Wow, I hope everyone survived the heat last weekend. Unless you have airconditioning it certainly cut down on the modelling didn't it! Last week my wife and I travelled to Cabramatta on the Blacktown Flyer. It must have been close to 50 degrees in the non-airconditined S set we were forced to travel in. Why does Campbelltown still get all these non-airconditioned sets? Is it something we said?
It was so hot I should have displayed WOLO boards outside the station on my layout.
The photo above shows the start of my modifications to the Bachman Hotel. Basically I've changed the roof to a more Australian style and will paint and add NSW hotel signs. There's a pub in Coonabarrabran called "The Imperial". While it doesn't look the same the name sounds authentic. I still have to add corrugated roofing.
I'm also repainting some of the American shops I have various shades of cream and white. Also I will add canopies at the front as per Aussie shops and appropriate signs.
I've also been thinking about my express train. As a temporary measure I have assembled some Walther's stainless steel coaches into a set which I will rename "Western Explorer".
Above is the tentative logo to be added to the sides of the coaches. Thanks to the guys on the Australian N Scale Facebook group for their ideas and thoughts on this.
And now a couple of images from the past. The first is an interesting photo I took of the original 422 class colour scheme and it's candy replacement. 42213 and 42220 at Central. Date not known unfortunately. I believe the 42220 scheme was a one off, with more yellow than normal. It had
been upgraded as a test vehicle for the next generation of diesel locomotives then being developed.
The two photos below were taken in the late 60's possibly some time in 1968. The first one shows a non streamlined 38 class (3813?) on the afternoon down Southern Highlands Express at Regents Park while the second shows 3809 getting coal at the long gone Eveleigh loco depot. Sorry not 100% quality because of age but interesting.
With the work contining on my Barra Town layout, not a lot has been happening on my Vietnamese layout.
So here's a couple of photos I took in Vietnam. The first one is of D13E 714. You might look and say 'hmm looks familiar". The reason why is because it's an Alco designed, Indian built locomotive (YDM4) and clearly belongs to the 45/48 class family though it's rated at 1300 hp and is metre guage. Yes it does produce large clouds of black smoke! Typical Alco. These locomotives tend to be based in the southern part of Vietnam and are seen more on freight than passenger trains. Note low level platform. These are gradually being replaced at major stations with high level ones.
The second photo shows the main station building at the coastal resort city of Nha Trang. A combination of French and local design. Both photos taken in 2014.
Well that's just about your lot for this week.
Keep cool and I'll have more in the next post.
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