2000 Class Railcar - Operations

Operations

These trains are most often seen during weekdays (mainly peak hours) and sometimes, but very rarely, on Saturdays on the Noarlunga Centre, Gawler, Outer Harbor, Grange lines and formally on weekends and public holidays but never on the Belair line. Operation of the railcars was too expensive and have only done rare trips to Belair since mid-2007. When the Christmas Pageant is held in Adelaide in November each year (normally 2nd Saturday of the month), the Jumbos are used to transport pageant goers. Also when the Royal Adelaide Show is on at the Wayville Showgrounds each year, these trains are seen running the 'Showground Central' shuttle services most days.

Jumbos normally run in the following configurations:-

• 2-car trains: 1x 2000, 1x 2100 (Power car and trailer)
• 3-car trains: 1x 2000, 2x 2100 (Trailers at each end, power car in middle)
• 4-car trains: 2x 2000, 2x 2100 (2x 2car sets, example power-trailer-trailer-power)

Other non-standard configurations have run on rare occasions in past. For example:

• 2x 2000 - 2-car train with double power cars, providing maximum acceleration. Poor fuel economy posed a problem.
• 2x 2000, 1x 2100 - 3 car train with power cars at each end and trailer car in the middle, used experimentally on the Belair line in the late 1980s. The set involved was #2002-#2108-#2003.
• 1x 2000, 2x 2100 - 3-car train with power car at one end instead of in the middle, followed by two trailers. Literally a 2 car set with an extra trailer added to the front of the other trailer. The first 2000 class service was in this configuration. No (#2001-#2102)-#2101). Eventually #2101 was swapped to the other side to create the usual 3 car set layout.

During the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, five and six car Jumbos regularly operated peak-hour trains on the Noarlunga Centre line. These longer trains were formed by coupling a 2-car set with a 3-car set, two 3-car sets and on rare occasions three 2 car sets. Since the mid-1990s trains on normal suburban workings have been no more than 4 cars. However, 5 or 6-car sets do run occasionally when traffic conditions dictate.

The various power cars and trailers are semi-permanently coupled as two and three car sets, which are re-arranged depending on traffic and maintenance needs. Unlike the 3100-class, the sets do not follow any numeric sequence. For example powercar #2001 usually uses trailers #2102 and #2113 and is a 3 car set which has been fully repainted.

Trailer car no. #2117 had a section of seating removed to provide extra accommodation for bikes. This was used for weekend Belair services, usually as a 2-car set with powercar #2008 and on weekday services to Gawler and Gawler Central. #2117 eventually had its full 2x3 seating layout restored. Now it is used on a second 4-car set with any one of the 2-car sets listed below (usually #2114-#2010), or another. Trailer #2118 which was also on the set prior to its repaint, used to be added to the consist for weekday services (the bike area is used for standing room in peak hour services on the Gawler and Noarlunga lines. But now #2118 is on another unrepainted set #2115-#2012 combining the STA and Adelaide Metro liveries together. All of the orange Jumbos actually contain a badly faded STA logo.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the consists were randomized where any powercar could be with any trailer and with all 30 cars in service there were 6 two car sets and 6 three car sets. But today the powercars are usually assigned to certain trailers but sometimes the ordering of the consists is changed due to cars going in for maintenance, for example #2101 was withdrawn due to repairs and replaced with #2106. Now repainted, #2106 has been swapped back to repainted #2105-#2011 and orange #2109 has been swapped from #2108-#2002 onto orange powercar #2005 until #2101 is returned to the rails. There are seven 3-car sets and four 2-car sets with their usual number arrangements as below. All four 2-car sets are joined into two separate 4-car sets for peak hour usage on the Noarlunga Centre and Gawler lines and are shuffled around. Sometimes a 2-car set can be still seen, especially when a trailer is getting maintenance done to it. However since August 2009, 2 car sets have become a regular sight.

Perhaps the most unusual 2000 class working took place on Saturday 30 July 2005. The 2-car bike train set #2008-#2117 failed at Belair. A 3-car set comprising #2107-#2004-#2110 was dispatched from Adelaide to retrieve the failed cars and pull them back to Adelaide (stopping all stations to Goodwood then express to Adelaide). The resultant 5-car set was #2107-#2004-#2110-#2008-#2117 with only powercar #2004 active. This is probably the only time a 5-car set of 2000 class railcars has worked on the Belair line. 3 car sets regularly worked up to Belair and Bridgewater in the 1980s, and in 1981, a 6-car set ran to Bridgewater.

Standard 2000 class consists as of today

• #2102-#2001-#2113 (Repainted Set)
• #2108-#2002-#2109 (#2109 Repainted in Adelaide Metro colours)
• #2103-#2003-#2104 (Repainted & Refurbished Set)
• #2107-#2004-#2110
• #2101-#2005-#2105 (#2105 is in Adelaide Metro Colours)
• #2112-#2006-#2116 (Repainted & Refurbished).
• #2111-#2007 #
• #2117-#2008 # (Repainted Set).
• #2114-#2010-#2106 (#2114 is in sta orange)
• #2115-#2012-#2118 (#2118 is in Adelaide Metro Colours, was used with #2008-#2117 before livery change)

• 2009 and 2011 have been retired.

• (Repainted Set) wears the Adelaide Metro colour scheme. However since Jumbos were re-introduced on the Grange and Outer Harbor lines in late August 2009, 4-car Jumbos no longer operate on the Gawler line. Powercar No #2009 was withdrawn in 1997 after suffering a transmission failure, was used for parts as it remained in storage at the Adelaide railcar depot until early 2011. A refurbished and repainted 3 car set consisting of previously withdrawn cars #2103-#2003-#2104 has already entered service. #2003 was withdrawn and stored in April 6. Powercar #2006 which was withdrawn from service in 2000 was sent to Dandenong, Victoria for some work but was returned to Adelaide and uses previously withdrawn trailers #2112 and #2116. #2006 as well as all the other previously withdrawn jumbos has been repainted in the yellow Adelaide Metro livery and has received two rebuilt 525 hp (391 kW) Cummins underfloor diesel engines (the same engine type as the existing fleet) and a new interior look with painted walls and new blue seat trims. This brings the in-service 2000 class fleet to 29, with seven 3 car sets and four 2 car sets (two of the 2 car sets makes up a 4 car set). This will give the 2000 class fleet service until retirement starts in 2016 when the Adelaide network is to be electrified and converted to Standard Gauge.

Most 2000 class railcars contain a five-abreast seating layout, 2X3, but refurbished trailers #2103, #2112 and #2116 have been reconfigured in 2x2 seating to allow for more standing room.