New South Wales Endeavour railcar

The Endeavour is a diesel multiple unit train operated by NSW TrainLink on passenger rail services in New South Wales, Australia on the Hunter Valley, Main Western, Southern Highlands and Illawarra lines. They are mechanically identical to the Xplorers. All 30 carriages were built by ABB Transportation in Dandenong, Victoria.

Endeavour Railcar
Refurbished Endeavour in NSW TrainLink livery
Refurbished interior in January 2011
In service1994 – present
ManufacturerABB Transportation
Built atDandenong
Constructed1994–1996
Refurbished2009–2010, 2017-
Number built15 two-carriage sets
Number in service14 two-carriage sets
Formation2 carriages
Fleet numbersTE 2801-2815 and LE 2851-2865
Capacity95 (TE) 82 (LE)
Operator(s)NSW TrainLink
Line(s) servedHunter Valley
Main Western
Southern Highlands
Illawarra
Specifications
Car length25.25 m (82 ft 10 in)
Width2.92 m (9 ft 7 in)
Height4.11 m (13 ft 6 in)
Maximum speed145 km/h (90 mph)
Weight56.6 tonnes (TE) 57.2 tonnes (LE)
Prime mover(s)Cummins KTA-19R
Power output514 hp (383 kW)
TransmissionVoith T311R KB260, with Voith Turbo V15 20 final drive
AuxiliariesCummins LT10R(G) - 181 hp (135 kW)
BogiesPJA (Power), NJA (Trailer)
Coupling systemScharfenberg
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Fourteen two-carriage sets were ordered in April 1992 to replace Class 620/720 railcars, DEB set railcars and locomotive hauled stock, with the first entering service in March 1994.[1][2] In November 1994 one further two-carriage set was ordered.[3] All are scheduled to be replaced in the early 2020s by the NSW TrainLink Regional Train Project.[4][5][6]

Features
Endeavour in original livery departing Warabrook in May 2007

Each set consists of two carriages, one having a wheelchair-accessible toilet (TE), and the other having luggage space and bicycles racks (LE). All cars are air-conditioned. They operate as four carriage sets on a few peak hour services.

Each car is powered by a Cummins KTA-19R diesel engine rated at 383 kW at 1800rpm coupled to a Voith T311r hydraulic transmission driving both axles on one bogie via Voith Turbo V15/19 final drives. The transmission incorporates a Voith KB260/r hydrodynamic brake. An auxiliary 135 kW Cummins LT10R(G) diesel engine drives a Newage Stamford UCI274F alternator to supply power for the air conditioning and lighting.[7]

The maximum speed of Endeavour railcars is 160 km/h but in service this is limited to 145 km/h.

In service

Endeavours operate on four lines:

Endeavours previously operated weekend only Wollongong to Moss Vale services.[8]

Endeavour in CityRail livery after first refurbishment

Refurbishment

In 2009-2010 the Endeavours, along with the Xplorers, were refurbished by Bombardier Transportation in Dandenong. The refurbishment included:[9]

  • New reversible 3x2 seats, as found on the Hunter railcars and H sets, the seat covers are made of woollen moquette fabric which is more durable and vandal proof
  • Vinyl flooring, replacing the original carpet flooring
  • Voiceovers to closing the doors
  • Improved air-conditioning system
  • Improved crew facilities
  • A new livery (blue and yellow front, black window band and underskirts, and yellow doors)
  • Wheelchair and other wheeled vehicle parking area
  • Train door as viewed from vestibule area
  • Area leading to toilet and seating area
  • Toilet
  • Luggage racks
  • Large item storage compartment
  • Lockers and rubbish bin
  • Door as viewed from exterior
  • Intercarriage doorway

Second Refurbishment

In 2017, the Endeavours were refurbished by Downer in Cardiff. The refurbishment includes:

  • New lighting
  • New flooring, similar to the Waratahs
  • New livery: Currently only carriages TE2801, LE2851, TE2802 & LE2852 have received this
  • Refurbished seating
  • New drivers window wipers
  • Refurbished Couplers (Auto and Intermediate)

Conversions to Xplorers

The similarities of the Endeavours and Xplorers have allowed easy conversions. Endeavour carriages LE 2865 and TE 2815 were converted to Xplorer carriages EA 2508 and EC 2528. Endeavour carriage TE 2805 was temporarily converted to an Xplorer carriage between September and November 2007. The CityRail logos were removed and its skirts painted black, but it otherwise retained its livery. It also retained its carriage number.

See also

The VLocitys built for V/Line from 2004 are an evolution of the Endeavour/Xplorer design.[10]

References
  1. "CityRail to have Explorers too" Railway Digest May 1992
  2. "Endeavours Enter Service Only Days After Launch" Railway Digest May 1994
  3. "More Xplorer & Endeavour Cars Ordered" Railway Digest December 1994
  4. NSW Region train fleet on track Transport for New South Wales 14 August 2017
  5. NSW seeks private finance for regional fleet International Railway Journal 15 August 2017
  6. NSW regional train fleet to be replaced Railway Gazette International 15 August 2017
  7. Xplorer/Endeavour Operating Manual. ABB Transportation. 1994.
  8. "New Timetable Sees Demise of Loco-Hauled Services" Railway Digest July 1994
  9. CountryLink train refurbishment Hansard 1 September 2010 New South Wales Legislative Assembly
  10. "NEWSLETTER No 7/2007" (PDF). Rail technical Society of Australiasia SA Chapter. July 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
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