Victorian Railways V type carriage

The V type carriages, introduced from 1897, were the first group of Victorian Railways passenger rolling stock to have their own distinct class.

Despite some records, these classes were never "doubled" to reflect their bogies; for example, the class AVAV never existed.

AV
In the closing years of the 19th century, the Victorian Railways found itself in need of more passenger carriages.

In 1897, a design was settled upon, and carriage AV285 was constructed and brought into use. The number 285 was a follow-on from the AA class of carriages, the last of those having been numbered 284. The "V" indicated that the carriage was of a vestibule design, with a walk-through connection to the next carriage.

The new carriage was 50 ft long, and the internal layout was similar to the later E, W and S carriages, having compartments with a side corridor. It was the first passenger carriage to include toilets, which were becoming more important, given the longer journeys that could be undertaken by then.

The arrangement featured six compartments with a vestibule and lavatory at each end of the carriage; the central four compartments could each take six first class passengers in a 3+3 arrangement, and the outer compartments had a three-seat bench on the inner side and a single-seat bench on the outer side of the compartment to make room for the inset lavatory accessible from the end of the car. This gave a net capacity of 32 seated passengers, including 10 smoking and 4 ladies; if looking from the ladies' end to the smoking end, the corridor would be on the left.

With the trial judged a success, construction of carriages 286 and 287 was continued. However, all three cars were renumbered to the AV1-3 series prior to service. By 1898, cars AV 1-7 were all in revenue service, and they were joined by AVs 8-35 by the end of 1899.

Cars 23 and 32 AV had an altered construction, with doors 2 and 5 on each side removed and the space replaced with wider windows. This allowed for two regular compartments in the middle of each carriage, and the outer ends were used as saloons. These saloon compartments featured a single-seat bench at the end, four movable chairs, and a three-seat bench towards the centre of the carriage, giving a total capacity of 28 seats in 32AV; 23AV is recorded as having 30 seats, but this is not reflected in the diagram.

Some of the carriages were used as "joint stock", for running between Melbourne and Adelaide on the Intercolonial Express, and entered that service directly from the production line. The symbol OA class was painted on their frames, although that was never officially recorded. OAs 31, 32, 34 and 35 were AV 31, 26, 5 and 11 in that order. The cars returned to their AV designations in about 1907.

Cars AV 21 and 23 also had some role in Melbourne-Adelaide services, but it is not known whether they were ever recoded.

The carriages were kept in service until the early 1960s, being withdrawn and scrapped between 1962 and 1970. However, a handful of cars were retained, with some being converted for use in the Display Train (see below), and others for heritage operations.

BV
In parallel with the production of the AV class, second class vehicles were also constructed. The same dimensions and general layout were used, with construction lasting through 1898 and 1899. A total of 25 vehicles were built, numbered from BV1 to BV25.

Again, joint stock vehicles were drawn from the class. OBs 33 and 36 were converted from BV's 23 and 6 respectively - however they were never officially recorded as the OB class.

The last use of the class was 18BV in the final run of R766 as a coal burner, from Melbourne to Ballarat on December 19th 1999.

Steamrail Ballarat intended to restore a number of the cars to active heritage status, and to that end 7BV was fitted with a kiosk in one of the compartments.

CV, DV
Usually, when the Victorian Railways developed a new type of passenger car, they also produced a matching guards van. The V series was no different, with DV1 and DV2 being constructed in 1898.

Those vans were fitted with guard's compartments at each end, and had a large baggage area in the centre. Vans 1 and 2 had small side projections known as "duckets", which were used by the guard to peer along the side of the train through narrow windows. That was in lieu of the more regular raised observation compartments, and so CV's 1 and 2 were unique for their era in having flat roofs.

In 1906, the class was increased, with DV3 to DV7 brought into service. None of those vans had duckets, instead returning to the norm of raised observation areas. Those vans also had three double-doors per side rather than two.

In the 1910 recoding, the DV class was recoded to CV, but the numbers were unchanged. The class outlasted the AV and BV passenger carriages by about two decades, with all vans still in service in 1980. Over time, the class had their timber sides replaced with steel sheeting, and vans 3-7 had their louvres replaced with flat panels, but otherwise they remained in as-built condition for most of their lives.

