Vehicles.

I feel when modelling a prototype your railway look more real if it is set in a scene or a series of scenes. Breaks between scenes add distance to the layout. Building, structures provide a reason for the railway to be there and that adds another dimension to the layout. All together it’s creating realism as if you were doing a painting for the art gallery. 

If we look at most stations on the rail network, there is heavy reliance on goods coming to the station to be loaded onto wagons. Motor lorries or road trucks play a big part in transporting goods/freight to the rail head. Looking back to the 1960’s when our roads were not the best, most roads connecting nearby towns were dirt, they were very rough and were heavy on machinery. The railway provide the connection to the big wide world and truck did the local work feeding in and out from the railway station. 

Looking back to my boyhood years in Charleville during the 1950/60’s, some 483 miles for the capital Brisbane on the coast, trucks carried out various tasks that saw them in and around the railway station precinct. The town had three (3) local carriers, each had a truck, one being an “A” model Ford. Each of them collected goods from the station and goods yard for their customers which were the various business around town. 

There was another group of local carries who were mail contractors or provided a service to nearby sheep/cattle properties or smaller towns without rail. These guys would work their way along the various roads leaving town for Ballon, Adavale, Augathella and Tambo. There was more than one contractor to each route. Mail Days, Wednesday and Saturday were their big days, this was the day the “Westlander” arrived in town. For the arrival of the train their would a dozen trucks on the eastern end of the station, half of them would be backed in over the tracks in the dock platform giving them easy access to the Baggage Car and Guards Van. When the train arrived, they were like bees to the honey pot looking for their customer’s parcels. The sooner they cleaned out the train, the quicker they could leave town on their run. Railway employees were busy transhipping parcels into the Quilpie train placed adjacent in the loop and handling the paper work getting signatures for items delivered.   

Many country areas had companies that transported just livestock, often to the rail head for destinations like meatworks, sale yards or to greener pastures. 

Many of the local business, town council and government services also had trucks, they too during the day would call in on the station to deliver or pick up their parcels and goods. This could vary from location to location subject to the regions activates. Less than an hour north of Brisbane there were co-ordinated carriers at Landsborough for Maleny in the hinterland and Caloundra on the coast. Palmwoods, Nambour, Cooroy all had co-ordinated services similar. Many of these locations had a co-ordinated bus service as well meeting the passenger trains. 

And then there is the family car, all shapes and sizes.  

The other part of the story is that most of these vehicles were convey by rail to the town subject to their size and the loading gauge. So, there is an opportunity to have then as loads on our wagons.  

This give us modellers an open book to tell our story and enhance the railway. 

 

Layout.

Modelling an era it can be hard in find suitable vehicle. Later models could look out of place. Let’s have a quick look at some of the vehicles on the layout.

 
The first two trucks are “Classic Metal Works” Chevys. Most of the time I rebuild the tray body for an “Aussie” look using styrene.

The tray was rebuilt and a cattle crate was make to fit, it was removable just like the prototype.         

                                                                

Bugger, I have two trucks the same, this one is also a farm truck with bales of hay and bags. Must be the same grazier, the two are far apart as can be at each end of the layout. 

       

The next truck was a “Roco” army truck. The body was rebuilt into a dunny truck for the local council to collect pans from back yard toilets.

Also a “Roco” army truck, the tray body was kept, tank and bush fire equipment was added. The Australian Army had a number of these up until the late 1960’s. Lots of fun to drive, they had a crash gear box. 

This tip truck is a “Matchbox” toy. Repainted, windows added with Micro Kristal Klear. The truck is placed on the coal unloading ramp. Scale, I have no idea, they just look OK.  

Likewise, this is a “Matchbox” toy, the body was scratch built from styrene to make a “Drovers” truck. Cattle was often walked to the rail head along stock routes. The truck carried horses and their camping gear.

 

The drover’s camp is set at the trucking yards waiting for the train to arrive for loading. The semi-trailer leaving the unloading ramp is a “Classic Metal Works” Ford tractor, or what we would call a prime mover. The trailer was scratch built from styrene and part from another truck.    

“Weico” a few years back produced a number of white metal kits of Australian vehicles including various trucks, just last year I pick up a couple in a second hand stall at an exhibition.  

This 1955 Austin 40 tray back truck was converted into a Green Grocer truck. I recall back in the 1960’s they was no need to leave home for your fresh fruit and vegetables. A guy would drive his truck up to your front door a couple of time each week. Most likely is run would coincide with the arrived of the train from the city.   

This truck was painted red to be part of the local fire bush brigade, maybe down the track some equipment could be added.  

One of the kits purchased last year was this fire engine. The kit was missing a wheel, bits in the vehicle scrap box were used to finish the model. A small fire station was scratch build for the layout replacing a kit shed.  

To transport grain from the farm to the silos a fleet of grain trucks and trailers were needed. Back in the 60’s I took this would be local framers using their vehicles, thus a mix of vehicles would be required. Most come from the “Herpa” and “Wiking” range. In some cases the trailer could be purchased as a separate item. Most were gravel trailers which were modified for grain haulage by adding a tarp.  Most were repainted.    

Classic Metal Works (by the way, the trucks are made of plastic) Ford F850 makes this grain truck.

These two trucks are “Wiking” cement trucks, the body was removed and a scratch built flatbed tray was add.

The same, just a little longer. Cotton has been used as rope to tie down the pallets.  

This crane truck was converted from an army truck, the idea was picked up from the unit at the Grandchester saw mill.

Again, this is a Matchbox track modified and repainted. 

The local town carrier is doing deliveries. A modified Classic Metal Works model.

 

This is a blast from the past when our country road were all dirt. The local council or shire had teams of plant operators to take care of the roads. The troops would leave home on a Monday and spend the next five resurfacing the roads and cleaning water runoffs. 

The grader was a commercial product. The caravan, fuel trailer and the water tanker were scratch build using wheels of cars in the scrap box. The unit hangs out on the layout around the cattle yards. 

Another service provided by the council was to collect your household rubbish.  A Weico Dodge was converted with a styrene body being added. 

Of later there has been a new manufactures of Aussie trucks and vehicles. OZ Kits has a selection of trucks, caravans, trailers and structures, mainly for the New South Wales modellers. The kit has four resin parts (front & rear wheels sets, chassis and cab), glazing and decals. 

At the Rose Hill Exhibition I purchased a couple of trucks that I feel would fit into the layout. The first was a NSW Rural Fire Brigade TK Bedford.  

The next was an International Acco, this is available in a number of body shapes. This will go on the shunting layout. These vehicle are larger than the others and may need to be separated from others.

This Blitz utility truck is a 3D printed resin vehicle from Keiran Ryan Models, also available in three different bodies. Cost $28.00. Maybe one day this could be a tow track.  

Over the years various manufactures produce models that are much the same, early production may differ from the later ones. All said to be HO scale. The ute on the left is a Weico white metal Holden I acquired second hand and no longer available. The ute on the right is a newer Cooee Classics “Road Ragers”.  Some difference in size and standard with the completed product. I generally don’t mix the two, like with like and separate them to various locations around the layout.  

Some time back I was at a convention in New Zealand, this backhoe loader took a liking to me. There was no scale shown on the model and I could not work it out. I’m kicking it around from “N” or was it a small “HO” unit. A very nice model it was too. I made the purchase and brought it home to find it was “N” scale. I found a back corner on the farm behind the shed, and it looks like something in the distance extending the layout. That’s my story anyhow. 

I often look at Buy & Sells for cheap vehicles, and use them for spare parts to make other equipment for the layout.

 

This diesel engine on skids was sold as a wagon load, wheels, draw bar and figures were added, makes for something different. 

The augers were made after seeing this unit at Warwick on the trip down to the Armidale convention a few years back. 

It has been a very busy month, lots of feedback coming in, quite a bit from the last post and others from older ones from a few years back. Awesome modellers are finding the information helpful. 

A shout out to Peter in Victoria for sending some Golden Fleece decals. Very nice, thank you very much. The difference between a good model and an average one is the detail.  

Look at that, I missed adding down pipes??? Back to work bench. That’s a good reason why you should take photos of your work. 

Plus there has been the release of two new RTR models The IDR SX/SXV Suburban cars. 

The carriages have a dual position coupling box, the coupler box can be moved out for smaller radius curves.  On the layout with Peco HOm track, factory setting worked OK without any issues. Pushing back over a crossover with the couplers bunched up was not an issue. At first running on the layout the carriages were hopping over the points. Back to back on the wheelsets were measured and found to be between 10.3 to 10.7 mm. The back to back was adjusted back to 10.2 /.3 and bob was your uncle. If fact the whole train would run half way around the layout without an engine attached. Just shows how level my layout is not. The carriages have very nice detail and look a million dollars. Maybe I need to rebuild the platform at Wyandra and start running a suburban service.

And the SDS/CGL Models BEZY/QQAY wagons arrived. Both are well detail models and look the part in every aspect.

These were also tested on the layout. Being the longest QR wagon, I was expecting some issues, the layout was not built for long wagons. The wagons were placed at the lead of a 20 wagon train without a load. Pushing back through a crossover, over two more sets of points, around a curve on an uphill slope there was no derailments. The wagon are manufactured to the same standards as the PCO/PCUY wagon. The first QQAY wagon were checked with a NMRA wheel gauge and found to be compliant. All other wagons were taken from the box and placed within a train for testing. Just magic, both BEZY and QQAY wagons ran on trains without any issues and looked the part to a tee. Having crawl under and over both of these wagons from day one they entered service on QR, nothing is missing. Another awesome wagon from the SDS/CGL team, thank you.

The month is not over yet, received some more tank wagon decals to check out, the list of tank wagons to build is adding up. Some of my early wagons are showing their age and need replacing.  

During the month we were able to visit Bob Richo Duck Creek Mountain layout. Just magic, detail is awesome, some great Aussie structures, fantastic scenery that allowed the running of long trains that ran well, didn’t see one derailment the whole time we were there. Bob was out of the room several times and trains just kept running. Some photos off the phone to share.

I think you would agree, Bob has a great eye for detail and its application to his railway. A great modeller and all round a good bloke who has given us QR modeller some much. Thank you for this opportunity to visit. 

Work is still on going with structures for the shunting layout, the Fruit Co-op is completed with some animation, the cold store building is receiving paint and the goods shed is waiting for iron on the roof. 

Until next time, have fun and enjoy this great hobby. 

Arthur H.