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Overseas travels leading to modelling that countries rails?


Allegheny1600

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Definitely an 835, of which FS still had 45 officially "on the books" as late as 1979, and they could be found shunting at many locations in the late 'seventies. The similar 830 and 851 locos had disappeared before this.

 

If you're happy to repaint that MZ (I suspect not), then aren't necessarily restricted to Denmark - the class having been scattered to Norway, Sweden, Spain and even Australia (though the differences in body details and cab windows might restrict your options).

 

I may be wrong (I often am!), but I understood a few 830s lingered on in private ownership as here. Stored locos were still to be seen in various locations along the coast. (mainly 625, 635 and 740s IIRC.

 

The MZ will stay in black with red cabs - A particularly attractive livery IMHO. (She has since been joined by a second MZ, an MY and an MR DMU, along with coaches and wagons to match).

For the unfortunate mortals, who have never seen this splendid example of Danish design:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSB_Class_MZ

 

And see (and hear - turn the volume up!) her in action here:

 

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I may be wrong (I often am!), but I understood a few 830s lingered on in private ownership as here. Stored locos were still to be seen in various locations along the coast. (mainly 625, 635 and 740s IIRC.

 

The MZ will stay in black with red cabs - A particularly attractive livery IMHO. (She has since been joined by a second MZ, an MY and an MR DMU, along with coaches and wagons to match).

 

Yes, I'd overlooked that FS created a second 830 class when it took over shunting at the port of Genoa in 1969. There were ten locos, including four of the original 830 class that had been sold into private ownership. However all appear to have finished by the early 'seventies, so I guess the year you saw it could indicate whether it was a 830II or an 835.

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Spent a long time posted to Germany and got around much of Western Europe then but the West German Privatbahn have had a lasting influence, also have dabbled in US but nothing serious. Living in NZ I have a bit of the local scene but will be returning to Germany for the next layout. I have an urge to get something running.

Kev

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Like the post above, it depends on one's view of overseas! I fell in love with Wales on my honeymoon there in 2001. That didn't directly lead to modelling a Welsh based layout, because at that time i was heavily committed to the "Deutsche Reichs Bahn, with a big H0 layout in progress and a heavy investment in loco's and rolling stock. And, to be honest, having been an assistant shopkeeper in a Dutch railway hobbyshop between 1991 and 1994, I wasn't all that impressed with what I remembered of British RTR stuff. All that changed when I got kids, a career and a old house to refurbish. The railway stuff went into boxes in the loft, and stayed there for 8 years. And when the railway bug bit again in the beginning of 2011, British RTR had made a considerable leap forward. So out went a lot of the German stuff to pay for new British stuff. At the moment I'm still tweaking my layout design, a fictional GWR branchline based on the Cambrian Railway, and set in the period 1939-1945. Hopefully there will be time and space for building the first part of my layout this autumn!

 

Sierd Jan

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  • 2 months later...

My old man used to work for the shipping side of Canadian Pacific, so various trips to Montreal resulted in an Athearn SW1500 and GP9 being purchased, along with various box cars when ever he was over there......ironically, I always asked for Canadian National liveried locos......!

 

I also had a trip to China in 2000, and saw the QJ's working over Jing Peng, so when Spectrum produced an HO model, a couple of those were purchased.

 

I've also been to Cuba chasing/driving/photographing the steam over there until 2006, so when Spectrum bought out the Outside framed 2-8-0 on On30 a few of those were also purchased.

 

Alas none of the above has ever resulted in a layout, but if anything was to get me building baseboards, it would be to build something Cuban in On30 scale.

 

Cheers,

 

Stephen

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I travelled to China in 1992 to chase steam for a fortnight. I was very interested in modelling CNR steam, ironically having to wait almost 20 years for ready to run stock and locomotives to address that desire.

 

I bought almost every China Rail video for years, then for some mad reason bought a couple of American vids. The one that started me on modelling 'modern' HO scale US was Sandpatch Weekend, purchased in about 1994. From the mid 90s until the early 2000s I modelled CSX and a daft freelanced Appalachian coal hauler.

 

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whoops - embarrassing freelancing

 

But the real influence was the purchase of a half-way decent digital camera and independent (ie no family distractions!) travel to Arizona and California for work from 2003 onwards. Love at first sight, the landscape, the weather, the people and the railroads.