State Car 2 (Alexandra/Melville) & State Car 3 (Edward/Carey)
State Cars 2 and 3 were built in 1901 at Newport Workshops, and entered service on 30 April that year. The two cars were largely based on the existing V type carriage design, with a 50 ft body and 35 ft bogie centres. The main difference was the roof style, which was clerestory but with curved ends as would be applied to the later E type carriages. While under construction, official correspondence referred to the two vehicles as Royal carriages. After entry to service, State Car No.2 was named Alexandra and Stare Car No.3 was named Edward. The names appear on the carriage drawings centred above the windowline, but no photos exist of the cars to indicate whether they were applied.

The official diagrams issued in the Victorian Railways 1904 and 1908 rolling stock registers mixed up the two underframes, with Alexandra being marked as State Car No.3 and Edward as State Car No.2, and their marked tare weights also being swapped.

State Car 2 Alexandra had two 12 ft saloons, one either end, joined by a corridor serving two lavatories, a private sitting compartment for eight, and an attendant's compartment with room for three including a small stove. Four doors were provided on each side, to access the saloons and the compartments (or the corridor directly opposite the compartments). Because of the internal layout the doors were not uniformly spaced.

State Car 3 Edward had two central saloons of 11 ft with three chairs and a two-seater couch each, a small attendants' compartment with stove and a gentleman's lavatory at one end, and a four-seater private compartment adjacent to the ladies' lavatory at the other end. The car was accessed via the end diaphragms or via the four doors either side, which were roughly equally spaced.

Both cars were removed from Royal Train duties in 1919, following the successful introduction of State Car No.4 based on the E type carriage design, which had sufficient facilities to cover both the earlier cars' roles in a special consist.

Alexandra
Alexandra's body was lifted in 1919, and the frame was cut in half and a 5 ft section was spliced into the frame. The end diaphragms were removed and replaced with 2 ft platforms, and the interior was rebuilt. The modified car was renamed Melville, and had two 14 ft couches with a table and one 6 ft couch in the formerly ladies-end saloon, which was extended from 12 ft to 20 ft. The ladies' lavatory was abolished, and the compartments were reorganised to a small attendant's storage closet (2 ft), then a conductor's compartment (9 ft). The former men's lavatory was made unisex, but split into the lavatory section and a shower section; the latter only accessible from the former mens-end saloon. That end saloon was fitted with a single bed-chair, and two couches of 10 ft and 12 ft; the latter had to be shifted to access the shower compartment. The four external body doors either side were all sealed but their window spacing was retained, and access to the car was exclusively via the end platforms. In the new form, the car was named Melville.

Melville
Between 1932 and 1935 the car was leased by Jack Young of Ballarat, who used the car as a mobile radio station broadcasting to towns in the region for three to six days. During this period the car had "MOBILE BROADCASTING SERVICE" above the windowline, and "3YB" - the car's callsign - below.

A further rebuild in 1952 saw the long saloon cleared out, with the space instead used for a four-cylinder A.E.C engine and Stones 44/29 T.E.F.C. Generator; the conductor's compartment was rebuilt as a kitchen area, and the short saloon was fitted with two bunk beds and wardrobes.

The car was repainted to Victorian Railways blue and yellow in 1959, and fitted with 50 ton aligned bogies in 1989. It was used on the Train of Knowledge to provide power for heating and lighting (and air conditioning for some vehicles), and when that service was withdrawn it was allocated to the Seymour Rail Heritage Centre.

In 2018 a proposal to refurbish the carriage was floated on behalf of the Mornington Railway Preservation Society, requesting $109,000 for restoration "as a mobile showpiece and educational experience". However, the project did not receive enough community support and, as of late 2018, remains unfunded. Despite this, the vehicle was trucked from Newport Workshops to Moorooduc in September 2018. In August 2022, restoration work was started by Mornington Railway volunteers, with Melville entering service with the railway in May 2023 after an extensive external rebuild. Now painted in authentic VR blue and gold livery with a reproduced “Train of Knowledge” sign added to the end platform. As Melville's interior has not yet been completed the car is currently used as a Guards Van.

