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.
Eltham South Electric Tramway
- Thread starter Melbournesparks
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Melbournesparks
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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.
Melbournesparks
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No worries! It was a fun build and very educational about how steam works.
let me know if you ever do make it to this part of the world.
DafyddElvy
1:22.5 & 15mm Scale Trams, , NG Steam Railways
Please, please could the invite be extended to me, normally I travel with boots and overalls, much to my wife's displeasure, not sure I'd get away with taking a tram to Brisbane in March/April but you never know what I might get away with, and I know my wife has been looking at a diving trip for me down on the south coast somewhere.No worries! It was a fun build and very educational about how steam works.
Melbournesparks
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Sure thing! Send us a message closer to the date if you work something out
Note I'm in Melbourne though, a pretty long way away from Brisbane.
DafyddElvy
1:22.5 & 15mm Scale Trams, , NG Steam Railways
I checked before I hit reply and your forum name gave me a wee clue.Sure thing! Send us a message closer to the date if you work something out
We'll be down in Aus for 3 weeks, the boy stays in Brisbane and a cousin in Wollongong.
Melbourne is only 8 hours from Wollongong and I am known for my escape trips ;-)
Lucky you, would love to visit MelS line. But flight just not in my radar these days.
DafyddElvy
1:22.5 & 15mm Scale Trams, , NG Steam Railways
It's mainly because number 1 son emigrated in April this year and mum needs to check things out, and check out anyone on his arm.
PhilP
G Scale, 7/8th's, Electronics
By the time you have got from Blighty, to Oz.. The hop from Brisbane to Melbourne, is nothing, I would suggest?
Hell, if I was ever to get that far, I would want to visit Mr Sowry, as well!
Being in my seventh decade, and not having left the UK for40+ years..
I doubt it would happen though.
PhilP
Hell, if I was ever to get that far, I would want to visit Mr Sowry, as well!
Being in my seventh decade, and not having left the UK for40+ years..
I doubt it would happen though.
PhilP
I know a family who were going to drive and sail to back home to Australia. You could probably take a train, but I think you might have to go through Russia. I think they intended to sail from Korea ( I may well be wrong though). Unfortunately Corvid happened, so they are still stuck here, 2 adults and 7 year old twins, in a small camper van.
Melbournesparks
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Maybe 8 hours... at night when there's no traffic, and if you don't stop. Realistically I'd allow more like 11. The train is serviceable however, and might be a last chance to ride NSW's HST derived XPT train! Still runs both over night and during the day too, so can be a way to save on accommodation.
In this era it definitely feels like the world is getting bigger again, international travel is expensive and fraught with difficulty. Best of luck!