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graeme3300

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Everything posted by graeme3300

  1. Simon, The most comprehensive site for much of the information you're seeking is Mark Bau's 'Victorian Railways' - https://www.victorianrailways.net/ If you go to the index of Stations/Locations it's possible to see lots of Signalling diagrams and pictures for individual stations ranging from century-old plans to much of the modern stuff you seem to be after. Be warned, you'll find you can spend many, many hours here!!! Regards from Down Under, Graeme
  2. TrainzBrains23, Since you're located in the US you may be interested in Badger Airbrushes which are US-made. Their website has all sorts of good info and advice for many aspects of air brushes and use. I've had a Badger 200 model for 30+ years and it's always been reliable, but with an electric air-compressor and a moisture-trap attachment. The website is: http://www.badgerairbrush.com/ I hope this helps. Regards, Graeme
  3. There's lots of useful information on the Signalling Record Society UK's website which may help you and many other RM Webbers. https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/home.php Graeme
  4. SR 71, Good luck in finding the info you're seeking for industrial trackwork. However, for inspirational industrial/dockyard-style modelling check out Brian Harrap's amazing layout 'Quai 87 in the 'Continental' section of RM Web. www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/38591-quai87/ Graeme
  5. There is also a vast reserve of knowledge and information available through the auspices of the Signalling Record Society UK - https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/home.php Beware - you can get lost in this site for hours!!! Graeme
  6. BluebellModeller, If you still want to explore a computer-design program, XtrkCAD is free and does cater for Apple Mac users. Try: www.xtrkcad.org/ Hope this helps. Graeme
  7. No, all standard gauge. There was only one 5'3" gauge line run by the VR (Victorian Railways) from St. Kilda to Brighton Beach which closed in 1956. The VR also ran a standard gauge tramway from Sandringham to Black Rock. Some history here: http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/vrtram.htm Graeme
  8. Some further info is contained in the FAQ statement from the Victrack website attached here. If you wish to explore the actual Victrack website, here's the link: https://www.victrack.com.au/i-want-to/reinventing-trams Graeme Victrack - Reinventing Trams FAQ - May 2018.pdf
  9. Here's the 'Official Line' as a PDF. In the case of many of the 134 trams being offered, they will basically be body shells having already had many bits and pieces removed to keep the 'City Circle' fleet going over the past 20 - 30 years. Nevertheless it's preferable to see them 'recycled' in a sense rather than simply scrapped, but just how many will still be left over when submissions close and allocations are made remains to be seen. Graeme VICTRACK - Retired Trams Strategy - May 2018.pdf
  10. Adrian, Further to the excellent references given by Mark and DoubleDeckInterurban above, another quite useful site is: http://www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com/ . Mark Bau's 'Victorian Railways' site (http://www.victorianrailways.net) is an absolute goldmine of useful information and photographs and is highly recommended. Another source, complementing Peter Vincent's site, is by Rob O'Regan: (http://www.robx1.net/) In general terms, the VR largely followed UK practice for safeworking and signalling, left-hand running on double lines, and steam locomotives. Initially there were several private companies building some suburban lines and a country line to Geelong, but they all eventually failed leaving the Victorian Government to take up the reins to expand the rail network. The VR itself dates from the early 1860s, with lines reaching Geelong in 1859, then a line northwest to Ballarat in 1862. The line to Bendigo also opened in 1862. Victoria was expanding rapidly, with huge population growth and wealth after massive alluvial gold discoveries from 1851. By the 1860s and onwards most gold-mining around Ballarat and Bendigo and elsewhere was underground with mining companies to the fore. The Phoenix Foundry in Ballarat, as engineers to the mining industry, was also pivotal in building locomotives for the VR from 1873 until about 1904, along with Newport Workshops (opened 1889, but did not build its first loco until 1893.) Initially, locos were fully imported from Geo. England &Co; Slaughter Gruning in Bristol, then later from companies like Beyer-Peacock and Kitsons from Leeds. The VR had an odd arrangement for building locos later.They would import 'pattern' engines from the UK which were then duplicated by Phoenix Foundry to the numbers specified in contracts.The VR