VR-Enthusiast - Rollingstock - N passenger carriage

In 1980-1982, VicRail began to build all new passenger carriages for the extent Victorian passenger rail network in preparation for the 'New Deal', a revolutionary upgrade of the passenger rail system to speed up travel times and cut costs. These carriages were classified the N cars, and initially featured train sets of three cars; an ACN first class/guard's car and two BN second class cars.

Both cars feature saloon seating, with 2+2 seating in ACN cars while BN cars feature 2+3 seating.

During construction, a new car design, the BRN, was introduced and constructed, featuring a snack bar and second class seating. This car replaced the second

BN carriage in the three car set. The new BRN cars were placed in the middle of the sets, with the snack bar at the ACN end of the carriage set. Sets could be doubled up or added to with S and Z type carriages after modifications.

At introduction, the passenger car sets featured the VicRail 'Tea-Cup' livery, with tangerine body and a double silver strip along the car body level with the windows. The cross-over VicRail logo was featured below the window line in the centre of the car body.

The V/Line livery was progressively introduced from 1983, first with a V/Line logo beneath the window line at the left end of the car body, while maintaining the silver lines at window level.

The proper corporate livery for V/Line, consisting of white and green strips along the bottom of the car side level with the V/Line logo, and removal of the silver window lines, was finalised in 1984. This livery had a small modification in 1985/1986, with a grey roof, to hide the dirty appearance soon achieved on the former tangerine roofs.

Although these kits are no longer available, Auscision Models is working on the N cars in ready to run plastic. A release date has not yet been speculated on.

The cars displayed here all brass carriages with whitemetal casts, etched nickel-silver parts and lost wax castings. The kits were produced by Specialty Scale Models in the early 1990s. They have been finished off in the 1985/1986 modified livery. Instead of the bogies provided with the kits, these models feature bogies

produced by Specialty Scale models.

Additional detail has been added, such as brake hoses and uncoupling rods. Steam Era Models' V/Line orange and grey have been used with great results, after application of etch primer.

Decals were then applied and set with a setting agent and finally a coat of matt Estapol was applied.

Rubber diaphragms have been replicated with black-grey heat-shrink tube, applied to the cars with silicone.

The cars weigh in excess of 280 grams each.