Thread: Alco 48 class loco pics

Originally Posted by scanfor

I've just returned from a trip to the Hunter Valley where I was working on a mine right beside the main-line.
It was busy all night, and I was treated to a real mix of motive power on show.
What struck me was just how quiet (relatively) the newer locos are, when compared to those of 25 years ago.
The last time I was around these thing, the 81 class was only about 9 years old, and I thought that they were quiet, but when a pair of them came around the bend at full chant I realised how much things have improved in 25 years.
The 90 and 82 class jsut seem to whirr along.
I also drove past the plant in Newcastle where the new TT class etc. (including the Xstrata locos) were out on show in the yard.
Railways are alive and well in this country.

My son has had TT locomotives for well over a decade, some steam, mostly german locos, but they are only a couple of inches long-- TT gauge, halfway between N and OO gauges. My dad purchased a Hornby 3 rail OO train set for my first Birthday, and played with model trains for the rest of his his whole life.
Guess that is not the TT you referred to.

Not quite - these are the heavy-haul locos built by EDI for Hunter coal haulage.

Downer EDI Rail GT46C ACe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TT scale/gauge models (Table Top) have been around for a while - I think Hornby had them in the 50's, but they have never been as popular as HO or N scale. Some QR modellers used TT mechanisms under HO bodies to simulate the narrow-gauge 3'6" QLD trains.

Hi all,you were at the Hunter when I went through Scanfor!,and yes the new locos are pretty boring sound wise,hence the attraction of Alcos and older EMD's.Drivesafe,I spent $200.00 on a extra "shotgun" mike for my video camera,it makes a huge difference!!I've just put one clip on you-tube to test it out,just a quickie I did in Brissy(most of my footage is standard guage),it sounds good on my theatre system with the sub turned up
YouTube - FishplateFilms's Channel
will be posting more over xmas!
Cheers Gregg

Hi Gregg, and the video is great BUT, the sound is too high pitched.

This is the problem I have been having.

Just increasing your bass on your sound system doesn't cut it.

Have a look at the specs for your microphone, they will be something like (at best ) 80hz to 18,000Hz and don’t be surprised if they start at 150Hz.

The problem is for proper deep bass recording, the microphone needs to start at 20Hz and so far I haven’t found a microphone for a video camera that picks up that low a sound frequency.

Still love the videos though.

BTW I had two Sennheiser MKE 300 shotgun microphone at $300 a pop, so I could try to improve my stereo recording but they only ever got about 10 minutes use as they made little improvement to the low end sound. The top end sound was fantastic, but not what I wanted.

The Sennheiser MKE 300 shotgun microphone has a frequency response of 150 ~ 17,000Hz.

If anybody has any suggestions, I’m all ears ( sorry about the pun ).

Gregg - it is indeed a small world.
We could have met up for a few Christmas ales if I'd known you were in town!

Originally Posted by scanfor

Hey Drivesafe, you're right about the 42s. I can remember the 421s on the South in their last days before storage at Junee.
For my money though, you can't beat a "Pom" - QR had plenty of them. The English Electric engines and big turbos combined mad music to the ears of a railway buff.

There's a Pom and a square nosed early one near the Diesel Maintenance shop not far from me.The square nosed one has been repainted but the Pom's in a hell of a state.I think it's up for restoration too.I'll take photos of them both and post them up tomorrow.

Bad luck the Poms gone,hopefully to get restored,I'll try and find out.The Clyde( I think that is what it is) is still there plus 2392 which must be used for shunting.I have also taken one of QR's graveyard.From a distance I'm afraid,as the whole place is fenced and security is like Fort Knox.
I liked the video's from Morningside,they are the same coal trains that go to the back of my home and the coal comes from outside of Ipswich and from up on the Darling downs.Sometimes as many as ten go past a day.They are restricted in size to the passing loops on the Toowoomba Range, they are 48 wagons in length
John

Thanks for the photos Disco44.
The blue and white one is a Pom - 1620 Class I think.

I know what you mean about the security - back in the mid-eighties we wandered around in there for hours taking photos. All we did was ask the Chief Mechanical Engineer if it was OK and they let us loose in the place.