Harris (train)

The Harris trains were commonly referred to as "Blue Trains" due to their deep blue livery, complemented by a yellow band about halfway up the body. Royal blue and yellow were common colours for the Victorian Railways passenger rolling stock in the post-war era.

The trains had a saloon seating layout, divided into smaller sections by full-height partitions. They were provided with either two or three sets of hand-operated dual sliding doors on each side of the carriage. Later Harris sets were fitted with power doors. Carriages were designated as first or second class until 1958, when one-class suburban travel was introduced.^[15] Interiors were split into smoking and no-smoking compartments until late 1978, after which smoking on trains was prohibited.^[15] Most of the carriages were delivered without end gangways between carriages, but safety concerns led to them being added in the final five sets delivered from mid-1966. Those sets were also fitted with only two doors per carriage side rather than three, permitting additional seating and reflecting the increasing average travel distance.^[1]

The first thirty trains were fitted with automatic couplers at both ends of all carriages, and the second series with semi-permanent drawbars, except for the driving ends of motor carriages, and one end of BT ("backing trailer") carriages. Later, drawbars were fitted in the middle of first series blocks and units, although the final ten motor cars had automatic couplers at both ends.^[1]

First-series motor cars had 59 second-class seats and trailers 72 seats (first class in the T cars or second class in the BT cars), divided into smoking and non-smoking sections. For the second series the internal partitions were removed, and capacities increased to 65 and 80 passengers respectively for a total gain of 50 seats per seven-car train. Smoking was then only permitted in the middle third of each carriage. Later, a policy change saw smoking permitted in the whole of each Motor carriage, and not at all in trailers.^[1]

The first 30 7-carriage trains, known as the first series, were constructed in the United Kingdom by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, and delivered between 1956 and 1959. Another 30, the second series, were built by Martin & King in Melbourne, and delivered between 1961 and 1967. From 1966, these were delivered with end doors and gangways between carriages, allowing passengers to change carriages.

The first series of "T" and "BT" trailers were built by Comeng (the first 10 in Sydney, the rest in Melbourne), and finished by Martin & King, with the remainder built at the Newport Workshops.^[1] Between 1968 and 1970, ten additional motor carriages, built by the Victorian Railways' Newport Workshops, were delivered to provide for some Harris trains to be lengthened to eight carriages.

In 1970 and 1971, six new trailer carriages were built as prototypes for the next fleet (the Hitachi trains). These carriages were 75 feet (22.86 m) long, compared to 63 feet (19.20 m) of the earlier carriages, and were equipped with the mechanisms for power-closing doors, the first such use in Melbourne. However, it was not until the following year that a complete (4-carriage) train was used this way, after conversion of some motor carriages. These carriages were converted into H type carriages, for use in LH sets with V/Line, in the mid 1980s.^[16]

The Harris trains were originally run as 7-carriage (M-T-T-M-BT-T-M) sets, reduced to 4-carriage (M-T-T-M) sets for off-peak and weekend services. The M-T-T-M sets were known as "Blocks", while the BT-T-M sets were called "Units". The first thirty 7-car sets were delivered between 1956 and 1959, and the following thirty sets between 1961 and 1967. Initially the two types were kept separate because of the differing motor unit performance, and within the second series the final five trains had to be kept separate because of the inter-carriage walkways. This proved difficult to manage and in 1962 the segregation instruction was withdrawn. The first carriage to have walkways retrofitted was 862T in 1967, when it was rebuilt following fire damage.^[1]

In 1968-69 a further ten Motor cars were delivered. At the same time, some of the Units were reduced to BT-M only and allocated to the Sandringham Line, and these actions together allowed for the formation of additional M-T-T-M blocks so that eight-car trains could run on busier routes including Lilydale, Belgrave and Glen Waverley. Later platform extensions permitted operation of eight-car trains on the Frankston, Pakenham, Alamein, Upfield, Broadmeadows, St Albans and Williamstown lines.^[1] Occasionally, M-M pairs would also be used on shuttle services between Dandenong and Pakenham.

When the extended trailer cars entered service they were coupled to the new M cars, which had their power-closing door equipment activated or installed as required. The first set was 799M-891T-892T-800M (order unclear), and two more blocks were assembled using four of the seven motors in the range 792M-798M. In 1972 further cars 791M, 887T-890T and 557BT-560BT had the same equipment installed, giving a total of ten motors, six extended and four regular trailers and four backing trailers available to assemble three Long Blocks and four Units fitted with power door equipment.^[1] At this point, the total fleet would have been 62 Short Blocks, 3 Long Blocks with power-closing doors, 4 Pairs, 52 normal units and 4 Units with power-closing doors. The long blocks were mixed in with other sets as required; as of early 1974, a regular roster featured an eight-car Harris train including one regular and one long block.^[17] This made for a total length almost 100ft longer than a regular seven-car set.

