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Old 12th March 2018, 06:07
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aussiesteve aussiesteve is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bathurst
Posts: 577
G'day again,
Just a tad more info to explain the smog hollow newbie emu interurban design situation.
Dr. Bradfield had opted to copy some facets of the New York Subway system for the proposed electrified Sydney suburban network.
The NYS is where he got the prehistoric 1500 VDC overhead notion from plus also the wide width of the cattle cars.
Originally, the NSWR was built to UK notions, including loading gauge.
However, as the NSWR imported soot belching things plus cowboy cars from Uncle Sam in 1877, adjustments had to be made.
And, them adjustments have been made gradually ever since.
The general soot belching era NSWR was confined to a max body width of 9 feet.
It had originally been a max of 8 foot 6 inch width.
Dr. Bradfield wanted 10 foot 6 inch width cattle cars, thereby being able to perch 5 across the aisle.
So, when the underground was commenced, being newbie infrastructure, it could be built accordingly.
The suburban existing above ground network was adjusted to suit, platform wise, as the overhead started swinging from 1928.
The length of them wide body cattle cars being 63 feet.
When 8 car trains became the norm for the smog hollow cattle crush, some atmospheric platforms also had to be lengthened.
However, Dr. Bradfield had the underground platforms built to accommodate 8 cars.
I am mostly referring to the Main West, as that was my general stomping ground.
The overhead reached Parramatta in 1929, and eventually Penrith in 1955.
It was decided to extend the overhead all the way to Lithgow as soot belching things were struggling on the 1 in 33 grade.
Lithgow copped electric traction in 1957.
The single decker U-boats being built to a US Budd design with Metrovick traction gear, were ready, willing and able.
The U sets were built to narrow width standards to negate modifications to existing Blue Mountains infrastructure.
By that stage, standard cattle car body width generally being 9 foot 6 inch.
Car length being 67 foot, and roof height 13 feet.
The car width providing for 4 across the aisle in comfortable flip over leather seats.
With all stopper Mountains interurban services being just a smidgen under 3 hours rattling time, cattle comfort was necessary.
In 1964 the smog hollow cattle crush was exceeding the capacity of single deckers, so somebody concocted double deckers.
The first double decker trailer cars appeared to work with single decker motor cars.
Again, certain facets of the network needed modifications.
The next innovation was the design of medium width cattle cars, which could thereby be just a tad longer and still fit the loading gauge.
Medium width cars being 10 feet wide and 66 foot long.
Again some facets of the network needed adjustments, including platform stretching.
In 1970 the Blue Mountains cattle were exceeding the capacity of 10 car U-boats.
So, the brand newbie, most luxurious commuter trains in the world, were introduced with the double decker V sets.
These cars had to comply with the then narrow body width of 9 foot 6 inch.
But, the car length was a whopping 75 feet., plus roof height being 14 foot 6 inch.
Yep, once again, certain adjustments had to be made to the existing infrastructure, especially with curved platforms.
BUT, a big problem were the ten tunnels just east of Lithgow.
Them V setters were NOT going through them tunnels.
So, a major works programme was instituted to lower the tunnel floors.
Once completed, them V setters could finally arrive into Lithgow.
Lithgow, 3018 feet up in the atmosphere gets mighty chilly during winter time.
The U-boats were NOT air-con, just provided with gas (LPG) heating elements.
Blue Mountains cattle were very hardy folk until the appearance of the air-con V setters.
Management discovered that medium width suburban cars could sneak up the Mountains to Springwood with very little modifications.
Hence dunnies were slapped into subsequent Tangarbage sets, to be dubbed G sets.
Springwood cattle had been demanding increased services.
Yep, they got em, and they were NOT impressed when the first G set sneaked into the station.
With 5 across the aisle anti-vandal hard as nails seating, the provision of one dunny per four car set was not convincing.
Next into the fray was the ROCKET.
In 1981, NSW achieved the fastest train status, if you discount the WAGR Prospector DMU.
The XPT cattle cars being even longer at 79 feet, though within the narrow body width of 9 foot 6 inches.
Again, certain adjustments were necessary out in the boonies with old platforms.
Wide body emu cars could only venture as far west as Emu Plains (57 kms west).
Medium width emu cars can only venture as far west as Springwood (79 kms west).
Narrow width cars can run the entire network where pas jobs are permitted to stomp.
So, just because the newbie South Korean double decker interurbans don't fit, ain't a new drama.
I have not squizzed any design diagrams, but I am kinda thinking that management may want 5 across the aisle seating.
The Endeavour dmu sets were introduced from 1994.
Car length is a monster 82 foot, though squeezing within the narrow body width.
Two car and four car Endeavour sets hurtle around the regional areas cramming in 5 across the aisle on anti-vandal seats.
Our Bathurst Bullet being a two car Endeavour.
I can tell you that the 3 hour 45 minute, 240 kms ride does get painful on the posterior.
Plus, if Big Bernie decides to perch next to you, crikey you are in for a rough ride.
But, I cannot complain.
The Bullet is still much cheaper than driving das auto all the way to smog hollow.
And, with the smog hollow traffic chaos, you ain't gunna make it right into the city in 3 hours 45 minutes.
Unless that is, you depart Bathurst around midnight.
One freight facet that ran foul of the NSWR infrastructure was the Road-Railer notion.
Due to the overhead hanging in the atmosphere and consequent tunnel and overpass restrictions, double-stack container concept was verboten.
But, it was hoped that the road-railer concept might succeed.
I was down in Transport House attending the week of safe working review for the 2000 Olympics panic.
A clerk came running up to me holding a telegram detailing the road-railer concept.
WHAT is this; he bellowed; we can't have this on the network !
I calmed him down stating that the tests had been conducted a week earlier and proven a total failure.
The low hanging truck tyres had snagged Train Stop apparatus and other infrastructure within the inner metrop.
So, sadly, the road-railer concept was also verboten.
Maybe we shoulda listened to them Uncle Sam mob in the 1980s.
They stressed that passenger trains are worthless, and to get rid of the lot plus bulldoze all stations.
They advised that if our capitalistic wanna-be rich are ever gunna be rich, FREIGHT is where it is at.
Steve.
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