 

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early days modding and detailing RTR locomotives

 

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one of my first digital photos from my first trip to California in 2003

 

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one of my most recent trips to California in September 2012

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mrs SM42 is from a place east of here (and I don't mean Norwich) and as a result of visiting the in laws in Poznan, the PKP holds a fascination. Perhaps its the two tone green locos.

 

My favourite Polish loco type? Have a guess......

 

This is on the back burner at the mo due to a dearth of useful PKP models (ET22 anyone ) and a lack of imagination / information on how to make some.

 

Another more recent trip has aroused a Dutch interest.

 

I am now stuck with a desire to carry on with British outline but planning all sorts of foreign type thingies and even then I'm torn between two countries. AAAAAAAARRRGGHH!

 

 

 

Andy

 

PS my favourite Polish loco: - SM42

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My overseas guilty pleasure is New Zealand. Many visits there with the day job created something of an unhealthy fondness for NZR steam locos, especially the Kb and Ww classes. I've models of both in the collection as well as some stock and they do get an occasional airing, although I've yet to build an appropriate layout for them. I'm on an East Coast HST at the moment, but when I return I'll post a couple of images.

Despite them being ugly as sin, I've also grown something of a liking to Polish steam locos. I normally try and get to Wolsztyn twice a year for some driving and firing and the otherwise unremarkable OL49 class 2-6-2's have really grown on me. Very simple and reliable engines to drive and fire and built like the proverbial brick outhouse. Unfortunately the only possibilities for models are either scratchbuild or expensive custom build.

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South America. Particularly Uruguay is fascinating. I cannot imagine modelling it, however, unless I moved there...

The old "commuting" lines out of Buenos Aires, Argentina are also interesting - they used to have a massive system.

 

Best, Pete.

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Hmm! Polish steam. You're right Bon Accord, not the most attractive things but if I had to be fond of one type it would have to be the TKt48, There's something about tank engines I like and for sheer bulk and wierdness I think these take some beating. Wolsztyn is a must if I'm in Pozanan at the end of April ( I do try and work it that way) . The apparent lunacy of Parada Parawozy is something I would recommend to any one. Mind you this year it appeared that Wielkopolska rail were completely suprised by it all; 3 coach train from Poznan, (SM42 haulage. YAY!) It was fine till the scouts got on. 2 x 2 car DMU back (doors stuck open for first mile). It made rush hour Tokoyo seem empty.

 

Like the OL49, the TKt48 is just a pipe dream and beyond my skills, mind you that can be said for most Polish motive power. The layout is planned, just has no trains. I know they Berlin - Warszawa express is a possibility but there are only so many of these that a layout can handle.

 

Anyone any idea what I can convert easily into an EN57?.

 

Andy

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As I mentioned earlier, here are a few of my overseas (NZ) indulgences, all taken on Ian Hammonds 'Kopikopiko' layout.

 

4-6-4T Ww class no. 480, now preserved at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. She was the star of something of an epic journey as she made her way into preservation from Greymouth to Auckland in 1969 - 800 miles across two islands under her own steam! It was all captured on film, watch from the 25:00 mark here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm7k19-d3fg

Not something you'd see in the UK, then or now!

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Kb 970. One of the NZR 4-8-4 'K' family, fitted with booster and confined to the South Island. The work of this class 'over the alps' and through Arthur's Pass with heavy freight is the stuff of legend. The Kb's are also featured in the aforementioned documentary, from the 04:10 mark onwards - worth a watch!

 

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A few NZR coaches.

 

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A dedicated layout for this lot is on the back burner!

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  • 4 months later...

I've always been into overseas railways, being Dutch I guess that's not surprising. My love for Austrian narrow gauge comes from the cuteness of the trains!

 

It was about two years after I bought my first HOe stuff before I got over to those parts of Austria where they actually run!

 

I'd love to do an NZ layout, having lived there for a good while. The only RTR models I've found are wrongly gauged (i.e. HO track instead of HOm) and diesel, and better sources greatly appreciated!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having a Father who was a railway civil engineer meant we had free European rail travel.  I remember as a child waking up in a couchette at Marseilles station with coffee, Orangina & croissants being passed through the windows and also being fascinated by platforms level with the tracks.  Therefore I'd probably have a bash at a model of St Raphael station or something smiliar.

