New South Wales Endeavour railcar

Endeavour Railcar
2851 and 2801 at Waratah station. Note the special NSW TrainLink livery that was given specifically to these two cars.
Refurbished interior
In service1994–present
ManufacturerABB
Built atDandenong
Replaced620/720 class railcars, DEB set railcars, Tulloch railcars
Constructed1994–1996
Entered serviceMarch 1994
Refurbished2009–2010, 2017
Number built30 carriages (15 sets)
Number in service28 carriages (14 sets)
SuccessorR set
Formation2-car sets
Fleet numbers
  • TE 2801–2815
  • LE 2851–2865
Capacity95 (TE) 82 (LE)
OperatorsSydney Trains
Lines served
Specifications
Train length50.5 m (165 ft 8 in)
Car length25.25 m (82 ft 10 in)
Width2.92 m (9 ft 7 in)
Height4.11 m (13 ft 6 in)
DoorsSingle leaf plug door, two per side per car
Maximum speed
  • 160 km/h (99 mph) (design)
  • 145 km/h (90 mph) (service)
Weight
  • 56.6 t (55.7 long tons; 62.4 short tons) (TE)
  • 57.2 t (56.3 long tons; 63.1 short tons) (LE)
Prime mover(s)Cummins KTA-19R
Power output383 kW (514 hp)
TransmissionVoith T311r KB260, with Voith Turbo V15 20 final drive
AuxiliariesCummins LT10R(G) – 135 kW (181 hp)
BogiesPJA (Power), NJA (Trailer)
Coupling systemScharfenberg
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Endeavour Railcars are a class of diesel multiple units (DMU) operated by Sydney Trains on its intercity passenger rail services in New South Wales, Australia on the Hunter, Blue Mountains (to Bathurst), Southern Highlands and South Coast lines (between Kiama and Bomaderry). They are mechanically identical to the Xplorers, but are fitted out for shorter travel distances. All 30 carriages were built by ABB's Dandenong rolling stock factory.

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] Some Endevours are scheduled to be replaced in 2026-2027 by the R sets.[4][5][6]

The trains have multiple-unit capability with the Hunter J Set but only in the event of failure or for empty coaching stock movements. These cars normally operate as two-car sets, however during peak periods they can operate as four-car sets.

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 (514 hp) 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 (181 hp) Cummins LT10R(G) diesel engine drives a Newage Stamford UCI274F alternator to supply power for the air conditioning and lighting.[7]

The maximum speed of Endeavour railcars is 160 km/h (99 mph) but in service this is limited to 145 km/h (90 mph).

In service

An Endeavour in original livery departing Warabrook in May 2007

Endeavours operate on four lines:

Endeavours previously operated weekend only Wollongong to Moss Vale services.[8]

Refurbishment

A CityRail refurbished Endeavour at Maitland station, 2009

In 2009–2010, the Endeavours, along with the Xplorers, were refurbished by Bombardier Transportation's Dandenong rolling stock factory. The refurbishment included:[9]

  • New reversible 3x2 seats, as found on the Hunter railcars and H sets, the seat covers are made of woollen moquette fabric 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)

Second Refurbishment

A NSW TrainLink refurbished Endeavour at Hamilton station, 2017

In 2017, the Endeavours were refurbished by Downer in Cardiff. The refurbishment includes:

  • New lighting
  • New flooring, similar to the Waratahs
  • New livery to two cars, 2851 & 2801 (orange and yellow front, no window band and paint layout similar to the Xplorers.
  • Refurbished seating
  • New drivers window wipers
  • Refurbished Couplers (Auto and Intermediate)

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 VLocity DMU built for V/Line is an evolution of the Endeavour/Xplorer design, due to it being based on it.[10]

References

  1. ^ "CityRail to have Explorers too" Railway Digest May 1992
  2. ^ "Endeavours Enter Service Only Days After Launch" Railway Digest May 1994
  3. ^ "More Xplorer & Endeavour Cars Ordered" Railway Digest December 1994
  4. ^ The Endevours are the only trains between the XPT and Xplorer that will operate with the R Set together.NSW Region train fleet on track Archived 15 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Transport for New South Wales 14 August 2017
  5. ^ NSW seeks private finance for regional fleet Archived 18 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine International Railway Journal 15 August 2017
  6. ^ NSW regional train fleet to be replaced Archived 19 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International 15 August 2017
  7. ^ Xplorer/Endeavour Operating Manual. ABB Transportation. 1994.
  8. ^ "New Timetable Sees Demise of Loco-Hauled Services" Railway Digest July 1994
  9. ^ CountryLink train refurbishment Hansard 1 September 2010 New South Wales Legislative Assembly
  10. ^ "NEWSLETTER No 7/2007" (PDF). Rail Technical Society of Australasia SA Chapter. July 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2019.