Edited 15 Sep 2014 23:10, 7 years ago, edited by stopblock

You saved me writing a bit of extra text posting this first!

It'll be interesting to see if they go to another cane railway, as shunters for some little comapny on NG (Doubt it, it doesn't look like there'll be any of those any time soon) scrap or even one or two to a heritage mob.

I remember someone saying that the transmition in them would be worth more than the loco's themselves and at $12,500 they're probably right.

As they say on Ebay, happy bidding!

You would think that the people who list this sort of stuff have at least some basic eBay experience where you learn this very early on and know that when you list multiple items that you specify an "each" or "lot" price when you list. Doh!!!

That was a lesson I learned years and years ago on ebay when selling some N scale Peco 4 wheel wagons!!
I am blown away to see 12" to the foot scale locos sold with the same details left out of the listing.

Nowadays, modellers (and even sellers who don't know model trains) include more details of the model that they are selling than they would think normally necessary.

Getting back to this particular sale, my personal observation is that the air brake hose indicates to me that these 4 locos are still fitted with Vacuum brakes (better front end detail in the photos please to confirm if this 'minor' observation is correct or not).

Vacuum brake hoses are about twice the size of air brake hoses (the 'pressure' brake invented by George Westinghouse as distinct from the vacuum brake). Tasmania (and EBR) made this great leap in brake technology post steam, so their first gen diesels were fitted for vacuum brakes and the 10/11 Class were no different and had to be fitted for vacuum brake stock.

[By way of simple explanation, steam locomotives lent themselves more easily to vacuum brake systems because of the vacuum created in the smokebox. The air in the brake line was sucked out of the whole train through the steam locomotives smokebox. All the driver had to do to apply the brakes was let air back in to the train line via a valve on the drivers side of the cab]

So while most folk would observe that these are modern auto couple fitted locos (with the buffers long gone, and then think that they would readily run anywhere in Qld) the vacuum brake fittings are a sign that these engines need to be fitted for air brakes to work in Qld (unless on a cane line - gauge conversion notwithstanding).

I am prepared to be corrected on this point, but someone please confirm that the brake hose on the loco end plate in photo 2 is either a vacuum hose or an air brake (pressure) hose.

PS
The other giveaway is that there is no air brake 'shutoff tap' on the hose outlet.
Vacuum brake hoses do not need a 'shutoff' tap as they usually sit on an (airtight) stub housing that they latch (or more to the point 'suck' onto). The vacuum is 'destroyed' by pulling the hose off the stub dummy and letting air into the vacuum line.

All corrections/additions welcome!!
Stopblock