I’ve updated the Melbourne A2 class page with additional photos of the Southbank assigned units.
I’ll continue to update photos as I find or take them.
Category Archives: Site Updates
Site update – Tram pictures update – A1 Class edition
I’ve finished uploading and documenting all of my recent Melbourne A1 class tram photos. You can see the page here: https://wp.me/P47pPY-hi
All the photos are of Southbank trams (with some exceptions where I’ve not driven them). There are some Glenhuntly A1 class trams that I’ve not managed to get photos of – yet.
Keep coming back as I’ll be updating photos as I can get them. And I have a bunch that I’ve yet to get on the website. They’ll continue to come up as I can get the time to upload and write them up.
Site Update – The end of a work era
Since 1982 I have worked in the Telecommunications and Information Technology industry. I’ve worked as a technician, technical officer, sales representative, Helpdesk staffer, IT Manager and for the last 10 years as a specialist and consultant service delivery manager. That all comes to a close today. I move on to a new career in the public transit industry as a tram driver. In some ways I’m very sad to leave behind the people and the skills I’ve learned and nurtured for the greatest part of my working life.
The IT life is not all that glorious though. I wont miss the constant stress and never-ending drive needed to keep up and get ahead of the game. The incredibly thankless tasks that you get to do all day, and often part of the night. Not for IT staff is overtime, shift penalties, and Rostered Days off. Just that never-ending all hands to the pump work ethic, and hopefully no heart attack.
Today is a point from which to look forward, not backward. Thus begins the next 15 years of my work life. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a boy after I rode the footplate of a steam locomotive, my Uncle Col Casbolt in charge, in Sydney’s western suburbs.
NSW 32 Class Locomotive 3325 has just arrived at Richmond (27 January 1968) –
Image courtesy of ARHS NSW – click image for page
My uncle had been a suburban train driver in the Sydney suburban network for a while then. He made the move from steam to the Sparks (EMUs as shown below) not long after this ride in the southern hemisphere’s spring of 1968 as best I can recall. (I was only 4, almost 5, at the time and hadn’t started school yet!)
NSW ‘Red Rattler’ sets F1 and W3 sit quietly in the old sheds at Redfern (image courtesy of Flying_Donkey@Flickr)
While this week has been a time of a lot of last moments, from this Friday forward I begin a life of firsts for the first time in a long time.
A Yarra Trams E Class Tram # 6015 on the Route 96 @ St Kilda – one of the routes I hope to be driving in 2017-18
I’m looking forward to the hard work and study required to be a fully competent tram driver on our network. And looking forward to becoming a part of the fabric of the city’s public transit network.
W8 Class No. 1010 (built 1955) and rebuilt in 2015-16 at Bendigo Tramway Museum on the City Circle route
I am sure you’ve noticed the volume of posts has dropped away over the last 4 months, fear not. I’ve not been publishing much yet have been busy working away on a number of smaller projects and layout designs and expect to start building a small switching layout for my son in August. So I hope you can join me in the journey for that project.
While I’ll be working odd hours, studying hard and hoping to pass all of my written and driving exams with flying colours, I do expect to have a little more time to post on the HVL. And of course I expect to have a lot more pictures of trams, with views that I’ve never been able to get before. Looking forward to sharing. Thanks for reading a long and sharing the journey.
Andrew
Site update – May 23 – TSE Boxcars – additional lading and operation information added
Who says that asking for help doesn’t work?
When I wrote the TSE Boxcars page, about images I took back in 2005 in Austin Texas, I had no idea about the operational nature of the cars. Thanks to Paul, who is familiar with the cars, their loads, and operations I now can share a little more information with you.
This morning (AEST) Paul wrote the following: “Those cars came in empty. We would spot six at a time Balcones Recycling and they would be loaded with waste paper. There was about 30 of these cars that were in captured service. We would send the loaded cars out on the UP. They did not come in loaded with lumber. East end lumber is now long gone, and it has been at least 40 years since they received rail service.”
My thanks go out to Paul for sharing his time and knowledge with me. One of the reasons I love the Model Railway community is their willingness to share. Greatest hobby in the world? I’d like to think so.
I’ve updated the page with the information Paul has provided. Good to know finally what they were there for, and the operation cycle they used.
Site update: 12 April 2017 – the geographically challenged edition
It’s been very busy getting back to work after the long period of ‘under-employment’ as our government describes it. My time has been totally focused on getting through the day and making the changes that will allow for eventual success down the track. Having said all that I got a lovely comment from Peter Walker who is a committee member of the Corio Club.
Peter wrote:
Andrew,
Thanks for the positive report on our 2017 exhibition. By way of feedback the exhibition hall this year was in BELMONT (not Corio). We felt this venue handled the show crowd better and, with support from City of Geelong, have now been able to book that venue again for 2018. Hope your readers don’t look for us in Corio next year?
