Steve's World of Trams

2014 marked 110 years of Hongkong Tramways, and as part of the celebrations, number 110 was given this striking livery.

A panormic shot showing off the bus interchange area.  The Volvo BT9L (front) iss by Drumwell and the Alexander Dennis Enviro500 (back) on the far left is by Cars Workshop, whereas on the right, the Dennis Trident III model (back) was sold by the operator - New World First Bus Alexander Dennis Enviro500 and the Alexander Enviro500 at the front is by 80M Bus Model Shop.

Keeping in the spirit of all things "Hasselhof(f)", it is anticipated that "Yellowthreads Treat" will have more than its fair share of cameo scenes. The first to be completed is the bank robbery scene, a close-up of which we present here, featuring an armoured personnel carrier of the Hong Kong Police. The officers are a partial repaint of a Preiser set, who have arrived on scene in their Saxon AT105. Due to the fine detail of this model, it is semi-permanently tethered to the layout by a wire looped around each axle, which are then secured beneath the board through a hole.

Hong Kong's Saxon Police Tactical Units were retired in 2009, and replaced by Unimog U5000's.

The bus stop sign and road markings were taken from the base which is included with many of the Collectors Model releases of the Leyland SF.

This promotional model by 80M for Fubon Bank was never available as a general release for the publice to buy, and as a result, is rather scarce.

With apologies to Fifth Dimension, would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? Note the statue in the pavillion, which is a silver charm which has been primed and painted. It has more than a striking resemblance to the "Kneeling Archer", which is the only Qin Terracotta Warrior to have been discovered intact near Xi'an in the Shaanxi province of China.

The HKU100 Tram by 80M helped celebrate the University's Centenary theme of "KNOWLEDGE - HERITAGE - SERVICE", and is based on no. 72 which bore the image of the Main Building for the last four months of 2011.

At the time of taking this photo, I was unaware that the trolleypole end had broken off during transit. It has since been repaired using a spare Peak Horse pole.

Looking towards the right hand side of the layout, we get a glimpse of the flyover and some of the Shanghai trolleybuses. This area is currently being given a facelift, and I hope to upload some pictures of the results in the future...

The front view of 80M's Seventh Generation tram shows us the dot matrix destination panel.

In this nearside view of the 7th Generation tram, the full length doors stand out, as does the squarer appearance of the passenger windows.

Traditionally, before the control resistances were relocated into a roof mounted box (for the 1986 Refurbished Cars onwards), they were located from the offside rear platform, which necessitated in a narrower door in this location. The Seventh Generation tram does not seem to have updated this seemingly obsolete design aspect, although this door is not normally used by passengers in everyday service.

Seventh Generation #1 turns full circle around the Buddha and pond. Not how there are fewer windows on the nearside of the lower saloon.

The bridge is a 1:72 scale laser cut MDF kit produced by Sarissa Precision, intended for historical wargaming and was puchased online from Arcane Scenery and Models.

A very striking livery, reproduced as a general release by 80M.

The bus museum of former operator China Motor Bus was inspired by a much larger structure at Aberdeen, Hong Kong Island. Many thanks to Julie Smith (no relation) for the translation! When this photograph was taken, the concrete trackbed had not been painted in. The brass statues in the foreground have since been repainted and relocated.

Two reckless cyclists take life into their own hands hurtling down the steps, beneath which, a group  of mature gentlemen enjoy a game of Chinese Chequers. The mobile snack booth is by Oxford Diecast, the name of which is a play on words, based on a worldwide chain of entertainment venues. Under Exhibition conditions, it is lit up by a grain-of-wheat bulb.

Just like the latest addition to the Bachmann range of ready-to-run trams on the far left, these buses are also adorned with several butterflies. Kinox, by the way, is a manufacturer of stainless steel kitchenware. Note how the tram does not display a fleet number!

The presence of two First Automobile Works' Hong-Qi (Red Flag) limousines act as a gentle reminder of Hong Kong's status as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The models are by Brekina.

In addition to the trams, other icons of Hong Kong public transport include the Public Light Service Buses, as seen here looking along the high street. Just peeping out of the bus museum are ABC Models' Dennis Jubilant (front) and Leyland Victory - 2 (back). This is an older photograph, taken before a representation of the concrete trackbed was painted in. The dragon on the far left has also been relocated.

During 2013 (The Year of the Snake), New Bus For London visited Hong Kong as part of an export drive, appearing at private and public events. Standing in for LT61 CHT is the Corgi Collectors' Club release LT12 HHT, which at least sports the correct side panel adverts for the musical "Singin' in the Rain". These were later replaced by a "London is Great" motif. The Snake Bus of Bliss model behind was a 2001 release for New World First Bus.

One of the subtle cameo scenes which only manifests itself when this Peak Horse tram advertising Longevity Milk passes by! Note the elderly gentleman who has more than a striking resemblance to Shou Lao, the Chinese god of longevity whose likeness appears on the tram. The figure is a silver charm , which has been primed and painted.

Two trams from the Peak Horse range pass the Cosmopolitan Hotel and the bus museum. The HO scale taxis leaving the hotel pick-up / drop-off point are Mercedes Pontons by Brekina.

The tram is by Peak Horse.

A closer look at one of the Peak Horse trams which are in service on Yellowthreads Treat. Since this photograph was taken, wing mirrors have been added to this model, the concrete trackbed painted in, and working traffic lights from the Busch range installed.

A full view of the turning loop on the left hand side of the layout. I normally have a double decker bus at the front, but a smaller Public Service Light Bus (Best Choose) occupies its space to avoid obscuring the view.

This view also gives us the opportunity to compare a Peak Horse tram (left) to an 80M casting (right).

The public service light bus and Guy Arab V buses in the museum are by Best Choose.

In the foreground - an 80M (left) and a Bachmann (right) tram, which are quite difficult to tell apart in photo's. We also get an aerial view of the Saxon AT105 Armoured Personnel Carrier.

I couldn't resist adding a couple of Mixed Martial Arts practioners, and sourced the two figurines on the bridge as silver charms from a popular online auction site. They have been primed and painted to resemble the fighters from the classic Eighties home computer game "The Way of The Exploding Fist", although technically that was based on karate, which is a martial art of Japanese origin.

An inside look at the revamped park.  The two Oriental pavilions were purchased in kit form from Outland Models UK on eBay.