 The bodyshells were built by Comeng, Granville.Two (2001 and 2101) were completed at Granville while the remainder were railed to Adelaide via Lithgow and Broken Hill to comply with a contractual requirement to maximise local content, the fit out being conducted by Comeng's Aresco subsidiary at Dry Creek.The first entered service in 22nd February 1980 and they are the first air conditioned train in Australia 

They were nicknamed "Jumbos" due to the raised driving cab, similar to the distinctive hump of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet.