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.

Working Bee Cancelled

Just a quick note that the working bee planned for this Saturday has been cancelled due to previous commitments for some people. A new date will be arranged and everyone informed.

Working Bee

Due to the changing future of TRAK the committee has decided to sell the carriages. Details are in the October OnTrak. It is understood that the van will be donated to Oberon Tourist Heritage Railway and BL361 has been sold to a private individual. The other cars are available at the moment.

The latest OnTrak announced a working bee on Saturday 7th November to clean up the site and prepare the carriages for sale. Please let Paul know if you are available.

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.

All Decked Out

Since the Christmas Party work has continued on the decks of the end platforms of 547. The decks have been fitted now after repairs were completed to the supporting pieces. There are still some details to attend to but the decks are looking great.

The next area to receive attention is the headstock on the end nearer 343. 547 has been moved a short distance to allow access to the headstock and work is under way. As was done on the other end the steelwork will be unbolted and where needed the bolts will be replaced. After the headstock is repaired and repainted it will all be reassembled.

There are no new photos as I haven't been able to get to recent workdays. I hope to remedy that soon.

Ready to Party

This Sunday we finished getting the site ready for the Christmas event. There was some tidying up and the toilet area was cleaned. Paul as arranged some of our Heritage items for display in 361.

Justin and Kevin did some work on 547 but were not able to finish the end deck. One platform is done so it will be possible to have a look inside 547 just not exit at the other end.

Members who intend being there but haven't let Jeanette know please do so asap.

Time for a Party

The Carriage Group had offered to host the TRAK end of year event this year and at the recent Committee meeting this offer was accepted. After receiving agreement from Mario planning is now underway. This will be the first opportunity most members will have to view our newest carriage CBA547. We plan to have much of the exterior of it done before the party. Our Heritage items will be on display too.

There will be a BBQ or picnic (depending on the weather conditions) on 25th November at the carriage restoration site. At this early stage there are some details not yet decided. The October OnTrak will hopefully have full (or at least fuller) information.

For the carriage group this means that some effort will need to be put into making the site presentable and hopefully getting a few jobs done. Anyone who can help with some cleaning up and other preparations please let us know. There will be workdays most weekends from now on and a little bit will be done each day.

A Few Updates

The new OnTrak newsletter is out now, just click on the link on the side panel.

The Photo gallery has been updated quite a bit lately. There are over 150 photos there now. The most recent additions are to the 547 album (mostly of recent workdays) and the 361 album (some old images including its first workday). Click on the link on the left top to access the gallery. It will keep growing as I have time to add more images.

Workday Cancelled

It has been decided to cancel the workday this Sunday. We hope to have another workday next weekend.

In the meantime Alan has been working on getting the materials to finish the sides of 547. We are going to put some silicon around the sheets we installed to stop water getting behind them. Then we will fit the cover strips. We have been advised that the steel strips are better although the timber ones look better. Both suggestions came from our visitors last week.

Under Inspection

Yesterday started cold but sunny, this was one day we would have liked to be working on the sunny side of the carriage. Alan and Justin arrived early and got stuck into finishing the side. While all panels had been attached most only had a few screws. Alan had obtained longer screws which gave a better grip in the poorer timber. They proceeded to add extra screws to each panel, replacing some but not all of the shorter ones in the process.

Kevin arrived to find the end of the car was still damp. Timber dries slowly on these cold mornings particularly when the sun doesn't touch it. He dried where he could so he could continue with the undercoating and painting the headstock. He was able to attach the buffer and cover later in the day.

When Jim arrived he prepared the table area for lunch after giving everyone the news we were expecting guests. Paul arrived later loaded with sufficient food for everyone.

When Justin and Alan finished adding screws and after a cuppa, Alan and Jim applied a little undercoat to all areas where bare timber had been exposed. By this time Paul had the BBQ alight and was preparing lunch.

