Zzzzzz

Even though my primary interest is collecting 'toy' trains, and building Plywood Central style layouts for them to run on, having grown-up in Victoria during the 50s and 60s I certainly have a soft spot for the trains of the former Victorian Railways of that era.  Nowadays there are several manufacturers of HO scale models of many of the locos and rolling stock of that prototype and I have on the odd occasion been tempted to add them to my collection.  I have several iconic locomotives- T and B class diesels and the L class electric, quite a few wagons, some superb coaches, but until now something has been 'missing'.

Yes, it's the humble and ubiquitous 'Z' Guards Van!  There have been kits available for years, but I'm no good at kits, and a brass model way beyond my budget, but now Austrains have introduced these superb Vans in various versions.  They come in a two-pack and happily a pack containing a ZP and a ZL is winding it's way to the Trainbarn!

Whether I eventually build a layout for all these great VR items to operate on, or whether they simply end up displayed in a cabinet I'm not sure, but seeing them sure brings back many great memories of watching them at the rear of trains when I was growing up.

Many of them ended up as sheds after being disposed of by VR, spread all over Victoria.  Many have no doubt rotted beyond usefulness by now, but occasionally photos of intact vans still turn up.  As someone who really enjoys carpentry, and restoration in general, I think it would be great fun to get one of these old vans and fully restore it.  Certainly a big job, and I doubt if I'll ever have the time, but it would be great fun!  HO models will have to suffice in the interim.

Perhaps I will tell an amusing story, well it was amusing to me, anyway.  I used to be a flying instructor in Victoria, in single-engined aircraft, and an important concept to teach an aspiring pilot is to always be prepared to land in a suitable field, or wherever, in the very unlikely event that the engine should fail.  To this end the instructor could at any time close the engine's throttle to simulate an engine failure, and then watch the unfortunate student carry out all the appropriate drills and manouvers as the aircraft glides towards a suitable landing area.  We wouldn't actually land, of course, but would descend low enough so that the student could see whether his efforts would have been successful or not, and of course there are legal minimums to which we may descend.  We flew all over Victoria, often sighting abandoned railway lines and other features of interest, but one time I just happened to see a whole field full of re-located Z Vans, perhaps used as cabins or sheds.  Obviously a closer inspection would be interesting, and there were some good potential paddocks around on which a landing could conceivably be made, so with that I announced to my unsuspecting student that I was simulating an engine failure and he should proceed for a 'forced' landing.  So, field full of Z Vans suitably inspected, and forced-landing practice successfully completed, we once again applied power at a safe height and climbed away to resume the navigation exercise!  I just wish I could remember where it was!  Nowadays of course we have Google Earth, which can be perused at will from the comfort of home, but it's nowhere near as much fun!