Toiling Trabbi – Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahn's rendition of a popular LEW electric by Roco

Entry posted by NGT6 1315 October 25, 2013

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Morning all!

As you will have noticed, this is the first new entry on this-here blog after my move to Leipzig, and fittingly, we'll be looking at a class 143 locomotive connoisseurs of the German railway scene will know to have originated in the former German Democratic Republic. Furthermore, the model we'll be looking at depicts a 143 owned by Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahn – abbreviated as MEG – , who are a freight TOC headquartered at Schkopau, located 11 kilometres south of Halle and therefore almost halfway between there and Leipzig.

Edit – 9 April 2014

Due to some fleet restructuring measures, I parted with the "old" DB Regio 143 a couple of months ago, and will be replacing it with a modified model which Roco are to release this summer. So, let me just copy over the general loco profile for the 143 so that you can still look up this information.

So, as usual, let me begin by outlining the development and technical background for this class, which since German unification has proven to be a valuable pillar of Deutsche Bahn's regional locomotive inventory – though several locos have since found their way to private operators as well. Overall, the story of the family of locomotives now known as classes 112, 114 and 143 is quite complex, and also very much reflective of the political workings in the former East Bloc, in which context they need to be seen.

History and development

The first electric locomotives to have been designed and built in the German Democratic Republic were the classes E 11 and E 42 – known as 211 and 242 from 1970 onwards as well as 109 and 142 after reunification – whose prototypes appeared in 1961 and 1962. These were Bo‘Bo‘ configured, 2,740 kW locomotives with a top speed of 120 and 100 kph (75 and 62 mph) respectively, with the E 11 having been meant primarily for passenger work and the E 42 having been more of a mixed traffic loco with slower gearing, but higher tractive effort. However, they were rather simple designs even for the standards of the time, and not really up to par with West German designs like the hugely successful E 10/E 40 family. Nevertheless, 96 and 292 units were built respectively and many of these were indeed carried over into the unified DB AG inventory, but retired until about 1999. A couple of either class survive in service of a number of private TOCs.

The remainder of the 1960s then saw significant indecision on the side of the GDR's political leadership where the future of railway development was concerned. The big question at the time was how the large inventory of Deutsche Reichsbahn's steam locomotives should be replaced. Around 1966, the points were set, so to speak, towards dieselisation initially, which but meant that it was necessary to procure large mainline diesels which could not be produced in the GDR proper. This was due to COMECON obligations on one hand as well as the fact that the GDR loco builders – much like those from West Germany – were specialised in diesel-hydraulics, which could not yet be built with a power output of about 3,000 kW at the time. Thus was created the V 300 family of Co‘Co‘ configured diesel-electrics, which included the class 132 (232 after reunification), built by the Lugansk Locomotive Works in the Soviet Union. Of course, the availability of cheap oil from the Soviet Union was another contributing factor in favour of dieselisation.

However, the situation changed by the early 1970s when both the Western world and the East Bloc began to be permanently affected by rising oil prices in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, meaning that the GDR had to deal with reduced crude oil imports. As a result, further electrification was back on the agenda by about 1976, with the lines radiating from Berlin having had priority, closely followed by those in the brown coal mining country in the Lausitz. As the class 211 and 242 locos had since proven to be less than optimal for heavy passenger and freight trains – even in MU formation – a new generation of electric locos needed to be designed, the first of these being the famous class 250 (redesignated 155 in 1992) Co‘Co‘ locomotive first presented in 1974 and put in production from 1977 onwards. These were to be complemented by a new Bo‘Bo‘ type, the first specifications for which were brought forth by the Engineering Research and Evaluation Centre (Versuchs- und Entwicklungsstelle Maschinenwirtschaft, VES-M) at Halle in the summer of 1973. These defined a platform from which both a 160 kph/100 mph capable express passenger variant as well as a 120 kph/75 mph mixed traffic variant could be derived, which were provisionally designated as classes 212 and 243 respectively. In September 1973, the sketches were forwarded to the People-Owned Locomotive and Electrical Engineering Works “Hans Beimler” (LEW) at Hennigsdorf near Berlin, who were the only factory to have remained specialised in electric motive power and had evolved from a former pre-war AEG production facility. There already were a few design changes at this early stage, such as the inclusion of a LEW-designed quill drive with conical rubber suspension elements which was also part of the 250's design. You can find an earlier blog post about Roco's rendition of the class 155/250 electric here: The East is Red.

