balkan serbia 7mm Balkan O gauge (Croatia and Serbia)

[Devonbelle]

Hello all, I’ve been footling away for the last 4 months on an o gauge scratch built station.

 

All started last October when I was packed off to Croatia for a few days R&R by Mrs Devonbelle, who felt sorry for me after my taking her and our lads on summer holiday to Dubrovnik and there being no trains, last one left in 1976!

 

Upshot of the October trip I was bitten by the Croatian railway bug, loud American diesel locos, stunning scenery, stations that still have small signal box’s, station masters, mix of loco hauled passenger, DMU and freight services. I based myself in Split and was very taken with the achitecture of the country stations, when I travelled the Split Zagreb line. I thought I’d scratch build one. Things have moved on and a layout is under construction. Plasticard was the building material. I generated a simple plan from photos I took.

 

Pictures of the model and prototype will give you a flavour of how things are shaping up. I’ll do some updates.

 

Thanks Paul

[D1023]

Great project, what are your plans for rolling stock? I would have liked to model somewhere in the old JZ in HO but lack of RTR stock put me off.

[Devonbelle]

Tim asked about stock. Hmm that’s a challenge, I was spoiled there’s so much RTR O European stock, just none Croatian!

 

So my plan is to use my European freight stock which gets a run out on my Norwegian and French 0 layouts, but I need something HZ. So I plan to scratch build a single car DMU, in my picture. I’ve found a side on diagram of one. Perspex is my planned medium and in the first instance that will get me up and running. Plus I have a Playcraft (?) Henschel diesel shunter in the bits box. So before the layouts first public appearance I’m aiming to have the DMU and the Henschel. After that who knows. I have some spare Lima UIC coaches so they could be bashed into HZ Counterparts. But I’d really need a HZ pukka diesel loco.

 

Ozjusko is a long burn project and I have really gone to town with the station - it’s not finished yet but below is it’s current state - it’s fixed to the boards by screws.

 

Thanks Paul

[doctor quinn]

Looks good and nicely off the beaten path. The railcars are originally SJ Y1s but I don't think that I have ever seen a good drawing of one. For a proper HZ loco, this guy does a GM GT22 I.e. a HZ 2044 but it's in HO, he may be amenable to upsizing it.

 

All the best with the project, look forward to see how it develops

 

Nick

Edited April 9, 2018 by doctor quinn

[Patrick SPF]

I believe that there were drawings in Allt om Hobby in the past and possibly in other Swedish magazines.

Please pm me if you would like me to have a look

 

Patrick

[Supaned]

There was an article in Continental Modeller a while ago about building a Slovenian class 664, including drawings in HO scale- these were equivalent to the HZ class 2062 (apparently the 664/0 series were built by EMD , the 664/1 series by Duro Dakovic under license) - whilst the days of 2062s on the Split line are now sadly a memory , they do still work freights.

[Neils WRX]

I will watch this thread with interest, it was hard enough doing HZ in HO let alone in O gauge... re the Y1 I have one on order from NMJ, the model will be in SJ Orange livery which some first entered traffic in. The other option is repaint a DB rail bus.

 

 

 

Good luck, I have a set of plans for a 2044 somewhere, as I was going to build one in HO, but like most of my projects they take years to get off the ground!!!

 

Thanks

 

Neil

[Devonbelle]

Thanks very much for the supportive comments and offers of help. Special thanks to Patrick for the hunt he has embarked as to the plans. Also special thanks to Neil, I had a vague recollection some DB Railbuses had come south to what is now Croatia - so with the bit between my teeth I have ordered a Lenz DB railbus- should be with me next week, then I’ll have the spray paint out and it with go in HZ blue and silver.

 

Some model railway time this weekend so I’ll post an update. The layout BTW is planned to debut at the Continental O gauge show at Winchester in October this year, would be a pleasure to meet some of you then.

 

Regards Paul

[Neils WRX]

One other thought Croatia also had some ex DB 260/261 (V60) shunters as well, these became 2133’s I don’t have any digital pictures of these only on film (must get a negative scanner one day). Some were in blue livery (DB un repainted?) but the refurbed ones were a very bright red livery. I think these were re-engined so not sure about any visual detail differences.

 

I’ve found the 2044 plans if you want to pm me your email address i’ll send these on. They are hand drawn, but better than nothing.

 

Thanks,

 

Neil

[Devonbelle]

Had this afternoon working on the baseboards. Recycled pasting table, being used suitably beefed, now topped with 9mm mdf and in parts topped again with more 9mm mdf. I want to create the appearance of the railway being cut into a ledge - which of course it is at Kastel Stari on the Split Knin line and in either direction for many miles. So there will be circa 3 or 4 levels in play, I find this helps dispel the table top appearance of my earlier French o layout, Nouvion.

 

There are some shots attached, with the station building in approx position. The track is Peco flat bottom points and plain line. I have wired the points with micro - switches in, which so helps electrical conductivity. I could not resist getting a few of the excellent Brawa freight cars out. The class 33 in shot is the test loco, after I’d wire up each point set - that was last Sunday’s job.

[Devonbelle]

Just back from seeing the real thing in Croatia. A few days travelling the Split Perkovic line, and taking lots of photos for items to model.

 

A treat was daytime loco hauled trains Fri, Sat and Sun mornings Split-Perkovic and back, to cover a shortage of DMUs/plus DMU Maintenance. The Split Zagreb sleeper train was used to convey a failed DMU for works attention and bring a ‘good’ one back from Zagreb, the one in plain red.

