THE OVERLAND UNDER GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY 1997-2016 WEB EXTRA By Chris Banger National Rail units NR16 Forrest and NR22 Kalgoorlie power Great Southern Rail's The Overland service 6AM8 from Adelaide to Melbourne through the southern end of the Sleeps Hill Tunnel as they continue the climb towards Belair, South Australia. Friday 27 December 2013. David Arnold Appendix A Evening, Dorai = To sleep, Juki = Southern Cross, Kuldalai = A dream man who came out of the Southern Cross, Malkari Notes on the steel cars and vans built for The Overland = Moon, Mokai = To rest, Mururi = To sleep, Nankuri = Good, A total of 44 steel bodied joint stock Overland carriages and Nomuldi = Gently, Paiti = Twilight, Purpawi = Calm, Tantini = Sleeping, Tarkinji = Sunrise, Tawarri = Evening breeze, vans were built in batches over a 23 year period between Weroni = Quiet, Yankai = Walkabout and Yanni = Journey.209 1949 and 1972. All 44 cars and vans were built by the Allambi, Tantini and Mururi were taken from the South Australian Railways at their workshops at Islington vocabulary of the Lower Murray Aboriginals of South in Adelaide. The fleet and the year it was delivered are Australia, whilst Chalaki, Weroni and Dorai were words used summarised in Table A1. by the Aboriginals who lived in the north-west of Victoria, i.e. between Ballarat and the South Australian border.210 Table A1: Cars and Vans built for The Overland at Note B: When issued to traffic in December 1949, Allambi Islington Workshops had bogies with fabricated frames and bolsters with independently sprung axle boxes, similar in principle to Year Car Number the bogies fitted to the South Australian Railways 700, 750 or Van of Cars or Identity of Car or Van and 780 class carriages, but to a different detailed design. Delivered Vans Built Only a few details were common between the two designs, 1949 1 Roomette Allambi such as the centre plate detail. The fabricated bogies under Allambi and the 13 other joint stock Overland cars built Roomette Tantini, Roomette Mururi between 1949 and 1952 allowed for the heavier weight of (JRA 1), Roomette Chalaki (JRA 1950 5 The Overland cars, which are some 10 tons heavier than 2), Twinette Weroni, and Twinette the 700 series cars. The Overland bogies also had the brake Dorai (See Note 1 below) cylinders mounted on the bogie frames. Bogies of the Overland design were first produced in 1947 for the SAR Twinette Nomuldi (JTA 1), Twinette Cafeteria car, C 1,211 with only minor differences between 1951 4 Mokai (JTA 2) and First Class sitters the Cafeteria and joint stock bogies. It is believed that AJ 1 and AJ 2 these bogies were the first in Australia to incorporate brake Second Class sitters BJ 1, BJ 2, BJ 3 cylinders on the bogie frames. From mid-1955 onwards, 1952 4 the original fabricated bogies on the first 14 joint stock and BJ 4 (See Note 2 below) steel Overland cars were replaced by equalised bogies with Roomette Nankuri (JRA 3) cast steel frames and bolsters and all coil springing. All 1955 2 and Roomette Purpawi (JRA 4) Overland cars built after 1952 had the cast steel bogies. These latter bogies were manufactured in Australia by Twinette Malkari (JTA 3) Bradford Kendall Ltd, and incorporated patented details 1956 2 and Twinette Paiti (JTA 4) under licence from the General Steel Casting Corp (See Note 3 below) (GSC) of the USA. The GSC design was known as the Twinette Yanni (JTA 5) ‘Commonwealth’ bogie and some of the patented features 1957 2 and Twinette Kuldalai (JTA 6) were a broad spring base, large central bearing and bolster anchor.212 Roomette Juki (JRA 5) 1958 2 Note C: During the late 1950s, the original rubber belt drive to and Roomette Tarkinji (JRA 6) the axle driven generator was replaced by a hypoid drive.213 Note D: From late 1969, Overland rolling stock was 1960 2 Second Class sitters BJ 5 and BJ 6 progressively fitted with bifurcated brake pipes. A brake 1962 1 First class sitter AJ 3 pipe cock and hose pipe were installed on each side of the coupler. When joining the brake pipes, the pipes had to be 1966 2 Second Class sitters BJ 7 and BJ 8 parallel with the coupler.214 Twinette Tawarri (JTB 1) Note E: During 1970, the full width diaphragms were 1967 2 and Twinette Yankai (JTB 2) removed from all Overland cars. These diaphragms had (See Note 4 below) filled in the gap between each carriage to give the train a fully streamlined appearance. The diaphragms had been 1968 2 Second Class sitters BJ 9 and BJ 10 removed to make it possible to fit Head End Power (HEP) 215 Club No.1, Club No.2, Club No.3, jumper cables between the cars and vans. Vans CO 1 and CO 2, Power Vans