What followed next was a brief dispute about which of the two variants defined in the original proposals was to be built. While VES-M (renamed, quite simply, to Railway Institute/Institut für Eisenbahnwesen, IfE in 1979) and LEW insisted that their design was perfectly safe for use at up to 160 kph and could be built without hesitation, the Reichsbahn‘s technical directorate maintained that a top speed of 120 kph was sufficient for the GDR‘s railway network, and would eventually prevail in light of the fact that it had political backing. However, it would, of course, turn out that allowing for a top speed of 160 kph during the design stage had been a wise decision several years later when the 160 kph capable class 112 locos were, in fact, procured shortly after reunification.

In early 1982, the prototype for the new locomotive was presented, called 212 001 at the time. After it had been exhibited at the Leipzig Spring Fair, the loco was first powered up at the Jüterbog depot on 5 July, and then transferred to the Halle depot under its own power, there to begin its trial phase. As the loco was, for the moment, fitted for 160 kph, Halle was a logical choice insofar as several sections on the Halle – Bitterfeld – Lutherstadt Wittenberg line were capable of handling that speed. The trials were specified to include the following stages:

measuring phase,
operational tests,
depot level servicing tests,
repair works level servicing tests, including a full disassembly and the rebuild to the 120 kph top speed intended for the production locos.

The last stage commenced in September 1983 when the loco was transferred to the Dessau repair works, there to be stripped down and given a slower gearing as planned. From that point, it was designated 243 001 and resumed its route trials from the Dresden depot. The first batch of twenty production locomotives was delivered in 1984, followed by eighty in 1985, 100 in 1986, 110 in 1987 and 114 in 1988. The last class 243 loco, designated 243 659, was delivered on 2 January 1991, bringing the total number to 646. One thing which should be pointed out was that the running numbers were not strictly sequential, with the numbers ranging from 001 through 370, 551 through 662 and 801 through 973, and these sequences not being uninterrupted either.

The following years then saw large numbers of the class – redesignated 143 from 1992 onwards – transferred to what used to be West Germany, where they quickly found a new home in several regions. Most notably, they began to take over suburban services in the Ruhr area from the Bundesbahn class 111 locos, which at the time happened to have reliability problems as a consequence of their operational pattern of frequent acceleration and braking from and to a full halt, for which they had not been explicitly designed. Other locos were allocated to Baden-Württemberg where they took over regional workings in the Black Forest, and to freight services around Dortmund. After the creation of DB AG in 1994, they spread even further. On Nuremberg‘s suburban network, which has been operated with loco-hauled sets of the same „x“ type coaches also found in the Ruhr area and is currently being converted to class 442 EMUs, they replaced the original class 141 locos – which were even older than the 111s, had no electrodynamic brake and which – according to various sources – even were the target of complaints by residents along the lines who disapproved of the „popping“ noise from their low voltage tap changers.

In a parallel development, the class 212/112 express locos with their 160 kph top speed were procured from 1991 onwards, intended as a stop-gap measure to augment the DB and DR motive power inventories for use on the increasing number of IC and IR services from the old states to Berlin and other major cities in the new states. In total, 128 class 112 locos were built in two batches, with the first batch eventually being transferred to DB Regio and redesignated as class 114, and the second batch – also known as class 112.1 and fitted with LZB cab signalling – by 1 January 2004.

Another plan called for upgrading significant numbers of class 143 locos to a top speed of either 140 or 160 kph, so as to replace older ex-Bundesbahn class 110 electrics. 143 171 was thus chosen as the testbed for the 160 kph upgrade, receiving modified gearing, strengthened windscreens, new SSS 87 type pantographs with carbon damage detectors, rotational motion dampers and augmented braking equipment as well as modifications to its train protection suite and being redesignated 114 101. Likewise, 143 120 was given the less extensive 140 kph upgrade which did not require modified gearing and yaw dampers, and redesignated 114 301. The cost of both upgrades was calculated to be around 300,000 € per locomotive for the 160 kph package and 40,000 € for the 140 kph package. The latter was thus considered sufficient, but only a small number of locos have actually been rebuilt. At this time, either upgrade has been put on hold.

