This is correct according to what I've heard as well. My father was
a cleaner at North Melbourne in the late 40s and he remembers 639 being
prepared for duty on the commissioners train. It was always well
maintained
in any case but extra spit and polish was put in and special
chrome covers were fitted to the cylinder fronts. I'm not sure when the
red valance lining first appeared but it's reasonable to assume that it
was
after the introduction of the R class in 1952. It certainly wouldn't
have
carried Canadian Red colours after the introduction of black as the
standard colour.
As an asside, can anyone conclusively prove that at least some Dd class
locomotives carried the two tone green livery ? Since the class was i
ntroduced before the arrival of Tait from the CPR (hence 'Canadian' red)
some of them must have been built in this colour scheme. And did they
ever have polished brass domes ? We are talking about Dd outline locos
here mind (later D1 and D2 (superheated)) not D3 type which was a much
later rebuild with a substantially larger boiler. So it's wouldn't be
<strictly> correct to outshop a D3 in green. These day's the historical
accuracy of the colour scheme is largely irrelevant anyway.
Chosing the <right> colours has to be done with care though, K 190s last
shade was awful ! K183 looks very smart in blue, while R766 is much
more impressive and pleasing in maroon than it ever was in green
(although
I would have left the air reservoirs under the running boards black).
Like Yuri, I also think that R711 would look very smart in WCR blue,
with
the W logo and lining on the tender leading into the carriages like the
streamlined diesels. Profitibility/privatisation issues asside the WCR
is certainly very photogenic and its great to see a private company
that's
running passenger rail the way it ought to be, regardless of how much
they
are being subsidised. Any chance of introducing a motorail service ?
Could
boost tourist numbers even more. V/line passenger don't seem to be
using
the mobile unloading ramp at Mildura these days ...
David A.
> Regards
>
> Yuri