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Austrains G Class Diesel Loco - Upcoming 81 / G / BL

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      FirstStopCentral Chief Train Controller

    Got my 9 in the mail today, a few bits and pieces broken off but overall very happy. Stripe is wrong on both FC and PN versions of the 81, bit of paint and weathering should do the trick though.



    Cheers
    gomer


    What kind of pieces were broken off? Another poster had a horn or three broken on theirs.

    Paul
    Posted: 20 Aug 2014 21:07

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      comtrain Chief Commissioner

    Location: Near Albury Wodonga
    G'day gomer,

    I notice that the FR/FC blue 81 has the Freightcorp logos and i'm guessing that they are supplied that way?

    Bit disappointing to see the FC line work is wrong also; shame that what will probably be their last new loco delivery didnt allow them to go out with a bang.
    meh

    I have a slightly different perspective on this Smile  If this indeed is the last batch of new models, it is really a January 2014 release, delayed by the factories about 8 months. Since then an on time PL carriage set has arrived which appears to be a good model. Bang for your buck could have been heightened by fitting tail lights and interior lightimg.
    And tonight Austrains Web Page may list the secret release for victoria, which is supposed to be spectacular Wink
    Austrins Surprise

    Cheers
    Rod
    Posted: 21 Aug 2014 10:18
      5711 Assistant Commissioner

    Thanks for posting that pic of your 9 strong fleet - I am very envious.

    Interesting that you actually have in your hand the candy 8173! I thought Austrains were holding back on these or are they the incorrect door version?
    From the slanted angle it looks very nice. I'd love to see it up closer with a few more angles but at least its now visible.

    Also thats the first pic I have seen of the AN BL version. Looks very nice also.

    With the exception of the lack of crew detail - they look great.
    Thanks for sharing these pics
    Posted: 21 Aug 2014 20:55
      kingfisher Chief Train Controller

    Interesting that you actually have in your hand the candy 8173! I thought Austrains were holding back on these or are they the incorrect door version?
    5711

    I thought the same thing but a friend who has two on order told me that he was contacted by John late last week who told him they had been delivered with the incorrect door. He was given the chance to cancel his order or proceed but at a reduced price of about $175.
    Posted: 21 Aug 2014 21:15
      5711 Assistant Commissioner

    Either way it looks great.
    I'm interested to see more pics when they eventually arrive.....

    When I get them I will do a comparison with the Classic Brass versions for something to talk about!
    Posted: 21 Aug 2014 21:27
      gomer Train Controller

    Location: Melbourne
    That is correct about the Candy version, as stated by Rod there was a stuff up with the body variations at the factory leading to the Candy livery being applied to the FC body version. Therefore John has offered all Candy customers the incorrect models for $175 or you can choose to wait for the correct versions to be done, however I'd say 95% of customers would have taken the NQR models.
    In regards to parts braking off, was mainly the horns on most of my models, however theres the odd handrail or brake cylinder that needs to be glued back on.
    Also it turns out they do have cab detail (incl chairs), just no back wall to hide the wires and no crew...something to add when dropping in a DCC chip.
    Here's some individual close ups, sorry for the poor quality, they're just quick snaps from my phone.
    Candy 8173

    Pacific National G540

    V/Line G531

    Freightcorp 8169 (Note the incorrect stripe)

    Pacific National 8178 (Note again incorrect stripe)

    Australian National BL26

    Freight Australia G521

    Freight Australia G539

    Pacific National BL33


    Enjoy!
    Posted: 21 Aug 2014 22:32

    Last edited by gomer on 21 Aug 2014 22:34; edited 1 time in total
      5711 Assistant Commissioner

    Thanks Gomer for posting those pics....
    They look great and the first great overview of these releases.
    The 81's are particularly nice -
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 00:23
      C4 Junior Train Controller