Meanwhile, 112 025 had been allocated to the Central Engineering Department (formerly known as VES-M/IfE) in 1992 as a departmental loco, later to be redesignated accordingly as 755 025, and then anew to 114 501.

Of all 143s to have been built, around eighty have been withdrawn over the years due to various accidents. Many of these withdrawals were related to the fact that the loco‘s body is easily deformed even by light impacts, usually folding immediately behind the cab which almost inevitably constitutes an irreparable damage. On the other hand, twelve locos have been sold to two other operators – both of which are DB AG subsidiaries – with 143 041, 069, 186, 191, 286 and 874 having been transferred to RBH Logistics and 143 179, 204, 257, 344, 857 and 864 to Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft (MEG). Also, the prototype 143 001 remains in service till this day, now being property of Arcelor Mittal and having been brought largely to the same standard as the production locos.

While the first scheduled withdrawals of 143s commenced in 2008, all three classes from this family remain an important part of Deutsche Bahn‘s motive power inventory, the 143s usually working regional express and stopping services on lines where their 120 kph top speed is not a problem. Also, significant portions of suburban services in the Ruhr area remain in the hands of the 143 for at least the next few years.

Technical description

The 112/114/143 – I will use only „143“ in the remainder of this article for easier reading, unless there should be differences specific to one of these classes only – are Bo‘Bo‘ configured locomotives whose bogies have a wheelbase of 3,300 mm and a welded steel frame consisting of two longitudinal beams, one central transversal beam and two auxiliary transversal beams at both ends. The central beam also carries the bearing for the pivot pin, while the outer transversal beams facing towards the bufferbeams are depressed in the centre in order to allow sufficient clearance for the draw gear and axle load compensator. Between the bogie and the locomotive body, helical Flexicoil springs provide primary suspension and also serve to centre the bogie after curves. Rubber pads prevent the bogie frame from colliding with the inside of the running frame. Primary suspension also consists of helical springs which are augmented by hydraulic shock absorbers. As previously mentioned, an axle load compensation device is installed as well, consisting of a pneumatic cylinder which provides a downward force to the outer end of each bogie while accelerating from a stop and thus reduces the risk of wheelslip on the leading wheelset. Similar mechanisms, though also based on cable pulleys, have been used on Swiss locomotives such as the BLS Re 4/4. The wheelsets have cylindrical roller bearings which are sealed against dirt and moisture while the suspension arms are attached such that both lateral and longitudinal movements and shocks are absorbed.

The wheels have a diameter of 1,250 mm in new condition and a permitted minimum diameter of 1,160 mm. They consist of disks which are pressed onto the axles and have separate tyres. Flange greasers are installed on the outer wheelsets of both bogies and are actuated though a speed-controlled mechanism. Likewise, sanding units are present as well, also acting on the outer wheelsets only.

As previously mentioned, power is transmitted to the wheelsets by way of a LEW-designed quill drive with connecting rubber elements and gear wheels on both sides. These rubber elements also carry part of the traction motors‘ weight, the other sides of which are connected to the bogie frames themselves with another set of rubber elements – the rubber suspension ensuring the motors being insulated from shocks, thereby preventing damage.

The locomotive‘s body is based on a welded running frame consisting of two main longitudinal and transversal beams each – the latter of which double as bufferbeams – and a number of additional longitudinal and transversal supports, including those holding the pivot pins located above the bogie centres, as well as those located under the transformer. The pivot pins themselves extend to a height of 600 millimetres above the rail heads. The body itself is a welded assembly consisting mainly of steel, with the cab fronts, roofs and sides, the engine room bulkheads and sides as well as the four engine room roof elements being principal subassemblies. The engine room sides are corrugated, adding distinctiveness to the locomotive‘s appearance, while each of the roof segments – consisting of aluminium rather than steel – can be removed independently as required for internal maintenance. Rooftop walkways are provided, while the ventilation grilles in the pitched roof planes are fitted with dirt interceptors. The cab sections had an angular transition to the roof plane up till 143 298, followed by a rounded transition beginning with 143 299.

The loco‘s pneumatic braking gear consists of eight brake cylinders in both bogies, acting on two-sided tread brakes, and are complemented by a mechanical handbrake acting on the 2nd and 3rd wheelset. Brake controls include a multiple-lapped indirect brake valve and a direct shunting brake valve. In addition, the pneumatic brake is blended with the rheostatic brake, which in turn is dependent on OHLE power to be available for excitation. The pneumatic brake offers four settings – G, P, P2 and R – , with the P2 and R settings offering speed-dependent brake force adjustment. The „high effect“ setting is activated from 70 kph onwards, and deactivated when decelerating below 50 kph. The brakes also provide wheelslip control during both acceleration and braking.

