Bregenbach im Schwarzwald - in the hills of the Black Forest

[Les1952]

Bregenbach is no longer going to Howden show at the end of March.

 

At 59 miles they reckoned I live too near for overnight accommodation.  The fact that my two operators for the weekend live in Leicester (Gary) at 88 miles and Lutterworth (Eric) at 104 miles doesn't appear to enter into the equation.  In any case I wasn't asked.

 

Weekends away always cost me a lot of money as I buy the meals for my team.

 

.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Les1952

[Les1952]

 

Testing the  hoppers and weathering them.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Les1952

[Les1952]

Latest news.

 

Bregenbach im Schwarzwald has an invitation to Warley 2023.

 

I'm just finishing the paperwork ready to return it.

 

 

 

Les

 

 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Les1952

[Les1952]

 

First of a few new locos- a Roco Taurus by Fleischmann.  Even sounds like a Taurus.

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Les1952

[Les1952]

Two more views  of the track plan. 

 

Today has been spent first going to town to Access Models to cancel a TT gauge diesel that they had on pre-order with Gaugemaster after the latter shifted its status from "new item not yet released" to "not in stock but can be ordered" - the same status as a Roco 4-6-4 I had pre-ordered direct from them which after a long wait turned out to be out of stock at Roco (yet was still in Gaugemaster's catalogue last time I looked).  I've substituted an order for a pair of Minitrix sound-fitted locos that Gaugemaster reckon they have in stock.  These will form part of an upgrade to Bregenbach's fleet.

 

Why go through the Local shop for stuff on Gaugemaster's website?  Doing it this way I get 10% discount that I don't get from Gaugemaster, and the shop makes about fifty pounds on the deal.  Worthwhile doing it.

 

Les

Edited May 22, 2023 by Les1952
typos...

[Les1952]

Bregenbach is back on its trestles following NO PLACE's appearance at South Notts Show this weekend.

 

 

An earlier photograph, but I decided that the dodgy point that the near end of the railcar is travelling over needed replacing, and while it is up I'd look at the connections to the other two points in this area.

 

I took out the mast with the tensioners and the wires to next mast down the hill and to the tower masts, but the latter were quite heavily glued and pinned in place.   Getting the old point out involved a lot of levering but it came up cleanly.  Fleischmann's "thinking clips duly swapped over from the old knackered point to the replacement which although a good secondhand unit came without clips.   

 

Then to get the replacement in.  The motor went back cleanly at the second attempt and the point fired in both directions from the switch.  So far, so good.  However one of the fishplates at the end below the mast refused to go in under any circumstance, and while trying to persuade it I slipped and demolished the two tower masts, snapping each off at the bottom and bending the two bespoke pieces of Sommerfeldt wiring that hadn't wanted to come undone.

 

A bit of a disaster as Hobbex tower masts are no longer made.  I'm going to keep these two as spares for the vulnerable masts at the other end.  I've now removed the bases and all of the wiring between here and the point at which it goes through the backscene by the brewery.   No Hobbex tower masts to be had anywhere means improvisation.  I've ordered a pair of Veissmann tower masts and a kit for a cross span from DM Toys in Germany- none of the dealers on my "save list" had all of the parts I wanted, and I've found a pack of five Hobbex long-arm masts on German eBay.  All this lot should reach me in about a week, leaving me just over a fortnight before the layout goes out to Leicester show.

 

In the mean time the track can be bedded down properly and the new point soak tested with either diesels at the head of trains or elloks with their pantographs down.  I've five new elloks to try- all sound fitted and these will be photographed as they get tested.  Some of the existing stock will appear on eBay in due course.   How have I paid for all of this?  Selling Croft Spa has left me with a surplus of about 120 locos, 150 coaches and 300 wagons, of which 100 coaches and all the wagons have already been sold.  That is enough to buy the smaller amount of stock Bregstadt will need and to upgrade Bregenbach's loco fleet a bit.

 

Les

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Les1952

[Les1952]

The good news is that I've managed to drill out the holes in the mast bases where the masts had snapped off and the masts are now stuck in the enlarged holes with a serious amount of plastic weld holding them in place.

 

I can make a couple of new bespoke lengths from the leftover Hobbex wires I kept hold of, and hopefully there are enough masts including the new ones on order to renew the wiring to the corner.

 

I picked up a Fleischmann Class 147 from Access Models this morning- sound fitted.  They ordered it from Gaugemaster for me.  Win-win- I get 10% discount and my local model shop gets the rest of the difference between Gaugemaster's trade and retail prices.

 

Pics might be after the weekend.

 

Les

 

[Les1952]

Some views of the damage and the repairs so far.

 

 

First the damage- you can see that both tower masts were broken off at the base.  The thing on top of the brewery that looks as if it is about to take off is the cover for the point motor.

 

The two badly bent wires are the two bespoke lengths of Somerfeldt wire that I used over the points as standard Hobbex ones were either too short or vastly too long.

 

 

 

Same place just now.  The tower masts have been repaired with copious amounts of plastic weld holding the slightly shorter masts into new holes in the bases, and angled fillets of surplus plastic added as strengtheners.  It survived the usual battle of persuading wires to go through the holes meant to take them, a job that can be a bit stressful for the parts involved.  The point motor cover is back in place but needs a neater fix doing when I'm happy everything works well.   the mast with the tensioners is a new replacement.  Hindsight says the tensioners should be on the next mast along (out of view to the left) but they are staying there as I've no spares if I break anything else just yet.

 

 

Only one mast short of getting things completed.  The wooden stirrer is taking the place of a long arm mast and lifting the end of the catenary so I can start using electric locos to test and adjust the wiring at the junction.  The long arm mast is on its way with four others from Germany.  With only eighteen days to Syston's show I need a lot of testing.  If I can get everything working well I'm hoping the layout won't need any work between Syston and the show at the NRM in York two weeks after that.

 

Les

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Les1952
typos...

[ColinK]

Well done for getting it repaired.

[Les1952]

Having got the point at the brewery end of the loop done and the line open I've started testing and running in the new locos.

 

Hobbytrain sound-fitted Vectron (with "European" body substituted) runs fine but didn't like the point outside the widget yard.

Fleischmann Class 147 just sits and makes buzzing noises- was OK on the program track but only managed about 6 ins on the layout.  Now just buzzing on the program track so its off via Access Models to Gaugemaster for replacement.  they still have one in stock- otherwise I'll exchange it for a class 110.3

Fleischmann sound-fitted Taurus, runs well but stalls on the point outside the Widget yard.

Secondhand Minitrix sound-fitted Class 150, runs well but is at its limit on a couple of the curves and stalls or derails on the loop point by the widget yard.

From stock, class 110 runs fine but derails at the Widget yard.

 

Conclusions. I need a trip to Access Models and the point outside the widget yard needs replacing.

 

 

New point in situ ready for some testing before connecting back in- it throws beautifully both ways.  Note overhead removed a safe distance in both directions- the Vollmer mast in the pic is well embedded and I decided not to move it- there are three spares for two Vollmer masts.  The bases without masts are where I haven't glued the mast in- only every other mast is glued to give me a little leeway for adjustment.The point went back smoothly and locos no longer derail.

 

However I found they stall just beyond the point.  Close inspection revealed that this point had had its Fleischmann thinking clips removed- the same as Hornby's DCC clips only smaller to fit N gauge.  Taking the clips off the old point and fitting them to the new one solved this problem.  Just the wiring to put back and I'm nearly ready to run locos with the pantographs up.

 

All for now

Les

 

[Les1952]

With all the repairs done and the scenery put back around- rail sides painted rusty etc it has been time to try out the latest arrivals.

 

With the sale of Croft Spa and steady departure of its stock I've been splashing the cash...

 

 

First up a secondhand Minitrix class 150 from Rails- sound fitted.  Probably going to be spare for the Eastbound intermodal, as seen here.

