8300 guards van

 

8300 guards vans were a familiar sight in Victoria, trailing interstate goods on the western line. By 1983, the 8300 guards vans could be seen in three different colour schemes, red brown, white and AN yellow and green (lemon twist schemes).

In 1961 the South Australian Railways commenced building a new design of 8300 class guards vans numbered 8314 to 8394. The design was modified slightly from those introduced in 1947, producing a narrower guards van that could run in Victoria. The guards vans lack end communication doors, preventing their use on passenger trains. Brakevans 8364 to 8374 and 8393 to 8394 were built for standard gauge, with the rest being issued on broad gauge.

At the Ballarat exhibition I purchased a 8300 that had been painted white that was part of a deceased estate that was on sale. The van hadn't been painted very well as its original Tuscan red colour was visible through the white. It had also been fitted with a stove flue that was out of scale and Victorian shunters steps. The steps and flue where removed and the glue on the roof filed off. A new flue was made out of left over plastic spruce, while new steps were made out of leftover brass sheet from Steam Era Modrl kits and offcuts of styrene sheet. 

The body was then sprayed with flat white paint and the underframe and bogies with Fiddly Bits Flat Black paint. The window frames were painted silver and handrails were painted black. Red paint was used on the rear marker lights. I replaced some of the windows with new clear plastic and clear plastic that had been painted white on the inside for the toilet window. 

I numbered the van 8350 using a photo online on Elite Model Services website. This van entered service on broad gauge entered service on the 26.2.1963. 8350 was recoded to "AVAY 51" as part of the ROA brake van reclassification on the 6/8/1983. The guards van was condemned on the 28.4.1987 I still need to source blue ANR in boxes decals and will weather the van after the decals have been applied.