- N type carriage
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N type carriage 
N class locomotive hauling a five car N type carriage setManufacturer Victorian Railways Built at Newport Workshops Constructed 1981 - 1984 Entered service 1981 - Refurbishment 2007 Number built 57 Number in service 56 Formation BG sets: ACN-BRN-BN, some sets have extra BZN and BTN cars.
SG sets: ACN-BRN-BDN-BN-BNOperator V/Line, various heritage operators Line(s) served All lines Specifications Doors Manual swing, 2 per side Articulated sections Rubber corridor connectors Maximum speed 115kmh (70mph) Power supply Underfloor generator or Head end power Gauge Broad gauge
3 sets to be converted to Standard gauge in 2010The 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 there are seen on both V/Line long distance InterCity services, as well as shorter InterUrban services.
The carriage sets have both first class 2+2 seating, and 2+3 economy seating. Snack bar facilities are also provided onboard. Originally delivered as 3 car sets, some sets were extended in length with S and Z type carriages.
Today the carriages are normally hauled by N class diesel locomotives. The carriages can use an external head end power supply for lighting and air conditioning operation, or an internal generator set. Each carriage has two swing doors per side, which were originally manually opened by passengers, but have since been converted to powered operation by the conductor. Toilets, drinking fountains and luggage areas are provided throughout each carriage set.
Contents
History
The order for the N type carriages was placed in 1977 for 30 carriages (10 sets) for use on the Geelong line, with 6 cars added to the order in 1978 for the Ballarat line, due to a by-election in the city.[1] Under the New Deal of 1981 the order was extended to 54 carriages, and then to 57 due to cost savings during construction.[2] They were built between 1981 and 1984, based upon the structural design of the Victorian Z type carriages built between 1956 and 1960.[3]
In 2007 V/Line commenced a refurbishment program for their existing H type carriages and Sprinter railcars,[4] this program later being extended to the N type carriages. In October 2007 the first refurbished N type carriage was released into traffic with the new V/Line grey exterior livery, as well as updated interior curtains and seat fabrics.[5] Since then various complete sets have been released from refurbishment (VN4, FN6, VN12, FN13, FN14, VN17). Work continues on the remainder of the fleet.
As part of the Albury-Wodonga line upgrade some N carriages will be converted to standard gauge to run this service. Two sets (consisting of 5 carriages and one power/luggage van) have already been formed (SN15, SN16) and are currently running services on the broad gauge network on the Swan Hill and Warrnambool lines. Carriages for a third set (SN1) are presently undergoing refurbishment at Newport Workshops.
Coding
N type carriages are individually numbered in the 1 to 57 series. Sets were issued to traffic with three types of carriage:
- ACN first class with conductors van
- BRN economy class with snack bar
- BN economy class
From 1995 surplus Z type carriages were upgraded to N type interiors, with the following codes but with their original Z type numbers:
- BZN economy class with disabled access and toilet
- BTN economy class
In 2009 a new code was introduced in conjunction with the formation of 'pure' 5 car N sets for standard gauge use:
- BDN economy class with disabled access and toilet (interior similar to a BZN carriage).[6]
Carriage sets
The N cars appear in fixed sets not altered in ordinary service. The sets are numbered between 1 and 19. Initially issued to service as 3 car sets, from 1995 additional cars of the BCZ, ACZ, BS, BZN or BTN type were attached to give longer sets. Additional cars may also be temporary attached or detached to a set without the set code being altered.
- N: 3 car set
- FN: 4 car set
- VN: 5 car set
Services
N sets are used on lines including:
- the North-East line, to Seymour, Shepparton and Albury
- the Gippsland line, to Traralgon and Bairnsdale
- the Bendigo line, to Sunbury and Swan Hill
- the Geelong line, to Geelong, South Geelong, Marshall and Warrnambool
- the Ballarat line, to Bacchus Marsh
Image gallery
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Interior of an unrefurbished BTN type economy carriage
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Interior of an unrefurbished ACN first class carriage
References
- ^ "Discussion on FSH21". Railpage Australia Forums. www.railpage.com.au. http://www.railpage.com.au/f-p768576.htm#768576. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ Scott Martin and Chris Banger (October 2006). "'New Deal' for County Passengers - 25 years on". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 319.
- ^ "Level Crossing Collision V/Line Passenger Train 8042 and a Truck Near Kerang, Victoria 5 June 2007". Chief Investigator, Transport and Marine Safety Investigations. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/DOIElect.nsf/$UNIDS+for+Web+Display/40CE459DD872052DCA2573EF00111115/$FILE/OCI-Report2007-09-Kerang.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ "Media Release: NEW LOOK V/LINE FLEET TAKES TO THE TRACKS". www.dpc.vic.gov.au. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/955cbeae7df9460dca256c8c00152d2b/56769d574d6b77c0ca257354007f40c1!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ "V/Line - New Livery @ Fotopic.Net". wongm.fotopic.net. http://wongm.fotopic.net/c1362863.html. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ "Wongm's Rail Gallery - BDN carriages". wongm.railgeelong.com. http://wongm.railgeelong.com/gallery/search/bdn. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
External links
- V/Linecars.com: N set information
- Peter J Vincent: ACN cars
- Peter J Vincent: BRN cars
- Peter J Vincent: BN cars
- Peter J Vincent: BZN cars
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