Another difference between the first- and second-series trains was the destination rolls; the former had included Carnegie, North Williamstown, Elsternwick, Ashburton, Blackburn, Macaulay, Thomastown and Rosanna, which were replaced in the latter with Mentone, Crib Point, Holmesglen, Belgrave and Upfield.^[1]

By the time the first ten 7-car sets had been delivered, it was found that the buffing plates between carriages would bind when going around tight curves or through complicated point-work, so this equipment was removed in time for delivery of the 11th train. However, this left a lot of slack between carriages, so acceleration and braking would be both rough and noisy.^[24]

Around the same time, the Victorian Railways was experimenting with replacing cast-iron brake blocks with a non-metallic compound (probably asbestos), so Set 11 was fitted with these, and tested between Seaford and Frankston, in 5 mph (8.0 km/h) increments up to line speed, in both directions. Four tests were made - first using the non-metallic brake blocks with empty and later loaded with cast-iron blocks, equal in weight to a crush load of passengers, and then with the cast iron brake blocks fitted to the train, as well as simulating the load, and finally the empty train with cast iron brake blocks. It was found that the new type of brake blocks performed better at higher speeds, but worse at lower speeds, so on average they gave similar performance and were approved for use. A similar test was later conducted with the Walker railmotors between Laverton and Werribee.^[24]

In the 1960s, the fleet was fitted with Guard-to-Driver bell communication circuits.

Wheel slip was found to be a problem with the more powerful 500-series motors, so in the late 1960s through early 1970s the "weak field" power generation, which used the back-EMF from the motors, was disconnected. 547M was fitted with an experimental wheel-slip solution, but the final implementation as applied across the fleet would close off the power supply, then re-open it bypassing the acceleration control when wheel-slip was detected, with limited success. The weak-field system was reconnected in the late 1970s to early 1980s in order to keep up with amended timetables, but this brought back the wheel slip issues.

By the time the second series (700+) Harris cars were being delivered, the design had been improved somewhat. A second window was fitted at the front of the Motor carriages for the guard and/or instructor driver to view the track, along with a window from the Guard's compartment into the passenger saloon, and walkways were added between all carriages within each Block or Unit. These latter changes were retrofitted to many of the 500-series carriages as well, following concerns about safety. While the 500-series trains had rotary flettner ventilators fitted; these were mounted on the curve of the roof and spun off-centre, causing a grinding noise. This was fixed in the second series with the units fitted level to the carriage floor. These units were also later fitted to the clerestory-roofed Tait stock, with their opening ceiling-windows being sealed to reduce maintenance costs.

The last few vehicles constructed were used as test-beds for features in the upcoming Hitachi train design. 560BT, when issued to service, had a short stainless steel exterior panel between the centre windows.^[25] Similar stainless steel panels were placed around bridgeworks at East Richmond, the purpose of both to check for weathering and cleaning methods. The last six trailer vehicles, 891-896T, were 75 ft (23 m) long over body instead of 63 ft (19 m) to test clearances at platforms and junctions along with passenger flows. However, the cars were significantly heavier and when coupled to 700-series motors already featuring weaker acceleration further impacting timekeeping.

While the last ten motors (791M-800M) were issued without asbestos insulation, only the last three had additional insulation in the ceiling. 799M was a further modification of the type with a forced draught ventilation system, shared with the long trailers, while 798M and 800M used the normal flettner ventilators. Similarly, 556-560BT and the long trailers were not fitted with asbestos.

By the mid-1970s, individual Harris cars were being sent to Bendigo North Workshops for fitting of end doors and gangways. Examples included 702M, 621T and 684T in September 1975.^[26]

719M was the first Harris car of any type to be scrapped, due to fire damage at Sunshine in February 1973. It was scrapped at Newport Workshops on 16 September 1975, having been judged as too expensive to repair.^[30]

With the exceptions of the last few carriages built, all Harris trains contained asbestos insulation. The first sets contained blue asbestos, and the later sets contained white asbestos. Due to the presence of asbestos, most were disposed of in the 1990s, by being buried at Talbot Quarry in Clayton, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, some having been wrapped in plastic.

