INTRODUCTION

uring the 1970’s, most of the existing NSW country rolling stock was approaching the end of its economic life and one of the major issues of the 1976 NSW Election was better public transport. Amongst the election promises was new long distance passenger rolling stock. In September 1977 a tender was issued for loco-hauled country rolling stock and was followed in November by a tender for 16 two-car non air-conditioned rail cars. In January 1978 a further tender was called for 25 high speed rail cars similar to the West Australian Prospector cars. An option in this last tender allowed bidders to submit an alternative proposal if they so desired.

Commonwealth Engineering (NSW) Pty Ltd (Comeng), builders of the Prospector rail cars, envisaged problems in reproducing the original performance and maintenance characteristics of these cars within the more restrictive NSW loading gauge. They concluded that an underfloor diesel rail car was not viable and that a high-speed power car hauling a set of passenger cars was the preferred option. A review of the available designs concluded that the most suitable type was the British Railways’ High Speed Train (HST).

The HST or "Inter-City 125" first appeared in 1972 as a prototype and was followed by another 95 production sets. These trains are used on non-electrified routes throughout the United Kingdom and regularly operate at a service speed of 125 miles per hour. Their design, suitably modified for Australian conditions, was considered capable of meeting the NSW criteria. This included having a single power car start on 1 in 30 up grade with four trailers attached, as well as achieving a maximum service speed of 160 kmph (100 mph) where track conditions permitted. Passenger comfort was a significant consideration and a considerable amount of research into bogie design was undertaken during the development stages for the trailer cars.

The final design for the power car was based extensively on the British HST. The same Paxman Valenta diesel engine and Brush traction components were employed. However, to suit Australian conditions a number of changes were made. The Paxman engine was detuned compared with its British counterpart and to cope with the dustier and hotter environment, additional air filtering and larger cooling systems were fitted. The guard’s compartment was also removed to the trailer cars. This enabled better weight distribution as a result of equipment relocations and consequently reduced the power car’s length and weight.

FIRST ROLLING STOCK ORDER

In February 1979, the NSW Premier announced that 100 new vehicles would be obtained for country service. These were to comprise 26 power cars, 32 passenger trailers, 25 passenger trailers with guard’s compartment, nine passenger trailers with buffet facilities and eight driving trailers. It was proposed that this rolling stock would form eight sets for country use and six sets for interurban use. The interurban sets would have only one power car, a driving trailer car and no buffet facilities. In the long term, only the country sets were acquired.

A Contract was formally executed with Commonwealth Engineering Pty Ltd of Granville (Comeng) in March 1980 and provided for an initial order of 30 vehicles. This order comprised ten power cars (XP 2000 to 2009), four first class trailers with guard’s compartment, four first class trailers with buffet compartment and twelve economy class trailers. This enabled four seven-car sets (2 power cars + 5 trailers) to be rostered with two spare power cars.

During the delivery period there was a considerable amount of renumbering of existing rolling stock to make the number ranges available for the new cars. This mainly affected the HUB and RUB air-conditioned cars and many were reassigned code numbers in the 28xx range. This was later reversed and most reclaimed their original numbers. It is significant to note, that for the first time, rail car (or locomotive) numbering started with the "0" in the number range rather than with more usual "1".

The first two vehicles, XP 2000 and XF 2200, were handed over on 23 August 1981, about one month prior to the NSW State election. These cars together with a suitably labelled Southern Aurora guard’s van (MHN 2364) toured the State to show country and city people the new type of train in which they would be soon travelling. This 3-car test train was later joined by XF 2201. The NSW Opposition regarded this exercise as a "cheap election gimmick", however, public reaction to the new train was most enthusiastic. During this State tour a new Australian rail speed record of 183 kmph was set on 6 September 1981 on the Main South between Table Top and Gerogery. The first XPT entered revenue service on the Central West XPT on 13 April 1982.

SECOND ROLLING STOCK ORDER

Following the initial success of the XPT services, a second order was placed with Comeng in 1983 for 20 items of additional XPT rolling stock. This order comprised five power cars (XP 2010 to 2014), ten First Class cars with Guard’s Compartment, three First Class cars with buffet and two First Class sitting cars.

