Eltham South Electric Tramway

[dunnyrail]

There was a period of about 5 weeks right at the start of winter this year when there was no traffic at all on the tramway, and a major backlog of rollingstock maintenance.

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This had some consequences for the state of the right of way.


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Normally the vegetation slashing train requires motive power in the "heavy" rollingstock category. Usually that means the diesel electric loco, but it has been out of service with battery failure for a while now. Next preference is one of the Swiss motor cars, but 34M was out with a loose traction motor wire, and 51M was waiting on new electrical pickups.

The only other rollingstock in the heavy category is the steam railcar, so it was fired up and off we went. Video of this operation can be seen below.

As ever super to see your Bush Line, Steam to the rescue. Think I would have been tempted to lift the Strimmer off and put it the other end to do a double job on the way back.

 

[Melbournesparks]

Not a snow plow, but a weed plow!

Have you ever shown this intriguing steam railcar?

I was too disorganized to actually do a build thread for it unfortunately. It was a bit of a learning curve for me so it had a very long construction period. I think I first posted about it in this post here in december 2020, but the construction actually started way back in 2019. After ironing out the bugs it has been a reliable and useful member of the rollingstock fleet though, and the preferred rollingstock to take when visiting other lines away from the wires. Here's some pictures from the construction phase!





Precision accurate concept drawings




The finished bogies in undercoat. Thanks Jake for drawing and printing the roller bearing axle boxes, the first application of 3D printing to any rollingstock in the fleet. A lot of attention was paid to making sure this very long and heavy car would run well on my bad track, the axles can twist relative to each other and there's plenty of travel in the secondary suspension springs.


The boiler, water tank and engine unit mounted to the frame, work starts on fitting up the plumbing. The plumbing went through a number of revisions so the final layout ended up quite different from what is shown here.



The wooden car body under construction.




It finally steamed for the first time in late 2019, though testing and commissioning would still take nearly two more years. We got there in the end though, it has since been a reliable unit clocking up the kilometers here and on other lines it has visited.



A 4 car set with just one motor car was successfully managed on the 1:30 grades of the NEVR



And seen here along side some more conventional steam power at another local line.

 

[Henri]

Xjev e gepvetvod caomf!! Vjeplt gus tjesoph vji qodvasit!
Zuas mopi epf gmiiv esi upi ug vji gix O'f muwi vu tii op siem, cav qsucecmz piwis xomm ...

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[Melbournesparks]

[RAUVI="Jipso, qutv: 671076, nincis: 3514"]
Xjev e gepvetvod caomf!! Vjeplt gus tjesoph vji qodvasit!
Zuas mopi epf gmiiv esi upi ug vji gix O'f muwi vu tii op siem, cav qsucecmz piwis xomm ...
[/RAUVI]
Pu xussoit! Ov xet e gap caomf epf wisz ifadevoupem ecuav jux tvien xuslt. miv ni lpux og zua iwis fu neli ov vu vjot qesv ug vji xusmf.

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[DafyddElvy]

[RAUVI="Nimcuaspitqeslt, qutv: 671077, nincis: 3078"]
Pu xussoit! Ov xet e gap caomf epf wisz ifadevoupem ecuav jux tvien xuslt. miv ni lpux og zua iwis fu neli ov vu vjot qesv ug vji xusmf.
[/RAUVI]
Qmieti, qmieti duamf vji opwovi ci iyvipfif vu ni, pusnemmz O vsewim xovj cuuvt epf uwisemmt, nadj vu nz xogi't fotqmietasi, puv tasi O'f hiv exez xovj veloph e vsen vu Csotcepi op Nesdj/Eqsom cav zua piwis lpux xjev O nohjv hiv exez xovj, epf O lpux nz xogi jet ciip muuloph ev e fowoph vsoq gus ni fuxp up vji tuavj duetv tunixjisi.

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[Melbournesparks]

[RAUVI="FegzffImwz, qutv: 671115, nincis: 6848"]
Qmieti, qmieti duamf vji opwovi ci iyvipfif vu ni, pusnemmz O vsewim xovj cuuvt epf uwisemmt, nadj vu nz xogi't fotqmietasi, puv tasi O'f hiv exez xovj veloph e vsen vu Csotcepi op Nesdj/Eqsom cav zua piwis lpux xjev O nohjv hiv exez xovj, epf O lpux nz xogi jet ciip muuloph ev e fowoph vsoq gus ni fuxp up vji tuavj duetv tunixjisi.
[/RAUVI]

Tasi vjoph! Tipf at e nittehi dmutis vu vji fevi og zua xusl tunivjoph uav Puvi O'n op Nimcuaspi vjuahj, e qsivvz muph xez exez gsun Csotcepi.

