More R Class Movements

In the eight year saga which was the R class project there were a number of times when the spirit and enthusiasm of us here at Eureka sunk to a pretty low ebb and several times the will to push on was severely tested.
The eventual arrival of the project in November and the positive reception that has been received has gone a long way to dispelling these feelings but it must be said that the arrival of photographs such as the two reproduced here has caused more than just a little feeling of pride.
A superb weathering job using pastels and magnificent surroundings certainly brings out the best in pre-preservation R 707.
Thanks to all those who have conveyed their positive feedback on Eureka's R Class. It is much appreciated.

A first pass through the R class order database has now been completed and over 70% of orders have now been delivered. The remaining 30% will progressively be contacted but as previously advised a quick email or telephone call to the Eureka office will result in an expeditious dispatch of an outstanding order.

R Class Movements

 

On Tuesday the 12th of November, three truck loads of R class arrived at the Eureka Offices and in the pouring rain were quickly stowed safely under-cover before the real work of posting out orders could commence.
Two weeks later 50 % of orders have been dispatched and at the current rate another two to three weeks should see distribution almost totally completed.
Priority in distribution is being given to fully paid orders and the process is a slow one given the need to contact each person with an R class on order to confirm order and address details.
Anyone wishing to short-circuit the process should contact the Eureka office to confirm their details and their order will be put in the post immediately.

 

R class shipping details - just in case.

       Mindful of concern being expressed over the concentration of all the R class eggs in one container basket so to speak and the possibility of losing the container overboard in a typhoon, the Eureka staff in Hong Kong investigated the possibility of dividing the shipment in two and arranging alternative shipping for the second half of the cargo.
       Shipping is pretty tight out of China at the moment but the Eureka staff eventually located possible cargo space and is investigating the economics of such a course of action. Shipping time may be a little bit longer but the increased safety arising from dividing the cargo in two would provide increased certainty and peace of mind.
       For those who are interested a photo of the alternative vessel being considered can be found at:

http://photos.marinetraffic.com/ais/showphoto.aspx?photoid=109240

And Now...the R Class

                                                                            MV Cosco Dalian at Port Phillip Heads 01/10/13

               The factory has advised that Motor Vessel "Cosco Dalian" will leave Hong Kong on the 27th of October with a loading that includes a container of Eureka Models' R class locomotives bound for Port Botany where it is expected to arrive on the 7th of November, 2013. Allowing for the usual 3/4 days to clear Customs, the cargo of R class should be delivered to Eureka around the 10th of November.
              Distribution will commence immediately and should be complete before the end of December.
              Each orderer will be contacted to confirm order details before a model is consigned to the postal system.  Those orders that have been confirmed prior to arrival will be posted first. Packages will be sent receipted delivery and will have to be signed for, generally at the local post office.
              Those with balances owing should contact the Eureka office prior to the arrival of the shipment to avoid delays in delivery.
 

 

 



A Re-run  - No Problem (You think?)

 

 



     In the first run of any model, the complexity of the manufacturing process involved would lead you to expect problems and delays of all types. Eureka has had its share of these delays ranging from skill shortages and component delivery delays through to massive up-heaval due to forced factory re-location.

     However, when it comes to a re-run of a model one could be forgiven for thinking that the process will be both more straight forward and quicker to carry out. Experience is showing that this is not necessarily the case.

     Three of Eureka's first four projects are currently undergoing re-runs. These are the 620/720  2 car diesels, the 38 class and the LCH/CCH 4 wheel coal hoppers. The AD60 re-run was delivered several years ago but the re-run process for that model took two years.

     The re-runs mentioned above have been complicated and delayed by the need to retrieve the tooling from the old factory and to relocate it to our new factory. This recovery process took more than a year and is not yet fully complete. (Those interested should check out the Atlas web-site for a report of their experience which involved shifting 5000 tools and took over two years and a massive interruption to production. It has been estimated that this would have involved over 100 truck loads.)

     With the arrival of Eureka's tools at the new facility the next step in the re-run process could begin. This involved what is referred to as proving the tools. This in effect is a trial squirt to test that the dies are not damaged and that they will "fit" on the different injection machines at the new factory. All of this by the way involves costs. At this stage any missing tools are discovered and decisions on their replacement have to be made, again at a cost.  

     The result should be the items shown in the accompanying photos.

 

 

     Once the proving is complete outside sourced items can be ordered and the full assembly process can proceed.  At this stage the factory is also able to provide up-dated costings for a project and with the additional costs mentioned above a final price for the model can be determined.  The costings for the first run of the LCH/CCH were determined in 2008, five years ago. The quotation for the re-run involves a 52% increase over the 2008 costs which is in line with the approximate 10% per annum increase the factory has suggested should be expected.

     Where does all of this leave the re-runs program?

LCH/CCH: Proving complete and assembly started. Anticipated delivery first quarter 2014.

