New South Wales Endeavour railcar
| Endeavour Railcar | |
|---|---|
|
Refurbished Endeavour at Newcastle station in July 2013 | |
|
Refurbished interior in January 2011 | |
| In service | 1994 – present |
| Manufacturer | ABB |
| Built at | Dandenong |
| Constructed | 1994–1996 |
| Refurbishment | 2009–2010 |
| Number built | 15 two-carriage sets |
| Number in service | 14 two-carriage sets |
| Formation | 2 carriages |
| Fleet numbers | TE 2801-2815 and LE 2851-2865 |
| Capacity | 95 (TE) 82 (LE) |
| Operator(s) | NSW TrainLink |
| Line(s) served |
Hunter Valley Main Western Southern Highlands Illawarra |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 25.25 m (82 ft 10 in) |
| Width | 2.92 m (9 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 4.11 m (13 ft 6 in) |
| Maximum speed | 145 km/h (90 mph) |
| Weight | 56.6 tonnes (TE) 57.2 tonnes (LE) |
| Prime mover(s) | Cummins KTA-19R |
| Power output | 514 hp (383 kW) |
| Transmission | Voith T311R KB260, with Voith Turbo V15_20 final drive |
| Auxiliaries | Cummins LT10R(G) - 181 hp (135 kW) |
| Bogies | PJA (Power), NJA (Trailer) |
| Coupling system | Scharfenberg |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Endeavour is a Diesel Multiple Unit train operated by NSW TrainLink on passenger rail services in New South Wales on the Hunter Valley, Main Western, Southern Highlands and Illawarra lines. They are mechanically identical to the Xplorers. All 30 carriages were built by ABB Transportation in Dandenong, Victoria.
Fourteen two-carriage sets were ordered in April 1992 to replace Class 620/720 railcars, DEB set railcars and locomotive hauled stock, with the first entering service in March 1994.[1][2] In November 1994 one further two-carriage set was ordered.[3]
Features
Each set consists of two carriages, one having a wheelchair-accessible toilet (TE), and the other having luggage space and bicycles racks (LE). All cars are air-conditioned. They operate as four carriage sets on a few peak hour services.
Each car is powered by a Cummins KTA-19R diesel engine rated at 383 kW at 1800rpm coupled to a Voith T311r hydraulic transmission driving both axles on one bogie via Voith Turbo V15/19 final drives. The transmission incorporates a Voith KB260/r hydrodynamic brake. An auxiliary 135 kW Cummins LT10R(G) diesel engine drives a Newage Stamford UCI274F alternator to supply power for the air conditioning and lighting.[4]
The maximum speed of Endeavour railcars is 160 km/h but in service this is limited to 145 km/h.
In service
Endeavours operate on four lines:
- Hunter Valley: Newcastle to Maitland and Telarah, with some services extending to Dungog and Scone
- Main Western: Bathurst Bullet Bathurst to Sydney Central or Lithgow
- Southern Highlands: Campbelltown to Moss Vale, sometimes extending to Goulburn and Sydney Central
- Illawarra: Bomaderry to Kiama, sometimes proceeding to Dapto and Wollongong
Endeavours previously operated weekend only Wollongong to Moss Vale services.[5]
Refurbishment
In 2009-2010 the Endeavours, along with the Xplorers, were refurbished by Bombardier Transportation in Dandenong. The refurbishment included:[6]
- New reversible 3x2 seats, as found on the Hunter railcars and H sets, the seat covers are made of woollen moquette farbric which is more durable and vandal proof
- Vinyl flooring, replacing the original carpet flooring
- Voiceovers to closing the doors
- Improved air-conditioning system
- Improved crew facilities
- A new livery (blue and yellow front, black window band and underskirts, and yellow doors)
Wheelchair and other wheeled vehicle parking area
Train door as viewed from vestibule area
Train inter-carriage area as seen from the vestibule
Area leading to toilet and seating area
Toilet
Luggage racks
Large item storage compartment
Lockers and rubbish bin
Conversions to Xplorers
The similarities of the Endeavours and Xplorers have allowed easy conversions. Endeavour carriages LE 2865 and TE 2815 were converted to Xplorer carriages EA 2508 and EC 2528. Endeavour carriage TE 2805 was temporarily converted to an Xplorer carriage between September and November 2007. The CityRail logos were removed and its skirts painted black, but it otherwise retained its livery. It also retained its carriage number.
See also
The VLocitys built for V/Line from 2004 are an evolution of the Endeavour/Xplorer design.
References
- ↑ "CityRail to have Explorers too" Railway Digest May 1992
- ↑ "Endeavours Enter Service Only Days After Launch" Railway Digest May 1994
- ↑ "More Xplorer & Endeavour Cars Ordered" Railway Digest December 1994
- ↑ Xplorer/Endeavour Operating Manual. ABB Transportation. 1994.
- ↑ "New Timetable Sees Demise of Loco-Hauled Services" Railway Digest July 1994
- ↑ CountryLink train refurbishment Hansard 1 September 2010 New South Wales Legislative Assembly
External links
Media related to New South Wales Endeavour railcar at Wikimedia Commons- Technical drawings and specifications