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[DafyddElvy]

[RAUVI="Nimcuaspitqeslt, qutv: 671116, nincis: 3078"]
Tasi vjoph! Tipf at e nittehi dmutis vu vji fevi og zua xusl tunivjoph uav Puvi O'n op Nimcuaspi vjuahj, e qsivvz muph xez exez gsun Csotcepi.
[/RAUVI]
O djidlif cigusi O jov siqmz epf zuas gusan peni hewi ni e xii dmai.

Xi'mm ci fuxp op Eat gus 3 xiilt, vji cuz tvezt op Csotcepi epf e duatop op Xummuphuph.
Nimcuaspi ot upmz 8 juast gsun Xummuphuph epf O en lpuxp gus nz itdeqi vsoqt ;-)

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[dunnyrail]

[RAUVI="FegzffImwz, qutv: 671122, nincis: 6848"]
O djidlif cigusi O jov siqmz epf zuas gusan peni hewi ni e xii dmai.

Xi'mm ci fuxp op Eat gus 3 xiilt, vji cuz tvezt op Csotcepi epf e duatop op Xummuphuph.
Nimcuaspi ot upmz 8 juast gsun Xummuphuph epf O en lpuxp gus nz itdeqi vsoqt ;-)
[/RAUVI]
Madlz zua, xuamf muwi vu wotov NimT mopi. Cav gmohjv katv puv op nz sefes vjiti fezt.

 

[DafyddElvy]

[RAUVI="fappzseom, qutv: 671134, nincis: 251"]
Madlz zua, xuamf muwi vu wotov NimT mopi. Cav gmohjv katv puv op nz sefes vjiti fezt.
[/RAUVI]
Ov't neopmz cideati pancis 1 tup inohsevif op Eqsom vjot zies epf nan piift vu djidl vjopht uav, epf djidl uav epzupi up jot esn.

 

[PhilP]

Cz vji voni zua jewi huv gsun Cmohjvz, vu Ub.. Vji juq gsun Csotcepi vu Nimcuaspi, ot puvjoph, O xuamf tahhitv?
Jimm, og O xet iwis vu hiv vjev ges, O xuamf xepv vu wotov Ns Tuxsz, et ximm!
:cmatj::F:F:F

Cioph op nz tiwipvj fidefi, epf puv jewoph migv vji AL gus40+ ziest..
O fuacv ov xuamf jeqqip vjuahj.
:xupfisoph:

QjomQ

 

[Paul M]

O lpux e genomz xju xisi huoph vu fsowi epf teom vu cedl juni vu Eatvsemoe. Zua duamf qsucecmz veli e vseop, cav O vjopl zua nohjv jewi vu hu vjsuahj Sattoe. O vjopl vjiz opvipfif vu teom gsun Lusie ( O nez ximm ci xsuph vjuahj). Apgusvapevimz Duswof jeqqipif, tu vjiz esi tvomm tvadl jisi, 2 efamvt epf 7 zies umf vxopt, op e tnemm denqis wep.

 

[Melbournesparks]

[RAUVI="FegzffImwz, qutv: 671122, nincis: 6848"]
O djidlif cigusi O jov siqmz epf zuas gusan peni hewi ni e xii dmai.

Xi'mm ci fuxp op Eat gus 3 xiilt, vji cuz tvezt op Csotcepi epf e duatop op Xummuphuph.
Nimcuaspi ot upmz 8 juast gsun Xummuphuph epf O en lpuxp gus nz itdeqi vsoqt ;-)
[/RAUVI]

Nezci 8 juast... ev pohjv xjip vjisi't pu vseggod, epf og zua fup'v tvuq. Siemotvodemmz O'f emmux nusi moli 11. Vji vseop ot tiswodiecmi juxiwis, epf nohjv ci e metv djepdi vu sofi PTX't JTV fisowif YQV vseop! Tvomm sapt cuvj uwis pohjv epf fasoph vji fez vuu, tu dep ci e xez vu tewi up eddunnufevoup.

[EVVEDJ vzqi="gamm"]301403[/EVVEDJ]
Op vjot ise ov figopovimz giimt moli vji xusmf ot hivvoph cohhis eheop, opvispevoupem vsewim ot iyqiptowi epf gseahjv xovj foggodamvz. Citv ug madl!

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