also dabbled in some US-built light-lines Baldwin 4-6-0s which were also 'pattern' engines in 1883, then a hulking Vauclain compound 2-8-0 in 1899, plus only two typical US 4-4-0s from Rogers in 1877. Sensibly, the VR also was a relatively early adopter of the Westinghouse automatic air brake. All the CMEs were from UK railways, and Richard Speight from the Midland in the 1880s was Chief Commissioner and introduced a lot of sensible, practical standardisation of boilers, valve-gear parts, etc. One obvious difference from the UK is that railways were used to open up areas of Victoria for development, hence lots of lines radiating out from Melbourne, but with very few cross-country linkages. If you're interested, there's a recently published book: 'The Phoenix Foundry - Locomotive Builders of Ballarat' by Bob Butrims and Dave Macartney- Australian Railway Historical Society (Vic Division) 2013 - ISBN: 978-0-646-90402-3 (hardback). The ARHS website is: https://www.arhsvic.org.au/ - also quite useful. I hope this helps. Regards, Graeme
  11. G'day Paul, Please don't apologize - I didn't take any of your comments as being critical at all. Many visitors to PB are surprised that kids do sit in the NBHs with their feet dangling and I was simply trying to explain to readers that the practice is somewhat traditional, and certainly quite safe. As for road traffic, I understand your frustrations completely - particularly on the relatively narrow main road from Belgrave to Gembrook! Speed cameras, always justified by Governments here as being 'for road safety', nevertheless are generally seen by motorists more as 'revenue raisers' because the allowance for being over the limit indicated by roadside signs is only two kilometres per hour. At the same time, the permissible variation in accuracy of car speedometers is 10%! Because of the quite hefty fines and licence demerit points involved as well, people are petrified to even travel right on the stated limit, but often 5km/h under, leading to all sorts of frustrations up the scale to full-blown road rage. To add another level of perceived 'injustice' to motorists is that the operation of speed cameras is contracted out to a private operator, with the State government and Police force getting their cut. The privatized camera cars usually have the camera mounted on the front bumper bars, but the usual give-away is that they park on the roadside reserves/nature strips facing in the same direction as the traffic is travelling so the image is taken from behind. These days I just cruise along steadily at the stated speed limits and don't worry about the 'tailgaters', and haven't had a speeding ticket for about 8 years. Regards, Graeme
  12. Paul, Surprising as it may seem, the safety record for Puffing Billy is exemplary. As far as I know there has only ever been one incident about 30 years ago of a teenager falling out of a moving train, and it's pretty certain that he tampered with the swing door. It's almost traditional for kids to sit in the NBH excursion carriages with their feet dangling out, as can be seen in your photo reference. The NBHs date from 1919 and there have always been a pair of solid safety bars in every side section, together with longitudinal seats with central backrests along the centreline inside, thus leaving plenty of space for adults too. The bars are positioned so kids sit on the wooden top of the side and the lower bar is about waist-level when seated. The upper bar is slightly below shoulder height so it's almost natural to rest one's arms horizontally along the top of the bar, as well as providing a hand-hold. There are no tunnels or road overbridges as hazards anywhere along the line, and lineside vegetation is always kept cut back for reasons of fire safety/fuel reduction in Summer and to discourage kids from trying to grab at any of it anyway! I was an active volunteer on PB in the past including some 15 years as a train Guard. My own experience is that passengers are there to enjoy themselves, including the kids, on a friendly and well-run tourist/preservation railway. A kindly reminder of safety, etc. always works/worked better than bluster and was generally observed; and, as most trains have an NBD or NBHD van, it would absolutely make a kid's day at an intermediate station to invite him/her to wave the green flag for the driver to see when I blew my whistle to restart the train. Happy days! Graeme
  13. Inspiring work once again Mark - can't wait to see the prints! Cheers, Graeme
  14. Terrific pioneering work! This new medium of 3D printing is looking better and better as a means of making body shells for trams and all sorts of other things too. Congratulations! Graeme
  15. Mark, Terrific work! This new technology opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities for tram modelling everywhere. Cheers, Graeme
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