DavidB-AU

There were Vanfits running to Torrington until 1982 if you want to stretch the timeline. Come to think of it, there were ex-GWR Fruit Ds on the Barnstsple mixed until 1981. Cheers David

It was bound to happen...

I used to live literally around the corner from Lloyd Sawyer of Lloyd's Model Railways. He retired several years ago and closed the business. The Lloyd's range of kits was taken over by AR Kits. DJH also does some NSW steam loco kits for AR Kits. The cheapest are the Z20 class 2-6-4T ($375) and Z12 class 4-4-0 ($395). Outside NSW, the South Australian Railways F class 4-6-2T is available as a kit from SAR Model Company for $399. Cheers David

Just so what the prototype does! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ymA53JTom8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbE0K6KEcY4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqTeMCIR8_w Cheers David

Under the Modernisation Plan, unrebuilt Bulleid Pacifics were intended to work the line into the 1970s. Cheers David

What did you use for the platform surface? Cheers David

It arrived in Newcastle today and should be in service tomorrow or Saturday. http://brians-pics.fotopic.net/p67458951.html Cheers David

The CSX livery looks quite good on the 66! If you need something with yellow on the front (and everywhere else) try Union Pacific. Cheers David

Fresh out of the Bluebird Rail paint shop in Adelaide.... I have to say the traditional Australian "flying brick" wears the livery quite well. Cheers David

Here is the forthcoming Melbourne Comeng train kit. And one of some parcels vans, swing door and Tait cars bashed from the VHC kit available some years ago. There is an injection moulded Tait in the pipeline. Cheers David

Samples of the Coming set kit are at the Caulfield exhibition this weekend. The first is the set in original form before Connex and NX had them rebuilt. I saw completed samples in VicRail orange "teacup" and Met green/yellow. Cheers David

There are several US shortlines which started off running freight then later added passenger operations with older diesels and sometimes steam for tourists. Cheers David

And if anybody wants to run freight on a preserved line layout, see Rule 1. Cheers David

As mentioned there have been many examples of freight running on preserved lines. Stone trains to Minehead in the 90s (which on a few occasions were rescued by steam) and East lancs have been mentioned. There's also British Gypsum and high speed loco testing on the GCR. MOD trains and TOC crew training on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. The Rail Head Treatment Train and Weedkilling Train have run on a few preserved lines. Another potential "what if" is regular trains running on preserved lines. For example there have been various proposals about FGW and CrossCountry running to Minehead. HSTs and Voyagers have been there. It's not that hard to imagine a 150 or Pacer running weekday Taunton - Minehead shuttles, or even Cardiff Central - Minehead trains with 158s or top and tail 67s. Cheers David

I think that livery suits the 180. I wonder how it would look in Stagecoach livery? (EMT or SWT) Cheers David

I have to agree with shortliner. A Brisbane or Perth suburban train would look more accurate in OO as 16.5mm in 4mm scale is closer to 3'6" gauge than standard gauge. There are a handful of people doing Melbourne suburban electrics in HO. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. Cheers David

There are some RTR Melbourne suburban trains in the pipeline, but they are in HO. The Tait train is coming first. For the life of me I can't understand why somebody would do it in OO when the track scales our narrower than standard gauge, expecially when the Melbourne network is broad gauge. In 4mm scale it would need to be 21mm gauge. Cheers David

Queensland Rail Limited and QR National Pty Ltd were formally separated on 1 July pending the float of QRN on the Australian Stock Exchange. The new Queensland Rail livery and logo were unveiled at Roma St yesterday. Cheers David

The HST wears the APT livery quite well! I wonder how it would look on a 47 or 87? Cheers David

The black Tornado and variations on DB Arriva make me wonder what might have happened if the predecessors of DBS (i.e. Deutsche Bunsenbahn itself) had started making acquisitions a couple of decades earlier. Cheers David

BTW, when I wsa in NZ I saw a red over red over blue. What does this indicate? Cheers David

That's not a fifth aspect as such, it's a low speed signal. It means proceed ready to stop at the next signal, maximum speed 25km/h. Victoria has red over red over yellow which is "low speed caution". It does not indicate that the next block is unoccupied. Cheers David

For interest, today's Tasmanian state budget includes $12.5 million for new locomotives, $10 million for new container wagons and $315 million to fix the crumbling infrastructure left by Pacific National. $12.5 million isn't going to buy much. The most recent new narrow gauge diesels in the country, the QR 4100 class, have a unit price of about $5 million. However if it is politically acceptable, it would buy four of the Dalian locos going to Kiwirail which cost the equivalent of $3 million each. However these would be the first new locos for Tasmania since the ZA class in 1974! The bulk of the current fleet is second or third hand from Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand plus a handful of Morrison Knudsen rebuilds. Cheers David

Except on Sundays in the early 70s when there was a diagram for a 33/1 and 4TC (or 8TC?) running Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff and return. Cheers David

On the subject of fictional locos, has anybody ever turned a 58 into a model of the proposed class 88? Cheers David