Narrow-bodied 'Hbis' van by Electrotren

[47137]

I have just bought one of these (photos attached). I haven't found the Electrotren part number yet, but their model number 1485 for a similar model for the 150th anniversary of German railways is similar. The model is the same width and height as their ventilated ferry van, and it is possibly over-height to make room for the door guides (the doors slide) or to help it blend in with their other models.

 

The ends and general arrangement are a bit like a British VGA, but with shorter doors and a different roof.

 

I have found details of a narrow-bodied Hbis van in the DB Schenker catalogue, but the doors are completely different with their panels arranged horizontally. The Gattung H in the same place is wider and longer.

 

Could anyone tell me  - is this a model of a real DB van?

 

- Richard.

 

[Fat Controller]

I suspect that it's a model of a RENFE prototype, possibly one that's no longer in service. I had a brief Google of RENFE wagons, but the only vans the company itself shows are the bogie 'Habis' type, similar to a Cargowaggon.

[doctor quinn]

I found a possible candidate on Dybas in the Hbillns 302 series and its derivatives but if that is the prototype the doors are compromised to accomodate the sliding mechanism.

 

http://www.dybas.de/dybas/gw/gw_h_3/g302.html

 

Nick

[47137]

I suspect that it's a model of a RENFE prototype, possibly one that's no longer in service. I had a brief Google of RENFE wagons, but the only vans the company itself shows are the bogie 'Habis' type, similar to a Cargowaggon.

 

I found a possible candidate on Dybas in the Hbillns 302 series and its derivatives but if that is the prototype the doors are compromised to accomodate the sliding mechanism.

http://www.dybas.de/dybas/gw/gw_h_3/g302.html

A Google image search for ‘RENFE hbis’ returns pictures of my model and of some very different prototypes

 

A Google image search for ‘FS hbis’ returns pictures of an N gauge Fleischmann model with a similar roof but different doors and a solid infill in the underframe

 

A Google image search for ‘model hbis’ returns pictures of a Fleischmann model 837005 (N gauge) of an Italian wagon with a similar roof but five panels instead of four on the doors

 

Piko model 54410 “Schiebewandwagen Hbis 295 DB” has similar sides and roof, but different ends

 

But http://www.dybas.de/dybas/gw/gw_h_3/g302.html fits.

 

I want to cut down the height of my model for a British H0 layout, and it seems much better to think of the result as "a version of the Hbillns 302 built for cross-channel ferry work" rather than something completely imaginary.

 

Thank you so much - I have been searching online for hours!

 

- Richard.

[doctor quinn]

Forgot to mention that Steph Dale did a similar vertical cut & shut in a Electrotren Transfesa van, the link is here http://www.euram-online.co.uk/railways/euro/transfesa/transfesa.htm

 

Nick

[jonhall]

What number have Electrotren painted on the side and what is the numeric code in superscript after the Hbis^???

[47137]

Forgot to mention that Steph Dale did a similar vertical cut & shut in a Electrotren Transfesa van, the link is here http://www.euram-online.co.uk/railways/euro/transfesa/transfesa.htm

 

Nick

Thanks for this - this is actually where I started. I bought one of the ferry vans and then a Google search took me to Steph Dale's instructions. So the ferry van was my first conversion, written up on my blog.

 

I will confess, when I saw the Hbis advertised on eBay I thought it was going to be another ferry van, but it was a bargain anyway so I have started to try to find what it is. I don't mind chopping up a scale model, but if it has some artistic license to begin with I don't feel so bad.

What number have Electrotren painted on the side and what is the numeric code in superscript after the Hbis^???

I got some reading glasses last week too - this is the first real test for them!

 

On the left-hand door, below the second panel from the left, below the 'DB' we have

21 RIV

80 DB

236 8 285_-7

*Hbis-11³⁰²

 

At the foot of this panel is

Nur fur Ubergangszettel 

this text is less than 6 mm long and had to use a magnifying glass with the glasses, but I still reckon the glasses are pretty good!

 

Incidentally. The ferry van and the Hbis have similar axleguards, but the underframe details are different. The ferry van has NEM coupler pockets on close coupling mechanisms, but the Hbis has the pockets on plain pivots. So perhaps the Hbis is an older model.

 

Edit 23rd December

There is a photo of a Hbillns 302, 21 80 and a write-up here. The write-up gives a technical specification, but it omits the width. There is a more detailed technical specification in the DB Schenker catalogue and this includes the narrow width of the Hbillns 302 body, 2,600 mm.

 

The reduced height of the doors on the model rather alters the character of the model.

 

The only doubt left in my mind is why the DB had narrow-bodied vehicles and if anyone can help here this would be great.

 

- Richard.

 

[47137]

There is a photo of a Hbillns 302, 21 80 and a write-up here. The write-up gives a technical specification, but it omits the width. There is a more detailed specification in the DB Schenker catalogue and this includes the narrow width of the Hbillns 302 body, 2,670 mm.

 

The only doubt left in my mind is why the DB had narrow-bodied vehicles like this (2.67 m / 8' 9" wide) and if anyone can help here this would be great.

 

- Richard.

[Markus-Hymek]

Hello,

 

this Electroten Model have nothing to do with the german letter H classes. It is a spanish Model only lettered for DB. Electrotren have and had some "untrue" DB or DR models. No idea why, cuz the toy train fans often did not know manufactors like Electrotren an the prototype modelers would not buy such things.