Edward
Edward was modified in 1919 and renamed Carey. The ladies' end compartment was abolished and replaced with three showers, and the attendant's compartment seat was modified to allow conversion to a sleeping berth. A new underframe was placed under the vehicle, based on the Tait motor carriage outside-channel construction, but the car length was retained. The car was damaged at Seymour, taken off register in June 1955, and noted as scrapped at Newport Workshops on 28 June 1961. The name Carey was retained for a guard's van that was converted to became the new shower car.

Display Trains
As new steel carriages were introduced in the mid-1960s, the V-series passenger cars were rendered surplus to requirements. Rather than scrapping the fleet, in 1966 cars AV 22, 4, 6 and 29 were altered to Display Car No.1, 2, 3 and 4, without a class, and leased out as a dedicated consist for display and advertising purposes.

The first use appears to have been on the Gippsland Industries Train, with all four cars. Later, two were painted yellow and ran to South Australia, New South Wales and Brisbane as part of the Fashion Express, and later still, the set was joined by cars 5 and 6 (converted from 9BV and 21BV), with all six sheathed in aluminium.

Early runs of the set were joined by van 32ZF, later replaced by 2CV, fitted with a generator to provide power for lighting and exhibits.

The Gippsland Industries Train
On 18 February 1966 the Gippsland Industries Train departed Spencer Street for a tour of the eastern region of Victoria. It was sponsored by the Advance LaTrobe Valley Association, with funding from the State Government and various Gippsland region associations. The set utilised cars 1, 2, 3 and 4, entirely stripped out internally - all walls, seats, toilets etc removed - and the shells were fitted with 240vAC power for displays and lighting, along with a public address system that could also be used for background music. Exhaust fans were fitted, the roof was relined with pegboard, and the floors were sanded and painted a "neutral" colour.

Cars 1 and 4 were fitted with automatic couplers at the outer ends only, retaining their screw-link equipment at the other end, while the coupling arrangements for cars 2 and 3 were unaltered.

When the carriages were completed the cars were railed to the Gippsland region for fitting out by various exhibitors, then collected and returned to Spencer Street for the formal launching event. After departure from Melbourne at 9pm that day the train ran to Drouin for display the next day, then proceeded to Warragul, Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and finally Bairnsdale on 26th February; on each day the exhibition was open from 9:30am to 9:30pm. A total of 30,000 people visited the train before its return to Melbourne.

The Fashion Express
The Gippsland Industries Train returned to Melbourne for storage until August 1966, when two cars and the power van were requisitioned for the Fashion Express train, commissioned from the Victorian Railways by the Men's Fashion Council. This used two of the four ex-AV display carriages, painted yellow along with the power van and joined by two support carriages (Goulburn and Norman), making the consist self-contained. The ZF and two V type carriages were painted bright yellow.

The display cars had the words "the FASHION EXPRESS" in upper case italic lettering on the two tone yellow car sides. The ends of the display cars were black, while the ends of 32ZF remained wagon red.

This exhibition started from Spencer Street on August 11 1966, departing at 9pm then touring western Victoria and South Australia before proceeding through the central and north-eastern regions of Victoria. When the set arrived at Wodonga the van and two V type cars were converted to standard gauge, and joined by three NSW carriages: an ACS composite sleeping car (fitted with showers for this trip), an RFV buffet car (with seats adjacent to the buffet replaced by wicker armchairs) and an LHO brake van. The ACS and RFV had been repainted for the service. The train then ran via Cootamundra and Parkes to Tamworth and South Brisbane, returning to Sydney via the coastal areas of N.S.W., then to Canberra and back to Wodonga.

On return to Victoria van 32ZF was intended to be restored to its original configuration, with the generator removed and the colour changed back to Wagon Red. However, other records indicate the van retained its generator and was then utilised for the Showmobile / Display Train (below), until September 1969 when it was superseded in that role by 2CV and returned to normal service.

