A look at the Auscision Tait set & Parcels Van - August 2021

The HO scale Auscision Tait sets were delivered in mid-August 2021, 6 years after being announced. These are the first ever affordable ready-to-run Melbourne suburban trains available in HO scale, which is really exciting! This video is a look a these wonderful models, and my thoughts on them.

A few quick notes on things I missed or didn't make clear:
-In the video I say no Tait ever ran on the Hurstbridge line in the early 21st century: that's not quite correct, I meant to say 'beyond Greensborough on the Hurstbridge line.' Tait trailer 208T ran to Greensborough sandwiched between the two Swingdoor M cars in 2003, and in January 2004 the whole Tait set (along with the Swingdoor cars) ran to Macleod.
-Since making the video I've noticed that the horns on Parcels Van 1CM are not correct: On the No.2 end they are facing the wrong way, and on the No.1 end they were relocated to the cupola side on the prototype. Again, a pretty small issue, and a future project for me to fix them!
-I also think it's a bit odd that Auscision didn't include any instructions on how to apply the discs and destination decals, it's fairly self explanatory for anyone with kit building experience, but that experience is not a prerequisite for owning an RTR model. It also would have been nice if they'd included a chart listing the disc and marker light codes.

For videos of the real preserved Tait set in action, have a look here:    • Historic Melbourne Electric Trains  

Here's the official Auscision page for the Taits: http://www.auscisionmodels.com.au/Tai...

To check for tours with the real Tait set: https://www.steamrail.com.au/

In the video I talk about how the pantograph design doesn't allow them to be lowered easily - I later came up with a fix for that and I explain it here:    • Improve Auscision Pantograph Operation  

In the video I briefly show a Tait G car I was building from a kit. It's a Strath Hobbies kit, which is designed to build an early series G car, but I put an elliptical roof on it to make a later series car. It's a great opportunity, but I wouldn't attempt it without a bit of kit building and kitbashing experience. You can see the finished model here:    • Arch Roof Tait G car in HO scale  

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