CD Guards Van

During 1983, the Victorian Railways hired 4 CD vans from Australian National to replace CE vans on longer distance country passenger trains. The original plan of New Deal for Country Passengers didn't make any provision for replacing the CE vans in S and Z sets. It became apparent that the CE vans weren't standing up to the strain of the higher utilisation and long distance running of the New Deal timetable. As a short term solution, CD vans were hired from Australian National, while longer term plans were developed to convert the AZ cars to ACZ. There were four vans that were hired by the Victorian Railways, CD 1, 2, 3 and 7. 

These vans were worked into Victoria over several weeks, entering service with the VicRail during February and March 1983 with the first to arrive being CD7,  Initially the CD vans were swapped around sets before taking up duty on the longer distance runs in the working timetable. 

 My first sighting of a CD was of CD2 at Beaconsfield on 8th February 1983 in the consist of a down Traralgon pass hauled by class leader L1150, CD2-3AS-32BW-26BW-17BE. 

By Easter, CD1 was in the consist of an extra pass to Mildura hauled by X43,VMAY8-VMBX50-VMBX13-AMNX3158-Sleepers (No.4-No.1-No.2-No.3)-25BE-45BEL-60BES-19AE-CD1. The 1750 Down Warragul pass was CD2-14AS-7BW-35BW-46BEL and the 2010 Albury pass had X34 hauling VBPY114-VBPY116-CD3-4AZ-3MBS-7BZ-53BES.

During May CD7 was regularly rostered on one of the Vinelander sets replacing the usual wooden CE van.

X40 arrives at Ballarat with the Up Vinelander. CD7 has replaced 37CE as the guards van in the Vinelander set.

By Queens Birthday weekend, one CD was in Warrnambool set, This was operating with the usual consist with no air conditioned economy car - CD1-14AS-7BW-35BW-46BEL On 11th June 1983, the 0755 Albury pass was hauled by S309 and S305 with a double set, 19BE(a/c)-31BE(a/c)-1BZ-Murray-4AZ-CD2 + N set.

By the end June all three Albury sets were running with CD's as the guards van. The sets for runs 23, 24 and 25 then had the nominal composition of CD-AZ-BRS-BZ-BE(a/c), although one set had a MBS instead of the BRS and in another set the fourth car was a BWL. 

The other CD was in the Warnambool set, run 26.

S313 leads a colourful the Up Dimboola pass through Ballarat yard.

This set made an unusual sighting through Ballarat substituting for the regular N set on a Dimboola pass. It was a colourful consist with cars in maroon, blue, orange and red. The BW in the consist was the first working of a wooden car west of Ballarat on the Serviceton line for nearly 3 months. 

The Warnambool set was a colourful consist with cars in maroon, blue, orange and red. CD1-14AS-1BRS-3BS-32BW

32BW brings up the rear of the Up Dimboola pass. 32BW of the BW cars fitted LPG heating, is the first wooden bodied passenger car to work west of Ballarat since Easter 1983.