We have fortunate to have a former carriage works expert available to us to advise and assist us. Wayne visits us occasionally and is always welcome. Today he brought his former boss Bill and a couple more of his mates. They had a good look around and then joined us for lunch. Over lunch we discussed our plans as well as getting some good feedback.

When the food was gone Bill and Wayne continued their look around passing on valuable information as they went. The van was opened for inspection and to pack away a few things from the exhibition. We discovered a broken rope on 683 so Alan and Jim replaced it.

After our guests departed we finished cleaning up the site and headed off home. An interesting and fruitful day.

As always click on the pictures for a larger view and then are other images in the gallery. Over 120 photos are there now, click on the link on the top left.

Back to Work

It will be a short post today as I don't have much time.

After the well earned rest last weekend it is back to work this Sunday. We intend to continue working on the sides and ends of 547.

Having a Rest

After the busy weekend at the Hobby Show the general consensus was we deserved a break this weekend. So the workday is cancelled but we will back on the 15th.

Thank you to all the carriage group workers who lent a hand at the show, early reports are it was a great success.

Calendar Update

There has been a change to the dates for workdays. On the 24th of this month we will have a stall at Windsor Crafts Markets so there probably won't be a workday. We will be promoting the Hawkesbury Model and Hobby Show that is on the following weekend. As always any help on the day would be appreciated.

More Photos

The Photo Gallery has been updated with many new (actually old) photographs added. There are photos going back to 2002 now. Nearly one hundred images and still growing. I will add more as time allows.

Many of the photos were taken by me but some were taken by other members. If you have photos taken at the site of work on our carriages and other activities there please send me a copy so I can share them with everyone.

May Workday

It might appear early to have completed the workdays for the month but there will only be one this month due to other events. We hope to have one or two in June but even they may be difficult to fit in. Keep an eye on the calendar at the left for the latest information.

Paul and Kevin arrived early and a start was made on cleaning the heritage items. After Jim arrived they stopped for a morning tea. There was no time wasted though as we made plans for the display of some of our heritage items while taking our break. Kevin and Jim then moved onto car 547 leaving Paul cleaning and refinishing.

Our plan for the day was to clean and paint the metal items on each end of 547. The end platform has metal railings and uprights plus there are numerous pieces bolted to and through the headstock. The headstock is the large piece of timber that hold the buffers and couplers on each end. Actually they pass through and bolt to the frame but you get the idea. Rusted pieces were to be removed and where necessary repaired and painted before being replaced. There was no need to remove the couplers or buffers but they would be repainted. Some damaged railings had already been done and were ready to go back on, thanks Kevin. It was planned to clean up and repaint the headstock at the same time. Some nuts and bolts are being replaced as required.

We removed much rust and there was one panel we decided to remove completely. It covers the couplers and is part of the walkway between carriages. The bolts through the headstock were heavily rusted as they are vertical and the water just runs down them. It took some time and much applied muscle power to remove them. By that time it was nearly lunch time so by universal agreement we took a break.

The barbecue was lit and we enjoyed a well deserved repast of hamburgers with bacon and salad. We have the lunch almost down to a fine art now as we were better prepared than last week. There was an overabundance of BBQ tools this time. We need to work out a system for covering the costs of these lunches but as lunch for 3 or 4 is little more than we were each spending on takeaway it shouldn't be difficult.

Nora asked us for help loading a tram body and that took over after lunch. We managed to remove several parts for the Tramway Museum. Steve arrived while we were busy there. He was returning several items he had been working on at home. After finally getting the tram on the truck we decided it was too late to start back on 547 so called it a day.

Working for Our Lunch

We finally got to mow the grass around the carriages yesterday. Although it was only thin, spindly growth it was getting long so it was mowed down. Kevin and Alan got there early and got stuck in. When Paul and Jim arrived they gave a hand with the mowing and moved some fallen branches. It was all done in time for morning tea.