 

The problem with Minitrix is that their sound uses different functions to everyone else's- f2 toggles sound on and off and f7 is the whistle.  I'm going to have to mark each loco's number board with the type of sound fitted- 1 for f1 toggles on/off and 2 for f2, with a sheet of common functions for each type pasted to the back of the backscene.  The back of the backscene is already getting crowded as there is the board showing the identities of locos on each track, a step-by-step reminder of what needs to be done to run a train, and an instruction/explanation sheet for the signals.

 

 

Next a sound fitted Taurus by Fleischmann, from my local model shop.  f1 to toggle sound, and it sounds just like a Taurus should (unlike the Hobbytrain sound-fitted Taurus, of which more in a future post).  Running the oil train to keep the pantograph elbow at the front, though the head doesn't want to go parallel to the track, which should protect it a bit.

 

 

Next up is a Minitrix Rheingold E10, technically I think an E10.12 but don't quote me on that.  Another that uses f2 to switch in the sound, and one where the CVs needed a bit of tweaking.  It ran vary slowly until I adjusted the CV for analogue top speed, and CV902 works the master volume, which was a bit overpowering.

 

It will work light freight as it doesn't like this point when going the other way- runs happily into the loop but not on the main.  It also doesn't like the three-way at the end of the fiddle yard when going the other way round.  Hence it can't be used on the push-pulls as originally planned.

 

 

 

With Arnold bringing out a BR181 there just had to be one on the layout as this was the type that really got me into German electrics on a visit to Trier in 1978.  F1 for sound and quite conventional.  It has displaced the BR141 from the rail tour onto the push-pull set.  Yes, its pantograph does run a little below the wires.  That seems to be the way Arnold single-arms are constructed and I'm not complaining.

 

A little far from its home patch and underpowered in reality for this line but with DB having now sold all their class 181s it now belongs to the Bregtalbahn.  Not one to roster on freight other than the ballast train.  Wonky track in the foreground at the board join  is deliberately so- it keeps stuff on the track- a major derailment point when it was straight...

 

 

The loco that started it all, 181225-4 at Trier, Boxing Day 1978.

 

More pics to follow when I remember to take them.  there are still a few more sound-fitted.  Indeed apart from the two railcars I can now put a sound-fitted ellok on every train.

 

Les

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Les1952
found prototype pic to add

[Les1952]

Not a good day at the office....

 

The idea was to run trains to get them to settle and then label each wagon that is not already done underneath with its position in the train and an arrow pointing to the front of the train.  If it behaves itself for 20 laps on test then it is fine.

 

First up the empty coal train.  Twenty Eastbound (anticlockwise) laps with no issue and the wagons labelled.  New Class 140 on the head of the train.

 

 

Wagons lettered and returned to the train which then ran another five faultless laps.

 

 

Picture shows wagon 8 in the train.

 

Next up the container train from line 5, going Westbound (clockwise).  This got as far as the corner behind the viaduct and wagon 1 decided it didn't want to stay attached to the loco.  It can't come detatched from wagon 2 any more as this pair are coupled with Hunt couplings, which stay coupled.  Time to try a different wagon 1 as putting a Hunt coupling on the loco means a loco that isn't universal for goods.

 

Complicated by the train sharing line 5 with the oil train which had to do a lap every time the container train lapped.  This wagon didn't want to stay attached to the loco either- loco is the new Hobbytrain sound fitted Taurus chassis with the body from the Climate Hero Vectron.  

 

Why put a Vectron body on a sound-fitted taurus chassis?  The sound file on the Nightjet Taurus from Hobbytrain is a Vectron sound file- identical to a sound-fitted Hobbytrain Vectron.  Fortunately I have a fleischmann Taurus with the correct sound and a second sound-fitted Vectron isn't an issue.

 

Three laps in- disaster.  The pantograph on the loco decided to hit the end of the lead-in wire under the tunnel, and getting the loco out in one piece has involved taking the front off the layout.  Why a pantograph should suddenly decide it wanted to spring to almost vertical I have no idea.

