48 reasons to love Christmas

Well what will probably be my last post for 2014 ends with some good news finally. I received a phone call late last week stating that my two 48 class had arrived. Not only arrived in Australia but arrived in West Ryde and were ready for pickup.
I chose today Tuesday to venture there to pick them up. I expected to see a line out the door on approaching the shop but there wasn't any. Getting into the shop seemed like any other day, not many customers inside to get in the way. There was a guy set up at a table ready to hand over your model.
I was surprised when the guy said he didn't need to see my receipt just a name and proof of identity to obtain the models. This caught me by surprise and a little upset. Only because I had actually managed to find the receipt I had stashed away in my bedside table and was able to find. What was more remarkable was the fact that after nearly six and a half years I could still read the receipt and it hadn't turned to dust like ancient scrolls do. So I proudly showed it to him and he rubber stamped it with some words I haven't bother to read yet.
Both models were duly taken out of the box and set up on the test track and now have about four metres on their speedos. They seemed quite and smooth. There was a steady flow of customers picking their models up and looking at my watch remembered I had to be at the station within two minutes to get my train. I ended up getting there just as the train came in.
So tonight I managed to get down to the usual hack spot near the gully bridge and was lucky enough to get some shots of the two new 48's on a ballast train. I was that lucky that the driver had even stopped for me to take photos.
They have not operated on South Coast Rail yet. They also seem a bit on the light side but I don't intend to run superlong trains.
Well I'll close of my last 2014 blog with a few shots taken of the new 48's. I hope to get them weathered in the future.
2015 promises a good year for modelling. Have a great Christmas and see you on the "Other Side" on the calendar.

Driver Mark Wun and fireman Al Ko get ready for the 48's first trip