Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Ownership: History Trust of South Australia

Number in class: 1

Built by: S.A.R. Islington Workshops

Entered service: 2nd April 1940

Withdrawn: 28th July 1988

Entered the museum: 28th July 1988

Constructed at Islington Workshops, the Vice Regal car was built to accommodate the Governor and members of the Royal Family when travelling on the South Australian Railways broad gauge network.

The car features separate bedrooms for the Governor and his wife separated by a common bathroom, a compartment for the Aide-de-camp, a dining saloon and kitchen area, and rounded end that acts as a lounge and observation area. It also noted for being the first air-conditioned car in service for the South Australian Railways.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways

Condition: Good

Entered service: 1919

Entered the museum: 1995

Number in class: 103

Ownership: History Trust of South Australia

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Withdrawn: 1976

Between 1908 and 1924 the South Australian Railways ordered 103 centre and end-loading carriages, and 27 end-loading baggage cars, for use on its suburban steam hauled services. The body design was loosely based on carriages that had been imported from America by the Holdfast Bay Railway Co., in 1880.

Car 446 was built by J. S. Bagshaw and Sons and entered service on 16th June 1919. It was altered little during its life, except for auto-couplers and through gangways being fitted in 1936.

It was allocated to SteamRanger in 1978. After a number of years out of service, the History Trust of South Australia transferred it to the museum in 1995.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways; Australian National Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Ownership: History Trust of South Australia

Built by: S.A.R Islington Workshops

Class: 600

Number in class: 8

Number series: 600 – 607

Entered service: 12th October 1937

Withdrawn: 13th October 1981

Entered the museum: 11th January 2001

Length (over coupling points): 71’ 9’’ (21.87m)

Seating capacity: 64

During the 1930s, the South Australian Railways began an extensive program of upgrading passenger accommodation. Part of this program involved the construction of ‘all steel’ first and second class passenger carriages. The first of these new carriages entered service in 1936, painted in the new South Australian Railways colours of green and gold and classified as 500 and 600 class ‘main line corridor passenger cars’. Built completely at the Islington Workshops, each car measured 21.87m (71’ 9’’.) long and 2.89m (9’ 6’’) wide, with a height of 4.025m (13’ 2’’) above the rail.

The 4 first class cars were numbered 500-503 and had seating accommodation for 42 passengers in 7 compartments. The 8 second class cars were numbered 600-608 and accommodated 64 passengers in 8 compartments. Toilets and vestibules were located at each end, with all compartments leading off a full length side corridor. The interior of each car was fitted out with polished timber panelling and chrome fittings. First class compartments were also fitted with mirrors and arm rests between each seat. Each compartment had a single external window and twin wooden sliding doors fitted with large etched glass panels. All windows were originally designed to drop down into the body of the car, but later, due to maintenance problems, these were replaced by half drop windows.

Car 606 was withdrawn from service in 1981 and sold to SteamRanger. It eventually became surplus to requirements and was sold to the museum in late 2000, arriving on site on 11.1.2001. The car has been returned to its original South Australian Railway livery.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways/Victorian and South Australian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: South Australian Railways/Victorian and South Australian Railways

Ownership: Port Dock Station Railway Trust

Built by: Victorian Railways Newport Workshop, Victoria

Number in class: 14

Entered service: 16th June 1911

Condemned: 19th October 1972

Entered the museum: 6th June 1988

Length (over coupling points): 75’ (22.86 metres)

Fourteen sleeping cars were built between 1906 and 1923 at the Victorian Railways Newport Workshops for use on the nightly express between Adelaide and Melbourne.

The first four cars were named Lodden, Glenelg, Finniss and Torrens, after rivers in the states of Victoria and South Australia. In 1911 Onkaparinga and Barwon were built, followed by Baderloo, Dargo, Pekina and Tambo in 1919. The last four cars, named Angas, Coliban, Acheron and Inman entered service in 1923.

Internal layout comprised nine compartments, each with two fold up lateral sleeping berths, a folding wash basin and cloth hanging cupboards. A small smoking saloon at one end of the car was known as the Gentlemen’s lounge, and had four loose, leather covered, cane arm chairs and a fixed seat for three. Two compartments at the opposite end of the coach were reserved for ladies.

Finished in style, the carved panelling, pressed metal ceiling, frosted glass and lamp pendants were all ornately decorated. A stylised waratah pattern was repeated throughout the design. Externally a row of bevelled mirrors, with an engraved star burst pattern, was placed above each window. The paint work was a red brown with elaborate outlining.

