Among the photos that exist of the New Zealand buramway scene there is a very nice one of some sort of picnic outing which features a very tidy wee 8 wheel timber built coach as the prime people mover. Now I will promise that I’ll scan the photo and post it because I’m sure it would be of interest to forum members even if they don’t have an interest in NZ buramways. The coach has matchboarded sides, three windows to a side and a door at each end with end balconies. It’s plainly been built to a good standard by the sawmill’s carpenter and while it lacks most of the curly bits found on mainline rolling stock it still is a very tidy piece of work. The 4 wheel trucks are interesting too because they’re inside bearing and mainly constructed from timber.
I had to put this coach on my modelling list because it’s been a firm favourite of mine for some years now. I don’t think it made preservation, but the photo gives a good guide which is helped by all the people in the picture since most proportions can be fairly easily estimated (if a man is so high, then …).
This morning I had a load of New Bright rolling stock arrive … (arrrrgggh she managed to sneak in mentioning New Bright when we weren’t looking …) … and as soon as I unpacked a New Bright caboose I suddenly realised that I was looking at an almost exact replica of my much loved tramway coach… Yes yes, I know the caboose needs a lot of pruning to get to the essential Zen underlying coachiness, BUT the actual caboose body with its 3 windows to a side, end doors and matchboarded sides, is spot on for my much loved tramway coach. Now I know New Bright stuff is smaller than 1:20.3. When I put the caboose on the same track as No:8 it sniffed haughtily and said ‘Fleas’ before ignoring it completely. BUT if the caboose body was well pruned out, set at the right height and mounted on 1:20.3 versions of those inside bearing trucks, given a rounded profile tarpaper roof & etc. THEN it would look rig
Hi Annie
Thanks that could also be done as a cut and shut job on a pair of Bachmann logging cabooses possably.
Not sure how the bogies could be created but would probably look conviencing on a set of arch bar or simple plate bogies looks like i will have to chase up a second logging caboose and give it a try.
Yes welcome back is true and thanks for the welcome I lost my three stars but
thats not important…
Just noticed in the pic the rails appear to be wood is that correct??
regards John
Yes John I think you’re right about the rails. I’ve got pictures of NZ bu***ramway locos working on wooden rails and I think it was fairly commonplace to use wood for temporary tracks that were laid into cutting areas rather than steel rails. Most lokeys (and they were nearly always geared locos) that worked on the wooden tramways had very wide rims on their wheels to spread the load.
I wonder if wooden rails would be practical in ‘G’ scale? Could be fun to try it out.
Hi Annie
You probably could use wood rails but I think you would have to put a brass strap on the top to prevent rail wear and get traction current to the locomotive.
I dont think the NZ equivelent of the EPA would like you drowning your track in old sump oil once a year to preserve it in the garden.
square brass rails maybe??
My book on West Aus timber tramways dosn’t show a single timber rail and only appears to mention them once.
Do you Know of a well illistrated book on the NZ timber tramways
regards John
I’ll have a dig around for some pictures John; - and yes there is a really good book on the NZ timber tramways. The title escapes me for the moment, but our local library has it. I should really get my own copy (makes note), but another little book which I think is long out of print is ‘Bu***ram to the Mill’ by Bob Stott. My own copy is copyrighted 1981 and is much thumbed and handled as it’s alway been a favourite of mine.
Try " The Era of the Bu***ram in New Zealand" by Paul Mahoney, published by Transpress. A superb resource of pics and text 9including the coach pic shown). Recently reprinted, I gather its starting to run out again. I gather you can get it from the author as well as normal outlets.
Hi Ian
Managed to to get a copy of the Era of the Buram in NZ
through the ARHS Australian Railway Historical Society.
Wow talk about RAGE makes the West Australian Buramways
look like class one railways which of course they where not.
regards John
That does look an aweful lot like a B’mann logging caboose,
All that would be needed body-wise is to add the third window and replace the trucks, I would think either a pair of trucks from a B’mann 20 foot car or perhaps more easily obtainable , a pair of New Bright trucks, both are small enough to convey the backwoods type of feel this car has.
Hi vsmith
Funny you should mention that…
I had simillar thoughts but no idea as to what to use for bogies.
had a look at mine the other day its wheel holder are stuffed i noticed what looked like they might be pivot points for bogies ( trucks) underneath.
Would need bolsters made the bogies on the coach what you can see of them appear to be inside frames with spoked wheels any thoughts
or just go for an archbar bogie.
regards John
A suggestion for modeling wood rails. Copper tubing. Paint the tubing a wood color. Sand off a strip from the top of the tubes for electrical contact, or run battery power.
Hi capt_turk
Thats fine for a pole road and small pully wheels to replace the standard type
no need for points (switches) pole roads did not have any as far as I have been able to find out.
For a wooden tramway square brass tube would be better the pictures in a recent book I purchased show the wooden rails more or less square have not worked out the points yet they seem to be a case of loose wooden rail placed as needed,
and lurch over normal rail to get on too the standard steel railed tramways
which are a geared loco lovers paradise
regards John
