Carriages Sold

The TRAK committee recently announced that they have disposed of all the carriage stock that TRAK had previously collected. There were many reasons behind this decision but the uncertainty of the future of the association was the driving reason.

The small van had already been donated to the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway. BL361 was purchased by a private buyer in the local area. The other cars have been sold to Australian Train Movers. As ATM is a dealer in railway rollingstock it is understood that they will be are available for sale.

Blown Away

August in Sydney is known for its winds and this year it got off to an early start. Strong winds hit the local area on Friday 1st August. Some local areas lost electricity.

Our carriage site didn't escape the storm. The damaged tarp on 1539 fared the worst. The little that was left has been totally shredded. Kevin organised a cleanup day yesterday and removed the remnants that were blowing around the yard.

This makes obtaining a replacement even more important. Kevin is following it up and would be pleased to hear from anyone who can help.

Needing Cover

The tarpaulin that covers one of our cars, 1539, has deteriorated to the state where it is falling apart. Obviously it is not providing any protection at the moment. Kevin reports that he is trying to source a replacement. Unfortunately our previous supplier has retired and moved away. When a replacement has been secured we will hold a workday to install. If you can help with obtaining a new tarp or on the work day please email us at info@trak.org.au and let us know.

Starting to Look Good

Yesterday represented a major step forward in our restoration of 547. For the first time we started to put things back together. Attaching the side cladding means we are now returning the carriage to its complete condition.

Justin and Alan arrived early and started to measure out the sides and plan their attack. After marking the correct position the first sheet was put in place. By this time, Kevin, Paul and Jim had arrived and David got there just in time to see the panel go on. Justin had the honour of driving the first screw.

By the time Paul had lunch ready, another great BBQ, three panels were in place. By then we had realised there was a small problem. Although the frame at the top and bottom had solid timber the area in between is of varying quality. Often a screw would go straight in to the timber and not bite, longer screws were required in this area. We were using the size recommended by the timber manufacturers and they worked fine on good framework but not on the poorer parts.

David and Jim left early but by the end of the day all panels were in place, the side was completely covered. We will obtain some more suitable screws to complete the job, in the mean time enough screws were used to make the sides secure.

We need to attach cover strips and other trim later. The sheets arrived with undercoat already applied, we will touch it up in places where it was cut and around the screw holes etc. It is covered with plastic at the moment.

While all this was going on Kevin continued on with the end of 547 in between assisting on the sides, some of the headstock was undercoated but one side was still wet from the recent rain.

The only downside to the day was the discovery that 1539 is leaking badly. The tarp has been a problem on this carriage before. We patched it last time but this time the tarp has ripped around the vent. Nora has suggested using old tyres to support the tarp over the vent and a new tarp is being sourced.

Well done to everyone who helped on the day. There are some more photos in the gallery. It was a great event to finally be putting the car back together.

Meet the Carriages

Another change to this site is the addition of a "Meet Our Carriages" page. Click on the link under About us to view details and photos on all of our cars.

After the Storm

Last night's storm dumped nearly 100mm on Richmond and surrounding areas. The Carriage Site didn't escape. I visited this afternoon and there was a considerable amount of water lying around. Fortunately there was none under our cars, around our sleepers. When we laid the track we cleared the area nearby to allow water to escape and it still works.

Inside 1539 is a different matter though. The other cars were dry but the faulty tarp on 1539 allows water to just flow in. I don't think any of the floor was dry. The tarp our guys put on the windows of 547 worked though as the side of the car were wet but not a drop inside. The water had flowed across the end platforms but they were drying off.

So what will we do about 1539? Well when 547 is moved, which will be any day now, we will re-distribute the tarps so that 1539 can be covered. If there is not enough to cover it completely we will need to invest in a new tarp.

Weather permitting, and if enough volunteers show up, this will happen on our next workday on the 17th.