The fixed 2 x 1 and 2 x 2 seating, facing the centre of the car, in the original batch of rolling stock came in for a good deal of customer criticism because the seats could not be rotated and the seat backs had only limited reclining ability. These were in total contrast to the seating offered in the existing country rolling stock. The second batch of cars included rotating and reclining seating (known as "D" type) and the cars also received a "D" coding in lieu of the normal "B" coding for First Class cars. This additional rolling stock provided for the operation of six seven-car sets (2 power cars + 5 trailers) with two spare power cars and five spare trailers.

THIRD ROLLING STOCK ORDER

On 13 May 1985, two-class travel was introduced for the XPT services and the fare surcharge abolished. As a result of these fare changes, passenger demand rose by 33% between May and August. To provide for this additional patronage, Comeng was contracted to construct twelve additional trailer cars. This additional rolling stock permitted the six operational sets to be built up to nine-car consists (2 power cars + 7 trailers) when required, while there were two power cars and five trailers as spares.

FOURTH ROLLING STOCK ORDER

During 1992, tenders were called for additional rolling stock to be jointly funded by the New South Wales and Victorian governments and for the existing fleet to be refurbished in preparation for services to Melbourne in late 1993. The fourth order for XPT rolling stock was placed with ABB Transportation (as successor to Comeng) and these vehicles were constructed at their Dandenong plant in Victoria. This batch comprised four additional power cars (XP 2015 to 2019), five deluxe sitting cars (coded XL) and eight sleeping cars (coded XAM). The new XAM and XL trailers are fitted with NMA type bogies designed by ABB. The NMA bogies are also fitted to the Endeavour and Xplorer rail cars (also built by ABB). The bogies were based on a Comeng developed bogie that had been trialled under an XPT car in 1986 to compare with British Rail’s BT23 design. Power cars XP 2017 and 2018 and six trailers are owned by the Victorian Department of Infrastructure and are leased to Countrylink.

Following the completion of this order, XPT consists were seven-car (2 power cars + 5 trailers) sets and nine-car (2 power cars + 7 trailers) sets. The seven-car sets worked to Dubbo and Grafton while the others were deployed on the longer distance interstate services. During the testing of XP 2015, with XP 2003 and three passenger trailers, an attempt was made to reach 200 kmph for the first time. This speed was not achieved, however, another Australian rail speed record of 193 kmph was set on 18 September 1992 on the Main South between Table Top and Yerong Creek. This record has since been eclipsed by Queensland Rail’s (electric) Tilt Train and the record currently stands at 213 km/h.

FLEET REFURBISHMENT 1993

In 1993 A. Goninan and Co. of Newcastle was awarded the contract to refurbish the existing fleet of XPT trailers. XDH 2100 to 2103 were rebuilt as deluxe trailers and the buffet cars XDR 2150 to 2156 were updated with new buffet compartments. XD 2225 and XDH 2111 were also rebuilt as additional buffet cars. The remaining cars were refurbished and fitted with new carpets, curtains and "D" type rotating and reclining seating. Following the refurbishment contract the "D" coding was removed from the cars and they are now classified as First (XB), Economy (XF) or Luxury (XL).

FLEET REFURBISHMENT 2005

United Group Rail was awarded the contract to refurbish the XPT fleet in 2005. This work covered both power and trailer cars. The major refurbishment work included replacement of the old seating with new seats, backs and coverings on the existing seat frames that were fitted during the 1993 refurbishment. Seat coverings are darkish blue and toilets for both standard and disabled compartments were upgraded.

The XP power cars, having being built in a number of batches, do have minor differences in cab layout. The opportunity was being taken to standardise the cab layout including new push buttons, toggle switches, meters and the relocation of some equipment. An AM/FM radio/CD/MP3 player was being fitted to all units and the quarter windows in XP 2000-2014 are being upgraded to FRA Type 2 specifications. Externally a new and simplified colour scheme of dark blue, turquoise, yellow and white is being applied.

Typical 6-Car XPT Formation

POWER CARS (XP)

The power car was essentially a single-ended Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive and followed the basic design of the British HST power car (now classified as a Class 43 locomotive). They utilised the stressed steel skin technique that provides a light but strong body, while the entire cab module was constructed from moulded, reinforced fibreglass with a toughened windscreen. This moulding was designed to resist high velocity impacts that could be experienced at planned operational speeds. As well as providing traction, the power car also supplied power for train lighting, air-conditioning and the buffet.