    They do look great, I can't wait for mine to arrive. I do however, find it quite ironic that the not quiet right candy 81s have a much less glaringly obvious error than the Blue and PacNat versions. It also annoys me that they cancelled production of a lot of numbers/liveries but released the unannounced PacNat G class (in which G532 and G535 were very very short lived).
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:22
      kingfisher Chief Train Controller

    They do look great, I can't wait for mine to arrive. I do however, find it quite ironic that the not quiet right candy 81s have a much less glaringly obvious error than the Blue and PacNat versions. It also annoys me that they cancelled production of a lot of numbers/liveries but released the unannounced PacNat G class (in which G532 and G535 were very very short lived).
    C4

    Where are the white brake wheels or whatever they are on the bogies of the 81's, are they just black and hard to see in photos or missing altogether.
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 13:59
      meh Chief Commissioner

    Location: Sydney
    Where are the white brake wheels or whatever they are on the bogies of the 81's, are they just black and hard to see in photos or missing altogether.
    kingfisher

    I just zoomed in on the image; it appears they they are there however they are painted black. Quick fix.
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 14:31
      M636C Minister for Railways

    While it is difficult to judge from the photo, the SRA 81 class appears to have a silver roof. While many of the very early 81s did indeed have a silver roof (I have a photo of 8102 when new), this didn't extend very far, and was changed to a light grey, I think before the change in the air intake that occurred at 8118 or about then. So 8173 would not have had a silver roof.

    There have been four batches of repaints to PN blue for 81 class. The main variation seems to be that with the second batch the cab roof went from blue to yellow.  The end numbers went from white to white edged in black. So three quarters, give or take a few, of the PN blue 81 class have yellow cab roofs, so I was surprised that Austrains chose to model the initial blue variation.

    As to the height of the break between blue and yellow, I have the original PN painting diagrams for the 81 class from 2004, but it never occurred to me that John Eassie didn't...

    M636C
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 16:44
      gw0071 Deputy Commissioner

    If I could don my sympathetic hat extremely briefly, I wonder whether it was just plain lethargy as a result of external issues beyond the importers control which lead to so many oversights?

    Hat off - I'll put up with what I've got pending release of a more complete version from elsewhere
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 18:05
      5711 Assistant Commissioner

    I think the door error might be just the communication between importer and manufacturer and its egg on the face as a result. But in saying that, I think the 81's look pretty nice and I can for one can overlook the cosmetic error and replace my dated Powerline models with some nice new beasts.
    What I am really surprised is how good the AN BL class looks! That looks really good, much better than I previously thought.
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 18:26
      kingfisher Chief Train Controller

    I think the door error might be just the communication between importer and manufacturer and its egg on the face as a result. But in saying that, I think the 81's look pretty nice and I can for one can overlook the cosmetic error and replace my dated Powerline models with some nice new beasts.
    What I am really surprised is how good the AN BL class looks! That looks really good, much better than I previously thought.
    5711

    The error with the Freight Corp paint scheme is unforgivable in my opinion. Maybe we are now seeing the reason for the lack of photos from the importer.
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 18:32
      anzac1959 Chief Commissioner

    Thanks Gomer for the shots any chance of straight side on shots of the Pacnat and Freightrail ones please . It will be interesting to hear feedback from the Caulfield ex about the 81s BL and Gs.
    Posted: 22 Aug 2014 18:50
      5711 Assistant Commissioner

    Can someone just clarify the difference between the doors on the original 81 class and the modified Freightrail blue version?
    Posted: 24 Aug 2014 18:55
      David Peters Dr Beeching

    Location: "With Hey Boy".
    I seem to recall that the extra door on the FC version was not there on the original 81's it was an after thought, also the grills or vents are changed in places too from memory!
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 18:18
      EFB5800 Chief Train Controller

    Location: On my office roof.
    The candy 81 should not have the extra door towards the number 2 end. There should be a porthole there. A body that has the door there, and the original middle door modelled as a single door, is not correct in any paint scheme. Also the candy 81 model seems to have the opening louvers below the exhaust which was only ever seen on Freightrail blue repaints onwards units, excluding 8177 at first and the 2 stealths.  In the candy era it was a bolted on plate. It's hard to see in those pics as to whether the blue ones have a double door at the centre?

