Category Archives: Books

Battery Powered Locomotive from 1929? YES Behnke!

A locomotive that will surely garner attention on a Z layout is this small battery powered locomotive and trailer based on the prototype from 1929: Behnke release “1929 AKKUTRIEBWAGEN Muller.

Built by G. Muller in 1929 the locomotive appears to have been used for MOW service and yard work. Standing room only in the cabin this was a no frills work a day probably every day workhorse.

I sprayed the completed model in a dark red brown, followed by an inky black to top structures and finished with dry brush in a very dark gray to accentuate the details of the trucks and platforms. Headlamps are rendered in bright white paint with very fine brush.

Note: Behnke kits do not provide couplers, wheel sets or buffers, this model is awaiting buffers from FR available later in 2018.

Cranes Cranes Cranes! by Peter Behnke

Awhile back I featured a MOW vehicle for the SBB available as a printed shell through Shapeways, it is the design and handiwork of Peter Behnke who’s designs for numerous interesting Z are available at Shapeways.

Mr. Behnke prior to the printed Shapeway models produced small batches of nickel etched build kits for rail vehicles and industrial machines including cranes here we have four of those cranes:

1. 1944 KRUPP ARDELT Dier 1 

2. TAKRAF RDK 160

3. TAKRAF RDK 280

4. TAKRAF RDK 300

Finely detailed etched kits originally delivered without assembly instructions are now available with limited instructions from Scandinavian Shops or qualitytoytrains on Ebay. Numerous filigree parts and thin metal make for some challenges, but they get easier after the first one or two as does most things. Various levels of expertise will be on display for those who take on these kits including soldering and painting skills, but most importantly prepping and bending parts before assembly.

First: orientation to the parts sheet or as one person has said looking at a puzzle with no idea how it goes together

Second: separate parts from sheet and gently sand any rough edges

Third: gently fold parts following photo guides here or in the instruction sheet provided with current purchases through Scandinavian Shops *each kit will have unique challenges and instructions will become more of a distraction from common sense as anyone may attest that assembles these intricate and delicate kits

note: best tool for bending etched metal parts is “The Bug”, it is part of my essential Z toolbox:

The Bug is available at ZScaleMonster.com: http://www.zscalemonster.com/the_small_shop/

Fourth: soldering or super glue are the choices for assembling, I prefer solder because it is quick and gap filling

Fifth: a cleaning phase follows before painting, I use original Dawn liquid (blue) diluted in warm water and using a soft toothbrush gently go over all surfaces to clean off any debris or flux followed by thorough drying

Six: determine your paint color and either spray or brush water based paints, I do not recommend solvent based model paint for these kits, I have found it easier to apply layers of color with water based model paints and the flat surface appearance takes better to aging and weathering

Seventh: spray a diluted water based lacquer over the model to add durability to the painted surface followed by rigging the lines from hook to winding drum

Note: the kits do not provide some required parts including pulley wheels so some extra effort is required to fashion the essential parts for securing rig lines

Note: weighting the cabin is required for some cranes, test before securing cabin to deck, if it topples over maybe cement a small hex nut inside

Note: cranes can be assembled to allow the cabin to rotate on the deck of the crane, pre-drilled holes are provided, but tiny machine screws are not, I determined the placement of the cabin and soldered in place, I also soldered in place the boom which can also be assembled to move, but I do not recommend it: parts are to flimsy for continuous movement at the joint where the two meet

Note: the crane boom in all the kits is one piece featuring bending seams, I soldered all seams to ensure a solid construction, due to the nature of the parts SuperGlue will not work for this step as a gap filling material is required.

Note: soldering is easy with flux, I use water based flux applied to the area I want to solder with a toothpick, heating the material with a soldering iron makes the solder flow toward the heat and to the area to be joined *solder is not applied directly to soldering iron tip unless the area to be joined is too space restrictive *solder with a flux core is recommended with additional flux applied to the area to be soldered

Siding: the right tools make all the difference as with soldering the very best tool I have found is the Hako FX-951 soldering station, it features interchangeable tips, solder resistant pad, sleep mode with iron craddle, and multi function control box *best tool I bought in 2017!!!