In reply I wrote:
Thanks for the correction. I’ll make sure to update the post and publish an update to make sure to get people to the right spot next year. Keep me up to date on what’s going on for 2018. Glad to help get the word out for the show.
I don’t mind people pointing out my geographical faux pars. I navigate mostly by visuals and not by map, compass or any other known means of getting from one place to another. I’ve found that often the thrill of the journey is discovering somewhere or something you never knew was there.
Thanks to Peter for bringing my error to light. I really did enjoy the show this year. I know also how difficult it can be for a club (small or large) to find a new premisies, cover your insurance and venue costs, and still make a little something to support your club or the charity of choice. I applaud the committee for being able to pull this move off so well, and from the outside at least, make it look so effortless.
With Peter and the Committee’s support I hope to bring you more information about the next show in January 2018.
Site update – 20 March – Updated 12 foot home layout design page
There has been a lot of thoughtful experimentation going on at Andrew’s Trains of late. While I was ‘reasonably happy’ with my Mk 72 layout design I wasn’t joyous about it. Recently while rediscovering some of my older layout designs I came across the design for ‘Industrial Park East’, as shown below, from somewhere about 2006-7.
‘. Something in this design called out to me and so I set off on a slight redesign from the Mk 72 to Mk73 version. The changes I made have allowed me to get the ‘flow’, and the look that I wanted. I know this all sounds like something ‘the Dude’ would say from the Big Lebowski at this point but if it doesn’t work for you while you’re designing it, then it sure won’t work for you once you’ve committed track to plywood.
There’s a lot more information on the what, the why and the wherefore on the additional layout design page (yes I added another one to keep it all straight in my head). If your interest is peaked and you’d like to see more click the link in the line above and head on over to read on.
Thanks for reading – now it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Site update – 20 February – BTM Tram #18 photos
Over November, December and early January I documented some updates to BTM Tram Number 18 as it goes through its rebuild. The page has a lot of interesting images of the underframe, resistor grids and the motors. Of greater interest, to me at least, was the changing out of an armature. It’s not something I’ve ever seen done before so I thought I’d document it. Head over to #18’s page and view the evolving gallery there.
If you have any information to share please let me know and I’ll be happy to share it.
Andrew
Site seeing – January 27 – The ‘times they are a changing’ edition
I received an email from Shawn Branstetter earlier this week announcing that his site http://shortlinemodelers.com/ would be closing down very shortly. I was, to say the least devastated. Shawn’s site is a treasure trove of useful articles and ideas.
I contacted Shawn for comment and post it here in its entirety: “Unfortunately it is true Andrew. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with the content however, the Facebook page will remain active. Whiteriver Productions has expressed interest in hosting the content and I don’t want the name to go away I just don’t have time to be a developer, writer, very poor editor and illustrator by myself and find time to build. It’s just too much. Somehow I will make sure all content is available to everyone. As soon as I figure that out, I’ll let you know.”
Site 1: Get it before it is gone – Shortline Modelers
Go see it and grab anything you can now. Not sure how long this will remain available or where it may move to. Check out his cement modelling articles – they are outstanding.
Site 2: Shortline Modelers on Facebook
Head on over to the Facebook page and follow him there if you have a Facebook account. This will keep you in touch with Shawn for the future.
Site update – January 21 – No you don’t need an optometrist visit
In my last post the photos that I uploaded seemed to behave poorly once uploaded through WP.
I’ve reworked them all in Paint.NET and uploaded a new set.
I’ve just checked the newer versions and these appear to be better. Sorry for any inconvenience, or for any unnecessary trips to the optometrist.
Andrew
Site seeing – January 15 – the too dirty may not be dirty enough edition
In the past I’ve seen a lot of weathering done that I said was too heavy, unrealistic. Something that you’d never see in the wild. Today I reviewed one of Adrian Nicholls photos on his photostream on flickr.
Image courtesy Adrian Nicholls – via flickr
I take it all back. Adrian says on the site: “66 301 catches the late afternoon sunshine at Carlisle Kingmoor TMD after its 21 hour diagram on train 3J11 the North West RHTT circuit, (17.15 to 14.05). The loco has just been fuelled and is waiting while the water jetter generator and rear loco (66 427) are dealt with. It will then do the whole circuit again hence the accumulation of filth on the locomotive as there is little depot down time on this circuit for cleaning. Never a very pleasant time of the year to deal with locos in such a condition as what every you touch is covered in filth off the track and a drivers railway uniform can soon resemble a fitters overalls if you are not careful.”
I guess you really have to model from the prototype. I would never have thought of making a locomotive this filthy. But there you have it.
Andrew's Trains 