The minor differences between the XPT and the British HST may be summarised as follows:

• Larger cooling systems
• Improved exhaust noise attenuation
• Different gear ratio limiting maximum operational speed to 160 km/h
• Secondary air filters
• Main air compressor relocated within car body
• Reduced body length (by 450mm) by eliminating the guard’s compartment
• Better weight distribution

The power car mass of 76 tonnes (19 tonne axle load) is about 25% lighter than the British HST. This reduction in mass was achieved by reducing the length and using a lighter form of fibreglass for the driver's cab construction. The balance of the whole power car is much better with these modifications than the British version, which is nose heavy. Coupler heights are lower than those of the British counterpart, considerably strengthening the underframe. Unlike the passenger cars, which are stainless steel, the power unit is constructed of steel and has a painted finish.

These units were powered by a turbocharged and intercooled Paxman Valenta marine diesel engine. This V-12 engine is rated at 1,492 kW (2,000 hp) for traction. The engine drove a Brush alternators for traction and auxiliaries. Two Brush traction motors were mounted on each of the 4-wheel bogies. Although the Paxman Valenta engines were relatively reliable overall, by the mid-1990’s they were starting to show signs of aging. A number of engine options were considered, including replacement with newer Valenta's and replacement with another type of engine. In the early 1990’s, a V-12 Paxman VP185 engine had been trialled in the United Kingdom, resulting in 12 of the Class 43 HST locomotives being fitted, commencing with 43170 in September 1994. The VP185 engine featured a slightly higher power output to the Valenta on a significantly reduced engine capacity. This engine was also almost 700 kilograms (0.7 tonnes) lighter in weight than the Valenta V-12. On this basis, it was decided to proceed with an upgrade to the Paxman VP185 diesel. In 1999, tenders were called for the supply and installation of new engines and the contract was awarded to A. Goninan and Co. of Newcastle, who had rebuilt the XPT trailer cars in the early 1990s.

XP 2016 was the first unit to be refitted in April 2000 and XP 2006 followed soon after. XP 2016 returned to service on 27 June 2000 and ran tests on the Central West XPT to Dubbo for several days before making its first long distance run to Murwillumbah on 4 July 2000. XP 2006, the second to receive a VP185, returned on Friday 14 July 2000 and worked the Central West XPT over the weekend. The re-building project was completed by mid-2002.

The replacement engine is a Paxman VP185 Model marine diesel engine. This V-12 engine features a 2-stage turbocharger, intercooler and aftercooler. The VP185 is rated at 1538 kW (2,060 hp). This engine is also fitted with a Regulatuers Europa "Viking" control equipment and monitoring system, which provides a remote display of engine condition through a cellular phone link. This system is integrated with a GPS system, using an antenna located towards the rear of the vehicle. This enables a remote monitoring station to know where the engine is at any given time, as well as its speed and relevant performance characteristics.

BOGIES

Due to the short development times available, the PJA power bogies used on the power cars are similar to the British HST's BP10 bogie with local modifications to accommodate local track conditions. These modifications included an increased vertical movement on the primary suspension and softer secondary suspension. The secondary suspension also has more lateral movement. The Australian redesign of the equipment layout on the power car meant that the weight is more evenly distributed than on the British HST. The XPT coupler heights are also lower than the HST. Traction motor mountings and torque arm arrangements were also improved.

VEHICLE NAMES

When introduced, the power cars carried names. The names used were cities on the XPT routes and have been subsequently removed.

• XP2000 - City of Maitland
• XP2001 - City of Dubbo
• XP2002 – City of Brisbane
• XP2003 – City of Orange
• XP2004 – City of Kempsey
• XP2005 – City of Newcastle
• XP2006 – City of Wagga Wagga
• XP2007 – City of Albury
• XP2008 – City of Goulburn
• XP2009 – City of Murwillumbah
• XP2010 – City of Taree
• XP2011 – City of Sydney
• XP2012 – City of Tamworth
• XP2013 – City of Casino
• XP2014 – City of Grafton
• XP2015 – City of Wangaratta
• XP2016 – City of Cootamundra
• XP2017 – City of Melbourne
• XP2018 – City of Coffs Harbour

VEHICLE CONFIGURATION

SERVICING FACILITIES

To support the XPT fleet, a new servicing facility was built on land on the Up side of the Illawarra Line at Sydenham in the Meeks Road triangle. The cost was $x million and was a state of the art facility for servicing both power and trailer cars. Former SRA 73 Class diesel hydraulic locomotive, 7301, was acquired and suitably painted in Countrylink colours to become the resident shunter at Meeks Road. 7301 is often seen moving power and trailer cars to and from Sydney Terminal.