 

HZ rail staff great imparting what trains were about and they let me into Solin depot, in the Split suburbs. They were somewhat taken aback someone is building a model based on Kastel Stari station! Modelling update next week.

[jasond]

Hi Paul, you have probably seen this already:

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:H%C5%BD_2044_series_locomotive_drawing.png

 

Not a very big dwg, but Americans abroad are always fascinating.  See you at Winchester though my contribution as usual will be North American domestic.  Hmmm, is that like a GP38 cab... and that nose is like... and the radiator and roof at the end could be close enough to an Atlas GP15 spare part ... hmmm.

 

Jason

[Northroader]

Hi Paul, just caught up with latest venture, and your pictures of the real thing do make it look a very tasty prototype. I’ll certainly try to catch up with this one at Winchester, good luck with getting into shape for that. Bob.

[Devonbelle]

Well the layout never made Winchester 2018 Show - the Norwegian layout went instead. I found by August 18 I wasn’t sufficiently far enough ahead of the layout; and did not want to rush it as it is a hobby after all. Track is all in now. Wired up and tested and the station building glued Down. Now my degree is all complete (studying outside working day) I can give Stari my attention now. Few pictures taken in August reflect progress.

[Devonbelle]

Well the layout never made Winchester 2018 Show - the Norwegian layout went instead. I found by August 18 I wasn’t sufficiently far enough ahead of the layout; and did not want to rush it as it is a hobby after all. Track is all in now. Wired up and tested and the station building glued Down. Now my degree is all complete (studying outside working day) I can give Stari my attention now. Few pictures taken in August reflect progress.

Edited October 21, 2018 by Devonbelle

[Northroader]

I did a dig for models available for a Croat 0 gauge line, but not much help. At the back of my mind I was thinking some French diesels went there. Jugoslavia had some SNCF BB 63000 copies, and then built a batch under license, their classes 642 and 643 (visually the same, but different power ratings, and also slightly visually varying from the French locos) Did any of these go to Croatia? There are plenty of the French locos available from Roco in HO, but all I can see in O is from a Swiss supplier, maybe no longer available, maybe expensive, maybe coarse standards. sorry, the searches are very sketchy.

The other one I found was Croat class 709, an 0-4-0 shunter, this is equivalent to Czech class 704, I gather. ETS trains do this, just needs a repaint, but it has coarse standard wheels, as it’s a “tinplate” job, which wouldn’t like your points. (There’s also 2rail and 3rail versions)

Edited October 22, 2018 by Northroader

[Joseph_Pestell]

Presumably you are modelling in European 0 (1:45)? With US-origin diesels, might it not be easier in 1:48 - although of course other rolling stock then becomes more difficult.

[Devonbelle]

Thank you for the comments and research - appreciated. a few of you have found drawings of 2044 class locos, combined with photos means I will have to build one. Post Winchester show, I can now,quietly resume work on Croatian layout -watch for updates Regards Paul

[Neils WRX]

I did a dig for models available for a Croat 0 gauge line, but not much help. At the back of my mind I was thinking some French diesels went there. Jugoslavia had some SNCF BB 63000 copies, and then built a batch under license, their classes 642 and 643 (visually the same, but different power ratings, and also slightly visually varying from the French locos) Did any of these go to Croatia? There are plenty of the French locos available from Roco in HO, but all I can see in O is from a Swiss supplier, maybe no longer available, maybe expensive, maybe coarse standards. sorry, the searches are very sketchy.

The other one I found was Croat class 709, an 0-4-0 shunter, this is equivalent to Czech class 704, I gather. ETS trains do this, just needs a repaint, but it has coarse standard wheels, as it’s a “tinplate” job, which wouldn’t like your points. (There’s also 2rail and 3rail versions)4B88E753-D4C6-4F36-B203-7EC671831A36.jpeg7C595AA3-CB7C-4E14-B76E-388052B77117.jpeg

It’s marginally easier in HO.......

Roco HZ 2041010 by Neil Sutton, on Flickr

 

I will watch this thread with interest.

 

Neil

[Devonbelle]

Thanks to Bob and Neil. Now I’ve finished my degree I can get back to work on the Croat layout - set up in the garage now. A visit to the Split area has given me ideas to incorporate into the layout. I saw lovely semaphore signals at Unesic, which I’d like attempt. Rail staff over there are great. I will post an update pre-Christmas.

[Devonbelle]

Well it took a while to find time for.my Croatian o gauge project but we are back! The help from a number of you getting plans for a HZ 2044 CO-CO diesel was really appreciated - so thank you. I am building the body in plastic card. Early days but a picture attached. I have a holiday coming up so some scope to pass the time .modelling when having a quiet time. Picture below plus the real thing which I saw and travelled behind in and out of Split a few weeks ago. I'll post progress. Paul 

[Northroader]

Good to see you’re pushing on with things. Just looking back I notice you mentioned your interest in the semaphore signals. You can get that type from ETS trains.

[Devonbelle]

Thanks to Bob for tip off about signals. 

 

Had a few more sessions on the class 2044 loco since the last post. Enjoying working with the plasticard. Very therapeutic! More work on the loco body tommorrow. Paul 

[Devonbelle]

Finding that TV to dull, I keep working away on the loco. Today I've substantially completed the main box shape of the locos hood. That now signals the start of the real detailed work on the hood, fitting all the side panel doors which give access to the engine compartment \ generator etc. The side panel doors will be made from 0.5mm  plastic card sheet. For the body side doors I managed to buy half side pieces of  fine plastic tube. They will be great for the body side door hinges. That will be tomorrows job. Thanks Paul 

[37023]

Evening Devonbelle, I'm interested in your European locos and stock do you have a layout?