Author Archives: garygraves

Marklin 88195: Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) ES 64 F4 locomotive

Marklin 88195 electric locomotive for goods and passengers is based on the SBB prototype ES 64 F4 with 2014 paint scheme. The class 189 locomotive is a four system locomotive allowing cross border traffic in Europe.

Built since 2003 by Siemens now in joint partnership with MRCE (Mitsui Rail Capital Europe) this one with paint scheme and lettering for SBB Cargo International. The striking black paint scheme and distinct white lettering includes painted light gray wheels in the Marklin model as the prototype adding another layer of detail. Four pantographs align with different voltage systems within the prototype as is included with the model. The 2 innermost pantographs on the model can take power from Marklin Z gauge catenary system. Roof equipment is accurately included with 88195 and it includes LED headlamps and marker lights.

Homologation refers to certification from an official entity in the case of the ES 64 F4 (class 189) prototype this certification grants the locomotive cross border travel within the European network including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slowenia, Croatia, The Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slowakia, Hungary and all ETCS-lines. Having met safety and technical operating standards the class 189 is one of the most important and most seen locomotives in Europe hauling both freight and passenger traffic and numerous paint schemes already represented in the Marklin Z gauge line-up include: 88191 (DB AG), 88192 (SBB), 88193 (DB AG / Railion), 88194 (Rail Traction Company / RTC), and 88195 (SBB).

The current release from Marklin includes the “new generation” motor which responds superbly in a brief test including smooth acceleration and deceleration even a slow speeds.

Siding: Marklin Era I-V building structure 2 stall locomotive shed is seen in background to support earlier locomotives not including the modern electric class 189, but the structure could nonetheless be seen along some routes the ES 64 F4 travels in Germany. This is a fine building kit of high grade cardstock currently available in Marklin’s “Small Maintenance Facility” with item #89806.

 

Excursion: The Milwaukee Road Heritage Center

The Milwaukee Road Heritage Center in Montevideo, MN is a railroad museum dedicated to the history and preservation of the The Milwaukee Road:

https://www.montevideomrhc.org/about.php

My Wife and I passed through Montevideo about 5 years ago which was our first visit in the yard of the Heritage Center. No fence or people were present on that visit, it largely looked abandoned, our guess for many of years? But we were drawn to the site after seeing the dome ends of two Hiawatha sky-top coaches or should I more aptly describe as the barebones framework of the signature sky-top cars unmistakable from Montevideo’s main street.

Just this August we were in the neighborhood and decided to stop; we hoped to see if any progress was made in the 5 years since the last visit. This time we were greeted by the friendly and knowledgeable Director of the Heritage Center who also gave us a complete tour of the site lasting 3 hours: what a treat! And boy oh’boy what a difference 5 years has made to this unique railroad museum with a growing and already impressive collection of coaches, MOW vehicles, locomotive switcher, turntable, station, loco shed, sanding facility, and museum quality working HO layout which displays the working yards of Montevideo in the glory years of The Milwaukee Road.

Max Hinde, Director of the Milwaukee Road Heritage Center stands adjacent to the train station in Montevideo, Minnesota. Housed in the station is a very large collection of Milwaukee Road artifacts, photographs, and station masters’ office complemented with all the essential equipment. Max is ‘tops’ in my book for remarkable practical expertise with all the railroad equipment and historical knowledge.

Not much progress has been made with the sky-top domes, the museum is currently looking for a qualified welder: the plan includes modifying a coach in the collection. ‘Wishful thinking’ are not words that apply to this museum which boasts 160 volunteers who are passionate railroad people with the grit and sound judgement that is already on display.

A beautifully restored sanding facility (sand house) furnished with every essential tool for locomotive maintenance sits track-side. An Eagle Scout earned his certification roofing the sanding facility which sits in its original location down track from the working turntable.

An impressive locomotive shed is home to a working switch engine retired from refinery work along with a very interesting MOW crane. Note: large chest below headlamp on loco is not a toolbox, it is the cabinet housing for the sand cylinders.