Aerial view of the XPT Depot at Meeks Road Triangle - Sydenham

XPT SERVICES

Before entering service there was considerable conjecture of the ticket pricing for XPT services. It was stated by the Government that it would be about half the existing air-fare, however, the final pricing was based on first class only travel with a surcharge for travelling on a premium service. This was not received well by the travelling public but patronage was good following the introduction of the new services. The introduction of the South XPT and the consequent withdrawal of the South Mail on 4 June 1984 left patrons travelling on the Southern line with no alternate services to the XPT. Two-class travel was introduced and the surcharge removed on all XPT services from 13 May 1985.

The XPT, as conceived, was designed for a crew of 5 (driver, guard and 3 others), however, Union pressure forced a rethink and the XPT entered service with a crew of 9 or 10 including two men in the cab. This resulted in an acute shortage of staff accommodation that was resolved by allocating 4 seats from the buffet car into a facing pair and providing a curtain for privacy. Another concession to the unions was to provide a guard’s compartment at both ends of the train. This was completed with the delivery of four XDH cars from the second order.

The SRA continued to push for one-man operation of the XPT and this led to a 17-day strike in 1983. This was initially resolved by rostering a two-man crew for high-speed operations and a single man for lower speed running. However, reduced manning requirements have been gradually introduced and this has seen single man (driver only) operation on all XPT services along with the withdrawal of the Guard’s position.

West: The first service to be introduced was the Central West XPT on 8 April 1982. This service replaced the loco hauled air-conditioned Central West Express and provided a day return service from Sydney to Orange on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and from Sydney to Dubbo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. From 27 November 1983, the service was extended to Dubbo from Mondays to Saturdays and a conditional Sunday service introduced. From 2 December 1985 the service was made daily. This is the only service that has not seen any significant changes to its operations since its introduction.

South: The Riverina XPT entered service on 23 August 1982 with a Monday to Saturday service from Sydney to Albury. This daylight service replaced the air-conditioned Riverina Express that was previously operated by 900 Class rail cars. Southern services were supplemented on the 30 August 1983 with the introduction of the Canberra XPT that operated a Sunday to Friday service from Sydney to Canberra with a return on the following day. This train operated in conjunction with the Canberra Monaro Express (900 Class railcars) and the Canberra Express (loco hauled). A conditional Sunday service was introduced for the Riverina XPT on 27 November 1983. The 4 June 1984 saw the introduction of the South XPT that replaced the loco hauled South Mail. This train provided a Sunday to Friday service from Sydney to Albury with the return services on Tuesday to Sunday. A conditional Saturday/Sunday service on the South XPT and the Canberra XPT was also provided. On 23 June 1985, the South XPT service was withdrawn and the Canberra XPT was changed to a daily service. The Canberra XPT service was withdrawn on 11 February 1990 and replaced by a loco hauled Canberra Express, while the Riverina XPT became a daily service. From July 1994, the delivery of additional rolling stock enabled the Riverina XPT to be rescheduled and a new overnight Melbourne XPT service introduced. The Riverina XPT was withdrawn and replaced by a daylight Melbourne XPT on 13 December 1994.