 

 

FR New Release: timber hauling in Sweden 46.820.01

Last Fall FR continued their program of timber cars for Scandinavian railways with the release of 46.820.01 thus the 2nd for SJ preceded by 46.817.01, but the third release for a Scandinavian timber car including the earlier release of NSB’s 47.805.01 which is still available!

Two stacked loads of rough cut timber make up the load for this car which is a modified flat car type Kbps-X and current prototypical timber car manufactured by TAGAB in Sweden.

Model features filigree frame and injection molded stakes with fine painted detail work. Currently not available due to quick sell out of the 1st release, a second release is scheduled for 2018 according to the FR website.

This car comes packaged in a clear plastic box with FR lettering and dense foam insert which is typical for all FR releases. This handsome packaging securely and safely allows for display and storage of these limited release Z items.

 

New SJ L5 steam locomotive build kit from FR: Part 2

Not long ago I posted about FR’s recent release of the class L5 steam loco for SJ, it is a build kit, and I just received mine today! The kit is a well designed precision kit, it provides a rarity for Z modeling.

The kit comes packaged in a plastic container with numerous parts enclosed along with visual instructions. It is a kit that requires a Marklin 8801, 88956 or 8803 for motive power along with modification of the side rods and painting the wheels black. The cylinders were placed within the locomotive chassis in the prototype thus the cylinders are removed for this model.

Note: Marklin tender is not required for this kit which provides the correct prototypical tender for the loco.

For those experienced with building rolling stock in Z or working with nickel silver this kit is self explanatory, but for the inexperienced modeler this kit should not be the first. Accumulating some experience with building etched metal buildings should probably come first for new modelers: gaining soldering experience with bigger parts first will be invaluable for assembling the small parts in this kit. I am in the process of learning to do these kits starting first with the excellent non powered Behnke kits offered by Scandinavian Galleries Quality Toys. Behnke kits do not provide instructions and careful interpretation is required to fully understand how they go together, but they are excellent kits that combine gluing, soldering and bending of small nickel silver parts; they provide a good place to start before tackling the very interesting L5 kit.

The packaging of the L5 kit separates parts according to their purpose instead of throwing everything together thus taking care of the guesswork. The beautifully cast metal boiler and cast plastic tender trucks are included with etched nickel and add-on parts such as the buffers which are brass. The tender also includes a tiny circuit board to allow it to pick-up power with its three axles.

Note: The age old technique of picking up additional power from the tender’s wheelsets is a very effective way to increase performance of small steam locos through turnouts and the like!

Some of the add-on parts are super tiny so I highly recommend a very fine tip soldering iron as well as 5 minute epoxy which work hand in hand on models. Until I build this kit I won’t exercise a preference for using glue over solder and vice versa for specific steps, suffice to say solder will be used more.

Paint finish will be applied with airbrush and water based paint followed by decals provided.  A finish coat of clear water based acrylic is always required otherwise the finish and decals would wear.

The kit is FR Item #46.140.91, it is currently available.

What you need to complete the locomotive: 1. Marklin 8801, 88956, or 8803 2. water based paint best suited for airbrushing 3. patience 4. time 5. soldering iron and/or 5 minute epoxy 6. tweezers 7. Xacto blade for cutting parts from sheet 8. time 9. patience 10. magnifying binoculars

Be the first kid on the block to own an L5 SJ steam locomotive in Z!

Stayed tuned for my future post on the completed L5 along with some tips on building the kit.

 

Streamlined Tank Locomotive BR 61 001: “Henschel-Wegmann”

The legacy of Marklin Z collecting is the historical heritage charted with unusual locomotives such as those we can no longer see in person. Germany’s BR 61 001 was one of two locomotives used for express train service for the Henschel-Wegmann trainset: Dresden-Berlin Route. Two versions of the BR 61 001 have been produced by Marklin for Z gauge: original prototype version (81436 trainset) and post-war version (88610).

photos: Marklin 81436 – Henschel-Wegmann BR 61 001 (DRG)

Built in 1935 the BR 61 001 (DRG) was a carefully designed locomotive for speed and efficiency, its lightweight and streamlining including coaches allowed increased speed, plus hauling just enough coal and water for one-way travel allowed further weight limits thus replenishing supplies in Berlin or Dresden was an efficiency standard implemented by its design.

photos: Marklin Z BR 61 001 (DRG) *originally released by Marklin as the “Henschel-Wegmann” trainset 81436 included 4 streamlined coaches with matching paint scheme not pictured.