The cab of the diesel switcher is impressive as a static piece of industrial equipment, but our guide offered to start it up which further impressed the heck out of me. Nothing better than the sound of a diesel locomotive coming to life. Doubly impressive that our guide effortlessly cold started this large diesel locomotive.

The Milwaukee Road used MOW vehicles as do all railroads here are two interesting examples:

Speeder used to haul men and tools when coupled with a trailer, it was propelled by a simple gas engine seen here in its own shed at the Heritage Center:

Another MOW vehicle was a tractor equipped with rail traction and coupler: soft rubber tires carry the vehicle over the tracks, rail wheels align with rails, operator engages hydraulics to slowly lay the rail wheels in place on the tracks, rail car couples with tractor thus making simple switching functions in the yard possible. The tractor was limited to sideways movement on the rails, it is a unique and interesting piece of railroad history.

Note: sand cylinders and coupler with lower piston to adjust height

360,000 pounds of heavy duty machinery, this rail crane boasts two engines: one for the wench and one for the swiveling deck, it is also one big crane that is capable of lifting a locomotive off its trucks. Pictured on the deck of the behemoth crane car is a thick heavy cast steel yoke used to fasten either side of a locomotive shell for lifting and/or righting a locomotive after derailment. This too is operational although it was not running during our visit.

Two interesting original Milwaukee Road cabooses include the standard bay window design used by numerous North American railroads, but a big difference applies to the two in the Heritage Center collection. On the left can be seen the standard design caboose mounted to a very long deck matching the overall length of coal cars used by The Milwaukee Road.

Bright paint and lettering adorn the exterior of the 01960 caboose while inside the caboose shows its original charm and splendor in you are tough as nails, sport steel toed work boots, overalls with plenty of mends and grease. Otherwise these cabooses were full of hard steel edges and no much in the way of ‘comforts of home,’ but railroad people are durable to machine and weather visiting these rare cabooses gives a window of working life of the end car.

The original turntable is fully operational with a few coaches alongside, a recent newsletter comments on the feasibility of rebuilding the roundhouse, it will be a fascinating addition to this impressive museum.

Membership is reasonably priced at $25/year: http://www.montevideomrhc.org/membership.html

Address: Milwaukee Road Heritage Center-Milwaukee Road Depot, 301 State Road – Suite 1, Montevideo, MN 56265

Lastly: I briefly mentioned the HO scale model railroad earlier in this post, but it too deserves a few words as it encapsulates the history of Milwaukee Road railroading in Montevideo, MN which was an important layover for cattle coming from the Dakotas and heading to Chicago. Several digitally operated F7’s make their way along a very large layout with many scratch built structures and scenery plus custom painted mural surround.

Siding: the locomotive axle bearings were greased with packing within a hinged covered box referred to as a journal box

upgraded Timken bearings can be seen on the 360,000 pound crane which does away with the journal box

 

Excursion: Great Northern and Cascade Railway

A few hours drive from Seattle to Spokane in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state is a small railway for railroad enthusiasts, it circles the station at Skykomish and offers free rides to all who climb aboard: all day long!

The small railroad encompasses a complex design featuring a snow tunnel, masonry tunnel, and bridge. Along the route the train embarks on a well landscaped trip with the Cascade Mountains naturally framing the town of Skykomish, WA.

Sixty volunteers donated their time and energy to lay the extensive track work 5 years ago whose organization owns a couple of locos and ride on cars. A surprisingly fun ride that includes two separate loops around the station and outer perimeter of the property, it even includes a very nice locomotive shed.

Inside the station visitors can enjoy displays of early Great Northern Railway artifacts, its porch serves as a very good viewing platform of the active BNSF mainline.

The most Northerly Transcontinental Railway line in the United States the Great Northern Railways connected St. Paul, MN and Seattle, WA until 1970. The natural landscape in this part of the United States is spectacular with many train sightings possible as BNSF operates long trains of mixed freight and unit trains of lumber, mineral, and petroleum. The drive alone is a recommended spectacle, and railroading history is an added bonus.

