We're throwing out a lot of stuff at home these days and this includes a stash of magazines picked up over the past 20 years years and rarely looked at since (most of my older mags are hiding at various locations around the NZ countryside).
Its interesting to revisit Model Railroader and Trains to see the changes in the rail world and how modeling has moved ahead, although a better lens on modern modeling is provided by the RMWeb links that R. Druff posted the other day.
Also interesting to look at what's changed in NZ's rail scene (Rails and NZRO mags) over the past 20 years, including:
The first CC wagons in the mid 90s - built to a 22.5 tone axle load yet 15 years later they still run around half empty - presumably despite the considerable efforts put into replacing and strengthening bridges we are still a fair way away off from that dream (which would also enable more tractive effort from from heavier locos)
The emergence of the DFT prototype 20 years ago - there might be people reading this who never saw a red DF running around.
Around the same time, DXR 8007 was completed, with grand plans of building more, and even retrofitting this 'new standard cab' to DCs. However, that cab became standard for only a brief period, as subsequent DX rebuilds including 5310 reverted to a design very similar to the original, and the eventual second DXR had a simpler (read: 'uglier') design that was also later retrofitted to 8007.
The DXR seems modern to me, yet that was 20 years ago - a rebuild of a loco that at the time was less than 20 years old itself. The first batch of DXs turn 40 this year.
I've saved a few of these gems but the rest are being recycled.
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| More interesting that Winston's wine box |
I'm about to trawl through the NZMRJs as well and it will be interesting to see how much is saved from that haul. My membership is up for renewal at the moment and while I do enjoy getting mail and like to support the Guild it would be fair to say I'm not sure how much real value I receive from that.
As a pictures person, I am keeping all my Railfan mags - haven't missed one of those since they started in 1994.
4 comments:
My typing seems to have developed a stutter.
Indeed DC 4496 was chosen to be rebuilt with the new "standard cab". The poor old girl was stripped down to core components for the rebuild, with the chassis receiving extensive modifications in preparation for the new cab but sadly the project was stopped as Tranz Rail teetered on the edge of bankruptcy during the Michael Beard era and ultimately 4496 was sliced and diced with several other members of its class in the mad scrap drive that swept through the company of the time.
I'm sure I came across something recently that even named the DFT to recieve the cab....was it 7254 from the Waipahi smash?
Eventually re-appeared as 7348, and seeing as the guy in charge of that rebuild is heavily involved with 7158 I'm picking they used its cab as the "New DFB" template.
What's different about the new dfb cab? I know the dx one has a Less rounded roof - easier to make I guess - but you'd think they might have made it taller, eliminate the front door (although to be fair the new cabs don't deem to be draughty).
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