 

 

I've now put an extra piece of balsa under the mast at the end of the wire, lifting it enough for even the highest unfettered pantograph.  The pantograph on the Climate Hero Vectron is already a replacement for a Hobbytrain pantograph that came off the side of the wires some time ago and broke.  This is a Fleischmann pantograph.  After putting it back on the track and testing that it would run in try again- this time it came off the side of the wires under the bridge- another difficult extrication job.  Visual check of the wires then testing with three or four other locos shows that the wire at this point is OK and all other locos run perfectly.  Conclusion- the pantograph on the Vectron is now broken.

 

 

The pan in question is the second from the left.  However it clips down securely and the loco has been running reversed as it is at no.1 end.  The corresponding pantograph at the other end was a broken Hobbytrain one, so this was substituted for a new one out of the spares box, one that even had the extra contacts.  Did it work?  No chance- it runs in but comes off the side of the wires under the viaduct (the next wire on).

 

Next- find a body that has good pantographs- This sound-fitted Vectron is now "I am European", which stays under the wires with no issue.  I've left the front off the layout in case anything else decides to get tangled while testing.

 

Back to the train- NO wagon on this train wants to stay attached to the loco so I've had to fit the loco with a Hunt coupling.  Testing will resume tomorrow.  In the mean time the "troublesome tanker" train has managed 20 fault free laps behind the "Roco" Taurus....

 

Two more intermodals to do after this, and a second loco needs identifying and fitting with a Hunt coupling as a spare.  Then the push-pull set needs testing with a spare engine.  Deep joy.....

 

Meanwhile I've ordered a sound-fitted Bugelfalte and I'm still waiting the replacement for the "dead on arrival" Class 147, but that is another story.

 

Les

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Les1952
typos...

[Les1952]

Friday progress- forward rather than backwards today.

 

I left the front off the layout to be sure that I could extract a loco tangling the wire on the run-in but didn't need it.

 

 

The sound-fitted Taurus chassis is now under the European Vectron as seen paused coming downhill towards Freiburg with the Geisendanner car that started the problems behind it...  I've lost track of why the pantograph in use is grey rather than red.

 

 

The Hunt couplings between the loco and the Geisendanner wagon.  I paint the tops of the couplings green while they are still together (making sure that is the same way up as the previous set) so that I can get them all installed the same way up - put one in upside down and it repels rather than attracts.

 

 

The other end of the Geisendanner magnetically coupled to wagon 2 of the train.   I found that with my curves one medium and one long shank gives a reasonable separation that is just enough to avoid buffer locking.

 

 

At this point the last two wagons (Wetron and Willi Betz) still had Arnold couplings and, lo and behold, Willi Betz has come uncoupled on the bend behind the farmhouse.  As a result the entire train has now got Hunt couplings.   Just a spare loco to find and fit- probably a silent Vectron or maybe the Class 139.

 

 

A view round the back of the layout showing the board for the fiddle yard.  Each loco has its own magnetic card with a description and its DCC address.  the board is an offcut of magnetic whiteboard.  The two locos for each siding are put in place, and I try to take care that they look sufficiently different to be obvious which order they are in.  I've used a green rectangle with a 1 for "normal" sound- ie activated by f1 with the horn on f2, and an amber rectangle with a 2 for those with Minitrix sound- ie activated by f2 with f7 being the horn or whistle.  No rectangle means a silent runner like the class 110.1 sitting off the track on the incline. 

 

To the left there is a general instruction reminder- what needs to happen in what order to run a train, and to the right a summary of what the signals mean on each aspect.

 

A short day as it was a very convivial lunch out.  Back to the shed tomorrow..

 

Les

[Les1952]

Little to report today.  The sound-fitted Class E10.12 arrived from Rails this lunchtime and it has had a body swap with my Fleischmann TEE coloured E10.12. The body of the one from Rails is now on the silent E10.12 chassis and in due course will go on eBay.

 

 

112 257 performing at Coalville when still silent.

 

 

A prototype pic taken at Emmendingen on 14th April 1987 (I was there leading a school exchange).  Quite what one of the class was doing on a Freiburg to Offenburg all stations local I have no idea- Hamburg where it was allocated is about as far away as you can get and still be in Germany...