One main compressor and one auxiliary compressor are provided, the latter being capable of running under battery power when the locomotive is completely powered down, and provides sufficient air for actuating the circuit breaker and pantographs. The main compressor provides 124 cubic metres of compressed air per hour and feeds two main air reservoirs, which have a capacity of 400 litres and operating pressure of up to ten atmospheres each. Other pneumatically powered systems include the windscreen wipers and washing nozzles, sanding units, flange greasers, and various switches.

The cab interiors are one of the most innovative elements of the 143. While the control desks were designed to mirror the same general dimensions and instrument placement also found on all other post-war DR electrics, they were also set up such as to also allow for easier handling and better workplace ergonomics than on previous classes. Improved ergonomics had been considered especially desirable in light of planned electrification projects which would increase the locomotives‘ operational radius even further. Design work for the cabs was carried out in a joint effort by the Bureau of Industrial Design, Railway Institute (IfE) and a collective of external design experts titled „Shape and Society“. This was an ongoing project which was even supported by constructing wooden cab mockups and placing these on flatcars, which were then propelled over numerous lines the locomotives were to work on in order to evaluate the suitability of the numerous suggestions which were entered into the process.

Among the numerous new items to be implemented on the production locos were indirectly lit instruments for good readability at night, and a driver‘s seat which included a mechanism to automatically move it backwards by about one foot upon the driver getting to their feet to work from a standing position, such as while shunting. However, the single most innovative feature was the loco being equipped with a power control suite built around a sophisticated speed control device. While this system was fundamentally similar to the AFB suite which had first been introduced on the West German class 103 and 111 electrics and later installed on a wider variety of newly designed motive power, it was explicitly intended to not just be an extra, but the standard operating method for the class. In the most general terms, the 143‘s control suite allows the driver to set target values for running speed and maximum tractive effort, with the controls then automatically governing the tap changer and dynamic brake as required. With the 143‘s control circuits being based on a logic board-based computer which had been fairly advanced for its time, the power control suite also provides various supplementary operating modes to suit different route and timetable profiles which the standard mode is not completely suitable for:

„Freier Auslauf“ (roughly: „Free Power-Down“) can be triggered to manually shift the tap changer to idle, with the automatic brake governor also being disabled so as to allow the loco to coast along with neither power nor dynamic brake force applied.

„Bedingter Auslauf“ („Conditional Power-Down“) is intended for maximising acceleration for tight timetable situations or short distances between stations. To this end, the tap changer will remain powering up till just before reaching the selected target speed, after which the control suite will automatically switch to „Freier Auslauf.“ In this mode, the wheelslip control circuit will allow a greater percentage of „creep“ as well to maximise adhesion by way of allowing the tap changer to shift up to two notches higher at any point during the acceleration phase than in normal mode. Consequently, it is recommended for the driver to manually order a power-down ahead of time by way of the provided „Delete“ key as required because the loco might else exceed the selected speed.

„Nur Fahren“ („Power only“) is intended for uphill gradients, and has the controls disregard the dynamic brake altogether. In other words, using this mode, speed is controlled only by powering up and down, relying on gravity and friction to slow the train as required rather than engaging the dynamic brake, for which purpose the tap changer must have shifted down to idle, usually leading to an unnecessarily large speed loss due to the time required to run down to idle and power up anew.

„Nur Bremsen“ („Braking only“) is the opposite to „Nur Fahren“ and is intended for longer downhill gradients, preventing the tap changer from powering up, with speed being governed only through the dynamic brake.

The same system was also used on the class 156 locomotives, which but never left the prototype stage and whose only four examples are now in service of Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahn. As I also have a model of this loco, you might also have a look here: Mega-Trabbi: Gützold's rendition of Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahn's class 156 electric.

