New South Wales Bradfield suburban carriage stock

The New South Wales Bradfield suburban carriage stock were a type of electric multiple unit operated by the New South Wales Government Railways and its successors between 1921 and 1975.

New South Wales Bradfield carriage stock
Preserved C3045 at the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum in March 2010
In service	1921–1975
Manufacturer	Clyde Engineering Ritchie Brothers Meadowbank Manufacturing Company Eveleigh Carriage Workshops
Constructed	1921–1922
Number built	193[contradictory]
Fleet numbers	C3000-C3100, T4101–T4284, D4001-D4009
Operators	New South Wales Government Railways Public Transport Commission
Depots	Flemington Hornsby Mortdale Punchbowl
Lines served	All Sydney suburban
Specifications
Car length	18.75 m (61 ft 6+1⁄4 in)
Width	3.180 m (10 ft 5+1⁄4 in)
Height	3.930 m (12 ft 10+3⁄4 in)
Wheel diameter	42 in (1,067 mm)
Maximum speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Traction system	2 x Metropolitan-Vickers MV172 motors per carriage, Semi automatic Electro-pneumatic resistance control, DC series wound brushed traction motors
Power output	2 x 270 kW (360 hp)
Transmission	58:18 Gear ratio. Straight cut gears.
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC catenary
Current collector(s)	Single-pan diamond pantograph
Braking system(s)	Westinghouse air
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

With the electrification of the Sydney suburban network planned, in 1919 orders were placed for 100 carriages with contracts awarded to three builders, Clyde Engineering (42), Ritchie Brothers (18) and Meadowbank Manufacturing Company (40).^[1][2]

The carriages featured wooden bodies on steel underframes with 43 fitted out as EBB first class carriages and 57 as EBA second class. The carriages gained the Bradfield carriages nickname after the New South Wales Railway's Chief Engineer John Bradfield, even though they were designed by Chief Mechanical Engineer Edward Lucy.^[2][3]

Bradfield carriages were the first electric train stock to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932

All were delivered between January 1921 and January 1922 numbered 2112 to 2211. One further first class carriage was delivered as 2212 by the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in January 1923.^[3] All initially entered service as locomotive hauled stock with eight seats fitted in what would later become the driver's cabin.^[1][2][4]

In preparation for the commissioning of the electrified network, the 101 newly-built carriages were converted to driving motor cars at Electric Carriage Workshops being renumbered C3000 to C3100 and operated with American Suburban stock.^[2][3][4]

In the mid-20s 183 American Suburban end platform carriages were converted into trailer carriages numbered T4101 to T4284 along with a further nine converted into driving trailers numbered D4001 to D4009

The last Bradfield motor car was withdrawn in 1975 with two preserved.^[5][6]

The last trailers and driving trailers were retired in the late-1970s.

Carriages C3001-C3080 were renumbered C7001-C7080 to allow newer Goninan-built S set carriages to be numbered C3001-C3080.

(Table is for power cars)

Numbers	Builder
2112-2153	Clyde Engineering
2154-2193	Ritchie Brothers
2194-2211	Meadowbank Manufacturing Company

Preservation

Sydney Electric Train Society has Bradfield motor car C3082 preserved. This car were previously owned by RailCorp (now Sydney Trains) but was sold to SETS in 2008 (along with C3104 and C3444). This car is currently in undercover storage at Bilpin.^{[as of?]}

Sydney Trains / Transport Heritage NSW / Historic Electric Traction has Bradfield motor car C3045 and wooden trailer car T4279 preserved. C3045 is on static display at the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere. T4279 is in undercover storage at Redfern, with the rest of the heritage electrics fleet.

Bradfield motor car C3080, Bradfield parcel vans C3661 and C3662, wooden trailer cars T4186 and T4224, and wooden driving trailer car D4004 are all in undercover storage at Rothbury. C3661 is privately owned and the ownership of the other carriages is unknown.

Surviving Bradfield carriages

Number	Location	Owner	Status	References
C3045	NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere	Transport Heritage NSW	Static Display	[7]
C3082	Bilpin	Sydney Electric Train Society	Stored	[8]
C3080	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Unknown	Stored
C3661	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Private Ownership	Stored
C3662	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Unknown	Stored
T4279	Redfern Carriage Works	Transport Heritage NSW	Stored	[9]
T4186	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Unknown	Stored
T4224	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Unknown	Stored
D4004	Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury	Unknown	Stored

References

1. Kerry, Michael (1990). Sydney's Wooden Electrics. Sydney: Transit Australia Publishing. ISBN 0-909459-14-2.
2. Cooke, David (1999). Coaching Stock of the NSW Railways. Matraville: Eveleigh Press. pp. 200–203. ISBN 1-876568-00-3.
3. C3045 Bradfield Suburban Car NSW Environment & Heritage
4. C3082 1921 Ritchie Bros Wooden Bradfield Motor Car Sydney Electric Traction Society
5. "Building Sydney's City Circle Railway". www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
6. Doyle, Matthew (2003). "SETS Fleet". www.sets.org.au. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
7. "C 3045 - 'Bradfield' Suburban Car | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
8. "SETS Fleet - Single-Deck Suburban Cars". www.sets.org.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
9. "T 4279 - Suburban Trailer Car, Wooden | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.