The CB class railcar were a type of Budd Rail Diesel Cars operated by the Commonwealth Railways and Australian National in Australia from 1951 until 1990.
History In October 1950, Commonwealth Railways placed an order for three Budd RDC-1 railcars.Notes & News Diesel Railway Traction January 1951 page 110Contracts & Tenders Railway Gazette January 1951 page 25 They were the first stainless steel carriages in Australia. After being trialled on the Trans-Australian Railway between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie they entered service in May 1951 between Port Pirie Junction and Pimba, being extended to Woomera and Tarcoola in 1952.Diesel Rail Cars Bring New Era to Desert Country Railway Transportation October 1951 pages 26-28Stainless Steel Railcars Diesel Railway Traction February 1956 page 68 Four second-hand Brill carriages from the Reading Company were imported for use as trailers.New Trailers for CR Budd Cars from US Service Railway Transportation November 1951 page 10
All were delivered with twin General Motors engines. In the mid-1960s, CB3 received Rolls-Royce engines.
In January 1961, the services were cut back to Woomera. Following the extension of the standard gauge line from Port Augusta to Marree in 1957 and Whyalla in 1972, the Budd cars began to operate to these destinations.Budd Working The Recorder June 1973 page 19
All three passed to Australian National in July 1975 who withdrew them shortly after and placed them in store at Port Augusta. After refurbishment, they returned to service to operate the Iron Triangle Limited between Adelaide, Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla from April 1986, and the Silver City Limited between Adelaide and Broken Hill from December 1986.Passenger revival picks-up in South Australia Network July 1986 pages 38/39Western Report Railway Digest February 1987 page 52
In February 1988, CB3 was damaged in a level crossing accident in Penfield and not repaired while the other two were withdrawn in December 1990 and placed in store at Port Pirie after Australian National withdrew all of its South Australian passenger services.Accidents The Recorder April 1988 page 106Axed train limps to its ow funeral Adelaide Advertiser 1 January 1991 page 7 CB1 was donated to the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide in August 1996 while the other two were included in the sale of Australian National to Australian Southern Railroad in August 1997, being sold to Bluebird Engineering in 1999.Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 707 September 1996 page 270
CB2 is now privately owned and was transferred from Adelaide back to Port Augusta by road in October 2008. It remains in storage at the Port Augusta railyards and can be seen from the pedestrian rail crossing at the end of Commercial Road. CB3 was scrapped on 9 September 2011 at Port Pirie.
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