North Coast: The Mid North Coast XPT was introduced on 28 November 1982 as a Kempsey to Sydney day return service operating from Monday to Saturday. This was the only new service that was provided as a result of the introduction of the XPT. This service was not successful as first thought and was replaced on 4 June 1984 with a Sydney to Kempsey day return service operating Monday to Saturday with a conditional Sunday service. On 14 October 1985 the Mid North Coast XPT as withdrawn and the Holiday Coast XPT introduced. This daily service operated between Sydney and Grafton City and replaced the loco hauled air-conditioned North Coast Daylight Express. The Holiday Coast XPT was trialled to Murwillumbah on 17 July 1989 and again to Brisbane on 22 July in preparation for future services. A major change occurred on 11 February 1990 when the Brisbane Limited, the Pacific Coast Motorail and the Holiday Coast XPT were withdrawn and two new services introduced. These daily services were the Murwillumbah XPT (Sydney to Murwillumbah) and the Brisbane XPT (Sydney to Brisbane). The Brisbane XPT offered an overnight service on the down journey (but without sleeper accommodation), while the Murwillumbah XPT was an overnight service (without sleeper accommodation) on the up journey. Later the Grafton XPT was added to the North Coast schedule. This provided a daily Sydney to Grafton City service with a mid-morning departure. Sleeper accommodation was provided on both the Brisbane and Murwillumbah services with the introduction of the XAM sleeping cars in late 1993. The Murwillumbah Branch was closed by RailCorp beyond Old Casino on 17 April 2004. As a result, the Murwillumbah XPT was terminated at Casino and renamed the Casino XPT. The down service ran to the original Murwillumbah XPT timetable, while the up service departed Casino for Sydney some 4½ hours earlier.

North: The Northern Tablelands XPT commenced running on 16 April 1984 on a three days per week basis in conjunction with the Northern Tablelands Express (NTE) operated by a 900 Class rail car set on the other three days. From 1 June 1984 the NTE was withdrawn and the Northern Tablelands XPT operated all services. This XPT provided a Monday to Saturday service from Sydney to Glen Innes with an extension to Tenterfield on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Werris Creek to Moree portion of the former NTE was provided by Werris Creek based 900 Class units that connected with the XPT service. On 14 October 1985, the Northern Tablelands XPT was truncated to Armidale and reduced to a Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays service with return on the following day. A loco hauled Northern Tablelands Express was also reintroduced to work to Armidale on the alternate days. Road coaches were used to provide services beyond Armidale. The Northern Tablelands Express was withdrawn on 11 February 1990 and the Northern Tablelands XPT service was further truncated to a daily Sydney to Tamworth day return service. Road coaches provided all services beyond Tamworth. XPT services on the Main North concluded on 5 October 1993 when the first of the newly introduced Xplorer rail cars operating as the Northern Tablelands Xplorer commenced running to the same schedule.

SERVICE SUMMARY

OPERATIONS

Following the introduction of the interstate services in 1993, the entire XPT fleet became involved in an intensive roster to meet the service schedule requirements. The impact of this roster meant that a late running train on most sectors would mean a "knock on" effect on other services. An examination of the roster will give an idea of the intensive operations undertaken by the NSW XPT fleet. The regular roster requires eight sets to be in service each day:

• Brisbane XPT - 2 sets
• Casino XPT - 1 set
• Grafton XPT - 2 sets
• Melbourne XPTs - 2 sets
• Central West XPT - 1 set

During the 1990's and 2000's there was some decline in patronage and regular services were reduced to six passenger trailers, with five trailers on the Central West XPT. During school holidays, sets are usually built up to seven trailers.

TILT TRAIN TRIAL

Three Swedish State Railways (SJ) X2000 tilt train cars were hired by Countrylink in 1995 for testing to determine their suitability for use in New South Wales. This testing was to be followed trial public service. The "Echidna" profile test car worked over much of the Countrylink network to test clearances before the Tilt Train set was used. The cars hired were SJ2520UA2X (driving trailer), SJ2620URA2 (bistro trailer) and SJ2819UA2G (standard trailer). The driving trailer was not used for driving purposes.

Power cars XP 2000 and XP 2009 were modified to operate with the Swedish cars. The suspension was stiffened, especially on the No.2 end to support the extra weight of a motor-generator set in the compressor room. This also prevented the power car from tilting the wrong way at high speeds when rounding corners. The power cars were not fitted with a tilting mechanism, however the modifications prevented them from tilting away from the curve when the X2000 trailers tilted into it. Multiple unit cables for the power cars were run along the roof of the three Swedish cars. The power cars were fitted with controls to turn the tilting mechanism on and off, operate damper switches and control the generator sets. The control box was mounted on the dashboard to the left of the driver. At the conclusion of testing over various lines, the set entered a regular service between Sydney and Canberra between 23 April 1995 and 18 June 1995. Running twice daily in each direction, the tilt train operated in addition to the regular Xplorer services.

