Transwa Prospector

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Prospector railcar WDA001 on trial at Windmill Hill Cutting near Toodyay, Western Australia - Feb 2004.

The Transwa Prospector is a standard-gauge passenger train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the Goldfields town of Kalgoorlie.

1 History
2 Stops
3 References
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] History

The Prospector replaced the narrow-gauge overnight passenger train called the The Westland that ran on the older Eastern Railway route. The original Prospector railcars first entered service in November 1971. These Comeng-built units consisted of five power cars WCA901 through WCA905, and three non-powered trailers WCE921 through WCE923. In 2008 the old railcars were purchased by C.D. Dodd Scrap Metal Recyclers and are now stored at their Forrestfield property.

The first of three new-generation railcars entered service on 28 June 2004, with the original railcars being retired on 29 July 2005. The new railcars are built for a top speed of 210 km/h, but track conditions currently only allow a maximum speed of 160 km/h. The new railcars built by Goninan consist of three driving cars WDA001 through WDA003, three driving cars without buffet WDB011 through WDB013, and an idling car WDC021. These form two units of two cars, and a third which is three cars long; an additional two-car unit of the same design operates the AvonLink service.^[1]

The new Prospector railcars feature standard 240V mains power outlets on the walls between seats for connecting of laptops and other accessories.

[edit] Stops

(as at August 2005)

[edit] References

^ Transwa - Prospector. www.transwa.wa.gov.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.

[edit] Further reading

100th anniversary of rail link (History of the Eastern Goldfields railway, officially completed on 1 January 1897, to the present, including introduction of the Prospector train on 29 November 1971) Kalgoorlie Miner 1 Jan. 1997, p. 2