Kevin refilled the water tank too. So now there is water for the basin again. This was put to good use when we started cleaning the Heritage items. Most things were dusted or brushed. Paul started washing down the signs and got most done.

The stretchers were taken out in the sun and brushed to remove the worst of the dust. A couple of them felt a little damp after the wet week we have been fortunate to have so it was decided to move them to the van. They were all examined and it was realised one was different from the others. It is believed it is the most original having Tarpaulin Factory stamps and red handles. The others have green handles and on a couple it is apparent they were originally red. One is in poor condition with the canvas torn and paint peeling. We may restore that one to new condition. The others are in good to excellent condition and we will try and maintain them as they are.

Alan treated the metal on the side of 547 with Fish Oil. Some shows some corrosion but Kevin feels none is bad enough to be concerned about. It was decided to treated it and then spray it with rust resistant paint before replacing the sides.

Paul had won a meat tray at the club the previous evening and decided to share it with the rest of the team. So the BBQ was moved away from the carriage and lit up. Kevin had repaired the tray that hold the volcanic rocks so this was the first use in TRAK hands. We dined on steak, pork and lamb chops with onions and fresh bread rolls. Mario and Nora joined us for the meal and all enjoyed it. Certainly a big improvement of takeaway. We hope to make this a regular feature of future workdays.

Kevin had repaired the handbrake assembly of 683 and it was moved into the car for storage until it is replaced on the rear platform. Kevin has been gradually working through the metal parts of this carriage, repairing and repainting as needed. We hope to replace the headstock very soon.

Paul got back to cleaning signs until a call from our treasurer looking for end of month paperwork meant a couple of us needed to scurry home to get it ready.

The photo gallery has been updated, some new albums were created with photos from yesterday, there is a general one as well as one for 683. The Heritage items has been updated with several new photos and one or two were added to the 547 album. Click on the new link on the top left to access the gallery.

Heritage Items Donated

StateRail has begun the immense task of sorting out their Heritage Collection. Items that are not considered part of the core collection are being distributed to various Rail Heritage groups. We were invited to tender for some items and were successful in obtaining a number of them. We had to collect them from the Heritage store on Sunday.

As there were a few large items, desks and cabinets etc. it was decided to hire a small truck to move everything in one go. Kevin was appointed trucker, John his offsider / navigator, Jim drove the crew car with Alan and Paul as labourers, David assisted with unloading and arranged storage for some items. The collection was loaded in the morning and delivered in the afternoon. Some of the items have been left at the carriage site for cleaning up so they can be displayed at the Museum display in Kurrajong village.



There are a couple of photos here and more of various items will be added later.

Adding to Our Collection

TRAK has been given a number of items that are considered excess to the SRA Heritage collection. Several other rail groups have also obtained items. This Sunday we will collecting them and moving them to storage. We intend to make many of them available for public display.

Consequently the regular workday will not be held this weekend.

Updating the Update

I knew I would forget to add something in the list of site updates. And I was right.

The new Carriage Report (PDF file) has been added. Click on the link on the left to download it. The new OnTrak newsletter is on the TRAK website to. Click on the link on the left and go to the updates page for the download link.

Site Updated Again

There have been some changes to this site over the last couple of weeks. You may have noticed some of them.

First the map option on the calendar works for most events. The exception is the Workdays. The carriage restoration site is private property and so the address is not made public. All other events have a map although some are not real accurate. Just click on the event and the information screen has a map option, click on it and you will see a Google map with the location marked.

Second, the Meet our Carriages page has some more information and photos added. Although it is a little technical most people will find it interesting. Some more additional info like this may follow.

Speaking of photos many posts from now on, the workday reports at least, will have a link to additional photos. They are stored on our Picasa site. Hopefully some old ones will be added there later and then a link will be added to the main page.

I think that's all the recent changes. Please let us know what you think of them and what else you would like to see on this site. Your comments are appreciated.