Victorian Railways power vans

When train travellers around the world began to enjoy such comforts as lighting, and heating and cooling, the Victorian Railways initially employed axle mounted generators], then progressed to more reliable head-end power (HEP) as a source for this equipment.

In more recent times, vans have been specially built for the purpose of supplying HEP, or special generators are fitted to locomotives (the N and P classes) From 1961 to 1963, a single van was fitted with a generator set to provide power to passenger trains running between Melbourne and Albury on the new standard gauge route.

A video of the vehicle in service is available online, timestamp 2:31 to 2:44 - [1] By the mid-1980s, passenger trains within Victoria almost always required head-end power (HEP), as the wooden cars were phased out.

The PHN class were Standard Gauge Joint Stock owned by the New South Wales Government Railways and VR.

In 2016, V/Line acquired NAM 2337 from the Hunter Valley Railway Trust, Rothbury for conversion to a fourth power van (with PCJ491, 492 and 493 ex PCO 1, 3 and 2) for standard gauge N set consists.