4D (train)

4D Prototype
4D on the Flinders Street viaduct
In service	1991-1996, 2002
Manufacturer	United Goninan
Cars built	1991
Formation	4 car
Operator	Public Transport Corporation, Connex
Car length	20.320 metres
Width	3 meters
Height	4.413 meters
Weight	42 tonnes
Capacity	996
Gauge	Broad gauge

The 4D (standing for Double Deck Development and Demonstration) was a prototype double deck electric train built for the Public Transport Corporation of Melbourne, Australia. It remains the only double deck train ever to have run in Melbourne.

Design

Built by Goninan in 1991,^[1], the train's design was based firmly on that of the Tangara train used in Sydney. It is however similar only in terms of interior and exterior bodywork - the train's electrical system is much closer to a Comeng's and is in fact incompatible with that of the Tangara. The design was further modified for use on Melbourne's broad-gauge track, and its control system was designed specifically to allow in-service coupling and operation with Comeng sets. It was manufactured from stainless steel, fitted with air conditioning, tinted windows, and inter-car doors allowing passengers to access all carriages of the consist. It had a total passenger capacity of 974 passengers, comprised of 346 seated passengers and 628 standing. As part of the trial, the Belgrave and Lilydale lines were selected as main testing grounds for the unit and suitable works were performed to accommodate the train's somewhat unconventional dimensions. Works were also slated for other lines in the suburban system but it is not known whether they were ever carried out - the train's confinement to the two aforementioned lines suggests that they were not. It is known that the train was physically too large for the Jolimont tunnel on the Clifton Hill group - given however that the train was a demonstrator it is likely that production designs or future infrastructure plans would have dealt with this.

Service

The 4D was transferred to Victoria from Newcastle in December 1991, whereupon it entered a period of stringent testing. The unit broke from Melbourne tradition by being configured as Driving Trailer-Motor-Motor-Driving Trailer (D-TM-TM-D); all other sets in service at the time were (and are still) configured as Driving Motor-Trailer-Driving Motor (M-T-M). In a further break from tradition, the 4D did not use the 'D' code for a driving trailer - instead it was coded simply as T-M-M-T. The car numbers were also placed far outside the usual range; the 4D was numbered as 6000T-5000M-5002M-6002T for its whole service life. It was first introduced into revenue service on 10 March 1992,^[1] after testing and a subsequent media launch. Eight trips were scheduled for its first day in service, the first being the 0836 down Box Hill from Flinders Street. This run was followed by the 0908 up Flinders Street from Box Hill, on which the train suffered the first of its many failures. This necessitated its removal from service at Camberwell and the cancellation of the remaining trips. Initially it was run coupled to a 3-car Comeng until 1996, when after a troubled conversion to driver-only operation it was permitted to operate on its own. Often as not, though, it was towed or pushed by a 3- or 6-car Comeng set following a failure. When the suburban system was split into two in 1998 in preparation for privatisation, it was allocated to Hillside Trains (now Connex). Throughout its 10 years in Melbourne the 4D continued to be plagued by reliability issues that saw it constantly in and out of service. After its disappointing entry to service the train saw little use and was in storage by 1999. It was revived in June of 2000, but lasted only a year. One final attempt was made in February 2002 to return the set to service, but after three days it again failed and it was placed back in storage, never to run revenue service again. ^[2][3]

Disposal

Ownership of the 4D was then transferred back to the Victorian Government (in the form of the Department of Infrastructure), and the set was railed, ironically under its own power, to Newport railway workshops in December 2002 for long term storage^[4]. In 2006 it was purchased by Rail Corporation New South Wales (the New South Wales Government-owned corporation responsible for operating Sydney's suburban network) and United Group Rail, Goninan's successor company. From March of that year the train was stripped of parts suitable for use in CityRail's Tangara sets. ^[5] Following the removal of these components - mostly doors, seats and other interior furnishings - RailCorp wrote the train off its books and ordered it scrapped. On 29 March 2006, the 4D was transferred by El Zorro Rail Services to Simsmetal in Brooklyn where it was cut up and recycled. ^[6][7]

External links

• 4D at Vicsig