One of the last to go may have been 769M, which alongside Hitachi motor 71M (as 137M) had been stored in as stripped condition at the west end of Flinders Street, apparently for driver training purposes.^[31]

No original Harris trailer cars remain, with all trailers having been converted to locomotive-hauled H cars or scrapped. Additionally, no first series motor units were preserved, the three remaining unmodified cars being high-numbered second series M cars.

Refurbished (White) sets

Refurbished Harris motor 903M at the Newport Railway Museum, September 2022

Interior of a Refurbished Harris carriage at the Newport Railway Museum

A program to refurbish the Harris trains began in 1982. The interior of the refurbished cars resembled a Comeng interior, having individual vinyl foam type seat cushions on an integrated plastic frame, replacing the former more traditional vinyl sprung seats. Each motor carriage was modernised with a fibreglass front clip, the pantographs relocated to the rear of the carriage and Scharfenberg couplers replacing the original knuckle couplers. The upgraded front clip also featured Comeng-style quad high and low beam headlights, replacing the single central headlight of the original Harris design, however the destination signs and marker lights remained unchanged. The driver's controls were also changed to a Comeng-style layout. The refurbished cars also had air conditioning, sealed windows, self-closing doors, and a new colour scheme. Due to their predominantly grey livery, with only a pair of orange stripes along the sides, the refurbished trains were known as "Grey Ghosts".

The four refurbished trains ran initially in an M-T-T-M configuration, but were remarshalled in January 1990 to two M-T-T-M-T-M and one M-T-T-M set; the latter was reduced to only M-T-M with a trailer car removed as a test.^[40] Eventually they were remarshalled to M-T-M-M-T-M configuration, with four spare trailers.

The refurbished trains generally ran on the Port Melbourne, St Kilda and Sandringham lines. They never ran in the City Loop, except for a farewell tour on 6 April 1991.^[41] The restriction to these three lines was due to the additional weight of the refurbished carriages, which meant the sets were underpowered for all but Melbourne's flattest corridors. While the passenger areas were upgraded and included two air conditioning units per car, the mechanical components were still unmodified, and still using the 1960s-era second series motors which were in fact less powerful than the first series cars of 1956.

Industrial and other problems with the refurbished trains, in conjunction with excessive costs of conversion compared to construction of entirely new carriages, meant that only 16 carriages were converted before the program was stopped.

The motor units were originally numbered in the 601-608M range, though these numbers later came into conflict with the Comeng fleet, and so in mid-late 1984, the cars were renumbered into the 901-908M range. The trailers were released to service in the 101-108T range, becoming 1501-1508T in 1983, and then 3501-3508T in 1984. In 1984, the carriages were repainted into The Met's green and yellow livery.

The refurbished trains were withdrawn in 1991, with five motor units (901M and 904-907M) cut up for scrap. The last rostered trip was on 20 March 1991 but a defective trailer had to be removed. The set was split and the defective carriage removed by engine Y135 two days later.^[42]: 154 One refurbished carriage, 903M, has been preserved, and is on display at the Newport Railway Museum. All eight refurbished trailer cars were converted to standard H type passenger cars, along with motors 902M and 908M which were converted to the BCH sub-class, specifically, "short van" carriages BCH134 and BCH135. The eight trailers became BIH 187, 191, 193, 194, 189, 188, 192 and 190 respectively; with 187 and 188 entering service in 1990, and the rest in 1992. They were used to increase the length of existing H type sets from three to four, and four to five carriages.

With most of the fleet being buried due to asbestos, scrapped, or converted to H-type carriages, only four have survived.

Motor cars 795M and refurbished 903M (both pictured below) are preserved at the Newport Railway Museum.

Greaser cars 794M and 797M are owned by VicTrack, and are stored at Newport Workshops.

More information Number, Image ...

Surviving Harris cars

Number	Image	Status	Owner
903M (ex. 744M)		Static Display	Newport Railway Museum
794M		Stored	Newport Workshops
795M		Static Display	Newport Railway Museum
797M		Stored	Newport Workshops

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• G series (Toronto subway), rapid transit cars for Toronto, Ontario, Canada that used a similar design of carbody.

• Rollingstock, Newsrail, October 1987^[48]: 311
• The Harris Trains, a concise history, Newsrail, March 2026^[55]
• The Harris Trains, a driver's perspective, Newsrail, March 2026^[56]