8145 PASS. (Friday's Only)

Pure sets of red wooden cars were rare by 1983 as the majority of the Ballarat services were operated by N sets or sets with a combination of blue steel and red wooden cars. An exception was the 8145 Pass on Friday's only.  Scheduled to depart Spencer Street station at 1930hrs it was formed by arrival of the 8268 Pass. from South Geelong at 1900hrs. The majority of Geelong/South Geelong trains at this time were still non-air conditioned formed by wooden E cars.

B60 on the 8145 PASS. to Ballarat runs under the Queen Street Bridge. C504 on the late running steel train has been reversed on to the Eureka branch for the cross.  

Country Carriage Roster N9, which came into operation on Saturday 24/07/1982, lists the 8145 Pass (FO) being formed by set/run no. 4 with a consist of CW-AE-BEL-BEL-BEL. This set then returned to Melbourne on Saturday forming the 1145hrs departure of the 8134 Pass. Roster N9 remained in place until Roster N12 on the 31/10/1982 (the roster number indicates the number of N sets in service). With roster N12, the 8145 pass on Fridays was formed by set/run no.13, one of 4 sets of CE-AE-BEL-BEL-BEL (runs 13 to 16) that mainly ran Geelong and Bacchus Marsh services. Roster N12 remained in place until the end of April 1983. During March and early April 1983 these four sets were recorded in Newsrail with the following consists:

10CW-30AE-44BE-16BE
5CW-28AE-2BW-39BE-8AW
33CE-24AE-26BE-33BE-57BE
24CE-13AE-30BE-2BE-36BE

I selected the first to model as it is the shortest (possibly due to the failure of a car) and the only set of E cars with a CW van.

16 BE, built from a Steam Era Models kit. 16 BE is fitted with a tail disc and lamp as it's at the west end of the set.

44 BE, kit-bashed from Steam Era Models BW kit with additional BW side and roof. 

30 AE built from a Steam Era Models kit. Bogies are Powerline. The AE's had their original 6 wheel bogies replaced between 1962-64 with bogies from S cars when the Spirit of Progress was converted to standard gauge.    

10 CW, a VR products kit purchased from a seconds box at Hobson Bay Model Railway Expo. many years ago. The model replicates 10 CW's appearance in early 1980's with new doors and steel sheeting over the timber panels between the guards and the goods compartment doors, and over the lower part of the side between the goods compartment doors.

The set stayed at Ballarat overnight, stored in the carriage sheds, returning to Melbourne on Saturday morning forming (run no. 15) the 8134 pass, the 1145hrs service to Spencer Street.