The Showmobile Train
By 1968 a further two carriages - ex 9BV and 21BV - were stripped internally and renumbered 5 and 6, then joined the existing four Display cars as a six-carriage consist. All six cars were then externally reworked, with the outsides sheathed in aluminium cladding, essentially creating a set of billboards on wheels. However the original carriages' external structures were more-or-less retained under the shell; photos exist of some of the carriages with the shell half-removed, revealing the passenger car's original exterior.

The new Showmobile Train left Spencer Street on 22 April 1968, with internal displays including "children's wear, cameras, film, aluminium roofing and flywire doors, motorbikes, oil stoves, power tools, motor car tyres and other motor accessories, plumbing equipment, spanners, linoleum, radios, tape recorders, electric clocks, venetian blinds, and furniture", among others. The train first ran to Mornington, then to Box Hill, Upper Ferntree Gully, Spring Vale and Dandenong, before proceeding to regional cities and towns via Werribee, Geelong, Colac, Camperdown, Terang and Warrnambool.

The train was later used in various lengths for different displays, including four cars (1-5-2-4 with power van 2CV) to Broadford in the 1970s, and four cars (including No.1) plus 2CV to Elmore in 1977.

Of course the train was not in use every day, and for most of its life it was stored in Newport Workshops. By the 1980s it was obvious the idea had limited value, and the train was withdrawn from service. Display Car 1 was sold privately in Rosebud on 20 July 1982, and Display Car 2 to the Blue Lake Model Railway Society in Mount Gambier on 24 January 1983. The remaining vehicles 3, 4, 5 and 6 were sold to St George Metal Co., a metal recycling company in Coburg, on 2 February 1983.

The Vintage Train
Most of the carriages predating the V subtype had been withdrawn by the late 1960s and scrapped, so these were the only carriages remaining that could serve as a "vintage train" for leasing. Remaining V type carriages were not required for daily service, so they were instead put aside from normal running, intended to be used on specials. The train ran from 1967 to 1983, after which the remaining carriages were formally entered into the state heritage register.

A speed limit of 50 mph / 80 km/h was imposed on the Vintage Train cars and the Yarra Parlor car as of 1 March 1973.

First class accommodation on the train was provided with AV cars in the group 1, 12, 16, 23 (Parlor), 30, 32 (Parlor) and 35, along with 45ABL, 12BL/Pioneer and 13BL/Enterprise. 12AV only lasted to 1970 and 16AV for only a few months, but the rest of the cars ran right through to 1983 and all bar 35AV were preserved with that last unit written off.

Second class carriages included most of the BV fleet - cars 1, 3–8, 10–11, 15–20 and 24. Cars were run until in need of maintenance, then withdrawn and scrapped. The first to go was 20BV in 1967, only a few months after the train had started running. This was followed in 1968 with class members 10BV, 16BV, 17BV and 24BV, and in 1970 cars 4BV, 5BV, 11BV and 15BV. In 1973 6BV was also scrapped. The remainder - 1, 3, 7, 8, 18 and 19, were retained until 1981 when 1BV was scrapped; the rest entered formal preservation sometime between 1981 and 1983.

Other cars known to have been included were some BC vans, with one end fitted with dual couplings since the R Class locomotives - then the most popular choice for heritage steam specials - were not compatible with screw couplings. When the BC cars were removed from service, the function of conversion cars was taken up by ABU carriages, about half of which had dual- or screw-couplings on at least one end.

Disposal and Preservation
The vast majority of carriages listed on this page were destroyed and burnt as a quick, easy form of disposal. Some were sold as sheds or a cheap form of housing, and a handful were retained for preservation.

The current known remnants are:
 * 1AV, 32AV; 3BV, 7BV, 8BV, 18BV, 19BV, 12BL (Enterprise) and 13BL (Pioneer) are at Newport Workshops, East Block.
 * 30AV formerly at Trentham
 * 1CV at Ballarat East
 * 5CV at Moorooduc
 * 6CV was sold privately, and as of February 2019 it was listed on Facebook for purchase.
 * 7CV was held by Seymour Rail Heritage Centre for a number of years; on 20 September 2015 it was transferred to Moorooduc for restoration, so that it can replace 5CV on tourist train duties, allowing that vehicle to be overhauled.