Note F: In late 1971, a public address system was installed 1970 9 in all sitting carriages. The system enabled the PCO 1, PCO 2, PCO 3 and PCO 4 Overland Conductor to inform passengers about the facilities (See Note 5 below) available on the train and to make other announcements Twinette Weroni (II) (JTB 3) during the course of the journey. Sleeping car passengers 1971 2 and Twinette Dorai (II) (JTB 4) continued to be advised personally by the Conductor.216 (See Note 6 below) Note G: See p.124 April 2016 Newsrail for two photos of the Twinette sleeping car mock-ups built in the late 1940s. Zig-Zag Corridor Roomette Allambi Note H: See p.24 February 1952 Railway Transportation for an (II) (JRB 1) and Zig-Zag Corridor 1972 2 article on the Overland roomette and twinette sleeping cars, Roomette p.18 May 1952 Railway Transportation for an article on the Tantini (II) (JRB 2) construction of The Overland sitting cars, p.23 January 1972 Railway Transportation for an article on The Overland Club, Total 44 RBJ, PCO and CO cars and vans, and p.36 November 1972 Railway Transportation for an article on the last batch of Note A: The aboriginal names carried by the Overland cars had Overland roomette and twinette cars to be built. the following meanings: Allambi = Quiet place, Chalaki = Note 1: Roomette cars Allambi and Tantini and twinette cars 2 • September 2019 Web Extra • Australian Railway History Weroni and Dorai were sold to the Victorian Railways to Monday 8 January 1973. The Railway Refreshment Rooms upgrade the Melbourne - Mildura overnight service, which at Murray Bridge221 were totally closed on the same date became known as the Vinelander in August 1972. They were due to the introduction on-train catering on The Overland replaced on The Overland by the new sleeping cars built in and the Mount Gambier day service (On-train catering was 1971 and 1972. introduced on the Mount Gambier day train on Monday All four carriages were given attention and renumbered 1 May 1972. The first Mount Gambier train with on-train by Islington Workshops prior to being transferred to catering consisted of Bluebird railcars 251, 105 and 250. Victoria. Sleeper No.14 (formerly Dorai) was outshopped The Mount Gambier day train was rescheduled from 16 from Islington on 26 November 1971, whilst Sleeper May 1972 to eliminate the refreshment stop at Murray No.13 (formerly Weroni) was outshopped from Islington Bridge222). on 3 December 1971. Allambi and Tantini also passed On-train catering first became available on the through Islington for attention and were renumbered Victorian leg of the Melbourne – Adelaide service in to Sleeper No.11 and Sleeper No.12 respectively before December 1908 when a wooden bodied dining car was going to Victoria. Sleepers No. 13 and No.14 were used on attached between Melbourne and Ararat. The dining car The Overland until they were transferred to Victoria. For was withdrawn in August 1930 as an economy measure example, The Overland from Melbourne on 14 January 1972 during the Depression, but was restored in July 1935 as included both of these cars. the economy improved. The dining car was replaced by a Each car was transferred to Victoria on the following composite steel buffet car in August 1940, which was used dates – Sleeper No.11 on 1 June 1972, Sleeper No.12 on 29 up until it was withdrawn during the height of the Second June 1972, Sleeper No.13 on 22 May 1972 and Sleeper No.14 World War on Tuesday 30 June 1942. On-train catering on 22 June 1972. was not available on The Overland in Victoria after this date All cars were fitted with an internal brake valve, tail until the RBJ cars were introduced. lights and discs and were painted blue. It is believed that On-train catering became available on the South this work occurred after the cars arrived in Victoria, but Australian leg from Monday 21 May 1928 when the before the introduction of the Vinelander in August 1972.217 heavyweight Pullman dining car Adelaide was attached Each car was recoded and renumbered over a two year between Adelaide and Serviceton. The car was withdrawn period – Sleeper No.11 became SJ 281 on 11 October 1985, on Monday 4 August 1930, but was restored from Monday Sleeper No.12 became SJ 282 on 22 December 1983, Sleeper 13 May 1935 between Adelaide and Tailem Bend. It was No.13 became SJ 283 on 8 July 1985 and Sleeper No.14 withdrawn for the final time on Monday 6 June 1938 and became SJ 284 on 8 November 1984. on-train catering was not available on The Overland in Each car was subsequently repainted from the Victorian South Australia until the RBJ cars were introduced.223 Railways blue livery to the V/Line orange livery.