Note: Marklin 81436 was the 2005 One Time Release for Insider Members.

Speed was everything in the mid 30’s with the BR 61 001 competing with the speed record set by the 1932 “Flying Hamburger” of 99mph seen here as Marklin 88870: 

 

The BR 61 001 was no slouch setting a record 109mph which would remain unbroken for the Dresden-Berlin route through the next century.

photos: Marklin 81436 – BR 61 001 (DRG) original prototype

Post War the BR 61 001 was repainted and lettered for the German Federal Railroad and allocated to Bw Hannover. Its use was limited to 6 months in the late 40’s followed by 1 year of service logging thousands of miles between November 1950 and November 1951 whereupon it suffered serious accident damage, a year later (1952) it was retired and finally scrapped in 1957.

photos: Marklin 88610 – BR 61 001 German Federal Railroad (DB) post-war version

Streamlining of early German steam locos was perfected with the class 61 incorporating the tank locomotive concept with bold body contouring which allowed fast express train service, it was state of the art in the mid 30’s whose life was cut short in the early 50’s. Another example of preserved railway history in Marklin Z.

photos: Marklin 88610

Note: fine detailing and large brass steam whistle

Will there be a BR 61 002 released in mini-club? The more powerful locomotive built in 1939 featured larger water tanks, smoke deflectors and 3 axle bogie, such a release would complete the historical record of this locomotive class.

SJ L5 Locomotive: FR’s new release build kit

An important new release for SJ railroading in Z is FR’s L5 steam locomotive, it comes in the form of a build kit with etched metal parts, cast boiler, and SJ decals. Note: I ordered mine and in a follow-up post I will review the kit and step-by-step photos. If you are new to soldering and assembling nickel silver/brass etched kits either buildings or trains the right tools make all the difference for this fun and rewarding extension of Z railroading: stay tuned!

FR L5 locomotive item #46.140.91 is available directly from FR for a little more than $100 USD including shipping. Ordering from FR is easy and shipping to the United States is fast. Visit FR’s homepage http://fr-model.homepage.t-online.de/ and set-up an account. Note: 19% VAT is reduced from posted Euro pricing for United States buyers.

The finished model includes loco shell only and tender without wheels, to complete the project Marklin class 24 or 74 locos provide the motive power. At this time I am not sure the recent release class 74’s are appropriate for this kit due to their new side rod design, perhaps the class 24’s with tenders are better choices due to the inclusion of the tenders and its wheelsets(?). I will follow-up next week after receiving my kit!

As is always the case with FR postings, I wish to announce new releases by this small high precision manufacturer because their offerings quickly sell out.

Prototype: class L5 locomotive built by NOHAB in the 1930’s was designated as a branchline passenger and freight locomotive of which 5 were built in Trollhattan.

 

 

Z-Modellbau builds the legendary ML 2/2 in Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maffei built the ML 2/2 steam locomotive in 1906-1908, Z-Modellbau built it first as a Z scale model. The observation has been made many times equating the appearance of early German steam locos with toy trains, but the ML 2/2 was a hardy locomotive that proved it’s worth.

 

Built for the Bavarian State Railways the ML 2/2 was equal measure to the PtL 2/2 built by Krauss. Service duties included all such description on branchlines, and it could be operated by a single driver due to its semi-automatic gravity fed firebox. 24 locos were produced until it was retired in 1924.

Z-Modellbau has done it again with one of the finest Z scale locos ever available, the fine detailing of this loco has no rivals. And it is very small and true to scale with the prototype’s external cylinders modeled with smooth moving side rods of an ingenious design. This little gem is all metal construction featuring brushless motor and window glazing in the cab.

