Category Archives: NSB

Atelier Barkvieren (AB): NSB Locomotive Class EL-16

By now collectors of FR Freudenreich of Germany should be aware of Harald Freudenreich’s new company: Atelier Barkvieren (AB). The only significant change has been logo and rebranding: articles continue to be presented in custom acrylic boxes with new logo ‘AB’ in red versus FR’s former blue logo. The recent release electric locomotive for NSB as Class EL-16 is evidence of Harald’s continued high level of design/craftsmanship/execution in Z gauge.

Locomotive could be ordered analogue or digital, I ordered mine as analogue. As with most locos produced by Harald Freudenreich this one is no different exhibiting substantial weight for pulling long trains. Further this loco has a maintenance free motor which he has installed in locos for years prior to Marklin’s current practice.

This is a lovely loco with very bright red paint scheme and yellow snowplows. Paint scheme is distinctive as it is used by the NSB Railway (Norwegian State Railways). The former company FR produced another electric loco for NSB as Class EL-18 (47.198.10) in an edition of 30. This loco included a modified Class 460 Marklin shell repainted and lettered, it included a snowplow that required separate installation by collector following small modification to shell. Surprisingly Marklin never produced this loco in Z although one was produced for HO, perhaps a future release is in the making?

FR 47.198.10 Class EL-18: snowplows are cast metal, they were glued on to shell after shell modification unlike locos that followed with plows attached to truck assembly

Performance of this loco is exceptional of course with 4 operating lights activated for direction of travel, but trailing lights are not included. The loco I ordered is non-digital, it is robust, but motor noise is noticeable perhaps due to my basic test track installed directly on plastic table, cork or foam roadbed will certainly deaden the sound. Not sure if the digital version includes sound, and I don’t know if it features a VELMO decoder. My train collection is mostly for display thus opting for the analogue version of this loco made sense for me. I have digital FR locos and a few Marklin ones too, and they provide an experience running trains on par with their HO ccounterparts with surprisingly loud and defined sound features.

AB 47.137.11 Class EL-16 + FR 47.819.02 “Motortransport”

Detailing includes numerous add-on parts including mirrors that are silvered. Roof equipment is well detailed and pantographs are item specific and scaled accurate unlike the more generic Marklin pantos.

Paired with the earlier release freight set: 47.819.02- Norges Statsbaner AS (Norwegian State Railways-NSB) “Motortransport” 4 car set with two pairs of permanently coupled type Hccrrs autotransportwagens privately owned and lettered for Auto Transport Service A.s. Drammen. Four car set includes 2 pairs locked together with drawbar and vestibules.

FR Week: NSB Auto Transport 47.819.02

Auto transport is one type of freight all world railroads carry as a load, but in Norway autos are sheltered from vandals and the elements in enclosed boxcars. Type Hccrrs auto transport cars are very interesting in design and function owing to their unique appearance. A bellows gangway connects the cars with signage lettering for Auto Transport Service A.s Drammen.

FR’s attention to detail and precision manufacturing is evident in these cars, much time passed between announcement of the new release and availability: several years in fact. Modeling the bellows connection slowed release until a perfect solution was achieved. Design and manufacturing are slow going processes that perfectionist manufacturers like FR have in common with other firms thus if not as many releases are coming out of your favorite manufacturer it is probably due to how much they care about getting it right.

Model: metal construction with permanent metal drawbar connecting pairs of cars with marklin couplers.

The cars in this set are sold in pairs with item ending in ’02’ indicating two pairs thus this item number is 47.819.02 (47 indicating country code for NSB).

Z-Modellbau: NSB shunting locomotive

Well covered in other scales is the small shunting locomotive types, Marklin has yet to release a motorized/non-mortorized version of the the Kof, but with new advancements in brushless motors perhaps they will in the future.

Z-Modellbau like other small precision ‘Z’ manufacturers offers locos and rolling stock Marklin does not.

Engineering masterpieces of the smallest size Z-Modellbau has lead the field in releasing not just Kof locomotives but also railbuses and steam locos.

Years ago Railex and Schmidt were the first to release non motorized Kof’s, but Z-Modellbau is the first and only to offer motorized versions.

Impossibly small size without limitations on operating characteristics these are precision locomotives with brass gearing and 10V motors.

The manufacturer cautions taking these apart, but they also explain they are maintenance free so no oiling just cleaning the wheels and track is sufficient to keep things working well.