By 1936, the train had been named The Overland, so it was decided to paint the carriages dark green with a chrome ‘The Overland’ fitted above the centre windows. From 1943 repainting in standard Victorian Railways red began. Construction of modern steel rolling stock began in 1949 and resulted in the eventual withdrawal of the wooden carriages from The Overland. Onkaparinga was condemned in 1969 and sold with bogies, but missing most internal metal fittings to Marbury School, Aldgate. In 1988 it was donated to the Railway Museum.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: Victorian and South Australian Railways/VLine/Victorian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Entered service: 9.12.1949

Entered the museum: 28.11.2008

Number in class: 10

Ownership: Port Dock Station Railway Trust

Seating capacity: 20

Provenance: V and SAR, VR, VLine

Built by: South Australian Railways, Islington, SA

Withdrawn: 1998

One of ten roomette Joint Stock sleeping cars used on The Overland service between Adelaide and Melbourne. This type of rolling stock was built progressively from 1949 to replace the wooden carriages. Each of the carriages was fully designed and constructed by the South Australian Railways. Exteriors were finished in maroon, with a fluted stainless steel panel on each side of the cars running above and below the window level. The roof and bogies were painted black.

This particular vehicle is one of a batch of four sleeping cars sold to the Victorian Railways in 1972, for use on ‘The Vinelander’ service between Melbourne and Mildura, after new more modern sleeping cars were constructed and given the same names. When ‘The Vinelander’ service ceased operation on the 12th September 1993, all four sleeping carriages where placed in long term storage.

Early in 2008, the museum became aware that the carriage might be surplus to future railway requirements. Contact was made with VicTrack who gave the museum a favourable response about making it available for the museum’s collection. VicTrack recommended to the Victorian Minister of Transport that the carriages be made available to the NRM for display. The State of Victoria donated the car, with the museum paying for its transportation from Melbourne to Adelaide. It arrived at the museum by road on 28th November 2008.

Much of the significance of each of the cars lies in its preservation in near original condition as a rare example of operating, design and construction practices no longer practiced in house by current rail passenger operators. There have been no major alterations to the appearance of the cars other than routine maintenance that has involved mechanical repairs, soft furnishing upgrades and repainting.

Narrow Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Ownership: History Trust of South Australia

Built by: S.A.R. Islington Workshops

Number in class: 4

Number series: 109 – 112

Entered service: 28th May 1900

Condemned: 25th March 1966

Entered the museum: 25th March 1971

Length (over coupling points): 46’ 7’’ (14.2m)

Seating capacity: 14 sleeping or 18 day passengers

Tare Weight: 21 tons (21,000 kilograms)

The carriages of the South Australian Railways were renowned for their longevity, if for nothing else. Thus, it is not surprising that some of them were 70 years old when the main line to Broken Hill was finally converted in 1970 from narrow to standard gauge, causing the wholesale condemnation of large numbers of narrow gauge carriages.

Most of these carriages followed the same body pattern – short, mansard type roofs over balcony style bodies. After the first few years when four wheelers were built, almost all had standard four wheel bogies. However, in 1888 it was proposed to build a series of six vehicles with six-wheeled bogies. The first three, 109, 110 and 111 were built as sleeping cars and issued to traffic in 1889 and 1890, but it was to be ten years before the other three saw the light of day. The next to be built was 112 in 1900, and this was completed as a sleeping car, while the last two cars, 113 and 114, were built as sitting up cars.

112 varied from the earlier sleeping cars in the arrangement of the sleeping berths. In the earlier cars a longitudinal seat formed the lower berth, but in 112 two seats facing one another pulled down to form a lower berth in Pullman style. Eighteen first class passengers were carried in sleeping berths.

On 29th July 1907, Number 112, emerged from Islington in the guise of an observation car fitted with Stone´s electric light. She now carried either 14 sleeping or 18 day passengers, the end compartment having had its fixed seats removed and a table and four movable chairs fitted in their place. Also, the toilet, which had been in this compartment, was relocated in the adjoining compartment.

In 1913 a speed indicator clock and fan were fitted in this small saloon, and it is believed that the car was thereafter used as a Departmental car for the most part. On 6th June 1917, Number 112 was officially named Baroota.

For the remainder of its life Baroota was to retain its layout as an observation car, but having been replaced on the main line by the three new sleeping cars, Alberga, Nilpena and Coonatto, it was to see service in later years only as a standby sleeper or on special trains.