On the electrical side, the 112 and 143 were the first DR locos to be factory-fitted with single arm pantographs – prototypes for these having been tested on various older locomotives, including a pre-WWII class E 18. These pantographs are known as the VSH 2F2 type – with the later class 112.1 160 kph locos having been fitted with improved versions, called VSH 2F4 and 2F5 – and feature double carbon heads to allow the loco to operate with only one pan raised. The supporting insulators were designed for a tension of 25 kV, though the locomotive was meant to operate under 15 kV only. The VSH 2 pans consist mainly of aluminium, provide an upward force of eight kilonewtons and require 12 to 16 seconds for raising, and five to seven for lowering.

On the 143 and 112.0, two pantograph cut-off switches were provided on the roof, enabling each pan to be electrically separated from the busbar. These switches were deleted on the 112.1, however. The busbar is supported on 25 kV insulators like the pantographs, but at a distance sufficient for 15 kV only. The circuit breaker is an air blast type and located on one of the inner roof segments, towards the Cab 1 end.

The oil-cooled transformer is located in the centre of the engine room and weighs in at 11,400 kilograms. It has a maximum output of 3,820 kVA for the 31 traction taps, and 95 kVA for the auxiliary taps. The ETS tap is fed with 996 V AC at 16.7 Hz and allows for a maximum current of 840 A. The transformer is coupled to an electrically powered, thyristor-assisted tap changer designated as LNSW 12, providing 31 power notches. Maximum motor voltage is reached on the 28th notch, with the remaining three notches being configured with different input/output ratios and intended as „booster“ notches to be used in low OHLE voltage situations. The thyristor modules are intended to allow for what is basically stepless motor voltage control.

The single phase AC traction motors were developed from the type used on the class 155 freight locos and were designed to be interchangeable with these, though an adaptor would have been required. They have twelve rotor poles and are forcibly ventilated, and attached to two-sided LEW-designed quill drives. The motor blowers draw air from a settling chamber inside the roof, with the coolant air then being routed through the motors and back into the engine room in order to augment air circulation there. The rheostatic brake utilises an array of rheostats stacked inside a forcibly ventilated cooling tower inside the engine room and is available only as long as all four traction motors are functioning. The 143 has a rated power output of 3,720 kW, or 4,988 hp.

All auxiliary devices – which term includes the previously mentioned primary compressor; traction motor, tap changer and transformer blowers, as well as coolant oil pumps for the transformer and tap changer – are fed from a 380 V/50 Hz three-phase grid, which in turn is supplied from a rotating inverter located centrally under the locomotive‘s frame. In addition, all control instruments and systems are fed from a 110 V DC circuit.

All class 112.0 and 143 locos were factory-fitted with a DR standard push-pull control suite, utilising a 34-pole control cable with upward facing sockets in a pair of outriggers extending straight down from the bufferbeams at the body‘s corners. On the batch of 143s known as the 143.8 series, this system was expanded in functionality in order to also allow multiple working. Moreover, those 143s assigned to suburban services with „x“ type coaches on the Ruhr and Nuremberg networks as well as all class 112.1 locos were given the West German time-multiplexed push-pull control package known as ZWS, or the frequency-multiplexed variant known as FMZ. As of today, however, the majority of all remaining 143s as well as all 112s utilise the time-multiplexed ZDS system for multiple working, with ZDS, ZWS and FMZ all using the 13-pin UIC command cable.

All locomotives from the 112/143 family are equipped with a dead-man‘s device, which works on a randomly set time interval, as opposed to the standard West German variant which is based on a fixed 30-second interval. All class 112.0 locos as well as the majority of 143s are fitted with an Indusi train protection suite – in the shape of either the East German PZ 80 system or the West German I 60 R variant. With its original programming, the PZ 80 system offered braking curve and speed checks for the full speed range up to 160 kph, but spaced at 10 kph intervals. Conversely, the West German Indusi software offers only three larger speed ranges known as „O“, „M“ and „U“ and calibrated for thresholds of 160 kph, 120 kph and 100 kph. However, those locos with PZ 80 instruments were converted to the same PZB 90 type software found on all other German locos in the meantime. Additionally, all class 112.1 locos and a small number of 143s are equipped with LZB cab signalling, coupled to the common PZB 90 system.

