The Victorian Railways utilised a number of E open wagons to transfer wooden power poles from the main State Electricity Commission depot at Brooklyn to SEC depots around the state. The E open wagons were modified by removing the doors, fitting bolsters on the floor and wood bulkheads to the ends. The open wagons used for this purpose were usually stencilled for Pole traffic only.
Recenly I produced pole loads for Q wagons, but wanted to also model some of the E wagons without doors used for this traffic as well.
E wagons know to have been converted for pole traffic include 8, 11, 36, 47, 89, 113, 124, 128, 147, 156, 161, 170, 193 and 195.
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| E 193 at Ballarat. Aug. 9 1978 Photo courtesy Geoff Winkler |
The wagon is a Paul's 3D Print purchased at the Waverley exhibition. The OB open wagon had its ends removed together with one of the end side panels. A new floor was added of styrene sheet to cover the printing lines. New ends were made out of styrene sheet and shapes to reflect the HY ends fitted to some of these wagons. The rail below the doors was sanded off each side and brake gear added to the underframe. Bracing out of styrene offcuts were added near the doors together with chain rings as tie points along the frame.
The poles are produced from bamboo skewers cut to the appropriate length (approximately 140mm) and then painted a dark brown colour. Typing paper is cut to an appropriate width and glued to the end and painted silver to represent the steel cap. Pole loads appear to be stacked 4 to 5 poles high in the modified E open wagons.
| A VFDA and VOAA loaded with SEC poles in Ballarat yard. |
On the layout this and other wagons in SEC Pole Traffic will occasionally appear in goods trains through Ballarat, transferring poles to major SEC depots scattered around the state. Although a bit of work I'm quite happy with how this wagon turned out and think I'll produce VOAA 170 as well as it retain its original tie down points.
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