Re: MU set up of Electric Trains

[billboltonREMOVE-TO-EMAIL@computer.org (Bill Bolton)]

"David & Jan Winter" <winterd@icenet.com.au> wrote:

> BTW, does anyone know of any operation in Australia with three or more units
> coupled? (e.g. lash ups involving 2-car "full" units [cabs both ends])

CityRail, and its predecessors, have had the capability, in small
numbers, at various times and have used it.  I'm not aware of any of
the current CityRail 2 car sets regularly operating in that
configuration.

Up to the 1970s, as small number of older Sydney Suburban sets were
formed in a M,DT,DT,M,M,DT,DT,M configurations. They could be divided
into 2 car sets for lightly traffic areas of the system. i.e.
Carlingford, Hornsby-Cowan etc, while running as a 4, 6 or 8 car set
in peak hours.

Since then traffic levels have risen to the extent that most areas
that could once get by with 2 car sets now need 4 cars sets for base
service.  It has only been the expansion of the CityRail electrified
network to Newcastle and Wollongong which has again created a need for
2 car sets.

There were also some industrial issues with the safety of the drivers
cabs in some classes of CityRail cars which normally didn't have
cabs... i.e the cabs needed for 2 car sets... AFAIK because the cab
configurations were smaller than the normal driving cab.  This caused
a significant number of those cars to be converted to normal cabless
configuration and so operable only in 4 car sets.


Cheers,

Bill