Early Stack reachers

Australian National, in operating its Islington terminal, employed several stack reachers and fork lifts. The following links, show some operation mid 1980's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpdbear/4534125789/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpdbear/4534758426/in/photostream/

http://westonlangford.com/media/photos/116966.jpg

 Below is a diagram I used to adjust the Kibri kit. Many stack reachers are of a similar design to this machine. ( This picture came from http://explow.com from US Patent Office for Mitsubishi designed reach stacker).

My Dimboola passenger

Chance to run my V/Line Dimboola passenger. The N class is Auscision N474, which I convinced the team at Auscision to do, as this loco was one of the group allocated to haul the Overland. The vans, also Auscision. The cars, a ACZ, scratch built, a BRS snack bar, from Powerline, and a BS, also Powerline. All three cars run on accurate brass bogies.

This train ended on 21 August 1993, with withdrawal of the service past Ararat.

Back in the early 1960's, the service from Ararat to Dimboola, was one of the last steam hauled passenger runs. From ararat, the train, called the Peanut, would usually be reduced to two cars and a van. The diesel would be removed and an R class steam loco added. At Horsham, the R would be removed, and a J class steam, or Y class diesel would take over, though still expected to maintain the timetable of the R class.

Auscision D vans

Auscision have released their BP/D vans. Back in the mid of 1992, Australian National sent the CO vans off the Overland, for maintenance, and these were replaced with V/Line CP and D van pairs.

CP and DT van pair on Overland passing Keswick barracks.

DT 335 on the service road AN Keswick terminal. (The T stands for through cabling)

At the other end, motive power was a V/Line N class diesel. These hauled the Overland right up to standardisation, and could haul a nine car train on a single head end power unit, any longer and it was double N class units.
I have also seen a photo from 1983, taken by Ray McDermott, of the Overland hauled by X48 and 958 arriving Adelaide, with a D van in T Cup livery, just  ahead of the car carrier.

 http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1254/5166189558_d777a00aff_o.jpg