NR class

The most frequent visitor along the main Adelaide Melbourne line is the NR class. The 120 locomotives were ordered in 1995, from A Goninan & Co, for the National Rail Corporation. The order was split in two, with half being built at Broadmeadow; with the others at Bessendean. All were taken over by Pacific National in 2002.

While out and about, came across the 4PM6, with one of a few, yet to be repainted Grey and Marigold NR class leading, in NR 72.
With the NR class now going through a re-power programme,where the GE 7FDL-16 prime mover is being replaced. With NR 23 the first locomotive through, the only visible change is LED replacements in the head and marker lights, plus inline refueling equipment.
Looking back, National Rail published the following livery diagrams on their website many years ago. 

For a fine description of weathering a Austrains NR model, go to the Barcoola blog site.

http://barcoola.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/austrains-nr95-weathering-ultra-modern.html

Plus modified livery drawing for early PN livery.

 

Auscision UGL C43/44aci

Auscision models have released further photos of their forth coming model of the UGL 43/44aci locomotive. These are still pre-production correction samples.

PN Trailer Rail or swapbody trains

Saturday morning and out to photograph the inbound Pacific National trailer rail. According to the PN website, there are two services Melbourne Adelaide Perth, but ARTC schedules three, leaving Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; returning Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. This is an priority express local freight service, which explains why the train was twenty minutes early this morning. This service originated back in the days of Australian National, when they operated it as a Roadrailer train. When interstate container services were transfered to National Rail, the Roadrailers were continued for a while, till be replaced with the swapbody units.

This a road equivalent service, offered by Pacific National, which  supplies a a 48-foot container on a road skeletal trailer for local loading, and delivery from Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide to Perth;  these are then loaded onto skeletal wagons for transit.

Five pack RQAY and RRAY articulated skeletal wagons are used. Unfortunately none of the are available in model form. Auscision models had promised to produce these back in their early days of announcing future models. With all the trouble they had producing the CQBY, it will be unlikely that we will see these wagons in model form.

5MP1 heading down hill from Mt barker Junction.

New Pacific National 48' curtain sided container.