Siding: a very rare small crane for moving blocks of ice is part of the collection of the Great Northern and Cascade Railway

Excursion: California State Railroad Museum

A railroad museum of particular interest to railroaders of all ages is this one in Sacramento, CA: California State Railroad Museum: https://www.californiarailroad.museum/

Located in Sacramento the museum is situated in what is called Sacramento’s Old Historic District alongside several blocks of rebuilt historic merchant and railway buildings.

A day long adventure with 2-4 hours in the railroad museum alone. Very friendly museum staff and guides describe the history of early railroading in CA and the West.

The museum’s exhibits are on par with other well regarded museums: large ambitious dioramas and restored trains.

photos (above and below): Built in 1862 (Philadelphia) and in service November 1863 (Sacramento) Central Pacific Railroad No.1.

photo (below): Virginia & Truckee Railroad No. 12 Genoa, Baldwin, Philadelphia 1873

photos (2 above/2 below): North Pacific Coast Railroad No. 12 Sonoma, Baldwin, Philadelphia 1876

photo (below): Virginia & Truckee Railroad No. 13 Empire, Baldwin, Philadelphia 1873

The train collection is rather small in comparison to other railroad museums most notably the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, but it is very strong on what it has including the final steam locomotive purchased by Southern Pacific: 4294 cab forward locomotive with tender. I was in awe of this loco for its sheer mass and size, and several groups in the museum at the time were in awe too! It should be noted that not all locomotives are on display at any one time, it is notable that the collection owns 8 of the surviving 45 full size steam locomotives built prior to 1880.

Southern Pacific 4294 cab forward steam locomotive built by Baldwin 1944, it featured oil fired tender with a combined weight of a million pounds.

Displaying fine early and rare steam locomotives is one facet of the displays in the museum which also includes a Santa Fe F7 and a display model modern aerodynamic electric by Siemens.

For toy train collectors there is a display including a few Marklin gauge 1 examples and Lionel Standard Gauge trains, I did not have the time this trip to tour this part of the collection, but I understand it is very good!

Along a wall on the way to the exhibit hall is an early railway regulator built by Seth Thomas in pristine condition and lettered for the Santa Fe railroad, it is perhaps the finest American railway regulator I have ever seen. Keeping trains on time and schedules tracked was helped by precision eight-day regulator clocks such as this fine example that incorporated a mercury pendulum which compensated for changes in ambient temperature.

Sometimes museum displays can go off the rails and detract from the historical importance of that which is exhibited, but in the case of the late 1920’s CN sleeper coach featuring moving train simulation it is WOW! Utilizing dim original lighting fixtures this coach from the ‘heavy weight’ era is fully furnished with original folding seats and bunks found in Pullmans of this era. The periodic flashing strobe light in the darkened windows give that passing scenery affect fully accentuated by the gentle rocking of the entire coach car, one has the going back in time feeling (sorry for cliche).

The AT & SF Super Chief Cochiti dining coach starts with a tour of the large kitchen followed by the dining room set up with tables dressed with china sets from various railroads: a great collection in and of itself. The appointed tour guide played chimes appropriately tuned for breakfast and dinner announcement.

photo (below): near the loco shed sits a brightly painted Union Pacific caboose with operating number 25256

A superb example of a crane is this one located at a siding for loading and unloading trains arriving in Sacramento, CA.

Capping off a fun day at the museum is the museum shop featuring lot’s of very good railroading books. And check ahead for featured excursion trips!

Lighting Unit for SJ Talsvagn: FR accessory upgrade

Scandinavian railroads are almost exclusively represented in Z by Freudenreich Feinwerktechnik (FR) which also includes Swiss and German prototypes. And less frequently PKP (Poland) and FS (Italy). Almost a year ago after many years in the plan and design stage the 1960 Talsvagn coach was released by FR in its first version with 2 “two car” sets with 1990’s paint scheme (blue with red stripe). Since this release there has been 6 more releases with early brown paint scheme (1960’s-90) and current NetRail paint scheme. Built into the design of each 1960 Talsvagn coach is the ability to retrofit a custom light panel manufactured in Germany by Passmann (Unna, Germany) and sold by FR as an accessory for this coach type. First a list of Talsvagn coaches thus far released.

