4052 Double Deck Seats

The upper-deck seating area of carriage 4052 at the Eveleigh Paint Shop runs the length of the carriage above a central well for the lower deck. The seats are vinyl-upholstered in the standard NSW Government Railways pattern, arranged in pairs across a central aisle with about half the height of a normal carriage between the seat back and the roof. The roof line follows the curved interior profile typical of the all-steel suburban fleet. Brass handrails run along the bulkheads at the stair landings. The seat material is worn along the leading edges where commuters sat down for thousands of journeys. Light comes from a row of original dome fittings spaced down the centre of the ceiling.

Double-deck seating came to the NSW suburban fleet through the second half of the twentieth century as an answer to capacity growth on a network that could not easily be extended underneath the city. Carriage 4052 was originally built in 1924; the double-deck seating arrangement in this photograph reflects later configuration work within the original steel body envelope. The carriage is part of the Historic Electric Traction heritage collection at Eveleigh Paint Shop, retired from active service and held for restoration and display.