TAM, CS Up-Date 

 

Work has started at the factory on the next two carriages in our 12 wheeler program.

The two vehicles will be a smooth sided TAM sleeper without crown lights and a CS composite sitting car. 

Producing the modernised version of the TAM will allow the TAM to be offered in candy livery as well as the standard Indian Red livery.

The above drawings are the first iteration but the drawing preparation stage will be completed in the next few weeks.
Delivery is expected in mid - 2019.
Photos of the CS are rare and any photos would be most welcome.

With work on the TAM/CS project underway consideration is being given to s to what will be the next cars in our 12 wheeler series .

Order forms for the TAM/CS will be available on the Eureka web-site shortly and will advise which car numbers will be available. . 

RH Update

The first test shots for the RH cement hopper and steel sided LCH coal hopper have been received by the factory.
The next step in the process is to make any necessary corrections to the tooling before final squirting can commence.
This is normally a short process and final test shots are expected within two weeks.
Delivery at this stage is expected around November. 

38 Class bits:

The factory has advised that squirting of bits for the 38 class is underway. We reminded the factory that Sanda Kan had made modifications to the nose cone tooling after the first run and we asked the factory to confirm that they were using the the modified nose cone tooling.
The factory supplied the following photograph which clearly shows that it is indeed the modified nose cone.

 

38 Class Engine Numbers - minor changes:

The announcement of the engine numbers that will be produced in the re-run of the 38s created some discussion and as a result the following changes have been made to the list of engine numbers which will be produced.

3815  will now be produced in black not green as was previously announced.

3822 will replace 3815 in full green with black smoke box door. 

RH four wheel Cement Hopper - Project Progress Report

The factory has advised that this project and the associated steel hopper LCH project is well under way with tooling of the new hoppers due to be completed in August. This suggests a delivery date sometime in the last quarter of this year.
The factory has requested artwork for the two projects and this has been supplied. (See below.)
Two versions of the RH are being produced in this run. Research indicates that the NSWGR sold these four wheel cement wagons to a number of private companies as indicated below. Photographs from which artwork could be prepared have been located for the Southern Portland Cement company plus of course the original NSWGR version.
As previously advised, these two projects are using LCH underframes surplus from previous productions. This means that both projects will be severely limited in quantity and so only having artwork for one private company together with the NSWGR will fit in with the limited numbers of sets that will be available.
If research turns up more details of the other companies then these may be offered at a later date.  
Pre-orders are highly recommended.



The SPC version wagon numbers 98, 99, 100 and 101
will come in a pack of four containing









SPC 98 at Berrima.

LCH steel hopper NSWGR

      Details of RH disposal by NSWGR

C38 Project Update

The factory has advised that it wishes to start the injection process for the 38 class re-run project so that it can carry out the decoration process (painting). This is the most time consuming part of the assembly process and can be carried out whilst the engineering sample is being put together in August.
In order for decoration to be undertaken the artwork must be completed at this end. This is a major task in itself and obviously before the artwork can be completed a final decision must be made on the engine numbers and liveries that are to be produced. This decision has now been made and preparation of the artwork is underway.
The numbers and liveries that will be available are as follows:

       

 

3801 Verdant Green                          (1980s)

            3801            Black (c. 1960)

 

             3801              Grey   (1944)

  

                                                                     3802       Special Green                             (c.1946- c.1953)

 

                                                                        

                        3803   Special Green    (c.1946-c.1953)

                

 

3804  and 3805         Black  late 1950s

 

 

                                                                  

 3806      Special green/black smokebox  

                                                                     

3807      Royal Train Pilot Black (1954)

  3809      Black (1960s)                 

3815   Special Green/black         

     smokebox early 1950s

   3818              Special Green/green smokebox (1947-c.1953)

 

3820     Black (1960s) (Limited number)

3827   Special Green/green  smokebox 

            (1949-c.1953) (Limited number)

3830              Special Green/green smokebox (as preserved)

 

 

 For interest purposes here is the artwork for 3807 in Royal Train livery which was prepared for the first run by Sanda Kan but which was not proceeded with in the first run.