WALLAN DERAILMENT

On 20 February 2020, ST23 NSW Trainlink Melbourne XPT derailed at Wallan (Victoria) Crossing Loop. The train consisted of XP2018 (leading), XAM 2179, XL 2229, XBR 2155, XF 2155 and XP 2000 (trailing). The section from Kilmore East to Donnybrook over which ST23 was operating had suffered earlier bushfire damage and was being worked under an alternate safeworking system with the driver accompanied by a pilot. The temporary operations were running through the Wallan interlocking on the main line, however, on the day of the accident ARTC decided to reroute traffic via the loop. The preliminary report indicates that, as ST23 approached Wallan at line speed (130 kph), the driver made an emergency brake application just before entering the loop. The train was travelling in excess of 100 kph at the time and was unable to negotiate the 15 kph turnout which resulted in the derailment. XP 2018 rolled onto its side resulting in the death of the driver and the accompanying pilot. 39 of the 153 passengers and five other crew members on board sustained injuries. The five passenger cars derailed, but remained upright, with only the trailing power car remaining on the track. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has completed its investigation, identifying some 15 factors contributing to the accident.

REPLACEMENT

In October 2016, the NSW Government announced that the XPT fleet would be replaced. Expressions of Interest will be targeted for the end of 2017. A contract could be awarded as soon as early 2019 with an early 2020's entry into service. The plan is for local assembly of the trains in NSW. The Goverment's replacment plan may also be extended to include the Xplorer and Endeavour rail cars. The Transport Minister said the fleet procurement would bring new opportunities for investment in regional NSW.

COLOUR SCHEMES

The XPT appeared in a new colour scheme for NSW. The basic body colour for the power cars was a light grey. A broad red stripe extended almost the full length of the car with a black stripe inset within the red with the words "InterCity XPT" in white on the black stripe. The black stripe was lined with yellow and also featured the SRA logo. The undercar skirts were finished in red. The passenger cars were predominantly in natural stainless steel finish. A broad black band was painted along the windows, with a narrow yellow lining at the top and bottom of the band. In common with the power cars, the undercar skirts were also finished in red.

In 1995, the original colour scheme was replaced by a new Countrylink corporate livery of light blue, dark blue and white. The scheme consisted of a broad dark blue band along the window line, relieved by two narrow lines of white and light blue towards the bottom of the dark band. The undercar skirts were white. The power car was painted white and also featured the same lining scheme as the trailers. The narrow white and light blue lines came together to the form of the Countrylink logo just behind the driver's cab door. A narrow light blue strip was applied above and below the dark blue band on the front quarter of the car. This colour scheme was also applied to the Xplorer rail cars.

A new RailCorp Corporate Scheme of primarily dark blue with turquoise, yellow and white lining was applied to XP 2001 and this unit returned to service in February 2005. This scheme is being applied to all of the XP class. The passenger trailer car scheme has been simplified. A broad turquoise band has been applied at window level with black skirts below floor level. Passenger access doors have been painted a bright golden yellow, while other doors have the broad turquoise band at the window level carried through. The car ends have been changed from light grey to dark blue. The scheme was also applied to the Endeavour, Xplorer and Hunter rail cars.

A number of XPT power cars featured different colour schemes for the celebration of special events.

• Tilt Train - XP 2000 and XP 2009 featured a sky blue front to just behind the driver's cab doors while the remainder of the body was dark blue. A full length longitudinal white stripe at floor level with black on the undercar skirts completed the scheme. The vehicles carried the wording "tilt TRAIN" on a grey circle at the join between the main body colours, "COUNTRYLINK X2000" along the body and "140 Anniversary" adjacent to the rear access door - celebrating the 140th Anniversary of NSW Railways.
• Olympic Games – XP 2000 was painted in an overall medium blue colour scheme with the wording "Sydney 2000" and the Sydney 2000 Olympic logos.
• Centenary of Federation – XP 2001 was painted in an orange and white colour scheme celebrating the Australian Centenary of Federation with Centenary of Federation logo.

REFERENCES

• "Rail Motors and XPTs" by David Cooke (Australian Railway Historical Society - 1984).
• The XPT Page on the RailPage web site (www.railpage.org.au).
• Drawings by Bruce Agland.