OT Class Oil Tank (Substations)

OT 8 was one of the very early VR oil tank wagons and was quite special as it was allocated to Jolimont and used for meeting the oiling requirements of the substations as part of the electrification of the Melbourne suburban Network. As such it is very appropriate to the layout and I set about backdating the exquisite later-configured model of this tank made by Precision Scale Models. Below are after/during/before pictures with a picture of the prototype also.

Picture: Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV)

Changes were removal of the later additions (ladders, platforms, presumed breathing pipe on top, couplings), and fabrication of the hose box and supporting struts below chassis (styrene), switch box (styrene), pump (modified train bits and chopped up machine guns from my misspent youth modelling war subjects), valves (chopped up aircraft landing gear from that same misspent etc.) and screw link couplings, before a respray and very light weathering. With thanks to members of the Victorian Railways forum for detail on operations of this wagon, and Phil Dunn for accurate information on the changes.

I Class Wagon (later IB) (7 Tons)

An early steel I wagon initially rated at 7 tons, I think the later chassis type may have seen this increased to 8, but have no evidence, so 7 it is. I had one blurred side-on photo and the basic diagram to work from, so the end detailing is pure speculation. Few in number initially, only a dozen or so made it to/through my era and this one doesn't seem to have been WH fitted hence the white square for through piping. Livery/weathering is deliberately heavy for a wagon very much at the end of its life, and likely they were mostly in terminal traffic or like. Few made it to be re-stencilled as IB's, so this is an I. Scratch styrene etc. body and brake gear on SEM chassis.

IG Class Wagon (12 Ton)

The smaller 12 ton drop door wagon, also coded IG as with its larger drop door brethren. Build was primarily styrene with Archer rivet decals atop SEM's 10'6" chassis, usual era-specific details. With thanks to Phil Dunn for detail provided on these not uncommon, but rarely photographed wagons.