The railcars, which operated in Adelaide suburban service until 1996, remain a nostalgic part of South Australian memory.

[2][3] The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam locomotive hauled trains in Adelaide.

[4][5] Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars.

They soon acquired the nickname, Superchooks (a play on "Redhen" – a chook, in Australian vernacular, is a chicken)[2][7][8][failed verification] The exercise was not successful and no more were modified.

[10] In 1987/88 the State Transport Authority introduced the first of its new fleet of 3000 class railcars, which were intended to replace the Redhens.

As more 3000 class were delivered through the early 1990s, mass withdrawals of Redhens commenced and they were gradually restricted to operating only during weekday peak hours.

The manual sliding doors made Redhens unsuitable for DOO and guards had to be retained to supervise passenger boarding and alighting.

Redhens 303 and 338 were moved to land adjacent to the northwest boundary of the Blackwood railway station, and were repainted to the original silver roof and red body livery by their new owners.

333 went to the Two Wells area, while trailer car 877 was moved to Hallett and currently serves as accommodation for hikers on the Heysen Trail.

[15][16] The Superchook set consisting of 2301, 2501 and 2302 were moved to The South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGR) in Victoria in 1994 and operated there for a few years.

[10] The railcars had a test run in 2001, but they came under CFCLA's ownership in 2002 after the collapse of Centrail's owner, Great Northern Rail.

Upon closure of the SGR in 2016, 311 and 402 were originally given to Mornington Railway, but they changed hands again in August 2020, when they were privately acquired with the intention to restore them in South Australia.

The National Railway Museum (NRM) received trailer car 875 in 1987, and it was restored in 1995 for use with the TransAdelaide special set, which included railcars 321 and 400.

875 was given to SteamRanger due to a loss of space in the museum caused by the impending extension of Adelaide Metro rail services to the site.

[23] SteamRanger took delivery of ex-Limestone Coast Railway railcars 334, 405, and 424 in 2014, as well as trailer 820 which was damaged by fire as a result of an arson attack, destroying everything but the frame and bogies.

In May 2023, Steamranger's 4 car Redhen set consisting of 428-824-334 & 412 derailed between Victor Harbour and Port Elliott, later in June 428 was involved in a level crossing accident at Middleton, with visible damage to the front of the railcar.

[25] Rolling stock leasing company CFCLA swapped the society's sole locomotive, T387 with the Superchook set (2301, trailer 2501, 2302) and railcars 416, 432 and 436.

[27] It is intended to be restored as a museum and interpretive centre, then relocated to the former Bute railway station yard near the silo art, where the YPR once operated tourist trains.