The ML 2/2’s place in history has been preserved in Z by Z-Modellbau, every inch of this is a masterpiece even though it’s total length is less than inch.

Running performance is superb at slow idle through full throttle.

Marklin’s 82391 (2005) high capacity coal hopper lettered for K.Bay.Sts.B is a perfect choice for this loco as well as Marklin small loco repair shed 89805.

Photo: here the ML 2/2 details are seen with coal bin in cabin roof and Marklin compatible coupler.

The scaling of Z-Modellbau locos creates a dramatic appeal on the layout due to their small size. Juxtaposed next to larger more powerful stream loco the ML 2/2 will stand out next to those towering express locos. Train sheds and buildings will also offer interesting juxtapositions and already there are buildings by Archistories and Marklin that fill in this time-frame for authentic prototypical railway scenes.

Photo: on a siding or near a loco shed the idling ML 2/2 will have great appeal on rural railway lines hauling passenger and/or freight.

New Insights: Faller 282711 “Klingenberg Station”

A couple of years has passed since Faller released the card-stock kit for Klingenberg Station, it is remarkably similar to the plastic kit “Guglingen Station” with exceptions. The exceptions include new use of laser cut card-stock with a combination of laser cut wood parts and plastic.

Laser cut card-stock has evolved at Faller and currently there have been a number of them released over the years of entirely new designs even for urban settings. The neat innovation with Faller is the use of masking, it was originally useful/essential for lighting plastic buildings to avoid glowing of the whole building, but the original masks served double duty and introduced another innovation with window details: drapes and curtains. Card-stock is opaque so no glowing naturally occurs when lit, but Faller continues to include masking simply to add interest to the windows of their kits.

Note: LED’s are recommended to for lighting Faller buildings due to their brightness and dimming controls. LED’s are also cool versus conventional hobby lighting which give off a lot of heat. Lastly LED’s will last far longer than traditional lighting.

This first kit included plastic roof sheathing which I painted to lessen the look of plastic and the wooden parts are a beautiful texture and color hard to simulate in paper. A good design based on the original plastic kit available for many years this transitional kit to finer detailed laser cut cardstock was a very good attempt to keep pace with the growing trend toward professional cardstock construction. Faller continues to combine laser cut wood parts into these kits, and they continue to innovate with new kits each year.

Siding: this building could be a very good contender for modeling a Scandinavian themed layout?

FR Week: NetRail coaches 46.220.52

The recent release of FR’s NetRail coach set was released on a very limited quantity of 25 sets total. Once a week look at FR’s website because some items like this are fleeting and sell out fast.

Continuing with another coach set of FR’s design and manufacturing is this third one for the firm NetRail. Paint scheme is very dark blue and cool white with silver roof. No class designation.

NetRail founded in the mid 1990’s sells and leases railway equipment that they maintain and refurbish.

Prototype: 1960-talsvagn

Siding: FR has proposed future releases of this car type with various paint schemes.

FR Week: Interregio coaches 46.220.42 + 46.221.42

Several firsts with the recent release of FR’s SJ coach sets, they are the first coaches designed and manufactured by FR, and they are the first SJ coaches modeled for Z gauge. Plus these sets include interior detailing first introduced by Z-Bahn a number of years ago, now it is a feature of new releases by Marklin and FR this being an example.

The two coaches set follow the attractive paint scheme blue with red stripe. Any paint scheme for the RC2 and 3 locos can prototypically pull these cars, it is up to preference. The coaches feature fine detailing and prototypically depicted metal window frames.

46.220.42 includes 1- each 1st class and 2nd class type 1960- talsvagn Interregio A+B

46.221.42 includes 1 2nd class and 1- 1st/2nd class type 1960- talsvagn Interregio A/B + B

Note: yellow stripe indicates 1st class and turquoise represents 2nd class.

The model has a unique solution for the car weights, it is seated on the undercarriage and features fine detailing in cast metal. Car sets are delivered without interior lighting, but lighting can be added and FR has provided pre-drilled holes in the trucks to allow for wiring.

Siding: several paint schemes have been proposed for later releases, they will represent various time-frames in SJ passenger travel.