A recent rollingstock project has been tait car 472M. This car incorporates a lot of recent changes to how I build rollingstock, making extensive use of 3D printing and modular design to make building multiple cars easier. This has also considerably cut costs and improved manufacturing time. Even the wheels were custom made, the only commercial rail hardware is the micron radio and motor controller. Like all the other Australian rollingstock it is 1:24 scale, though here it is still running on 45mm gauge. The long term plan is to eventually convert it to 64mm gauge, otherwise known as gauge 3. In 1:24 this works out very close to 5'3" broad gauge of the real thing.
The tait trains were Melbourne's first purpose built electric suburban trains, entering service from 1910 as loco hauled stock and then electric when the wires went live in 1919. Some remained in service until 1984, eventually being replaced by the new comeng trains. 472M was one of four tait M cars that were modified with driving controls at both ends later in their careers for off peak and weekend service on the Hurstbridge Alamein and Altona lines. This model represents 472M towards the end of its career in the 1980's.
Two of the double ended tait M cars survive to this day, 470M has been fully restored by Elecrail.
5 окт 2024
