Needing additional 20' foot containers to serve the factories at Redan, I looked for inspiration on the internet and old issues of Newsrail.
In the rollingstock notes for February 1975 included in the Newsrail June 1975 issue, is reference to the construction of two containers, R1 and R2, built by Freighters Ltd of Moorabbin. They were part of an order of 4 prototype units obtained in order to test various insulated units with the view to the replacement of T class ice vans. Units R1 and R2 were fitted with standard end doors together with double doors on each side. The following 2 units (R3 and R4) were to a different design and appear to have solid ends with a series of doors down each side. The containers were equipped to receive clip-on refrigeration units.
For this project I used old Lima 20' plain sided containers that I had in the junk box. I removed the TNT lettering from the side of the container, fitted end plugs and sprayed the container an overall silver colour. For the lettering I used leftover decals and Letraset letters for R1 and R2. Each container was lightly weathered.
I'm unsure how successful the prototype containers were. Besides the images on Rob O'Regan's website I have been unable to locate any other images of the containers in service. Images of R5 and R6 are also on his website. These are similar to R1 and R2 but the side doors have rounded corners. Perhaps these were further prototypes to test an alternative design from a different manufacturer. His website includes images of R1, R3 and R5 at Mildura in 1978/79.
On the layout these containers will be used between Mildura and Ballarat (Redan), either loaded on four-wheeled KMQ or bogie FQF/FQX flat wagons.
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| Refrigerated container R2 loaded on KMQ27 at Camperdown on 28/11/1976 (from http://www.robx1.net) |
In the rollingstock notes for February 1975 included in the Newsrail June 1975 issue, is reference to the construction of two containers, R1 and R2, built by Freighters Ltd of Moorabbin. They were part of an order of 4 prototype units obtained in order to test various insulated units with the view to the replacement of T class ice vans. Units R1 and R2 were fitted with standard end doors together with double doors on each side. The following 2 units (R3 and R4) were to a different design and appear to have solid ends with a series of doors down each side. The containers were equipped to receive clip-on refrigeration units.
For this project I used old Lima 20' plain sided containers that I had in the junk box. I removed the TNT lettering from the side of the container, fitted end plugs and sprayed the container an overall silver colour. For the lettering I used leftover decals and Letraset letters for R1 and R2. Each container was lightly weathered.
I'm unsure how successful the prototype containers were. Besides the images on Rob O'Regan's website I have been unable to locate any other images of the containers in service. Images of R5 and R6 are also on his website. These are similar to R1 and R2 but the side doors have rounded corners. Perhaps these were further prototypes to test an alternative design from a different manufacturer. His website includes images of R1, R3 and R5 at Mildura in 1978/79.
On the layout these containers will be used between Mildura and Ballarat (Redan), either loaded on four-wheeled KMQ or bogie FQF/FQX flat wagons.
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