Aesthetically these have a 5 star “WOW” factor, they are beautiful to behold with separately applied nickel handrails and brake hoses plus crisp lettering and flawless paint. This loco has window glazing too!

Description of the model: painted and lettered for NSB (Norwegian State Railway) class Skd211 (Kof II). Enclosed cab with non working headlamps. Maintenance free brushless 10V motor. Marklin compatible couplers of unique design. Z-Modellbau article #3113.

Perfect Partners: Archistories, FR, Z-Modellbau

Three manufacturers from Germany are probably the best small manufacturers in Z gauge today, each complementing one another with prototypical accuracy, precision engineering and design plus high quality material build. Each has their niche filling in where Marklin has not including early Prussian building kits, Scandanavian locos and rolling stock plus small locomotive classes untouched by any other manufacturer of Z.

The smallest operating locomotive in Z is represented in the offerings of Z-Modellbau, here is a Kof II painted and lettered for the NSB Railway coupled to FR Freudenreich’s container car for the SJ.

Far smaller in length than a single container car this locomotive features a brushless motor and brass gearing with metal shell.

In another photo a Prussian car-shop is juxtaposed alongside the tiny Kof II locomotive classified Skd211 for the NSB.

Siding: Kof style locomotives are essential for shunting and regional service with simplified operating procedures, a no nonsense locomotive with many useful duties. I plan to operate this one along a pier for shunting harbor freight.

quality-toys-trains on Ebay is the only USA dealer for FR and Z-Modellbau, Andreas is a trusted seller of rare Z!!!

Repainting Marklin 8135 for the SJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Part 1

photo: FR 46.130.31 – RC-2 locomotive for SJ

Marklin has paid little attention to Scandinavian Railroads in z gauge. There have been releases such as the 4 MY locos (brilliant series!!!!) and a few interesting freight cars, but never has there been attention paid to Sweden, this country’s railroads are left up to the never ending achievements of Harald Freudenreich at FR.

photo: FR 46.816.01 – Kis 950 sliding roof car for steel slab transport on SJ

Marklin has covered the SJ railway in HO only while FR has devoted much of their time in recent memory to SJ and other Scandinavian railroads. FR offers some Swiss, German and Austrian items currently, but Harald’s devoted fans come to him for Scandinavian trains.

photo: FR 46.132.01 – Ra 987 Express Locomotive of the SJ

Some of the most interesting railroads in the World are located in some of the most interesting natural wonders in the World. Light, geography, and climate combine to create the beautiful Scandinavian landscape, but for trains it is challenging, cargo has to be protected from a rather brutal climate with some box cars lined with heavy insulation to protect from permafrost and autos transported in closed boxes. More on this topic at a later date.

photo: FR 47.812.00 – insulated box car for the NSB

The topic today is a project I have been interested in starting for awhile now, it is the repaint of Marklin 8135 coaches for the SJ Railway. Although FR has paid much attention to freight rolling stock, they have not released coaches for the SJ as of this date with one exception. An announcement was made earlier in the year that coach sets are coming to market later this year, but in the meantime I am making my own custom set using dry stencils provided by FR a couple of years ago. The exception was a proposed project of many years that was finally released last year, it was a Marklin coach modified for SJ. The prototype was based on German built coaches used in ferry service in Sweden. In order to model the prototype FR repainted and stenciled the coach after cutting the shell to remove a window thus shortening the coach. I own this coach and the craftsmanship is flawless.

photo: FR 46.299.00 – type litt AB8k 1st and 2nd class coach for ferry service to Germany. The top coach is the modified Marklin for SJ by FR, and the bottom coach is the original standard coach by Marklin.

Why refinish the 8135 coaches and not another set of coaches? Good question! Set 8135 was released in 1991 and included coaches built in Germany that were also used on the SJ. The historical perspective was provided by FR who also provided the stencil kit for relettering the coaches and a paint chip for the correct shade of reddish brown used by SJ. Painting and other details will be discussed in Part 2 and 3 respectively.

photo: deluxe box train set “Dompfeil” of the DB

The first installment of this project is disassembly of the coaches. It is okay to be a little nervous disassembling Marklin coaches, but all things Marklin are built to take apart, each part is snapped or clipped together without glue. Repainting projects in Marklin Z are not necessarily recommended by this railroader, they potentially will diminish the collectible value, but in my case I own two 8135 sets which I like very much, turning the second set into SJ coaches is a bit necessary since I collect SJ locos built for express service.

