"D" Baggage and Mail vans
ABOVE: D 3 and D 4 at arriving at Spencer Street on the up Overland circa 1970. photo courtesy David Langley
In 1907-1908 four vans were built were built at Newport. Their construction was in the style of the E cars but shorter, the vans were jointly owned by the VR and SAR but it appears that EEB 2 was not jointly owned. EEB 1 & 2 were baggage vans used almost exclusively on Melbourne to Adeiade passenger trains. They eventually were recoded to D 1 & 2.
D 1 was destroyed in an accident at Glenorchy in 1923. In 1931 SAR built a replacement all steel carriage which was also coded and numbered D 1.
D 2 was destroyed in an accident at Callington South Australia in 1929.
EES 1 & 2 were built as mail sorting vans and were fitted out internally for this service. In 1910 they were recoded to DS. In 1923 they were modified to baggage vans and recoded and numbered D 3 and D 4. They were both marked as "off register" on Feb 16 1973.
ABOVE: EEB 2 as built in 1907, in 1910 it was recoded to D 2. Curiously the van is lettered for VR suggesting it was not jointly owned with the SAR but the bogies say V&SA JS, photo courtesy PROV. BELOW: This photo must have been taken between 1910, when it was re-coded to D, and 1929 when it was destroyed in an accident. Evidently it is now joint stock. photo courtesy SLV
ABOVE: D 4 after conversion from a mail sorting van into a baggage van which occured in 1910, interestingly the van retained its end windows after conversion. photo courtesy SLV
ABOVE: Interior view of the mail sorting facilities in an EES, photo courtesy PROV.
ABOVE: D 1 was built by the SAR in 1931, photo at Keswick March 1986. This van was nicknamed "Penny" by some railfans.