    I can't wait to get rid of mine when I get them. Ordered in August 2008!
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 18:50
      2LaGrange Train Controller

    I have been waiting years for someone to do a good 81/G and all the hype from Austrains about these being their best loco ever leaves me glad i never ordered any 81s.
    Typical Austrains half smeg near enough will do loco surprise surprise.
    Besides the usual tooling mistakes that are never corrected on an Austrains loco they couldnt even get the paint schemes right...Hopeless !!!
    Lets hope Auscision or another manufacturer now do a proper model of 81 class.
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 20:19
      comtrain Chief Commissioner

    Location: Near Albury Wodonga
    I have been waiting years for someone to do a good 81/G and all the hype from Austrains about these being their best loco ever leaves me glad i never ordered any 81s.
    Typical Austrains half smeg near enough will do loco surprise surprise.
    Besides the usual tooling mistakes that are never corrected on an Austrains loco they couldnt even get the paint schemes right...Hopeless !!!
    Lets hope Auscision or another manufacturer now do a proper model of 81 class.
    2LaGrange

    Ha Ha Ha!
    Gosh "Now who is talking"
    a dose of your own medicine? hmmmm?  Very Happy
    Cheers
    Rod young
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 20:34
      kingfisher Chief Train Controller

    Ha Ha Ha!
    Gosh "Now who is talking"
    a dose of your own medicine? hmmmm? Very Happy
    Cheers
    Rod young
    comtrain

    Seemed like fair criticism to me.
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 20:45
      speedemon08 Mary

    Location: I think by now you should have figured it out
    IT seems that only the PN versions are the only ones close to correct.
    Posted: 25 Aug 2014 21:21
      FirstStopCentral Chief Train Controller

    I can't wait to get rid of mine when I get them.
    EFB5800


    Why not cancel them if you're so unhappy, since you haven't got them yet?

    Paul
    Posted: 26 Aug 2014 12:32
      M636C Minister for Railways

    IT seems that only the PN versions are the only ones close to correct.
    speedemon08


    To be fair, John was showing the original painted sample of the SRA 81 class with the incorrect "door" at one end (really a small access hatch replacing a fixed porthole) last year. It had the correct single engine room door. He instructed the factory in China to correct this hatch error. What appears to have happened is that the factory then used the later version with the double engine room doors for this model. So instead of making his correction, they made an additional error.

    As far as I know there are no consistent differences between the Freight Corp blue body and the PN blue body in the prototype. The inset steps have been removed from a number of 81 class and this certainly is a feature of PN units but since I don't know when it happened, probably appeared on a number of FC units.

    As I've said earlier, the PN livery only represents the first batch of four batches of repaints, so maybe a quarter of current PN 81 class, particularly the blue cab roof. I was so used to seeing yellow cab roofs I had to check that there were any blue cab roofs.

    The FC version looks quite good, although I'm told the separation between blue and yellow is too high, but this appears to be the same problem as the same break on the PN version. So there is really no difference in accuracy.

    The livery errors are a mistake by Austrains. The incorrect body features are a factory error.

    The body changes on the G and BL are much more subtle and the livery break points are more easily located by body features, with less opportunity for error. But has anyone checked for the absence or presence of the inset steps which certainly changed pretty early on. I think by the time Powerline produced the G2 their G1 model was incorrect because the steps changed.

    M636C
    Posted: 26 Aug 2014 13:06
      kingfisher Chief Train Controller

    I'm certainly glad I didn't waste my money ordering any 81's, always had my suspicions with the lack of information coming from Austrain's regarding photos of tooling samples and production samples which is certainly not a problem we see with Auscision's models.
    Posted: 26 Aug 2014 13:30

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