Vans on the train

[Blocker]

Great historical photo, we would love to see more there is definitely no need to ask if people want to see more

As a photograph it is obvious the main subject is the freight carriage in the foreground - interesting how we all see it as a photo of Holden panel vans on a train in the background.

[micks_sandman]

Very true Blocker so what is the content of the main pics, petroleum,grain or molasses??? easy to be fixed on the background,(possible sandman>>history).

[mauser]

Another couple of things I thought of. (we are only guessing the date by the picture's name)

1) How did they get the colour match so perfect in painting the front end afterwards. Even faded old 40 year old paint has aged the same when painted in different plants, days etc. I have been told its better to paint the entire car on the same day, in the same conditions. Maybe its the paint they used then. Well done to the Holden QA dudes in this case especially with the Met. Sandy colours.

2) I would of thought the Sandman blackouts and stickers would of been applied after the assembly with the front end in this case. I guess the HZ's would of only needed a squrt on the front guards as the nose spoiler is body colour. With the stickers in HX/Z's being applied in the factory, I could of imagined that was nearly last task especially to line them up. (those ones cant be HQ/J as they were in the box on the front seat). I have a picture of the HQ blackouts done prior to the front guards on HQ SS's but Byron has said this was only at some plants. Is there any evidence of the blackouts done prior on Syd/Mel HQ/J PV Sandman's (think SYD made Ute bodies) when the bodies were shipped to them like this? (or are we just guessing based on their coupe/sedan GTS's production) I can get that the blackouts could be done earlier on a Adl/Bne Sandman because the entire vehicle was made there and possibly the front end painted along with the body and passed to the next plant together to be assembled.

Mauser

[HK1837]

Another couple of things I thought of. (we are only guessing the date by the picture's name)

1) How did they get the colour match so perfect in painting the front end afterwards. Even faded old 40 year old paint has aged the same when painted in different plants, days etc. I have been told its better to paint the entire car on the same day, in the same conditions. Maybe its the paint they used then. Well done to the Holden QA dudes in this case especially with the Met. Sandy colours.

2) I would of thought the Sandman blackouts and stickers would of been applied after the assembly with the front end in this case. I guess the HZ's would of only needed a squrt on the front guards as the nose spoiler is body colour. With the stickers in HX/Z's being applied in the factory, I could of imagined that was nearly last task especially to line them up. (those ones cant be HQ/J as they were in the box on the front seat). I have a picture of the HQ blackouts done prior to the front guards on HQ SS's but Byron has said this was only at some plants. Is there any evidence of the blackouts done prior on Syd/Mel HQ/J PV Sandman's (think SYD made Ute bodies) when the bodies were shipped to them like this? (or are we just guessing based on their coupe/sedan GTS's production) I can get that the blackouts could be done earlier on a Adl/Bne Sandman because the entire vehicle was made there and possibly the front end painted along with the body and passed to the next plant together to be assembled.

Mauser

1) They didn't. All Elizabeth vehicles were done the way you see those vans done, they were painted and hard trimmed, then went into the VAP to be assembled. The guards and bonnets were painted at that stage. It didn't matter whether the van was then assembled at Elizabeth, Pagewood or Dandenong they all had to have the front panels painted later. Elizabeth or Acacia Rideg paint matches were never great. Pagewood HQ Sandmans and HJ-HZ Sandman utes will always be the best paint wise as the guards and bonnets were painted with the body in the BAP and then conveyered off to re-join the car later for assembly once the chassis and driveline was installed (there is a little hint in this to the importance of something on a Pagewood car). Dandenong was done similarly, except the front panels were all attached with little wire jigs/frames to the body (except for vans).

2) Common sense tells you HX-HZ Sandmans that weren't DL7 would have had decals applied after the car was finished in painting, but I have no evidence yet to prove this. Paint blackouts, you never know until a photo taken during the assembly process at each plant is found. I reckon the black was applied when the rest of the paint was applied. As above, Elizabeth vehicles had the body painted and hard trimmed as per you see on that train, and assembly was done elsewhere (including locally). So the blackouts on these would be done at two different times. Acacia Ridge were done differently again, but i'm pretty sure these were done similarly to Elizabeth, just the ID plates were attached at a different time (you can tell by the paint on the plates).

[HQ SS]

Another couple of things I thought of. (we are only guessing the date by the picture's name)

1) How did they get the colour match so perfect in painting the front end afterwards. Even faded old 40 year old paint has aged the same when painted in different plants, days etc. I have been told its better to paint the entire car on the same day, in the same conditions. Maybe its the paint they used then. Well done to the Holden QA dudes in this case especially with the Met. Sandy colours.

2) I would of thought the Sandman blackouts and stickers would of been applied after the assembly with the front end in this case. I guess the HZ's would of only needed a squrt on the front guards as the nose spoiler is body colour. With the stickers in HX/Z's being applied in the factory, I could of imagined that was nearly last task especially to line them up. (those ones cant be HQ/J as they were in the box on the front seat). I have a picture of the HQ blackouts done prior to the front guards on HQ SS's but Byron has said this was only at some plants. Is there any evidence of the blackouts done prior on Syd/Mel HQ/J PV Sandman's (think SYD made Ute bodies) when the bodies were shipped to them like this? (or are we just guessing based on their coupe/sedan GTS's production) I can get that the blackouts could be done earlier on a Adl/Bne Sandman because the entire vehicle was made there and possibly the front end painted along with the body and passed to the next plant together to be assembled.

Mauser

I named the files like this but the collections they are from state those dates on them.
Going by the pictures with these the person walked around the yard taking pictures of what was there on the day.

At least with the Mosman Park cars I have been told the top coat paint came with the cars in large pails and was then painted on to the panels
separately here.
I have pictures of the last cars from the Mosman Park plant (which unfortunately I am not allowed to publish anywhere at this time.)
These cars are both Lettuce Alone HQ SS's and the sill black outs are painted on the body's already and the guards that have been fitted at
Mosman Park do not have the black outs on them yet.
They also do not have the decals on them yet either I was told that they were fitted as basically the last thing.
So It looks like there is some use in these pictures, now I just have to keep searching for the HQ ones that I want.
Here are a couple of older pictures of bodies on the train here in WA.
Cars in wa C 1958.jpgCars in wa Mar5_1963.jpgCars in wa Mar5_1963 crop.jpg
None of these pictures are mine so if the owner wants them removed let me know and I will remove them.
Cheers Paul.
Cheers Paul.

[mauser]

Cool, I guess as I have never had a manufacturing background I find this stuff fascinating. :-)

When designing the processes of the different plants the origional configuration of the amount of availiable floor space and its shape may of influenced some of the ideosyncrasys.

Mauser

[RodneyHZ253]

Two of the vans look like they may have blackout and therefore could be sandman's

[jennie285]

Rodney and I have studied that photo for 10minutes, and have decided that at least the 3rd from the front has blackouts and possibly the first one has as well...not the window one...and we also think the third from the front is ours or the Ski Mans yellow van going off to Dandenong...

[the ski man]

Rodney and I have studied that photo for 10minutes, and have decided that at least the 3rd from the front has blackouts and possibly the first one has as well...not the window one...and we also think the third from the front is ours or the Ski Mans yellow van going off to Dandenong...

Jen, i think i agree, the first and third certainly have blackouts, and the tone of grey could mean that they are both yellow ones.... its certainly yours or mine Jen

[HK1837]

Jen, i think i agree, the first and third certainly have blackouts, and the tone of grey could mean that they are both yellow ones.... its certainly yours or mine Jen

Except they are HX's!