2000 class railcar

The 2000/2100 class were self-propelled diesel railcars operated by the State Transport Authority and its successors on the Adelaide rail network. The body shell design was based on the Budd SPV-2000, Metroliner and Amfleet cars but the 2000 class railcars have a slightly different curve to the Amfleet.[1]

Twelve 2000 powercars and eighteen 2100 class trailer cars were built.[2] The bodyshells were built by Comeng, Granville. Two (2001 and 2101) were completed at Granville while the remainder were railed to Adelaide via Lithgow and Broken Hill to comply with a contractual requirement to maximise local content, the fit out being conducted by Comeng's Aresco subsidiary at Dry Creek.[3][4] The first entered service in 22nd February 1980 and they are the first air condition train in Australia [5][6]

They were nicknamed Jumbos due to the raised driving cab, similar to the distinctive hump of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. This raised cab was designed to meet Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees demands for a full width driver's cab whilst allowing inter-carriage doors to be fitted.[7][8]

The powercars were originally powered by V12 turbocharged MAN D3650 engines that were replaced by two turbocharged 6 cylinder Cummins engines under the floor driving a Voith hydraulic transmission in the late 1980s.[9][10] They usually operated in 2-car (power-trailer) or 3-car (trailer-power-trailer) configurations. It was originally intended that they primarily operate express services on the Gawler and Noarlunga Centre lines with the existing Redhens operating the all stops services, but they quickly ended up operating services across the network.[1][6]

Six were stored for a number of years, being returned to traffic in 2007.[11][12] One was sent to Bombardier Transportation's Dandenong factory in 2006 to assess the feasibility of a life extension program, but it was deemed not worthwhile.[13] They did on occasions venture beyond the Adelaide metropolitan area, operating special services to Tanunda and Nuriootpa on the Barossa Valley line.[14][15] howerer these excursion eneded in April 2003

From February 23, 2014, these railcars are no longer permitted to operate on the Belair Tonsley and Seaford lines due to low clearances as a result of the electrification of these lines, being restricted to the Gawler Central, Grange and Outer Harbor lines. Withdrawals commenced in late 2014. By 2015 only 11 cars still in service they only operate in peak hour and special event on the Gawler Central line occasionally on Outer Harbor line, the whole set all retired in Mid August 2015 and they were stored at Adelaide metro Dry Creek Railcar depot for 10 months.

Four have been preserved:[13]

• 2006 and 2112 by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide[16]
• 2010 and 2109 by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway[17]

2009 and 2104 were donated to the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service for training.[17] The rest were sent by road and scrapped in June 2016 at Simsmetal.[13][18][19]

Media related to 2000 class railcars at Wikimedia Commons