FR’s releases are sometimes limited to a stated number while others are open editions, but all FR items should be considered rare as each is produced in small batches. The following is a list of 1960 Talsvagn coaches thus far:

46.220.02: open release (available to order)

46.220.12: open release (available to order)

46.220.42: limited to 25 total

46.220.52: limited to 25 total

46.221.02: open release (available to order)

46.221.11: open release (available to order)

46.221.42: limited to 25 total

46.221.52: limited to 25 total

Accessory lighting panel FR article #FR-TV #PA-512 is an LED light panel designed specifically for the 1960 Talsvagn coach, it is a flicker free lighting panel comprised of numerous LED’s which evenly illuminate in realistic terms. It is another outstanding accessory available from FR. Installation is easy (3/5) for those that have decent soldering skills. Instructions are included but lack English text which is not an issue at all because there are nearly 20 very good photographic illustrations.

I have a few notes to add to the included instructions that might be helpful for others retrofitting their coaches:

1. wheel sets pick-up the electricity from the track to power the light panel, each truck is connected with a wire to soldering points at each end of LED circuit board, insulated wheels should be located to one side of truck and this orientation should be carried out in the opposite position for other truck thus each truck’s pair of insulated wheel sets connect with different rails

2. whisker pick-ups should be carefully bent at 30 degree angle, 1.3mm brass bolt (kit includes 2) secures brass electrical pick-up to truck (FR accessory socket wrench 46.221.91 is designed for this bolt size), carefully reinstall wheel sets in aforementioned orientation. NOTE: before screwing bolt in place double check the pre-drilled hole goes all the way through truck housing otherwise the bolt will snap off!!!!!

3. one wire is included which should be cut in half or cut to length, before proceeding tin each end of wire (use of a little water soluble flux is advised), solder end of each wire to bolt protruding from truck with a little flux (touching soldering iron to bolt is better than wire to prevent melting of insulation (solder follows heat thus it is advisable to touch the thing you want to solder versus the wire, tinning the wire expedites the joining making it faster and easier)

4. reattach trucks into chassis with wire through pre-drilled hole, solder wires to solder points on circuit board, test LED panel before affixing to roof! Note: before soldering check orientation of circuit board with interior detailing, capacitors should fit snugly within compartment at end of car

5. roof attaches to circuit board with preinstalled double stick tape, but before installing double check middle clip on roof aligns with panel between window panes versus window otherwise the clip will be seen through the window and it will look terrible. Note: if a mistake is made with roof misalignment after LED panel is installed it will be very difficult to correct so double check/double check!!!! before gluing LED panel to roof!

Special Note: FR’s accessory light panel for the 1960 Talsvagn is easy to install with excellent instructions provided in a step by step format. Please do not deviate from the step by step instructions: all soldering should be quick and take place away from contact with plastic parts that melt thus do not install circuit board to roof panel before soldering wires to circuit board. And do not attempt to solder wire onto truck’s bolt after truck is reinstalled in coach body. All soldering takes place when trucks are separated from coach and circuit board is unattached to roof panel. Tinning wire before soldering makes things a lot easier as it allows for the wire to instantly grab the thing being soldered with minimal heat exchange.

 

 

SBB: FR Freight Car Set 41.345.12

The recent release of an SBB 2 car set by FR with type Xas73 ballast cars is already sold out, it took just a week for all 22 to be sold, but the obvious appeal is evident in this highly detailed metal car set.

For Era IV-VI, type Xas73 ballast cars are mechanically operated hoppers loaded with railway ballast: an operator can open and close 4 separate discharge gates by means of large handles modeled in FR’s car set.

Ballasting railway right of way is an important function of MOW services, but not many examples exist in Z at least for the SBB (Swiss Federal Railroad). Paint scheme of gray with white lettering is based on the prototype, this same paint scheme has been used with other rolling stock of the SBB not limited to MOW traffic.