620/720: Proving complete October. Anticipated delivery second quarter 2014.

38 Class: The re-run process will be lengthened because it has been decided to re-design the chassis so as to incorporates the gear drive type mechanism which is proving to be so successful in the R, K and 50 class projects. Anticipated delivery third quarter 2014.

PS: The Eureka team will be journeying north to the factory on the 8th of September. It is likely that there will be a major announcement when the team returns and there will certainly be up-dates on current projects.

VR OT Bogie Oil Tankers Arrive:

The ship carrying the VR OT Bogie Oil Tankers arrived in Port Botany on Thursday the 22nd of August. The cargo is expected to be cleared on Tuesday the 27th of August. Post out will commence immediately and is expected to be completed within a week.

A small number of 3-packs have been air freighted to Australia and will be available at the Caulfield exhibition. Price is $180 per 3-pack.

 

More News on the R Class:

 

Word received today that the sound decoders for the R class will be delivered to the factory on the 26th of April. This means that both sound and non-sound units are likely to be assembled and despatched together. Still no definite despatch date.

 

 

 LATEST ON HUB SETS DISTRIBUTION: 

 

Distribution of the HUB sets is almost complete. If you have not received your order by the 1st of February please contact the Eureka Office. As distribution has progressed it is has become evident that stocks of additional cars will disappear very quickly and are not expected to last much past February.   Pre-orders indicated that demand would split fairly evenly between orders for five and seven cars and the order quantity for additional cars was set accordingly. However, since distribution commenced the experience has been that those who purchased five car sets are coming back for additional cars and this trend is quickly exhausting stocks of additional cars.

 

Since receiving the HUBs two errors in the decoration have become evident. One was made by Eureka and one was down to the factory. Eureka's error concerns the Tuscan and Russet livery where the Russet has been carried across the door on the carriage side. On the prototype the door was all red.
The factory error concerns the set number on the end of each terminal car. All sets are correctly identified on the box and the appropriately numbered carriages are present in each set. However, all terminal cars are numbered set "117".   Apologies from Eureka and the factory for these mistakes.
In the Candy sets the factory has also replaced one of the cars in each set with an RBH.
Finally, the wheel sets used on the HUB sets are a new design and use a press fitted split axle design. Some sets may need the back-to-back setting to be adjusted. Eureka is putting together an outline on how to check this setting and make any adjustments necessary. When it is ready it will appear on this blog.

LATEST ON HUB SETS DISTRIBUTION:

Distribution of the HUB has now reached the 65% mark and an "end of January" completion of distribution is the target.  We are continuing to contact modellers to varify order and address details so if you have not received your order and wish to ring to confirm your details please feel free to do so.

 

Sometimes errors creep into the production process and the above photo illustrates one of these in relation to the HUB sets. If one looks closely, it can be seen that the marker lights on  the head end  car are on and if they could be seen, the rear end car marker lights are off which is the reverse of what should be the case.
This is caused by the factory installing the pick-up wiring in reverse which under DC operation causes the above effect. The solution is simple and involves reversing the pick-up wiring in each of the head and rear end terminal cars. An outline of how this can be done can be found at the following web site:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn/HUBMod.htm

The solution involves the application of some soldering skills. Anyone having difficulties in this area should contact the Eureka office.

LATEST ON HUB SETS DISTRIBUTION:

Distribution of the HUB sets is well under way with 50% of orders now dispatched. At this rate distribtution should be complete before the end of January.  We are ringing many modellers to varify order and address details so if you have not received your order and wish to ring to confirm your details please feel free to do so.

Window Glass in the HUB Sets:

There has been some discussion on the colouring of the window glass in the HUB sets with a suggestion that green tinted glass was used in the car windows.
Eureka was aware of this debate prior to the decision on the window glass colour to be used in the models and investigated the issue thoroughly before the decision to use clear windows was taken.
Since delivery of the model commenced this discussion has again flared up and so, to be doubly sure Eureka has again checked the facts in relation to the colour of the window glass used in the prototype sets.
This time, an ex-CME who managed Carriage Works for fifteen years was approached for a comment on the issue. He stated quite definitely that the HUB sets were issued to service with clear glass windows. The windows consisted of a double pane of glass with a gap between the two panes.  A system utilising gel crystals was used to remove any moisture that got into the gap bewteen the glass panes. These crystals had to be replaced each time a car came in for a service and the window panes were never replaced with other than panes of clear glass.
To further re-inforce the clear glass argument it was pointed out that the technology for tinting glass did not become widely available for another twenty years after the introduction of the HUB sets and the first order for tinted glass by the NSW Railways was for use on the Interurbans.
It may well be that in service the windows on the Hub cars appeared to have a green hue but this was not due to any tinting of the glass.
The real discussion now should be over what may have caused the appearance of any green hue in the windows on the cars when they were in service.