Lübars - because an alternative is useful

[Guest Jack Benson]

The contents of the thread was removed after another attempt to misquote the text for whatever reason. 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Jack Benson

[ModRXsouth]

That ‘utility building’ does indeed look great as a rather ‘neutral’ and useful structure so I have just viewed the Artitec website.
The HO item is listed as ‘Warehouse facade’ and the linked manual appears to show that the kit indeed has no rear side. Yet the N item ‘Goods depot’ looks like the same building but the photo with the open doors appears to show a rear wall including a window. There is no N manual or other photos so does this N kit have four sides while the HO only has three? I wonder if the N kit’s rear side is a duplicate of the front with doors and windows, or just windows only? 

[rekoboy]

On 06/03/2023 at 12:05, Jack Benson said:

The occasional wobble when planning a concept is normal, at the moment, all the track and electrickery for Pottendorf are in place as is a smallish pile of stock/buildings. Moreover thirty-odd years of research has built up to this moment and yet a wobble has occurred in the shape of an image, this one.

 

 

It is a VT135 and a PMT model is the almost the last remaining reminder  of a layout that was built and exhibited by the group a good few years ago. The other members didn’t like it consequently  it was sold and promptly scrapped after attending the Uckfield show by the new owner. Many years later, I am the last  surviving member of the group, maybe it is time for a redux albeit slightly different based on the original proof of concept that was Lübars based on an idea of a station that didn’t exist in a real village on the Northern edge of West Berlin.
 

In reality, there was an industrial line connecting the DR’s Heidekrautbahn to the DB, it had no station but what if it did and remained under the control of the DR in much the same manner of the S-Bahn in West Berlin? The line had been a private venture, lightly laid therefore only the smallest of motive power and might have provided a pre-war railbus to serve the workers. 
 

Buildings in the local style are readily available from Auhagen albeit not as they are intended to be used. Their 11393 Lokleitung becomes the station building and 11465 Brennstoffhandel becomes the goods shed. The pièce de résistance (if there is room) will be the utility building from Artitec, so ugly that it is magnificent.

 

 There is no change to the established track plan, it is simply a generic BLT, just everything else is different than Oberfranken. 

 

Whilst the DR is fairly popular as an excuse to run all sorts of large steam locos and menacing Russian diesels, branchlines tend to be less popular which is odd but understandable as the DDR authorities did not appreciate folk wandering off the beaten track. There were a far few examples with wonderful names such as Jerichow not too far from Berlin, some remain but the previous modes of transport do not. This is an excuse, to run some rather attractive rolling stock, before the wholesale withdrawal of Länderbahn vehicles in the ‘50s.

 

Maybe Pottendorf will be sidelined in favour of Lübars, I just don’t know but it seems to be time for change.

 

StaySafe

 

 

I think the comment about the inaccessibility of DR branchlines is exaggerated. During my years at the university in Halle I did a lot of rail exploring - and photography. Mostly I asked a member of the railway staff or even now and again a Transportpolizist - the usual reaction seemed to be 'Why are you bothering to ask?' or a look of amused disbelief that the mad Tommy was actually interested in the branch from Bitterfeld to Stumsdorf and its filthy Rekowagen or the relics  of the Kanonenbahn (Berlin-Metz, truncated by the Second World War and the inner German border). With the exception, though, of anything near the inner-German border, apart from the Harzquerbahn. My wife's family thought I was pleasantly cracked - but supported me in my lunacy, such as the time in the early 80's when Bw Güsten employed one of the last serviceable BR41 2-8-2s on the Eilzüge from Aschersleben to Berlin- Schöneweide. My brother in law Waldemar drove me in his Moskwitsch to various photo locations. At Elsnigk station I managed a quick hop on the footplate as the driver shook his head and grinned. 'Ein englischer Bahnfan. Wo gibt es denn so was?'

Edited March 11, 2023 by rekoboy

[rekoboy]

And here you go - Bahnhof Güsten with the Eilzug Aschersleben - Berlin headed by a BR 41, Winter 85-86. Photo thanks to the team at Dampflokarchiv.

Edited March 11, 2023 by rekoboy

[EmporiaSub]

25 minutes ago, rekoboy said:

I think the comment about the inaccessibility of DR branchlines is exaggerated. During my years at the university in Halle I did a lot of rail exploring - and photography. Mostly I asked a member of the railway staff or even now and again a Transportpolizist - the usual reaction seemed to be 'Why are you bothering to ask?' or a look of amused disbelief that the mad Tommy was actually interested in the branch from Bitterfeld to Stumsdorf and its filthy Rekowagen or the relics  of the Kanonenbahn (Berlin-Metz, truncated by the Second World War and the inner German border). With the exception, though, of anything near the inner-German border, apart from the Harzquerbahn. My wife's family thought I was pleasantly cracked - but supported me in my lunacy, such as the time in the early 80's when Bw Güsten employed one of the last serviceable BR41 2-8-2s on the Eilzüge from Aschersleben to Berlin- Schöneweide. My brother in law Waldemar drove me in his Moskwitsch to various photo locations. At Elsnigk station I managed a quick hop on the footplate as the driver shook his head and grinned. 'Ein englischer Bahnfan. Wo gibt es denn so was?'

The only time I had an issue was at Drei Annen Hohne, and the Police were adamant I wasn’t allowed to go up to Brocken, but I knew that anyway. Never had a problem anywhere else back in the 80’s.

[Bernard Lamb]

14 hours ago, rekoboy said:

I think the comment about the inaccessibility of DR branchlines is exaggerated. During my years at the university in Halle I did a lot of rail exploring - and photography. Mostly I asked a member of the railway staff or even now and again a Transportpolizist - the usual reaction seemed to be 'Why are you bothering to ask?' or a look of amused disbelief that the mad Tommy was actually interested in the branch from Bitterfeld to Stumsdorf and its filthy Rekowagen or the relics  of the Kanonenbahn (Berlin-Metz, truncated by the Second World War and the inner German border). With the exception, though, of anything near the inner-German border, apart from the Harzquerbahn. My wife's family thought I was pleasantly cracked - but supported me in my lunacy, such as the time in the early 80's when Bw Güsten employed one of the last serviceable BR41 2-8-2s on the Eilzüge from Aschersleben to Berlin- Schöneweide. My brother in law Waldemar drove me in his Moskwitsch to various photo locations. At Elsnigk station I managed a quick hop on the footplate as the driver shook his head and grinned. 'Ein englischer Bahnfan. Wo gibt es denn so was?'

Very upmarket.

My father in law had a Wartburg and that stood out in a sea of Trabants.

I never came across any problems in the Leipzig and Dresden areas with photography or just wandering round railway areas. As you say loco crews were always friendly and willing to talk to a strange Englander. 

My brother had, still has, a layout. The only layout I know where Reko 01s and Gresley A4s run together.

The family weekend house was, again still is, near Brandis and I kept my camera in my bag when near the airbase. Other than that it was no different to being in the UK.

Bernard

[Bernard Lamb]

An area that does seem to be neglected is way up north in Mecklenburg.

There were some very interesting branchlines that seem to have never if ever been photographed in their better days.

I never travelled on them, as I would be taken by car, but I came across several lines in the Malchin area.

There were extensive gravel quarries and back in the war days these would have had narrow gauge feeder lines operating, the remains of loading shutes still to be found deep in the forest.

An area worth expoloring if anyone fancies an unusual subject.

Bernard

[Guest Jack Benson]

Further contributions have ceased, updates will appear here on the on-going blog. Thank you for your past support

 

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