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Swing Door (train)
Encyclopedia
Swing doors, more commonly known as "Dogboxes" or "Doggies" are a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit
train that operated on the suburban railway network
of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
.
Swing door cars were reasonably narrow. This was to ensure that two opposing trains with open outward swing doors were clear of each other. At certain locations, clearances were tight and there are stories of swing door cars losing doors that accidentally opened. The fleet could be seen running in any arrangement from 1 car, (using one of the double-ended M cars) to 8 cars.
They initially entered service with class codes such as 'ACM' 'BCM', and 'ABCD' indicating both class and type, being rationalised to a simple 'M' (Motor car), 'T' (Trailer car) and 'D' (Driving trailer) code in 1921, with all trailers being made first class, and all motor cars second class.
The trains were fitted with the same General Electric
multiple unit
traction equipment as the Tait
trains, so occasionally mixed sets occurred.
6 Swing Door M cars were converted to parcels vans, (numbered 10CM to 15CM) and two M cars, 156M and 113M were modified for use as shunters in the Jolimont Workshops
.
trains. The last trains in service were the parcel vans, and the workshop shunters that remained until the 1990s.
Bogie
s from a number of scrapped Swing Door trains were reused under the Y class
diesel locomotives built in the 1960s.
As of 2006, the only two operational cars are 107M and 137M, which are used on occasional tours run by Elecrail, a division of Steamrail Victoria. A number of other cars are under restoration.
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
train that operated on the suburban railway network
Railways in Melbourne
The Melbourne rail network is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne under franchise from the Government of Victoria. The network is based on a commuter rail model centred on the Melbourne Central Business District and Flinders Street Station, rather than a rapid transit model, with a focus on...
of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Swing door cars were reasonably narrow. This was to ensure that two opposing trains with open outward swing doors were clear of each other. At certain locations, clearances were tight and there are stories of swing door cars losing doors that accidentally opened. The fleet could be seen running in any arrangement from 1 car, (using one of the double-ended M cars) to 8 cars.
History
The Swing Door trains were converted to electric traction from 1917 to 1924 from steam-hauled passenger cars. The cars the Swing Doors were converted from were 13.7 metre long bogie cars, the majority of cars were built between 1887 and 1893. These cars were extended by two compartments to a total length of 17.4 metres, and then fitted onto new under-frames and bogies. The conversion process was suddenly halted in 1924, with part-completed cars patched up and returned to service with original codes and numbers.They initially entered service with class codes such as 'ACM' 'BCM', and 'ABCD' indicating both class and type, being rationalised to a simple 'M' (Motor car), 'T' (Trailer car) and 'D' (Driving trailer) code in 1921, with all trailers being made first class, and all motor cars second class.
The trains were fitted with the same General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
multiple unit
Multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
traction equipment as the Tait
Tait (train)
The Tait trains, also referred to as the "Red Rattlers", were a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They were introduced in 1910 by the Victorian Railways as steam locomotive hauled cars, and converted to...
trains, so occasionally mixed sets occurred.
6 Swing Door M cars were converted to parcels vans, (numbered 10CM to 15CM) and two M cars, 156M and 113M were modified for use as shunters in the Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops was a railway workshop operated by the Victorian Railways beside Jolimont Yard in inner city Melbourne, Australia. Opened in 1917 and dedicated to the maintenance and repair of electric multiple units and locomotives, it was the first part of the yard to be closed and relocated,...
.
Fleet
The maximum size of the Swing Door train fleet was:- 144 'M' motor cars
- 6 'CM' parcel motor vans
- 32 'D' driving trailers
- 112 'T' or 'BT' trailers ('BT' indicated second class)
Demise
From the late 1950s to 1970 the swing door trains were replaced by the HarrisHarris (train)
The Harris trains were the first steel-bodied Electric Multiple Unit train to operate on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They were introduced in 1956 by the Victorian Railways, and last operated in 1988, although a number of the carriages were converted for other...
trains. The last trains in service were the parcel vans, and the workshop shunters that remained until the 1990s.
Bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s from a number of scrapped Swing Door trains were reused under the Y class
Victorian Railways Y class (diesel)
The Victorian Railways Y class diesel electric locomotive is a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . Three separate orders were delivered...
diesel locomotives built in the 1960s.
As of 2006, the only two operational cars are 107M and 137M, which are used on occasional tours run by Elecrail, a division of Steamrail Victoria. A number of other cars are under restoration.