This weekend marks 38 years since VicRail introduced N sets to all intercity passenger trains west of Ballarat. To mark the occasion I replicated the promotional services that were run on this weekend on the layout.
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| B64 and B84 accelerate out of Ballarat with empty cars to Beaufort for promotion shuttles for the introduction of N sets to all intercity trains west of Ballarat. |
To promote the introduction of the N sets to these services a series of short shuttles were operated on the 18th and 19th December 1982. Free trips were run from Beaufort, Dimboola and Horsham on the Saturday 18th December and from Murtoa, Stawell and Ararat on the Sunday 19th December.
To provide the set for these runs, B64-B84 hauled the empty cars west via North Geelong to Beaufort where a shuttle trip was run to Trawalla and return. The train then headed to Dimboola and was seen passing through Stawell at 11am. It was followed west by 8105 Horsham pass with B68 hauling a consist of N set and VBPY parcels van.
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| B68 hauls the 8105 Down Horsham pass downgrade under the Queen St Bridge. |
The promotional train ran several shuttle trips from Dimboola to Pimpinio loop and return before running to Horsham. Here B68 was exchanged with B64 on the promotional runs, with B64 then working the regular Saturday afternoon 8146 Up Horsham pass to Melbourne.
On the Sunday B84 - B68 (with an N set) ran to Murtoa where several shuttles were run to Lubeck. It then travelled to Stawell and ran two shuttles from Stawell to Glenorchy and return. The train then ran empty to Ararat crossing the regular Sunday Horsham pass hauled by B72 and B78 at Great Western.
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| B72 and B78 haul the Sunday morning Down Horsham pass across Doveton St level crossing. |
This train had a single N set (instead of the usual 2 sets for a Sunday service). The promotional train ran shuttle services from Ararat to Great Western and return. The Up Horsham pass was combined with the Dimboola pass (usually stabled at Dimboola until Monday morning) and ran as B78-B72-X52 with 2 N sets. At Ararat B68 was added and the train ran through to Melbourne with the 4 locos arriving at Spencer St 11 minutes late.
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| B68-B78-B72-X52 cross MacArthur St with the Sunday afternoon Up Horsham pass. |
B84 ran through to Dimboola with the empty N set and formed the Up Dimboola pass on Monday morning.
Nearly 3,000 passengers rode in the new carriages over the weekend and VicRail received extensive coverage in the Western district newspapers. There was also an article in the Jan/Feb 1983 issue of VicRail News Titled "Getting the message across".
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