E type carriage

Infobox Train
background =
name = E type carriage

---

imagesize = 300px
caption = E type carriage on a heritage train, led by T class locomotives.
interior

---

interiorcaption = Interior of a restored AE coded first class carriage
Manufacturer = Victorian Railways
Factory =
Family =
Built =
Refurbishment =
Replaced =
Formation =
Designation =
Operator = various heritage operators
Depots =
LinesServed =
yearconstruction =
yearservice =
yearscrapped =
numberconstruction =
numberbuilt =
numberservice =
numberscrapped =
CarBody =
CarLength = 71 feet, but 60 feet for CE vans
CarWidth =
CarHeight =
floorheight =
platformheight =
entrylevelorstep =
art-sections =
doors =
MaxSpeed =
Weight =
Capacity =
Auxiliaries =
Power-supply =
Gauge = Broad, has operated on standard
Brakes =

The E type carriages were wooden express passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. Introduced by Victorian Railways Chairman of Commissioners Thomas James Tait and based on Canadian carriage design, the class remained in regular service for 85 years.cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |date=2007 |isbn= 9780522851342 |page=p.142--143]

Design

Carriages on Victorian long-distance express services at the start of the Twentieth Century were, in comparison to the Pullman cars operated by the New South Wales Government Railways relatively cramped and austere. Chairman of Commissioners Thomas Tait, previously the Transportation Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway [Lee, p.122] , introduced a carriage design that was convert|71|ft|m long, and as wide as the loading gauge allowed. Much of their external design was based on typical Canadian carriage design, with a clerestory roof curved at the ends, doors only at the ends of the car, and six-wheel bogies, although their interior design retained the compartment and corridor layout typical of English railway practice.

15 carriages were fitted with air-conditioning, the first (36AE) being outshopped in December 1935 and was claimed to the first such car in the British Empire, but was beaten by the Canadian Pacific and the New South Wales Government Railways. [Lee, p.160]

Construction

The first batch of E-class carriages were built between 1906 and 1909, with 26 AVE 1st class cars, 31 BVE 2nd class cars, 16 DVE guard's vans and 10 ABVE 1st/2nd class cars. The DVEs were convert|60|ft long, the remainder convert|71|ft. All had wooden bodies, clerestory roofs and six-wheel bogies. On his website, Peter J. Vincent notes that he suspects the 'E' classification referred to 'Express'.

The cars were recoded, AVE to AE, BVE to BE, DVE to CE and ABVE to ABE, in the 1910 renumbering. In 1935 some surplus carriages were converted to BCE cars. The original total of 81 was increased, with more cars being built from 1910 onwards. The fleet never exceeded 178 cars. However, note that at least four were destroyed (and at least two of those rebuilt), at least ten were in Joint-Stock service from Melbourne to Adelaide, some were converted to dining or buffet cars, at least nine were converted from surplus BDSE cars, and of the remainder, at least ten were reclassed during both the early 1960s and the early 1980s.

Details

AE cars

26 cars were built in the first batch, and they were numbered AVE 1 to AVE 26. In the 1910 recoding the class was relettered to AE. The original numbers were retained. Twelve cars were built during 1912 (Nos. 27-38) and four cars in 1923 (Nos. 39-42). Some cars were in Joint Stock service (shared) between Adelaide and Melbourne, on trains such as the Overland.

Two of the class, 21AE and 26AE, were converted to carriages 1BG (named Kiewa) and 2BG (named Moyne) in 1955. These had buffet modules, and were used on longer-distance trains. They were converted back to sitting cars in 1961, but they were not completely restored to AE-form. They had three compartments at one end, and the rest of each car was longitudinal seating. 2BG was destroyed in a Glenorchy level crossing smash, in 1971.

Car 36AE was notable as this car was the prototype car for air conditioning carriages in VR service, the test for the "Spirit of Progress" cars. 36AE entered service December 13 1935, after air conditioning modifications, which took seven months to complete. In 1961, it was renumbered 49BE. The car was destroyed in a collision at Laverton during 1978.

In the early 1960s, some AE cars were recoded to BE. The cars were renumbered 50BE to 52BE. The cars were converted back to AE classification in the early 1980s.

12AE is currently in the care of Steamrail Victoria. 18AE is with the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

BE cars

31 cars were built in the first batch, and they were numbered BVE 1 to BVE 31. In the 1910 recoding the class was relettered to BE, with the same numbers retained. 8 more cars were built in 1910, bringing the total to 39. Five of the total of 39 were in joint-stock operations with the South Australian Railways. As of 1923 these were numbers 5BE to 10BE. Another four cars were built to supplement the joint-stock arrangement around this time.

