V/Line’s fleet of locomotive hauled carriages all conform to single numbering scheme.

History

Newsrail June 1984 details the introduction of the numbering scheme:

All steelbodied country passenger rollingstock are to be numbered as a single series so that individual numbers allocated to each vehicle are permanently retained irrespective of subsequent modification or reclassifications.

The proposed number series are as follows:

  • N cars and proposed intercity cars: 1-100 (unchanged) (V/LineCars note: proposed intercity cars = proposed R cars?)
  • H cars and Tulloch trailers: 101-200 [V/LineCars note: Tulloch = MTH cars]
  • S and Z cars, sleeping and special cars: 201-300
  • D (formerly VBPY) vans: 301-400 (as per previous direction)

It is not envisaged that any alteration be made to the numbering of wooden bodies cars having regard to the short remaining life of these vehicles, or to joint stock cars used on interstate services.

As well as the initial allocation of carriage classes to number groups.

Class           Numbers
BS              201-213
VFS             214
VFR             215
VFX             216-217
BRS             221-230
VRS             231-233
Moorabool (RS)  234
Avoca (RS)      235
Murray (RS)     236
Norman (OS)     237
VHN             241
AZ / ACZ        251-258
VBK             259-263
BZ              264-270
VFK             271-276
SJ              281-284
SS              285-286
SZ              287

Carriage numbers

Carriage numbers form logical groups:

  • 1-100 = original N cars
  • Low 200s are BS cars.
  • 251-263 = original AZ cars (lots of small saloon windows)
  • 264-276 = original BZ cars (fewer but larger saloon windows)

N cars were roughly built in numerical order. BRN cars were a later development, hence they are higher up in the number space. The original sets appeared as ACN-BN-BN.

Set numbers

Carriage sets were also allocated set numbers.

  • Car sets 1-19 are N sets
  • Car sets 21-35 are H sets
  • Car sets in the 50-60s were 1980s/1990s era Z sets, given by ACZ in consist

The H set number space has room for sets numbered up to 40, not all sets exist today - a number have been ‘broken up’ and the carriages put into other sets.

Relationships between carriage and set numbers.

With some maths you can draw relationships between the two:

  • Divide ACN number by 3 to get the set number and vice versa.
  • Add 200 to the old Z set numbers for the ACZ number and vice versa.
  • Subtract 100 from a BCH code for the original H set it appeared in
  • Subtract 140 from a BH code for the original H set it appeared in
  • Subtract 160 from a BTH code for the original H set it appeared in
  • Subtract 180 from a BIH code for the original H set it appeared in

The gaps in carriage numbering were to allow the different types of carriage to start with ‘round’ numbers:

  • N cars at 1
  • H cars at 101
  • S cars at 201
  • Z cars at 241

Power and luggage vans

CP vans

  • CP: 291-294

D vans

  • D: 301-3xx
  • DN: 401-404

Power vans

  • PH: 451-453 (PH454 constructed in 2009)
  • PCJ: 491-492 (PCJ493 created in 2009)