Tailem Bend visit

Joined a look around the remains of the Tailem Bend depot organised for members of SAMRA on Saturday. Many items of passenger rolling stock in a state of decay, around the old turntable. Of remaining buildings, there is the electric generating plant building, the workshops (now used by Transfield), the 'new' loco mess room and new loco office (used by G&W Australia). Unfortunatley, the little loco and district foreman's office, that was near the round house has gone.
In the historic photo of the depot, the foremans office is hidden in the tree on the left, and the loco mess, is the long building ion the right.

http://www.johnnyspages.com/classic_pictures_menu_files/classic_jack%27s_pictures_files/stations_signals_others/stations_12_tailem_bend_loco.jpg

Electric generating plant building

Loco sanding tower

Turntable

Viterra's grain complex.

More historic photos:

http://www.westonlangford.com/media/photos/105272.jpg
http://www.westonlangford.com/media/photos/105271.jpg

And Webb Street. These railway cottages were built in 1926. Each is prefabricated concrete panels, and has two bedrooms. They are of the same floor plan, but there are three different roof plans. Each cottage is mirrored on the other side of the road, and then the roof plan is repeated in groups of three.

http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/03500/B3422.jpg

XR's at Dimboola

With Auscision Models revealing a model of the first series X class, I thought I would post some photos of XR's at Dimboola; as most of the first series X class have been rebuilt into the XRs.

The XR based at Dimboola is used on Pacific National grain services. All the photos show XR599, taken a year apart. That's XR599 behind G528.

Photo;Auscision. Engineering sample.

Now may Auscision undertake the XR class.

Auscision RMX samples

Auscision have released photographs of engineering samples for their up and coming Commonwealth Railways built RMX flat wagons. Shown are samples for the oval and rectangular holed versions. The first batch were built in 1968 by Mechanical Handling, at Woodville (these had rectangular holes in the main frame). The second batch: 1969, were the units with the oval holes. These were built by Commonwealth Engineering. Then came two orders from Perry Engineering: 1970 - 74, and two orders from Carmor Engineering: 1975 - 77.

QRNational QQJY2073A (Commonwealth Eng Build. Oval Holes).

QRNational QQJY2734D (Perry Eng Build).

Pacific National RQKY 2381P (Perry Eng Build).

PQMY2782K (Perry Eng Build) on SCT/WCL Horsham Melbourne service.

 Apparently, the Carmor units, are the ones that the Auscision Models is based upon; for the rectangular holes. There are minor differences between builds.

Photo: Auscision Models.

Photo: Auscision Models.

The photos indicate that they are mainly diecast, for the weight, probably with plastic detail parts.

These wagons were recoded to AQMX/AQSY, and now run under many other different codes, with all rail operators. A must for any intermodal service right across Australia.

 Included, the Western Australian railways built their own version, the WQCY/WQTY. These are run by ASR/G&W and QRNational/Aurizon. (It is these wagons that Aurizon have cut out the decks to reduce wagon tare weight).

These wagons ran on ASF AS Ride Control bogie, except for high speed freight and passenger requirement.
www.flickr.com/photos/60901191@N08/6885575182/in/set-72157626795030328
www.flickr.com/photos/60901191@N08/7095780175/in/set-7215762679503032

Update: I have heard that these wagons will be available in packs of three. Liveries so far are, Commonwealth Railways, Australian National and National Rail/Pacific National R codes.