Externally, the 112 and 143 have appeared in a variety of liveries over the years. In the GDR, all of the then-243s wore a variation of the DR standard livery for electric locomotives, with the body being maroon with a narrow white stripe across the lower headlights and along the lower sides, the frame being dark grey and the bogies and other underfloor equipment having been light grey – which of course quickly attracted dirt and made these sections look like anthracite or even black. After German unification, the 143s soon started to appear in the oriental red livery with light grey frontside warning panel inherited from the late Bundesbahn, with the 112s having been given that livery from the factory. Additionally, many of those 143s detached to suburban services in old West Germany eventually appeared in what then was Deutsche Bundesbahn‘s common livery for suburban trains – light grey with a broad orange and narrow yellow stripe, located horizontally right below the lower edge of the windscreens, with dark brown bogies. Eventually, all 112s and 143s were given the standard traffic red livery with light grey frontside warning stripe, dark grey frame and black bogies. However, the prototype 212 001 was initially presented in what was considered a rather striking livery by GDR standards – this featuring a white body with two broad orange stripes, running from either end of the loco to the centre of the body and then angling up and down respectively, and with the frame and bogies being black.

Meanwhile, those 143s now owned by RBH wear the company‘s silver livery with dark blue cabs and logos, grey frame and black bogies, while Arcelor Mittal‘s single 143 now has a bright orange body with grey frame and black bogies. Those 143s sold to MEG retain the standard DB traffic red as the base, though with MEG logos and running numbers as well as differently set light grey warning stripes around the headlights and lower fronts added.

The model

In recent months, Roco have announced a number of limited runs of various class 143, or Deutsche Reichsbahn class 243, locos to be released throughout the following year, marketed as a commemoration of the 243's 30th anniversary. The model we'll be looking at right now is one of these special releases, offered with catalogue no. 73421 and produced in a series of 150 examples. It depicts MEG's #601, also known as 143 179.

In 2006 and 2008, MEG obtained a total of six 143s from their parent TOC, DB Schenker. These were numbered 601 through 606 internally, the numbers corresponding to the following national running numbers and works numbers:

MEG 601: 143 179 – 18928 – built 1986

MEG 602: 143 204 – 18953 – built 1987

MEG 603: 143 851 – 20301 – built 1988

MEG 604: 143 257 – 20140 – built 1987

MEG 605: 143 344 – 19586 – built 1988

MEG 606: 143 864 – 20314 – built 1989

As you can see, MEG's livery is not much different to Deutsche Bahn's. Their 143s are frequently set up as MU pairs, either among themselves, with the company's class 156 Co'Co' electrics, and indeed the three locos from MEG's stock of class 155 locos which have been upgraded with 143-type cabs and controls, and been made MU capable. Funnily, MEG 143s have occasionally been hired back to Deutsche Bahn, actually working stopping services in the Halle/Leipzig region, as a matter of fact. It's also interesting to note that Deutsche Bahn themselves no longer use any 143s in freight service, whereas MEG, RBH Logistics and Arcelor Mittal (who now own the prototype 143 001) still do on a daily basis.

Roco's 143/243 model was first released in 1994, and been treated to a few gentle updates in this recent release. Specifically, it has been updated with one pair of UIC cable sockets on both cab faces, whereas earlier releases had been equipped with only one socket per cab, reflecting the earlier standard for this class. In addition, I noticed the windscreen wipers – while still moulded on – have been coloured black. As the wipers have been set to a vertical resting position on the "big" 143s, this would have been another sensible update for Roco to have carried out. I might yet think of a way for representing this particular detail...

As 143 fans will be aware of, all locos beginning with 143 300 were built with a slightly modified body with a more rounded outline to the cab roof sections. However, the model of 143 179 correctly reflects the original body style with angular cab roof planes.

As per the revision grid, 143 179/MEG 601 had her last revision completed at the Dessau works (LD X) on 8 November 2007. The model also features the expanded braking weights table, reading as follows:

R+E 126 t

P+E 118 t

R 95 t

P 81 t

G 67 t

Handbrakes: 2x 13 t

As you will be able to notice, I already treated the loco to my rooftop detailing routine...

....replicating the flexible cable connectors across the busbar maintenance gaps with bits of thin brass wire, fixed in place with tiny dots of CA glue and highlighted with aluminium paint. Similarly, I highlighted the circuit breaker casing with Revell #378 Dark Grey, which is a very close match to the RAL 7012 tone used for solebars and rooftops on DB motive power nowadays.

And the following pair of images shows MEG 601 set up as a pair with MEG 801, the first of the company's four class 156 electrics which I also featured separately in my posting, "Mega-Trabbi."