 

Les

 

[Les1952]

A fruitful day even if not a lot got photographed.

 

All freight stock for the next couple of shows is now identified and marked underneath, and the spare loco for the Hunt Coupled intermodal is identified, tested and in its box in the "getting taken" loco box.   And the poor unfortunate spare with the Hunt coupling is.....

 

 

 

 

 

.. the Einstein Bendy Taurus.

 

The first of the sound-fitted Vectron chassis ended up under the Connected by Rail Vectron.  So far I've not fixed on a spare but it might yet be the vintage class 193 or the new Class 147 if Gaugemaster get their finger out over the replacement.

 

 

I don't know how I got  too much light on the pic, the phone camera sometimes does that.

 

The vintage train decided it didn't like to stay on the track running either way round.  The culprit is the brown dining car, so the two Rheingold coaches will run with a gepackwagen as the tail coach.  Spare (silent) loco for this train will likely be the BR144 as a suitably vintage loco.

 

In the mean time all of the tanker wagons are now weathered.

 

More tomorrow, assuming I can see enough when I get back from the eye clinic.

 

Les

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Les1952
typos as usual

[Les1952]

I'm still waiting for the return of the Class 147 from Gaugemaster...

 

 

 

 

In the mean time the Class 181 has had some very subtle weathering (so subtle the camera hasn't Picked most of it up..  It amounts to blackening the grilles and a little grey on the roof above the cabs.  Not much, but enough to show a working loco kept clean (as befits one sold out of service).  Perhaps a little more on the ocean blue and the bogies- August 1992 pic.  I'm loathe to repaint the pantograph as that is a recipe for disaster.

 

 

The Class 112 is currently standing in for the class 147 on the Eastbound intermodal, though I would prefer it working something that stops in the station.  If the 147 appears before tomorrow afternoon I'll possibly replace the class 646 in the roster with the 112 and push-pull Silberlingen.  If not it will be this or the 150 on the Intermodal.

 

Between Leicester this weekend and York in 2 weeks time I'll give this one a gentle weathering on the roof also.

 

Les

[Railpassion]

I'm looking forward to seeing the layout at York soon. 

 

What are the dimensions of the new TT layout? 

 

PS, Do you have the original plan A for Bregenbach, please? It no longer shows on page 1

Edited April 25, 2023 by Railpassion

[Les1952]

On 25/04/2023 at 23:19, Railpassion said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the layout at York soon. 

 

What are the dimensions of the new TT layout? 

 

PS, Do you have the original plan A for Bregenbach, please? It no longer shows on page 1

 

happy to oblige.

 

The new TT one is 8 feet by 2 feet 6 ins.  Will travel by car same as Bregenbach.  Now likely to debut at Belper next March with South Notts show the first week in April.

 

[Les1952]

Layout set up at Syston Club show, and trains all on the line.

 

I managed to drop the lighting rig breaking one of the connecting wire so we're running without it.  Fortunately it is light where we are.  Getting the thing home it will need about 20 minutes work with a soldering iron to fix, so it should be OK for York.

 

Coaches have decided to play up- the Class 646 railcar doesn't want to stay on the track either way round so the second local train will need to be the Silberlingen or something similar.

 

Still no Class 147, talking to Access Models they are still waiting for a Returns number from Gaugemaster- only three weeks and counting.  Two more weeks before I give them hell in person at York.

 

See people tomorrow, hopefully.

Les

 

[Dava]

Look forward to seeing you at Syston

[Les1952]

The Syston club show largely went well with just a few mishaps.

 

1.  I dropped the lighting pelmet breaking a connection.  Fortunately the barn is bright so it wasn't needed.  Now fixed ready for York.

2.  For some reason the signals at the viaduct end of the board wouldn't light up.  No fault found when tracing the leads so we ran with no signals at all for the weekend.  Nobody commented.  Back at home I left the boards fastened together and tried the power lead on the power supply to the other end- lights work, fault must be in the lead from the psu.  Swap them over, lights work.  I'm baffled but relieved...

