Redhen Railcar

Redhen Railcar

A Redhen is a type of diesel railcar, formerly used on the suburban railway system in Adelaide, South Australia. Redhens were the backbone of Adelaide’s metropolitan rail system between the late 1950s and the early 1990s. They operated on all the State Transport Authority (STA) routes, including several lines which are now closed to local trains (for example Bridgewater, Port Dock, Hendon and Wingfield).

The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways (SAR) in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam trains in Adelaide. Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars known as Barwell Bulls.

TransAdelaide withdrew the last Redhens from regular service in October 1996, following delivery of a new fleet of 3000-class diesel-electric railcars. A number of Redhens have been preserved and are now operated by heritage and tourist railways in Australia.