40 Class Update:

      The 40 class has had a very successful release with Royal Blue versions no longer available and with stocks of Indian Red very low. Reasonable stocks of Green livery are available although some individuals numbers are sold out. Weathered models are also no longer available.
 
      We are still holding some pre-orders having been unable to contact their owners and anyone who has not yet received their models should contact the Eureka Models office.

 

     Preliminary discussions are underway for a second run of 40s (including the Robe River version) but the way the program is at the factory this year it is unlikely that a re-run of 40s even if ordered now would see a delivery before the end of 2019 by which time stocks of the first run are likely to be well and truly exhausted.

Long Lost Tooling Recovered.

      In March this year a major step forward for Eureka occurred when tooling for 14 projects which were being held by a manufacturer previously used by Eureka were recovered and transferred to a safe location in Shenzhen.




      Two trucks and a forklift were required to move the 39 pallets of tooling to the new location. As can be seen in the accompanying photographs even individual tools require the use of a heavy lift capacity to move them.

      The tooling is now being sorted into projects prior to being moved again to their permanent home at the premises of the manufacturers who are currently being  commissioned to complete the assembly of the projects.  
    
      The key projects involved in the process are the VR K class, the VR bogie open and bogie flat wagons, the NTAF bogie petrol tankers and the private owner four wheel hoppers.  Discussions to date indicate that delivery of these outstanding items will be complete by the end of 2018.

     In addition to the above projects a number of re-runs will now be possible given the retrieval of the tooling including the R class, the AD60, BSV bogie sheep wagons, HUB sets and CHG four wheel guards van. 

    
     A long overdue newsletter is currently in preparation and will be available in the next week or so. It will contain more information on the above projects as well as up-dates on currently underway projects such as the 38 class re-run, steel sided LCH and RH four wheel hoppers, TAM 12 wheeler and 620/720, 600/700 two car diesel and DEB sets.

     2018 will be quite a busy year!       
        

12 Wheeler up-date

 

        The 12 wheeler shipment made up of the MAL sleepers, ACS composite cars and AB dining cars was picked up from Port Botany on the 19th of January and four of the seven pallets which made up the shipment were delivered to the Eureka offices that day. Due to a lack of space three pallets are currently stored at Eureka's cargo clearance facilities until space becomes available at the Eureka offices later this week (around the 1st of February).
        These three pallets include all the spare bogies and under-frames so these will not be available until around the 1st of February. They will only be available through the Eureka Office.  
        By the 1st of February all of the orders for the carriages will have been packed and posted. Any orders not received by that date should be followed up at the Eureka offices.
       Concurrent with the post out, stock is also being delivered to retailers. Demand has been such that some retailers are already on their second and third re-orders.
        The release of the Eureka MAL, ACS and AB cars has sent many of us back to the archives to locate evidence of their rostering at various periods.
        The rostering of the ACS cars because of the nature of the cars (the ACS is fact a complete train in one carriage) is quite interesting and as an example is reproduced here for the year 1964.
     

ACS Rosters in 1964

11 Sth Cooma Mail            Fri, Sat                            Car 2 to Goulburn,

form 11a Mail to Canberra

9 Sth Through Mail          Tues, Fri                           Car 1 to Young, detach Harden

                                          Thurs                               Car 1 to Young, detach Harden,

                                                                                   Car 2 to Tumut, detach Cootamundra

5 Sth Mail                        Sunday                              Car 1 to Young, detach Harden

49 West Forbes Mail       Sunday                              Car 6 to Grenfell, detach Blayney

                                         Tues, Thurs                       Car 7 to Cowra, detach Blayney

                                         Friday                               Cars 7 and 9 to Cowra, detach Blayney

63 West Mudgee Mail      Sun-Fri                            Car 6 to Binnaway

71 West Pass                    Saturdays Only                Car 8 to Mudgee, detach Wallerawang

13 Nth Glen Innes Mail      Sun, Tues, Thurs, Fri    Car 7 to Barraba, detach Tamworth,

form No.1 Barraba pass with CR

With the delivery of the MAL/ACS/AB cars, work on the next cars in the 12 wheeler series will be stepped up.  A TAM will be certain (variation not determined yet) but the other two cars are not yet selected with a number of candidates putting themselves forward. More news later.