 

However having only just got back into modelling about sixteen months ago I then went to NZ this Christmas to visit my fiancee's family.  Naturally a trip on the TranzAlpine was on the cards.  I now have a secret hankering to build a model based on Arthur's Pass as it has a nice scenic break at one end in the shape of the Otira Tunnel, there's a handsome bridge/river to build and the track plan includes a turntable.  With a bit of straightening out, telescoping in and artistic licence I think that could be rather a nice model and not too wide.

 

Now where can I get some Kiwi Rail rolling stock & locomotives  ;)

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Living in England, I'm not sure whether or not Wales counts as a foreign country but I've just got back from a short break there and we rode the Welsh Highland for the first time.Apart from it being absoutley fabulous I was vry taken with the SAR Garratts and found my self wondering whther or not to build a model of one. I know it wouldn't fit on my 32mm track nd the scenery is all wrong on my new lyout but they wee vry impressive beasts. I also reasilsed that as a 4 year old I had seen the lst LMS Garratt at Chesterfield before No 143, which pulled us yesterday, was even built. Anyway even SWMBO was impressed, and that's saying something even if we did have to ave 7 restarts and some hand sanding at Nantmor and Beddgellert tunnel.

 

Jamie

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  • 2 years later...

This is already an old topic, but I just stumbled on it being relative new on the forum.

The term overseas aplies for me to be outside continental Europe because I'm Dutch.

So my interest for the UK prototype is overseas modeling, but as I started visiting Uk's railways around the same time as I started buying models it doesn't fit in the topic tittle.

 

But for NZ this is true, I bought my first kits when visiting NZ 2009/10, a W class still to be built and some wagons.

A year later a second visit was made and some other kits were bought, my travel companion bought also 2 loco's and some wagons, these were built first by me fot him, a DE class diesel electric (An EE locomotive similar to a class 20, but of less power) and a Ww loco, still under construction.

In the meanwhile some other kits were bought via the internet, and very recently I added 2 ready to run loco's built from kits to my collection as the company (one man cottage industry) Online models was about to cease produktion and the owner, Ken Cousins, was to go to 100% retirement.

In the meanwhile I made up plans for a layout and the roling stock mostly will fit the theme, the unbuilt W class will be made up as one of 3 piston valve  Wa class with some spare parts from another class and scratchbuilt parts.

 

But at the moment I'm still working on stuff for my mate, I will start a new topic on that soon.

 

I have a comment on a statement made by "Il Grifone", that the UK was the first country in Europe to withdraw steam.

Although BR was one of the earlier companies to stop with the use of steam it was by no means the first.

That "honour" goes to The Netherlands, where the official last steam hauled train did run almost 10 years before most other countries in Europe, that was in 1958.

It might be even the first country in the world, as the USA was on a large scale dieselisation in the 1950's, but on some railroads steam lingered on into the early 60"s.

 

The last steam train in Belgium worked in 1966, in Luxemburg 1963, so the Benelux was the first steam free zone in Europe. Switzerland followed in 1968 with the UK.

Denmark was next, in 1971, then France in 1975 and Western Germany in 1977, Austria, Spain, Portugal and Italy also ended steam traction in the middle to late 70's, and most countries further east in Europe followed in the 80's and 90's.

 

Because the Netherlands were the first, even my parents don't remember steam, as all passenger lines apart from one in my region were electrified in the period between 1947 an 1949, both were born just before the outbreak of war and because travel was limited during these years they never saw a train before electrification.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Has anyone visited an overseas region without railways and 'invented' some to model?

 

It sounds a bit insane but I did this a few years ago.  After visiting the Turkish Mediterranean coast I designed a narrow gauge network between Bodrum and Kemer.  It was inspired by the small number of narrow gauge lines on the western coast around Izmir.  I figured that given the Germanic influence on Turkish railways, German and Austrian style stock would be about right... nothing to do, of course, with the fact that so much is available RTR from Roco and Liliput...

 

This area is full of picturesque locations with potential for spectacular seaside views, viaducts over dramatic gorges, tunnels etc... think Yugoslavia but more so.  I never finished the model but it is an idea I might return to again in the future.

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