 

On stock the rolling stock behaved as well as it ever has, though I'll fit Hunt couplings to one pair of wagons that decided on Sunday afternoon that they didn't like each other after all.  Locos, the 141 failed.  I think it might have picked up a foreign body in its drive train.  The Connected by Rail Vectron lost a pantograph wiper then decided it was running backwards.  It hasn't responded to the programming track so back at home today I've swapped the modified pantograph to the other end.

 

Taking the programming track came in useful for a spot of wheel cleaning on Sunday morning.

 

Pictures?  None, but I did shoot a bit of video.  First instalment herewith.

 

 

Two more to process, the Europe Vectron and the musical Taurus.  When I get round to these is anyone's guess.

 

Les

 

[5BarVT]

That video shows just how fearsome the gradient down past the factory is.  I’m surprised you manage to haul anything up there!

Paul.

[Les1952]

10 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

That video shows just how fearsome the gradient down past the factory is.  I’m surprised you manage to haul anything up there!

Paul.

 

It is only 1 in 25 on a Continental Radius 1.  The locos all have traction tyres and are heavier than UK outline and can manage 7 bogies of containers, or the 9 wagon coal empty train without an issue, even though the wagons are heavier.

 

Having said that the NGS Hunslet used as a brewery shunter can only manage one beer van up the hill, and when I tried an EFE Clayton it managed one bogie or three beer vans....

 

The layout couldn't have been made in UK outline- and at 1 in 25 it is LESS steep than the prototype Hollentalbahn two valleys further South, and that had trains of 6 or 7 double deck coaches in Summer with a TRAXX electric on the downhill end pushing the train up the slope.  In the last couple of years they have replaced loco hauled trains with three and four car emus, combining into longer trains in Summer- not as exciting..

 

Les

 

[Les1952]

News on the 147.  Access Models spent a long time on the phone to Gaugemaster yesterday giving them hell and pointing out "their customer" had a layout at York and was in a position to make things a bit uncomfortable for them in public.  Returns label promised "immediately"- we'll see if that appears.....

 

The three-train video from Syston show is now complete and here it is...

 

 

I've now got the Connected By Rail and Einziganzers Vectrons running satisfactorily.  Just the class 141 to get sorted.

 

York in nine days.  Almost all is now ready.

 

Les

 

[Les1952]

The 141 has been on the workbench over the weekend and has me puzzled.   At first it was refusing to go in the second direction, though the sounds were playing as if it was acceletating.

 

A thorough wheel clean and half an hour running round my Kato oval of track improved it, but not a lot.  I then changed CV3 to make it accelerate earlier, and that made a small improvement.  then, body off and each bogie off in turn.  There was a huge amount of grease inside each bogie- more than enough to lubricate a OO loco.  I've used a cocktail stick to scrape out as much grease from around the worm at each end as I can reach, and removed it entirely from the top gear wheel at each end.  There is still quite an amount left inside, more than enough to keep it running.  Following reassembly it seems to work fine, and an hour of running and stopping to reverse every other lap of the Kato oval caused no unexpected stops at all.  It is now in the box for York.

 

A package arrived from rails this morning with a secondhand sound-fitted Fleischmann Taurus.  I thought from the photos that it was missing a pantograph.  However the prototype only had three to start with.  Sod's law says the the narrow Swiss pantograph is the one I need (now fitted with my extra wipers to widen the top), and that it was set up to run with that end forwards and wasn't willing to change.  Fortunately the bodyshell is symmetrical inside and swapping the body round gets it running with the pantograph I require at the trailing end elbow first (it is the corresponding one at the other end that isn't fitted).  The sound file has a minor issue but I can live with that on the duty it is going to be needed for- the one that should have the class 147 on the front.

 

On the 147- Access Models are still badgering Gaugemaster, who have now been ignoring their request for a returns number for five weeks.  If there isn't any progress by Thursday I'll get a set of documentation from Access Models and the model and browbeat Gaugemaster in person at York show.  There is nothing like a loud complaint when there is a crowd of people in front of the stand to get them moving....

 

Les