These twelve-wheel vehicles were to be the only such carriages to be built for use on the narrow gauge lines of South Australia, and spent all their lives on the Peterborough to Broken Hill main line.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: V and SAR

Ownership: Port Dock Station Railway Trust

Built by: S.A.R Islington Workshops

Entered service: 29th October 1923

Condemned: 16th October 1974

Entered the museum: 16th April 1975

Length (over coupling points): 73’ 8’’ (22.45m)

Bogie centres: 53’ 10’’ (16.4 metres)

Height: 13’ 8’’ (4.17 metres)

Width: 9’ 6’’ (2.9 metres)

Seating capacity: 72

In the early 1900s a rolling stock programme was agreed upon between the Victorian and South Australian Railways to provide more modern and considerably larger passenger cars for use on the express trains between Adelaide and Melbourne, to replace the original jointly owned cars placed in service between 1886 and 1890.

Between 1906 and 1923 a total of 44 vehicles of matching design were constructed at both Newport and Islington Workshops. The complement comprised 14 first class sleeping cars, 10 first class sitting cars, 10 second class sitting cars, 6 brake vans, 2 mail sorting vans and 2 mail baggage vans. After the initial construction between 1906 and 1908 of 4 sleeping cars, 6 each first and second class sitting cars, 4 brake vans and the mail sorting and baggage vans, the 1907/1908 South Australian Railways Report stated, ‘The new express train, as a whole, so far as accommodation is concerned, forms one of the best in the Commonwealth, and is probably equal to any other train in the world’.

Sleeping cars and first class sitting cars were constructed at Newport Workshops, Victoria, as well as the mail sorting and baggage vans, while the second class sitting cars and brake vans were constructed at Islington Workshops, South Australia (except that the first two jointly owned brake vans were constructed at Newport and exchanged with two constructed at Islington, these latter two became Victorian vehicles).

Whilst the sleeping cars were not numbered or classified, but named after rivers in Victoria and South Australia, the first and second class sitting cars and the brake vans were classified and numbered with similar vehicles which the Victorian Railways built for internal use in Victoria. The mail van classifications also followed the Victorian Railways’ principles. During 1910, the Victorian classification system was simplified and these latter classifications were carried by joint stock vehicles until they were condemned. The original and later classifications were:

First class sitting cars – ‘AVE’ then ‘AE’

Second class sitting cars – ‘BVE’ then ‘BE’

Brake vans – ‘DVE’ then ‘CE’

Mail baggage vans – ‘EEB’ then ‘D’

Mail sorting vans – ‘EES’ then ‘DS’ (later ‘D’ when mail sorting en route ceased)

Alterations to the passenger carrying cars were few during their life, although the cars built between 1906 and 1908 originally had gas lighting while all cars and vans had underframe alterations for the fitting of automatic couplers in the mid-1930s. Also, for the 1936 Centenary of South Australia, the joint stock vehicles were painted green and yellow with black horizontal lining, this colour scheme being maintained until construction of the air-conditioned cars in 1949. The title ‘The Overland’ in chrome plate letters was affixed to the letter board on each side of the passenger carrying cars when the green colour scheme was introduced.

BE42 is one of the later second class cars and was issued to traffic from Islington Workshops on 29th October 1923. It is one of two jointly owned passenger carrying cars which had steel protection panels affixed over the original tongue and groove timber exterior sheathing (the ‘Onkaparinga’ was the other car and the ‘CE´s’ and ‘D’ vans had partial sheathing).

Narrow Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways

Condition: Excellent

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Ownership: Port Dock Station Railway Trust

Class Builders: Adelaide Locomotive Workshops, S.A.R. Islington Workshops

Built by: S.A.R Islington Workshops

Number in class: 7

Number series: 7, 9, 126 – 128, 132, 144

Entered service: 22nd December 1894

Withdrawn: 19th March 1971

Entered the museum: 8th November 1982

Length (over coupling points): 38’ 10’’ (11.84m)

Bogie centres: 24’ 1’’ (7.34 metres)

Height: 10’ 5’’ (3.18 metres)

Width: 7’ 6’’ (2.29 metres)

Tare Weigh: 12 tons 8 cwt (12,406 kilograms)

Seating capacity: 44

No. 144 is one of the many narrow-gauge passenger cars of the South Australian Railways with 31’ 6’’ (9.6m) long bodies nicknamed Short Toms. Although the narrow-gauge passenger cars ran in country areas for journeys occupying many hours duration, amenities provided were few. The original standard layout of these cars was access from each end of the cars with a solid partition dividing the car into two unequal areas. The larger compartments had another internal partition with a door to provide a smaller compartment in the centre of the car for ladies. For composite cars, the smaller area was the first class area.

Amenities in the form of water and lavatories were provided in narrow gauge cars from 1885 (and ultimately almost all of the Short Toms were fitted), but construction continued for some time of cars without these features.

No. 144 was originally scheduled to be built as a second class car to the standard layout without lavatories and with the solid internal partition and central ladies compartment. A direction in February 1894 stated it was to be second class ‘opened throughout from end to end’, – i.e. it was built as it was known with no internal partitions and longitudinal seats.