Cars BE 44 to BE 48 were converted from BDSE mail sorting cars between 1922 and 1929. By now the total of was 47x BE cars. Cars BE 50 to BE 61 were converted from AE and ABE cars during 1981. This was the start of the transition from wooden stock to all steel cars, and altered rostering of carriages into small fixed sets. The first three of these, 50BE - 52BE, were ex-AE cars, while the remaining nine, 53BE to 61BE, were ex-ABE cars. The ex-AE cars were renumbered back to AE by 1981.

To overcome problems with different seating capacities within the BE group, two prefixes were added to the class in 1982. Using the standard BE capacity of 72 passengers, cars with a greater capacity (76 passengers) were coded BEL and cars with less capacity (64 passengers) were coded BES. Cars listed as BEL were 44 to 47 converted from BE cars with the same number. Cars BE 50, 53, 55-61 were reclassed to BES, same numbers, during 1982. All these cars were withdrawn during 1983/1984.

4BE, 17BE, 25BE, 38BE and 46BE are currently preserved with Steamrail Victoria. 15BE and 20BE are with the Victorian Goldifelds Railway.

CE cars

Originally, 16 DVE vans were built, numbered 1 to 16, between 1906 and 1909. The DVEs were recoded in 1910 to CE, retaining the numbers 1 to 16. From 1909, CE vans 17 to 25 were built, 26CE to 32CE in 1923 and finally 33CE to 37CE, built in 1924. Vans 33-37 were built with arched roofs instead of clerestory, and fitted with four wheel bogies instead of six-wheel bogies. In 1930, a collision at Seymour wrecked 15CE. A new van, also numbered 15CE, was built to the style of CE 33-37 instead of as the original 15CE. 33CE was one of the few vehicles to be painted in the 'Teacup' livery between the Victorian Railways' Blue & Gold, and V/Line tangerine liveries.

In 1963 35CE was modified for standard gauge service. It was reclassed to 1VHE: (V) Victoria; (H) (NSW guards van code); (E) (E-car van). In 1969 the van was restored to broad gauge and relettered 35CE. 18CE is currently under the care of Steamrail Victoria.

ABE cars

10 cars were built between 1906 and 1909, classed ABVE. They were half first class, half second class. In the 1910 recoding the cars were relettered to ABE with numbers retained. 6 more cars were built for this class in 1910, numbers 11-16. Between 1970 and 1982 four of the class were scrapped. Nine of the cars were recoded to BE in about 1960. 3ABE and 7ABE are currently under the care of Steamrail Victoria.

BCE cars

In 1935, five BDSE carriages were converted from mail sorting use to baggage and van use. The new class letters were BCE, numbers 1-5. The five BCE cars were converted from BDSEs 4, 1, 2, 6 and 7 respectively. These vehicles saw use on passenger trains to replace the large guard's vans that had been in use at the time, which could not hold passengers and thus did not make a profit. The BCEs were an attempt to fix that.

All five BCE cars have been preserved:1BCE - Steamrail Victoria2BCE - Victorian Goldfields Railway3BCE - Seymour Railway Heritage Centre4BCE - Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (not operational)5BCE - Steamrail Victoria (not operational)

Demise

The E-class carriages were slowly phased out of service from the 1980s as part of the 'New Deal' reforms of passenger rail operations, and by the early 1990s only eight equipped with air conditioning were still in service. [Lee, p.254] The last regular train worked with E class cars was the 5:40 pm V/Line South Geelong service on 24 December 1991.

A number of carriages were earmarked for preservation. They are now shared by Steamrail Victoria, the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, and other rail preservation groups.

References

* [http://www.pjv101.net/cd/pages/c130m.htm Peter J. Vincent: ABVE / ABE - 1st/2nd Express Sitting Carriage]
* [http://www.pjv101.net/cd/pages/c297m.htm Peter J. Vincent: DVE / CE / VHE - Bogie Express Guards Van]
* [http://www.pjv101.net/cd/pages/c290m.htm Peter J. Vincent: BCE - 2nd Class Car/Van]
* [http://www.pjv101.net/cd/pages/c320m.htm Peter J. Vincent: AVE / AE - First Class Express Carriage]
* [http://www.pjv101.net/cd/pages/c132m.htm Peter J. Vincent: BVE / BE / BEL / BES - Express Second Class Car]
* [http://www.victorianrailways.net/pass%20cars/pass%20car%20pages/bg.html Mark Bau: BG - economy, aircon, saloon/compartment cars]

pecific