On with the project! First step is identifying the set for repaint, in this case the historical background was already researched by FR. The set for repaint is Marklin 8135 released with a BR 03 express loco in a deep blue paint scheme. The set was released in 1991 with three 2nd class coaches and one DRG dining car. This was a deluxe boxed set presented in a high gloss illustrated carton. The running performance of this loco is superb, and it looks great to boot!

photo: 8135 locomotive and tender – BR 03

photo: 3 coaches disassembled with their respective parts including shell, trucks, weight, roof, and window glazing.

Step 2 includes the removal of the roof which is easily accomplished by very carefully pulling it off, the roof is clipped on and starting from one end seems to be the way to do this successfully.

Step 3 involves the removal of each car’s pair of trucks, carefully swivel each truck to the side for leverage and using a small screwdriver gently pry the truck off by moving back and forth around the pivot point, it will snap off. Note: torquing as seen in the photo is necessary for removal of trucks, but please use care.

Step 4 using a small pair of tweezers and starting at one end gently loosen the window glazing held in place with prongs in the base of the coach. Take note of the indents that line up with the roof clips for reassembly later.

Step 5 is removal of the weights. Using a small screwdriver remove the plastic heat points holding the weights down, weights will lift off easily from the posts in the bottom of shell.

This is one of those projects that allows a railroader to tinker with their hobby.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Siding: this set contains parts that are snapped or clipped in place, but older coaches used glue to cement the window glazing, in the case of older coaches window glazing will more than likely pop out with gently wriggling. Reassembly of early windows is accomplished with 5 minute epoxy only, other glues use solvents that might melt plastic. NEVER use a soldering iron in and around enclosed plastic parts, micro soldering irons should only be used on heat points to attach shell to frame and coupler housings with caution!

Hot New Release: FR’s Autotransportwagen Hccrrs 47.819.01 + …02

FR continues to offer unique items for ‘Z’ including the new forthcoming release of a two car “auto-transport” set for the Norwegian State Railway (NSB). The 2 draw-bar coupled cars are full metal construction representing fully enclosed auto-transport cars to protect from harsh weather and vandalism as described on the FR website. A bellows enclosure unites the two cars that conceal their contents without openings except for unloading gates on car ends. Privately owned by MOTORTRANSPORT A.S. Drammen this car type is classified as Hccrrs and registered with the NSB. Could these be one of the more unique railway cars, they certainly are designed for their country of origin! Lively colors make Scandinavian trains a real eye catcher to assemble and run in the countryside!

FR is accepting pre-orders for this carset with proposed release of May 26, 2017. And as with all FR releases this will be produced in small batches thus selling out fast. For buyers in the United States simply register on the site and price will be reduced automatically to reflect the deduction for Germany’s 19% VAT tax.

This carset is also available in two pairs with different reporting numbers under item number 47.819.02.

Harald Freudenreich is in a class of his own. Without FR Scandinavian railroads would only be represented by a few freight sets and NOHAB locos all of which are great pieces but small in number compared with Marklin’s production of Swiss and German.

Siding: FR locos brandish a unique coupling hook that engages seamlessly with standard Marklin couplers thus allowing for the much needed snowplows at each end. Freight cars are equipped with standard Marklin couplers thereby allowing remote uncoupling on Marklin’s specialized track section for this purpose.

Siding: Can motors of current design practice are installed in FR locos, combined with mostly metal construction FR locos have the ability for pulling very long train consists.

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.

FR: NSB rolling stock

Norges Statsbaner AS – NSB (Norwegian State Railways) is a neighbor to Sweden and thus any cross border deliveries of timber and other goods will likewise share rolling stock from country to country. FR’s inventory in this category includes lumber cars as well as climate sensitive box cars.

FR #47.334.02 – NSB, type Godsvognsett Gklms box cars. Set of 2 injection molded plastic cars with separately applied hand rails.

FR #47.805.01 – NSB, type Tommervogn Lps lumber car

FR #47.812.00 – NSB, type Kjole- og Varmevogn IbbIps insulated box car. Full metal construction. Unique box car design built with heavy insulation to protect goods from perma-frost and contrasting high temps from sun.

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