[24] 820 has since been delivered to Strathalbyn where it remains stored. The LCR railcars and trailers were previously stored in the roundhouse at Mount Gambier. SteamRanger did not get steel trailer 874 from the LCR, which was instead scrapped. In February 2019 however, they received steel trailer 875 from the NRM, and it entered service in late 2023. In May 2023, Steamranger's 4 car Redhen set consisting of 428-824-334 & 412 derailed between Victor Harbour and Port Elliott, later in June 428 was involved in a level crossing accident at Middleton, with visible damage to the front of the railcar. 424 re-entered service later that year.

Yorke Peninsula Railway

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See also: Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail

Yorke Peninsula Railway (YPR) took delivery of railcar 435 from Islington Railway Workshops to its depot in Wallaroo in February 2000, following its purchase from Great Northern Rail. In April 2002, railcar 406 was moved from the Port Milang Historic Railway Museum to the YPR.[25] Rolling stock leasing company CFCLA swapped the society's sole locomotive, T387 with the Superchook set (2301, trailer 2501, 2302) and railcars 416, 432 and 436. [18] All railcars but 436 were transferred to Wallaroo, with 436 being stripped of parts and scrapped after an arson attack.[17] 432, 435 and 406 remained stored as a source of parts while the Superchooks and 416 were put into service. They operated until the railway closed in 2009. 432 was moved to the Hunter Valley, NSW, while 435 was given to SteamRanger, who stripped remaining parts on it and placed it at Strathalbyn station for use by the art gallery at the station.[26] 406 was moved to the Big Orange tourist attraction in Monash, near Berri for use as a restaurant, but this proposal has since fallen through and the railcar is now for sale.[17] The Superchooks were moved to private property in Coolac, NSW and remained there until they were moved to Kandos, NSW on 12 December 2021.[10]

Preservation list

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This list contains all 300, 400, 820 and 860 class vehicles that were retained after original revenue service, including those which have since been scrapped.

   Key:       Operational       Stored       Not operating       Scrapped       Unknown   

300 class single-ended power cars

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Number Entered service Current or last owner Location Status
300
(later 2301) 		6 Oct 1955,
rebuilt 18 Jul 1983 		Private owner Kandos, NSW Not operating
303 6 Nov 1955 Private owner Blackwood, SA Not operating[14]
311 17 Apr 1956 Private owner Victoria Stored[10]
317 17 Aug 1956 Private owner Riverton, SA Not operating[10]
321 12 Apr 1957 National Railway Museum Port Adelaide,SA Operational, used on special events days[27]
328 29 Jun 1956 Private owner Tanunda, SA Unknown[10]
329 29 Jun 1957 Private owner Blewitt Springs, SA Not operating[10]
333 7 Aug 1958 Private owner Two Wells, SA Not operating
334 4 Jun 1958 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Operational[28]
337
(later 2302) 		20 Jun 1958,
rebuilt 18 Jul 1983 		Private owner Kandos, NSW Not operating
338 3 Jul 1958 Private owner Blackwood, SA Not operating[14]
339 3 Jul 1958 Private owner Riverton, SA Not operating[10]
354 27 Apr 1961 Private owner Blewitt Springs, SA Not operating[10]
364 8 Jul 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored[28]
365 17 Jul 1968 Private owner Riverton, SA Scrapped[10]
366 20 Jul 1968 Private owner Bendigo, Vic Not operating[10]
367 23 Aug 1968 Private owner Riverton, SA Not operating[10]
368 23 Aug 1968 Private owner Riverton, SA Scrapped[10]
372 29 Jun 1970 Private owner Riverton, SA Not operating[10]
373 2 Jul 1970 Unknown NSW Unknown

400 class double-ended power cars

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Number Entered service Current or last owner Location Status
400 17 Sep 1959 National Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SA Operational, used on special events days[29]
402 2 Oct 1959 Private owner Victoria Stored[17]
405 12 Nov 1959 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored pending restoration to operational service[28]
406 14 Nov 1959 Private owner Berri, SA Not operating[17]
409 11 Dec 1959 Private owner Riverton, SA Scrapped[17]
412 5 Dec 1960 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Goolwa, SA Operational[28]
416 3 Feb 1961 Private owner Kandos, NSW Not operating
424 16 Sep 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Operational[28]
428 6 Dec 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Normally operational; under repair after level crossing accident June 2023[28][30]
432 13 Feb 1970 Private owner Hunter Valley, NSW Not operating[17]
433 20 May 1970 Private owner Riverton, SA Scrapped[17]
435 30 Jun 1971 Stationmaster's Art Gallery Strathalbyn, SA Not operating[17][26]
436 22 Jul 1971 Yorke Peninsula Railway Bendigo, Vic Scrapped

