3-car comeng trains
Do you think that the X'trapolis train looks better with no signage or just plain?
| Coloured |
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88% | [ 15 ] | |||
| Plain |
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11% | [ 2 ] |
Total Votes : 17
Location: Ringwood, Victoria
Why is it that Hitachi trains never are 3 car and that Comeng trains are the only trains that are 3-car.
Also, what times in the afternoon does the X'Trapolis train run?
Cheers.Scott
Posted: Jan 31, 2003 8:28 pm
Xtrap doesn't run in the afternoon. Just the morning.
Hitachi sets don't run as 3 car sets as some motors have not been upgraded to lead.
A.
Posted: Jan 31, 2003 8:36 pm
because some don't have aircon in the drivers cab so they are 6 cars.
During the construction of City Link, the upfield line was run entirely with 3 car hitachi's. But at that time the upfield line ran from Upfield to Flemington Bridge only.
Posted: Jan 31, 2003 9:40 pm
Location: Wouldn't you like to know...
Also ( I think ) because they have auto couplers so they just keep them as 6 car. They only use them in the peak anyway 
Posted: Feb 01, 2003 7:13 am
Little from column A, little form column B.
Hitachi motors are only allowed to lead if they have bulletproof glass in the windscreens and cab air-con. Very few middle motors have been upgraded. Plus the Schnafenberg (sp?) couplings on Comengs are much quicker than the old auto couplings fitted to Hitachi sets
Posted: Feb 01, 2003 5:37 pm
If a rock hits the window, nothing will happen (we hope)
A.
Posted: Feb 01, 2003 10:06 pm
Location: The signalbox
Also a reason I was told that the Hitachis can't be uncoupled is that many trains are split at Flinders street and the workers aren't allowed to separate them there as they would have to get on the ground. The Nexas trains will not be compatible with anything because they have Sharfenburg bar couplers.The Comeng can be coupled to the X'trapolis though. I saw a 3 car Connex Comeng running with the 3 car testing X'trapolis set. I'm not sure if the testing set will get to run in service though, but then why does it have a number, 870M at one end. The other end has a number too.Nick
Posted: Feb 02, 2003 4:29 pm
Location: Melbourne suburbs
The couplers have nothing to do with it. There were times in the dim dark past when Tait trains were allowed two minutes to divide (screw couplings), but the Scharfenberg couplings (or, more to the point, all the associated requirements of dividing) dictate that about seven or eight minutes be allowed. It was a similar time allowance when Silver trains were being divided.
The reason that Silver (Hitachi) trains cannot be split is to do with the lack of modifications and maintenance on the centre motors as has already been mentioned. Last I heard, this applied to all Silver sets except for two six-car sets, which were the ones used on the temporary Flemington Bridge - Upfield service mentioned above.
Posted: Feb 03, 2003 12:02 pm
Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
I'd have thought the controls and performance would be different enough to prevent MU operation. Were both sets powering?
BTW the test set is 869M-1635T-870M.
Posted: Feb 03, 2003 12:44 pm
The X trap and comenges can be coupled up, BUT ONLY MECHANICALY, there are no electrical conections of any kind between the two units, if you saw a 3 car coupled to an X trap, that means the X trap has broken down.......... so much for the NEW train
Posted: Feb 07, 2003 11:29 am
Location: Canberra
Hitachis used to run as 2, 3, 4 and 7-car trains. :)
The last 3-car Hitachi I remember seeing in revenue service was about 1995.
CheersDavid
Posted: Feb 07, 2003 11:58 am
Location: Canberra
I thought it was in the tender specification that they HAD to be able to MU with a Comeng? If not, then it should have been. It was for the 4D, which is why it is electrically very different from a Tangara.
The new CityRail DMUs have to be able to MU with an Endeavour.CheersDavid
Posted: Feb 07, 2003 12:02 pm
Location: Melbourne suburbs
CheersDavid
7-car trains? They wouldn't have fitted into the platforms.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 12:01 am
CheersDavid
7-car trains? They wouldn't have fitted into the platforms.
7 car harris' fitted in, but thats coz they were shorter. 
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 9:24 am
In the 70's, some Harris cars were fixed up to be the same size as the Hitachi cars.
A.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 11:34 am
Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
A.
Not many, just the last batch which was built in parallel with the first Hitachis.
Those long Harris cars now form the two FLH sets with VLP.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 12:08 pm
Only 6 longer Harris cars were done at Newport Workshops. They were 75 ft. long. They had tinted windows and power operated doors. They were also used for driver training as the Hitachi sets were getting ready to arrive. They set was built up in peak hour to form a 7 car set with normal size Harris cars. That means normal Harris cars would form 8 car sets in peak. They made a new interior for these longer cars as the Hitachi sets would have the same. 92 can be seated and 171 standing in the longer Harris carriages.
A.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 12:33 pm
Location: Canberra
CheersDavid
7-car trains? They wouldn't have fitted into the platforms.
7 car harris' fitted in, but thats coz they were shorter. 8)
There were 8-car Harris trains early on. They were formed as 4-car sets (M-T-T-M) and 3-car "half sets" (BT-T-M). After the morning peak the half sets would be left at Jolimont Yards until the afternoon, leaving M-T-T-M for off peak. Two 4-car sets would sometimes be coupled.
There was one occasion where a half set somehow got turned, and ended up with another one as a grossly underpowered M-T-BT-BT-T-M.
Hitachi trains ran as M-T-T-M-D-T-M on some lines, I think into the early 80s. Note that the D was not actually a driving trailer by this stage and had been reclassified as a T. They were used in this position because they had auto couplers on the cab end.
CheersDavid
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 1:30 pm
There are 8 hitachi units that have modified cabs both ends this is so that units do not need to be reversed if swapped with other units with one end modified. As a matter of interest 1999T stil has an original Hitachi front door on its D car cab.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 7:31 pm
Location: Melbourne suburbs
CheersDavidCheersDavid
In any case, I don't ever recall the combination you described. As far as I can remember, the D cars were only used as trailers once they were remarshalled as M-T(D)-M.
Posted: Feb 08, 2003 11:36 pm
Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
I guess all that mucking around is why none of the Hitachi sets are neat 1M-1901T-2M like most of the Comengs?
Posted: Feb 10, 2003 10:43 am
Thats 225M, it's been running the Glen Waverley Line for the last few days. Today it ran to Glen Waverley and then saw it on the Run that the Xtrapolis was on a few days ago (15.14 down alamein)
Posted: Feb 13, 2003 5:24 pm
Yes i'm sure, i've seen it 3 days in a row, saw it twice yesterday, twice today, i'm 100% sure.
You are probably thinking of the M cars in the middle of a 6 car set. There are a few of these.
The car i'm talking about is 225m, and it's the driving motor, its the only driving motor with panto at the back.
Posted: Feb 13, 2003 5:36 pm