Design
The C set is a stainless steel double deck train which operates on CityRail's suburban routes. These were the first suburban trains in the CityRail fleet to be fitted with chopper control (hence the 'C' set designation), which gives the train smoother acceleration. Gate turn-off thyristors were used to control power to the traction motors, hence allowing for smoother acceleration. Following the success of the implementation of chopper control, these features were later installed on the Tangara and later V set cars. These were the first cars to have an electronic destination display board, replacing the old red-and-white line lights.
These carriages were also the first on the suburban network to feature fixed seating (originally was fabric, but has since been replaced with vinyl). This proved to be unpopular, but despite this fixed seating was also used on the suburban Tangara cars. These cars also featured manually opening doors, as it was feared that frequent stopping would cause the loss of air-conditioning efficiency. These concerns turned out to have no effect, and the push-buttons on the doors have since been removed.
The C set is distinguished externally by a fibreglass molding mounted on the front of the motor carriage. This fibreglass molding was originally white with orange and red stripes on the lower portion, known as the candy livery of the State Rail Authority. Car C3596 was the only motor car to have its Candy stripes on its front repainted CityRail blue and yellow prior to its "Citydecker" refurbishment in 1998. The chopper cars are amongst the heaviest in the suburban fleet, with the motor cars weighing 52 tonnes.
The electrical and physical similarities between these cars and the Tangara cars can be attributed to the design process. The C sets were ordered to fill a rollingstock shortage while the Tangara fleet was still under development. As a result, the C sets served as a test platform for many of the new technologies and features introduced in the Tangaras.
Read more about this topic: City Rail C Set
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