820 class steel trailer baggage cars

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Number Original number Entered service Conversion Current or last owner Location Status
820 429 1 Dec 1917 23 Feb 1961 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Strathalbyn, SA Scrapped[31]
824 329 17 Dec 1912 6 Jun 1961 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Goolwa, SA Operational[28]
830 467 30 Jun 1924 29 Sep 1968 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Stored[23]
831 458 20 Apr 1918 24 Dec 1969 Port Milang Historic Railway Museum Milang, SA Not operating[32]
832 468 24 Jul 1924 24 Dec 1969 The Almond Train McLaren Vale, SA Not operating[22]

860 class steel-bodied trailer cars

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Number Original Number Entered service Conversion Current or last owner Location Status
862
(later 2501) 		850 4 Nov 1944 12 Dec 1955,
rebuilt 18 Jul 1983 		Private owner Kandos, NSW Not operating
863 853 13 Feb 1946 13 Feb 1956 Unknown Tanunda, SA Unknown
864 851 22 Mar 1945 17 Mar 1956 Private owner Strathalbyn, SA Not operating
870 810 24 Jul 1945 12 Apr 1957 SA Support Services Murray Bridge, SA Not operating
873 816 13 Feb 1946 29 May 1957 Australian Train Movers NSW Unknown
874 807 24 Jul 1945 17 Aug 1957 Limestone Coast Railway Mount Gambier, SA Scrapped[31]
875 812 24 Jul 1945 3 Apr 1957 SteamRanger Heritage Railway Mount Barker, SA Operational[16]
877 805 22 Mar 1945 4 Jun 1957 Private owner Hallett, SA Not operating[15]
880 818 13 Feb 1946 25 Jul 1957 Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village Tailem Bend, SA Not operating
881 803 4 Nov 1944 19 Aug 1959 Private owner Tanunda, SA Not operating

Model kit

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The SAR Model Company has made powered and unpowered HO scale kits of both the 300 and 400 class power cars. The company also makes a kit of the 860 class trailer baggage car.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Permanent way camp cars". Railways Institute Magazine. Adelaide: South Australian Railways. May–June 1966. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Bird, Kim (October–November 1985). "The 300-400 class railcars and 820-860 class trailer cars of the South Australian Railways". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin. XXXVI (576–578). Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division: 219–238, 243–261, 279–283. ISSN 0005-0105.
  3. ^ a b McNicol, Steve (1981). STA Railcars. Elzabeth: Railmac Publications. ISBN 0-949817-01-5.
  4. ^ "Multiple-Unit Diesel Trains" Railway Gazette 30 July 1954 page 120
  5. ^ "Australasia" Diesel Railway Traction April 1956 page 134
  6. ^ "STA Happenings" Catch Point issue 69 January 1989 page 24
  7. ^ "Metropolitan Area - Broad Gauge Lines" Catch Point issue 36 July 1983 page 17
  8. ^ "Here & There" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 552 October 1983 page 114
  9. ^ "STA Railcars to be Saved" Catch Point issue 102 July 1994 page 11
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Redhen Railcars 300 to 373 Chris's Commonwealth Railways Information (ComRails)
  11. ^ "Red Hen's Indian Summer" Railway Digest March 1996 page 17
  12. ^ "Farewell Red Hens" Railway Digest February 1997 page 16
  13. ^ "TransAdelaide Redhen Disposal - The Final Chapter" Catch Point issue 119 May 1997 page 14
  14. ^ a b c Wong, Marcus. "Redhen railcars 303 and 308 converted into private accommodation near Blackwood station". Wongm’s Rail Gallery. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b "The Carriages". Heysen Trail. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b c 860 Class Steel Railcar Trailer Cars Chris's Commonwealth Railways Information (ComRails)
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Redhen Railcars 400 to 436 Chris's Commonwealth Railways Information (ComRails)
  18. ^ a b Bailey, Keith (2010). End of the Line. The Story of Y.P. Rail. Openbook Howden. pp. 57–60.
  19. ^ "Where Did All the Red Hens Go?" Catch Point issue 168 July 2005 page 16
  20. ^ Red Hens return for a special weekend ABC News 29 November 2013
  21. ^ "Return of the RedHen Trains to Adelaide". Epsilson's World. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  22. ^ a b SAR 820 Class Wooden Railcar Trailers Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  23. ^ a b "A Look Back at Enthusiast News from our website in 2006". SteamRanger Enthusiast Pages. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Our Locomotive Fleet". SteamRanger Heritage Railway. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  25. ^ Bailey, Keith (2010). End of the Line. The Story of Y.P. Rail. Openbook Howden. pp. 45–46.
  26. ^ a b "Looking Back". SteamRanger Enthusiast Pages. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Railcar 321". National Railway Museum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g "Our locomotive fleet". SteamRanger Heritage Railway. 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Railcar 400". National Railway Museum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Cockle Train derailed after hitting truck at Middleton". InDaily. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  31. ^ a b Masson, John. "Trashed Rail Heritage". Johnny's Pages - Old SAR Shunter. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  32. ^ "Passenger Rolling Stock". The Port Milang Historic Railway Museum. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  33. ^ "SAR Model Co. products". Junction Models. February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
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