Limited to 22 sets only is a very small edition compared to the sizable releases by Marklin and others. I was lucky enough to see it listed on the FR website and ordered immediately, one more reason to frequently check in with the FR website, registering your email with Harald Freudenreich will also ensure that you receive the semi-annual newsletter.

Car set comes packaged in the standard FR plastic box silkscreened with the FR logo, dense foam lining keeps the cars safe.

Pulling the ballast cars is a BR Re 4/4 II for the SBB. This general purpose locomotive was released by Marklin for Z in 2012 as item #88590.

 

 

Notes from a Marklin Insider: Precision and Z Scale

photo: Marklin 88091 KPEV BR P10  (Insider Release – 2003)

I received Marklin Insider Club News in yesterday’s mail, it features a two page 25th Anniversary chronology of the Insider Club in Z. The article highlights the collector Rolf-Dieter Woerz who is a long time Marklin collector and enthusiast, he was at the very beginning of mini-club in 1972! And he was a first year subscriber to the Marklin Insider Club!

photo: Marklin 81436 DRG BR 61 (loco from Henschel-Wegmann set – Insider Release 2005)

Mr. Woerz comments on the precision required in Z: “If you build in Z, you can’t cut corners.” How how true!

photo: Marklin 88010 DB BR 01 express locomotive and tender (Insider Release – 2012)

Whether gluing a shutter on a laser cut building or weathering rolling stock precision is demanded every step of the way. The right tools and techniques are part of this so called precision, but patience and confidence mirror the same. Research , time and experimentation help build the foundation for precision work while personal charm and expertise form the working methods that can be used for success in Z.

photo: Marklin 88053 DRG BR 53 loco and condensation tender (Insider Release – 2007)

In celebrating post 301, I hope to continue to share my insights in Z scale. And I hope to help others avoid mistakes that I have made along the way.

photo: Marklin 88183 DRG BR 18.1 express locomotive lettered for 1936 Olympics (Insider Release – 1996)

Siding: Marklin Insider Club membership in the United States is just $99/year and includes the magazines: Insider Club News, Marklin Magazine, and catalogs. It also includes an invitation to purchase Insider locos plus each member gets a free car in their selected gauge. As Florian Sieber states: “The Club is not there to make a profit, but to be a platform to promote communication.”

photo: Marklin 88294 DB BR 96 heavy freight locomotive (Insider Release – 2013)

Marklin Insider 81352: “DB Freight Train for Coal Transport”

“Remarkable things come in small packages!” An often used expression with new and veteran Marklin Z enthusiasts, but never as true as with model 81352. Here is a class 80 tank locomotive one of the smallest German steam locomotives used for shunting and general regional freight traffic exquisitely realized as a smooth running Marklin Z gauge locomotive heading 5 cars loaded with coal.

Note: photos only show 4 of the 5 coal cars!

What can be said of this locomotive referred to as “Little Bull” in the Marklin literature is all positive, it features glazed window openings, very detailed running gear with side rods of great complexity, superb weathering, LED headlamps, and brushless motor. And it looks great! Cars too!

Type 0 10 and 0 11 wagons loaded with removable coal inserts complete the Era III set.

Much care and attention to detail went into the production of this latest Insider release that will add a high level of realism to a prototypical mid century layout. Weathering was presumably applied with airbrush, but the level of quality maybe difficult to match even for the more experienced modeler.

*MBZ cardstock building #16058 (weathered) available exclusively in the United States from Reynaulds

As a bonus the train set included an unfinished brass casting of the locomotive shell, it is remarkable to see the unpainted and unfinished casting next to the finished loco which suggests the massive amount of handwork that takes place before these sets reach the collector.

A real stunner of a train set!

Siding: tucked nicely inside the small cockpit of this loco is a new brushless motor described as maintenance free, but other aspects of the loco require the usual maintenance including periodic oiling of wheels (as little as necessary which is not much) and wheel cleaning.

