27th Edition

Welcome to the twenty-seventh edition of The Eureka Times.

The year is already half gone and winter is well and truly upon us so in June the opportunity was taken to head north to the factory and warmer (much warmer) weather. At the factory the Eureka staff were able to see the R class being assembled along with final assembly of the VR oil tank wagon project. The fuel tankers arrive at Port Botany on the 22nd of August with the R class not far behind. Another exciting thing happened in June with the arrival of running samples of the 50 class. The quality and accuracy of the model had been demonstrated by the previously received test shots but the running samples have proved to be quite stunning in the smooth performance of the gear driven mechanism. More on this later. Well, lots to talk about so let’s get on with it.

The R Class:

Final assembly of the R class is underway and delivery is expected within six to eight weeks. The engine numbers that will be available “ex-factory” for the standard coal burners are: R 700, R704, R 717, R 727, R730, R 740 and R 752. Oil burners R 719 and R 748 along with preserved locomotives R 707 and R 761 will also be available ex-factory. WCR locomotives R 711 and R 766 will not be available with this first run as it has been decided that to do the model properly a new tender top is required and the tooling for this is underway. When the R class arrives Eureka will contact each person with an R class on order to confirm the postal address and order details before dispatching the order. Orders not fully paid by the 30th of August will attract the post delivery price which will be $660 for the basic unit.

The 50 Class Standard Goods Engine:

Running samples of the 50 class arrived in June and have undergone extensive checking and testing since then. The superheated version has had a DCC decoder fitted and has been under-going load tests and general running tests on several layouts. The overwhelming view is that the running qualities are superb. Operation is very smooth at low speed and both samples had no trouble lifting 15 bogie wagons up a 1 in 40 grade and 10 bogie wagons up a 1 in 33 grade. A running sample has now been sent to QSI along with sound files so that the sound decoder can be prepared. This process will decide the ultimate delivery date of the 50 class project, however at the June meeting at the factory delivery dates were discussed. The factory asked whether we wanted delivery before or after Chinese New Year which is in February. When the factory was asked did it matter they replied that it certainly did and that we would get better models if they were assembled before Chinese New Year due to the fact that after the long Chinese New Year break the factory had to train many new workers to replace the many staff who did not return after the break. What was that about Friday and Monday cars? The target date for delivery of the 50 class is therefore 1st quarter, 2014.. As previously advised the first production run of the 50 class will involve a minimum size run. This will allow a re-run to be commissioned earlier than would normally be expected. This first re-run of the standard goods will involve production of the 53 class along with further 50 class units including alternative tenders. (Tenders will be made available separately) The 53 class is expected in 2015 and will be followed by further re-runs which will include the SMR 10 class and the 55 class as variants of the 50 class.

The VR Bogie Fuel Oil Tankers:

The VR tank wagon project is now complete and the main shipment is expected in Port Botany on the 22nd of August. A small number of 3-packs are being air-freighted to Sydney and will be available at the Caulfield exhibition. Posting out will commence around the 27th of August and is expected to be complete within two weeks of arrival.

VR/SAR Bogie Open/Flat/ The NSW Bogie Tank Wagon:

Upon completion of the VR tank wagons, the factory will move onto the NSW oil tankers and the VR/SAR bogie open/flat wagons.

K Class: The K class project is progressing well and the engineering sample will be shortly be sent to QSI for the fitting of sound. Delivery is still dependent upon the R class project but the target delivery date for the K is still April next year.

The 59 Class: The 40 Class: The RSH: The LCH/CCH re-run, The 620/720 re-run, The 38 Class re-run: The NCR sets.

All these models are at various stages in their project development and are making progress. There is no news since the last edition of ET on these projects but watch for updates in the next edition of The Eureka Times

W44: Now for Something to go behind those Double Garratts:

The GC project advanced another step in July with the arrival of the first test shots. Test shots are carried out on a low pressure injection machine and the shots are not “pegged” as many pieces on the final production line are to prevent warping. As a result the GC test shots suffer from the typical bowing that is a characteristic of most test shots. Bowing aside the samples are now ready to proceed to assembly. Nothing from the factory on delivery dates yet but a pre-Christmas delivery is likely

A Word on Costs: The editorial staff here at The Eureka Times have in the past discussed the problems arising from the rapid increase in the price level in China. Manufacturers in China are warning that the increase in manufacturing prices is currently running at 20% per annum. Eureka Models’ manufacturer is no exception and Eureka has been told to expect an automatic 10% per annum increase in prices on all new and “in progress” projects. Given that a locomotive project normally takes three years to complete a10% pa increase would see a quoted price increase by 30% over the life of a project. This situation has been going on for several years now but the impact of these increases has been hidden by the rise in the Aussie dollar. With the recent fall in the Aussie dollar manufacturing prices are now being hit by the double whammy of the 10% per annum rise in the price level in China and now the more than 10% fall in Australian dollar. Where all this will end up is anyone’s guess, however it will unquestionably involve higher prices for models landed in Australia from China. The main unknown will be…..”How Much higher?”