More on the HUB set.
Continuing discussions with the factory this week indicate that this project is progresing quickly. As a consequence we will be making order forms available on the web site shortly and they will be posted out with the next edition of The Eureka Times which we are aiming to have in the post at the end of January.
Seven different cars will be available and whilst final set presentation is not yet settled, current thinking is that there will be a five car set with a futher two cars available separately to build up to a seven car Newcastle Flyer set.
Final pricing is still being finalised but it is likely that the pre-order price for the five car set will be $495 with additional cars available at $100 per car. The after delivery price will depend on the exchange rate at the time but is expected to be $630 for the five car set and $110 for the separate cars.
Three and possibly four liveries are being considered.
6 comments:
HUB Sets
As usual on web discussions elsewhere, lots of huffing and puffing and very little fact! A few facts may leaven the discussion, as gleaned from published books and Departmental publications:
Colours:
1. Originally (1948-49) painted Venetian (Tuscan) red and russet;
2. repainted as full sets to light Indian red with two buff lines in the 1953-4 period;
3. repainted as full sets to dark Indian red with single buff line under the windows in the 1965 period;
4. repainted as full sets to dark Indian red with buff lines below AND above windows from 1969 (Set 116 noted that year, Sets 117 and 119 still single-lined in that year);
5. repainted as individual cars from 1974, initially in same livery.
6. painted in Candy livery from 1982, trains appeared with mixed colours from 1982.
Since the infamous David Hill-inspired hopper windows were installed from the late 1970s, it is unlikely that more than a very few (2203 was one) ran in candy without this modification.
Candy lovers should note that the sets had been broken up before this scheme was introduced, and it is highly unlikely that a candy HUB set as such ever existed, although five- to seven-car trains of H cars certainly were seen and photographed, as well as mixed H and S type cars in one “set”.
Name Boards: The boards were intact on the cars until the late 1960s, at least. However, apart from the VERY early photos, which show the wording ‘Sydney Newcastle Express’, photos indicate that the name boards were unlettered. (This is NOT the case with the RUB sets, but we aren’t discussing these here, are we!)
Terminology:
The PFH General Arrangement Drawing (56871) is labelled ‘2nd class terminal car with power compartment’. The 1949 official ‘Code and Tonnage of Coaching Stock’ defines a PFH as ‘Second-class corridor car (Power Van)’ – so take your pick!
Noise: (from personal experience): When the down Flyer arrived in Hornsby station, it was the power van which was heard as soon as the 38 closed the throttle (which occurred under the overhead booking office) – the diesel engines were VERY loud. The cars, however, were so well insulated that passengers in the leading car were barely aware of the power generating equipment.
Eureka’s Models:
The Eureka HUB sets will be produced as ‘HUB Sets’, i.e, before the changes that began in 1974 (recabling, hopper windows, new types of car, etc. etc.) If the cars are produced in candy, they will be produced with 2BS bogies but no other modifications, since re-tooling costs would be prohibitive. It may be possible for the after-market to produce a decal to simulate the hopper windows, other detail changes would need to be added by the purchaser.
The five-car set will be HFH (Car1), BH (3), RFH (5), FH (6) and PFH (7), as operated on the ‘Central West Express’. The seven-car set for the ‘Newcastle Flyer’ and ‘South Coast Express’ will add RBH (2) and another BH (4).
The specification includes Paint Schemes 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, and possibly Candy in addition; 2AN, 2BM and 2BS bogies as appropriate; all cars lit; lit marker lights; three inter-car coupling lengths to suit various radii of track; Kadee-type couplings on terminal ends; mounting points for Kadee couplings on all cars; full interior seating with passengers. Unless the dollar makes a dramatic recovery, I do not foresee sound (or smoke) in the PFH!
Hope that helps.
There will also be interior detail and ten passengers in each car.
Ron
For those of us who are not up on our history, and also do not have sufficient reference books, can you provide some details of what configurations the HUB sets were used in? Also, with the basic 5 car set that you will offer, what is the configuration? Thanks for all the great work. Regards Peter.
Sounds great Ron. Thanks Ian for your valuable input and I think you have answered Peter's question if he looks closely at the bracketed numbers. Is (1) on the Sydney end?? Did the consist for 'West' and 'Newcastle' change much over time.
Looking forward to putting in an order.
Another Peter
Peter,
Yes the HFH Car 1 would be at the Sydney end. The power car was always (make that usually because someone is sure to find an exception) at the Paramatta end so the passengers would not need to walk past the noisy thing at Central. I don't know why passengers boarding in Newcastle were not given the same consideration. The reason the power car was placed that end was in a book somewhere. I should look it up to give you a source, but I am a lazy sod.
Ian and Ron, thanks for all that information. Hope the orders are rolling in for you.
Just a suggestion, and I am not going to have a fit if you ignore it. Why not market two packs? One seven car with numbers appropriate to the Flyer and one five car with CWE set numbers.
I have already ordered a five plus two "set" so no big deal if you change to two sets or not.
Best regards,
John
PS. Posting as anonymous because the stupid thing is not recognising my password.
Just to add something so I am not hiding behind "anonymous".
You would need a couple of sets of each type, the 5 car and 7 car. Apart from those silvertails who might buy two sets, also need a bit of variety so not everyone is running set 116 (for example).
Best regards,
John
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