 

Buying Marklin Z direct from the distributor

As a bit of an experiment I decided to buy what I consider to be a quick sell-out of the recently released railbus 88171 directly from Walthers. It was bought partly on impulse and partly to ensure getting one of these before they are sold out; they are already sold out at the factory even before arriving at Walthers in Milwaukee, WI.

My experience with Walthers apart from visiting their store/warehouse in person a few years ago is limited to ordering from them through the dealer network, I have never bought directly from them before.

Walthers policy is to charge full list price so as not to compete with their dealer network which is a good policy, but why do they sell to the public at all? The hour I spent in their tiny showroom in Milwaukee was full of customers some buying hundreds of dollars worth of items, and I guess they were as happy to pay full list price as Walthers was to charge them full list price.

The Walthers warehouse and showroom is not as appealing as the catalog much of which has to be called up to the counter to be seen. And the warehouse is a fairly unremarkable building, but I have to say the salesman at the counter were friendly and knowledgeable thereby offering a good place to find everything featured in their thick catalog and in stock.

Ordering from Walthers website was easy enough showing items currently in stock with prices. No problems at all placing an order! The downside was the order took a little while to ship from their warehouse (credit card is not charged until item ships), the small little item arrived in a big sturdy box, but the the Marklin railbus was not properly secured with wrapping thus separating from the plastic box entirely, luckily it did not scratch!

For collectors of Marklin Z it is probably best to order through a dealer at least for discounts, but also for individualized attention and guidance. Plus MHI releases are only available to dealers who are part of that subscription program thus not available directly to the public through Walthers. And some of the best stuff in Marklin Z are MHI’s!

Siding: Marklin’s 88171 Uerdingen VS 98 railbus is SUPERB with fully realized interiors and interior lighting with LED’s. Paint and lettering is crisp on this highly detailed model. Paired with the motor car (88166) available as an upcoming release this will be one of those must haves for collectors.

Marklin 81371: “Heavy Freight” Train Set (factory weathered)

Marklin’s Era III 81371 train set is still available but in limited supply: 499 sets. The train set features the heavy freight loco class 44 paired with 6 hoppers. Striking in appearance, the set features realistic heavy weathering and detailed running gear. Lot’s of action from greatly improved side rods is what’s going on in Z at Marklin these days: steam locos with grit and character more closely resembling their prototypes than ever before.

Manufactured well before the Second World War and through it until ’49 the BR 44 was a heavy hauler freight locomotive. Its numbers approached 2000, but not all locomotives stayed in Germany, twenty five percent stayed within the railways of PKP, OBB, CSD, SNCF, and DR after the war and today all but two remain operational.

The 81371 locomotive with operating number BR 44 1754 features 10 coupled and powered driving wheels with smoke deflectors. Weathering on the locomotive is tinted red with light but heavy application leaving all inscriptions legible which is a fine trick and difficult to achieve. The prototypical color of the weathering is suggestive of the acidity created by the mixing coal soot and steam on the sides of the iron boilers and plates.

Marklin has been slowly releasing weathered versions of locos and rolling stock after regular versions have debuted. For modelers looking for more and more realism these Marklin weathered items are tops! Surely impossible to weather as well as Marklin has done here certain talented folks out there could attempt the same with airbrushing, but color is as important as technique, and I am glad not to have to attempt it here!

*Archistories Prussian brick loco shed gives accurate scale to this loco thus providing historical context as well.

Six type Ootz hopper cars weathered with sooty black complete the set with lettering Erz IId. No coal loads are included, but the empty cars include weathering throughout their bays. This car type included two partitioned sections each with sloping hoppers for very quick dumping of bulk materials.

Siding: airbrushing results are far easier and trouble free with water based paints likewise water based final coat of clear lacquer should be considered to protect your work.

Siding: 81371 comes packaged in a carton housing cartons for 2 sets of 3 hoppers and 1 for the loco, item numbers printed on the cartons is as follows: hoppers (81371-01 + 81371-02) and loco (81371-03). Boxes are important to collectors and keeping them pristine is important too: open flap boxes with a butter knife to save from denting and dinging. And no butter on that knife!