Dimboola

Dimboola
Dimboola station. This great photo was taken by my son Craig

Wednesday 13 June 2018

Tale of a goods shed part 2

Just by chance I was looking at Google Maps and zoomed into Horsham station, only to discover that Victrack anti-heritage programme is alive and well. Since my last visit, in August 2014, the Horsham yard office and goods shed have been demolished, and much of the site has been cleaned of rail infrastructure. (Interestingly, the CRT livery class 73 is still there)!!
Current Google satellite image 2018.
 The current Google satellite image shows what remains, little more than foundations. It has been acknowledged that the demolition work was carried out after March 2016, and currently, on side note, the goods shed and other rail infrastructure at Warnambool is also currently under threat of being removed, or has gone.

Horsham early 2016. (WesternVic Railfan Facebbok)





It has been confirmed that the goods shed and yard office were demolished in December 2016. The photo below was posted on Western Victorian Railfan Facebook page by Stuart Cray.




A couple of extra photos thanks to Stuart


Monday 11 June 2018

Epping Model Railway Exhibition 2018

For something different, having been disappointed with the 2017 Adelaide exhibition, the lad and I decided to go to Sydney for the June weekend exhibition. Never having been before, we found our way to the new venue at Rose Hill Garden Racecourse by Sydney transport trains. We arrived just after 10am, and while the queue was a reasonable length, it did take a while to gain entry. The venue was large, warm and carpeted with plenty of room to move around. The only other downer was waiting 40 minutes waiting to be served to obtain some food in the cafe area,
Lets get the news out the way. Auscision's 48/830 class, due at Port Botany on Tuesday 12th June: their most complex and expensive project yet, around a million dollars, and has held up all their other projects. Also, arriving are the 48' and reefer containers, and model cars.
BGKF grain hoppers, converted from NHKF coal wagons, are going to produced, with drawings sent to the factory for CAD. The C class will be arriving at the end of the year (possibly) with the NR class to follow in 2019. Interesting, blue and green livery locomotives do not sell (unless VR blue). Speaking of sales, it now takes around 2000 units before Auscision breaks even, business has become harder, as their margins have halved since beginning with the NHKF model. Added to this, when a shipment arrives, the Taxman wants his 30% take even before a model has been sold. Because of this, Auscision now have to consider carefully what models they are going to produce so to lessen the risk of having a model fail in the market place. Price, also has a influence on sales, which is why we see the pre-sale price at $295, as there is still the $300 barrier for consumers.
Overland cars are now a definite , and for the Victorian electric modellers, Tait cars, are on the go. This is a test case, as the Victorian L class locomotive was a disaster in sales, and there has been a slow down in the sale of Victorian models. So to see further electric suburban Melbourne trains, the Tait has to sell really well.
48' containers.
Reefer containers.
PWWY well wagon coming soon.
Reefer containers part 2
Indian Pacific dining car (no ribbing on the roof yet).

Over at Southern Rail models, their main attention is focused on their coming QR 1500 class. Also, on display are their RRAY and RRBY five pack skeletal wagons, plus five pack RQYY well wagon. The RRAY set looked much finer in detail to the RRBY.

Three of the four different variations.
RRAY  aand RRBY skeletal wagons

SDS Models: the NR class run is selling well, so much so, another run is planned at the end of the year, which will include the two indigenous livery units, to sell as a twin pack. Also, the Austrains BL and G classes will have their tooling corrected; also for possible re-release near the end of the year. The 81 class is progressing well. Further 63' container wagons are also planned. SDS are starting again with these with new tooling, as the factory was not happy the way the ends of the decks bent down.
ON Track Models 82 class is to be re-run for the end of the year, with the 80 class engineering samples also due in December. Also seen, were the CAD drawings for a up coming NSW  passenger carriage.

Time for some layouts. A range of layouts from N scale to G scale. Increasing number of O scale layouts, with a interesting array of products now available.

Diorama of some excellent gun tree.

ACT  Model Railway Society Yendys


Small English Layout Watford Castle, showing station, and a Bachamann Underground S stock, four car unit, (from the London Transport Museum).

Mungo Scott
Murray Bridge. From wharf end, with the bridge built to scale. Quality, but was let down by poor lighting from the viewing side.

Murray Bridge looking across the flood plain.

Goulburn
Coff's Harbour


Wednesday 6 June 2018

NR in a new skin

Recently SDS Models released a whole different series of spare parts, including NR class body shells. So I decided I would change one of my NR's to Pacific National livery. TrailRail NR 54 was the subject.
This involved un-clipping the body, unscrewing the die-cast weight and releasing all the wiring to motor and lights. Not too hard!
Then it was a matter of working in reverse, and hoping that none of the tiny screws had disappeared. The only adjustments I made, were, the motor contacts are now soldered to their board, and I got one of the switches underneath, back to front, which caused a bit of concern when testing came, as I wondered why the headlights were not working with the ditch lights.

 

The body of NR 54 will be safely put away. (This is not the first time I have done this. I purchased a class 66, 66412 in Malcolm Rail Livery, then I came across Peter's Spares in the UK selling Direct Rail Services 66412 body shells, so purchased one, and now my 66412 is in Direct Rail Livery. The trouble with special liveries, is, that sometimes they loco does not stay that way very long).

 

I only now have to obtain a few other bits. Even though I have a set of brass horns for an NR, they are tucked away in a safe place, so safe I don't know where they are. So a set of horns will also so provide the windscreen wipers, and I also need the antenna cover in PacNat yellow.
So far has cost $99.

Legal Change

This is a strange topic, but if you are reading this blog you should be now met a a banner declaring that cookies are used by blogspot, this a requirement under new European legislation.

Even though a message was displayed saying that google/blogspot would apply this, but it is up to the owner of the blog to make sure the message worked; if not then the strip has to be inserted to produce the warning. Thank goodness for Youtube. There are several different free strips available.