Constructed at Islington Workshops and issued on 18th December 1894 to the Western System of the narrow-gauge lines, No. 144 was built to replace No.10 passenger car when the latter was converted to an ambulance van and forwarded to Palmerston (Darwin) in 1890 in a programme providing ambulance vans on broad and narrow gauges.

Spending all of its life on the northern narrow-gauge lines, No.144 had few alterations but was fitted with electric lights in July 1909 and air brakes at Quorn in August 1911. In the 1950s No.144 was used as a trailer for school children behind the Model 75 rail car between Booleroo Centre and Wilmington and as the car was detached and attached at Booleroo Centre every school day, a handbrake was fitted to it during 1958 while an internal partition was also provided.

Condemned on the 19th March 1971 after the standardisation of the Port Pirie to Broken Hill line, No.144 was purchased by the South Australian Division of the Australian Railways Historical Society and made available for use on the Pichi Richi Railway. It was transferred to the Mile End Museum in 1982.

The car was extensively refurbished by the museum in early 1988, before spending several months on loan to Pichi Richi Railway at Quorn.

Broad Gauge

Class operators: South Australian Railways; State Transport Authority

Condition: Excellent

Ownership: History Trust of South Australia

Provenance: South Australian Railways

Number in class: 1

Entered service: 19th May 1928

Withdrawn: 6th September 1988.

Entered the museum: 6th September 1988

Length (over coupling points): 82’ 4’’ (25.1 metres)

Tare Weight: 76 tons (76,000 kilograms)

George Pullman must be one the best known names in railway history, for it was he who developed the sleeping car and dining car to a point where they became the epitome of luxury travel. His Pullman Palace Car Company, founded in Chicago in 1867, provided luxury cars for American railroads and the rest of the world.

His first sleeping car, the Pioneer, was built for the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1864 and its immediate success led to the setting up of the company.

His first dining car, the President, was built in 1867 for the Great Western Railway of Canada. Known as the Hotel Car, it was a sleeping car equipped with a kitchen and pantry, and portable tables which were set up for meals. The first complete dining car, the Delmonico was built for the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1868.

Dining Car ‘Adelaide’ was ordered from the Pullman Company, along with the sleeping cars ‘Mt Lofty’ and ‘Macedon’ in 1926, for use on the Melbourne Express, and is a typical example of North American carriage building practices of the time. At 75 tons (75,000kg) it was found to be too heavy. Its inclusion in the train consist (then limited to 11 E-cars over the Mt Lofty Ranges) excluded the use of two standard cars and therefore proved uneconomical. It nevertheless saw service from time to time, and became a favourite on enthusiasts’ trains in the 1960s and 1970s.

When Australian National took over South Australia’s country services in 1978, ‘Adelaide’ remained under the ownership of the State Transport Authority who leased it to the museum. It was placed in the museum on the 6th September 1988.

Standard Gauge

Class operators: Commonwealth Railways

Condition: Good

Provenance: Commonwealth Railways

Ownership: Port Dock Station Railway Trust

Built by: Wegmann, Kassell, Germany

Number in class: 3

Entered service: 15th November 1952

Withdrawn: November 1980

Entered the museum: 23rd January 1996

Length (over coupling points): 75’ 2’’ (22.9 metres)

The introduction of two luxury train sets on the Commonwealth Railways in 1952 resulted in a marked increase in passenger travel on the Trans-Australian Railway (4 foot 8½ inch gauge – 1435mm). Each fully air-conditioned set was constructed by Messrs. Wegmann and Company, of Kassel in West Germany, and consisted of a round-end first-class sleeper-observation car, two first class sleeping cars, lounge car, dining car, second-class sleeper-lounge car, two second class sleeping cars and a combination brake and power van.

The gathering place for first class passengers was the lounge car. AFA93 is divided into three sections – smoking room, music room and ladies reading room. The panelling throughout was cut from the matched roots of elm trees, and scenes of various castles in the area in which the carriage was constructed are inlaid in various woods on the walls. The seats were upholstered in moquette, except for the smoking saloon which featured red leather. Externally the carriages had maroon sides banded with silver below the window line, a white roof and a black skirt below floor level. The letters C.R. on either side of an Australian coat of arms were attached to every carriage.

In 1964 AFA93 was transferred to narrow gauge (3 foot 6 inch gauge – 1067mm) for use on the Ghan until services ceased in 1980. Australian National then stored the carriage until it was donated to the Railway Museum in late 1995, arriving on site at the museum on 23rd February 1996.

During 2001 it was fully restored and painted in Commonwealth Railways livery.