Author Archives: garygraves

Railex: Maintenance of Way

Maintenance of way rail vehicles comprise all equipment that performs some type of track maintenance. In the 19th century a weighted tender fitted with a plow and lanterns was used for snow removal. Advancements in snow removal have been made in a variety of ways for the past 150 years, Railex’s Epoche 1 snow plow looks a bit primitive by today’s dedicated snow plow locos and snow blower locos.

Railex – K.Bay.STS.B. type weighted tender with fitted plow. Epoch 1.

Siding: For modern snowplow locos take a look at FR’s SJ Tc/DLL snowplow loco.

Railex: Locomotives

Railex locomotives are not known as good runners primarily because they don’t have motors! Pure mechanical master pieces made of brass with working side rods. A company with very little web presence also makes some of the finest “Z” items, but it is challenging to find them anywhere for sale except of course online. Not having a motor is no problem, that solution was cleverly found with “ghost’ locomotives which are coaches or box cars modified with motor and transmission. These locos chug right along with a little help from a big brother. Thus far 19th century German steam has only been modeled by Railex who also make early era rolling stock and coaches. Every Railex item is identified with their logo, but build quality is also a signature identifier. Take a close look and you will also see the engineer peering from around the cab.

from top:

Railex – K.Bay.STS.B B VI Kreittmayr steam locomotive with peat burner and tender. Epoch I. Working life 1869-? Beige color scheme. Loco used for Ludwig II royal trains. Operating number 425.
Railex – K.Bay.STS.B Tristan B VI. Epoch I – 1865 version. Working life 1865-1912 (scrapped). Beige color scheme. Operating number 316.
Railex – K.Bay.STS.B Vils C II Bavarian freight loco with tender type C n2 3T class CII, named Vils. Epoch I. Maximum speed: 45km/h. Working life: 1867-1900. Green/black/gray color scheme. Operating number 362.

*Siding: Railex items come packed in a black box with gold foil label. 19th century German steam locomotives have often been compared to toy trains in appearance. Or vice versa!

Z-Modellbau: Locomotives

Z-Modellbau locomotives are the smallest working z gauge locomotives today. And they run perfectly despite their small size and relative weight. How do they do it? Precision engineering and manufacturing are evident when you have one of these superb locomotives in your hand. Z-Modellbau also produces models of prototypes not covered fully by Marklin including operating shunting locos for NS.

Z-Modellbau – Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS (Dutch State Railways) class SIK shunting locomotive, full metal construction with coreless motor.

Siding: Marklin has produced several car sets for NS including 82376, 82522, and 86304, all were Marklin “Export” models for the Netherlands.

FR Locomotives: Switzerland

Switzerland is home to many exciting railway adventures. And many model railroaders gravitate toward modeling Swiss prototypes and scenic byways. FR’s first foray in Swiss z locomotion was modifying Marklin locos, one such example is the class Ae 3/6 electric. Not a great runner out of the box, FR redesigned it with an FR custom circuit board and motor with a flywheel. In order to allow the flywheel to spin freely window glazings had to be removed on that end of the loco. But another very interesting loco for Switzerland was designed and built from tip to toe by FR for the railway Rorschach Heiden Bergbahn, the model is entirely constructed of metal with separately applied details, and the first model of a cog railway prototype in ‘Z’ scale. It also incorporates the new technology of coreless motors.

Marklin 8851 loco modified by FR with upgraded FR circuit board and motor with flywheel. The brass flywheel can be seen in photo #3. I purchased this second hand, it was missing all the glazing. Later I found a shell with complete glazing, and I was able to file the bottom edge of glazing, with very careful positioning I was able to keep all glazing intact. The running characteristics are very good with the FR modifications.

FR – Rorschach Heiden Bergbahn (RHB) class Fzeh2/4 cog railway locomotive privately owned and lettered for RHB in Epoch 2 paint scheme.

*Siding: FR recommends teflon based oil instead of Marklin oil for its locos available from Hightech Modellbahnen.

FR Locomotives: NSB

The first and only NSB locomotive to grace z scale is the EL-18 produced in partial kit form by FR. FR delivered this loco with the shell painted and lettered, it was up to the new owner to make modifications in order to install the snowplows. What is an NSB locomotive without snowplows, and these are very well cast metal plows painted yellow. The modification of the FR EL-18: 1. remove shell 2. trim and level bottom edges of shell either end 3. spot/retouch paint if defects arise from leveling 4. using only epoxy attach each snowplow and hold in place until epoxy has become permanent (plastic glues will melt the shell making for poor results) 5. set shell aside after assembly of both plows are completed 6. chassis: remove both trucks 7. truck modification: trim each just behind coupler (couplers need to removed to allow shell with plows to be installed) 8. holding truck together make a very small pilot hole into the outer edge of truck which will be held together with a screw 9. install screws in each truck, epoxy maybe applied to screw head it is at all loose.

