New South Wales HUB type carriage stock

The HUB set cars were ordered by the Department of Railways New South Wales in August 1943 for services between Sydney and Newcastle. Contract 3/43 let to Tulloch Limited, Rhodes for an additional 25 N type carriages,^[1][2] consisting of:

• eight BN 1st class cars
• nine FN 2nd class cars
• eight HFN 2nd class terminal cars

The cars were to receive numbers 2212-2219 (BN),^[3] 2220-2228 (FN),^[4] and 2229-2236 (HFN)^[5] and be formed into sets 115-118. While the overall dimensions and layout of the cars remained the same, several changes were planned, including replacing the frameless droplights and crownlights with traditional timber-framed units, and the lazy-tongs droplight mechanism replaced with a more conventional counter-balanced sash system.^[3][4][5] The forced ventilation system was also to be discontinued and the cars would have conventional rooftop ventilators.^[3][4][5]

By June 1945, the contract had been increased to 27 cars and would now be air-conditioned, to be known as "H" type cars. The new order was made up of:

• eight HFH 2nd class cars
• eight BH 1st class cars
• seven FH 2nd class cars
• four RBH 1st class buffet cars^[6]

Work on construction had begun by June 1945, however due to wartime shortages construction was delayed.^[6][7] By June 1946, the contract was further amended to 28 carriages and now included terminal cars with generator sets and 2nd class buffet cars. The cars were allocated numbers 2212 to 2239 and formed into four seven-car sets designated as HUB sets and numbered 116-119. The cars consisted of:

• four HFH 2nd class terminal cars
• four PFH 2nd class terminal cars with generating sets
• eight BH 1st class cars
• four FH 2nd class cars
• four RFH 2nd class buffet cars
• four RBH 1st class buffet cars^[8]

The sets were formed as follows:

The first set entered service in April 1948 on the Newcastle Flyer.^[9] One briefly operated the Riverina Express before being transferred to the South Coast Daylight Express and them in 1956 to the Central West Express to Orange.

From the 1970s, the HUB sets ceased operating as fixed formations and the carriages were operated with RUB and stainless steel rolling stock on services throughout the state.^[10][11]

They ceased operating the Newcastle Flyer services in April 1988^[12] and many were withdrawn as a number of locomotive hauled services ceased in the early 1990s. Some remained in service with CityRail on Southern Highlands services to Goulburn until replaced by Endeavour railcars in 1994.

Most were auctioned in August 1994 with the State Rail Authority retaining five.^[13] In 1996 three were returned to traffic for use on CountryLink's new services to Broken Hill and Griffith^[14] before being withdrawn in April 2000.^[15]

• 
  Buffet area of RDH 2233 in December 2012
• 
  Passenger section of buffet car RDH 2233 in December 2012
• 
  FH 2230 at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot in December 2012
• 
  Interior of FH 2230 in December 2012
• 
  PFZ 2219 at Maitland in April 2014