FR #47.198.10 – Norges Statsbaner AS (Norwegian State Railways) NSB, class EL-18 electric locomotive with snowplows. Edition size: 30.

Siding: FR’s NSB EL-18 is based on the Marklin SBB 460 locomotive series which is another very successful series by Marklin. And a great performance loco in ‘Z’. The prototype is also similar to the SBB 460 with modifications, it has proven itself as highly successful locomotive for Norway being used to haul freight and passenger coaches.

Sidings

An idea occurred that might be useful for organizing related notes about information contained in these posts. This section will be titled “Sidings” which can be searched under this category. A Siding is a special note given with a post that connects with things outside the post.

MSI’s: DB passenger coaches

Very few Marklin Special Imprints of passenger coaches exist in comparison to other car types. Many of these never made it to the United States dealers, and today they are usually only available through secondary market or German dealers. Part of the fun is the search, and Ebay can sometimes be the only option, but a careful eye on dealer websites can sometimes be helpful. Some dealers are now featuring a category for consignments on their websites. Putting a special imprint in your train set can add uniqueness and specificity that not everyone can lay claim to. Pull up a chair with a cold refreshment and start hunting!

1a. 87295 – German Railroad, Inc. (DB AG) type DABz 756 1st and 2nd class coach in “Traffic Red” paint scheme. Two sided special imprint car: side 1- idee+spiel – 1000 Spielwaren-Fachgeschafte.

1b. 87295 – German Railroad, Inc. (DB AG) type DABz 756 1st and 2nd class coach in “Traffic Red” paint scheme. Two sided special imprint car: side 2- EUROTRAIN – Modellbahnen 1. Klasse.

2. 87296- German Railroad, Inc. (DB AG) type Dbz 751 cafe car 2nd class in “Traffic Red” paint scheme lettered ZugCafe. Destination signs: RegionalExpress RB50 Dortmund Hbf. One Time Series 2001/02.

3. 8716.1728 – German Federal Railroad (DB) “Silver Coin” 2nd class coach commemorating MIBA’s 40th Anniversary.

4. 87399 – German Federal Railroad (DB) type 2nd class coach with special imprinting: KUNSTHALLE TUBINGEN. Special edition car produced to mark the occasion of Marklin Exhibition at Kunsthalle Tubingen art museum, Tubingen, Baden Wurttemberg, 11/15/2003 – 2/15/2004.

*Siding: Marklin 87399 coach is same car type as the coaches found in Marklin’s 8135 train set “Dompfeil”. It is also a compatible coach for repainting for SJ service, FR has a stencil kit available to convert these coaches to SJ.

FR: SBB rolling stock

SBB and DB are the big heavy weights in Marklin’s long list of z scale offerings since 1972. Much has been produced for SBB, and much has not been produced in SBB. Marklin certainly isn’t to blame for any missing locos or rolling stock, the SBB has a rich and varied history and probably too much to cover by a single manufacturer. More on this topic will follow, but for now let’s talk FR’s SBB rolling stock. For the first time in z FR has produced K3 box cars types and other interesting items for freight hauling in and around the charming and majestic landscapes of Switzerland.

FR #ZF300a – BBC, type Fbkk hoppers for recycling haulage, lettered for the firm BBC. Full metal construction.

FR #ZF300c – SBB, type Fbkk hoppers for recycling haulage. Full metal construction.

FR #41.331.01 – SBB, type K3 box cars.

FR #41.331.02 – SBB, type Gms box cars formerly K3

FR #41.331.11 – BT, type X286 (former K3) box car

FR #41.331.12 – SBB / Sersa, type Gleisbauwagen V (former K3) box cars.

FR #41.331.22 – SBB, type Gms (former K3) box cars with graffiti and weathering. Limited edition: 25.

FR: DB rolling stock

FR’s DB rolling stock includes numerous box cars some in two car sets. Examples in this selection are out of production including mail wagons and a metal box car.

FR #49.334.71 – DB, type Gms30 box car lettered for Goggo Motor Roller.

FR #49.341.11 – DB / Deutsche Bundespost, type Post 2 ss-t/13. Full metal construction. Prototype from 1976.

FR #49.341.21 – DB / Deutsche Bundespost, type Post 2-s/13 SS. Full metal construction. Prototype from 1967

FR #49.343.31 – DB type Gms54 box car lettered for KALDEWEI. Full metal construction.

FR: SNCB rolling stock

One two car set for the SNCB is currently produced by FR, it features the early ‘B’ Cargo design: dark green paint scheme with yellow lettering and gray roof.

FR#32.334.02 – SNCB, type Oppeln box car lettered for B Cargo.

Z Trains Weekly

World of Z scale trains!