Vecchio

Back to Austria and back in time. Today we are at Payerbach, this is the last station before the Semmering pass inclination starts. At this station a short 760mm, electrified narrow gauge line starts, which in the past transported raw material and ready made goods to a paper mill in Hirschwang as well as it brought tourists from the mainline station at Payerbach to the Rax cable car. The train has also the name Hoellentalbahn - which is the name of the valley between the mountains Rax and Schneeberg, the 2 highest mountains in Lower Austria. Hoellentalbahn translates as hell valley train. I am not sure when these pictures have been taken, I suppose it was between 2000 and 2005. 20161218_073825 A rather functional electric loco, probably this loco did run the paper mill trains. 20161218_073852 I am not sure if the contact wire is still working, it is in place, but the train is pulled by a diesel 20161218_073909 Another view of the electric loco - the panto is up and the headlight is on - so probably it is still working. 20161218_073922 In the meantime I learned that most of the museum-traffic today is done by a tram like EMU which was the original passenger train on this line. So yes - the contact wire is still working...

Paul, I would be careful with any adhesive tape - especially when in close proximity to the motor = temperature higher than ambient. In a few years time this may not work any more - either falling into pieces or changing into some sticky goo (softener migration). But probably this is your temporary solution until the manufacturer comes back with some replacement or upgrading.

Looking at all critics and looking back to a few older UK models I have - without some innovation from companies like Heljan the 00 model would probably be still in the pancake motor stage...

The road you see on the last photo is part of it. The metal pole with the yellow signs tells you the distance to the next stations - one direction north and one direction south. I did much of it but not all the path.The path follows small agricultural roads but sometimes it is also a small footpath trough woodland. You are not always able to see the trains, but you are always close to them. If you really do it let me know. I spent 3 month per year at this place when I was a boy....

Now let's have a look what is running there today - I was at my parents house in the mountains and brushed the leaves off the lawn - or let's say rather meadow - doing that I could hear if a train is coming and so I made a few snapshots with my phone. It was a cold and cloudy day, rather dark. Not the perfect photo conditions I am afraid. Modern EMus have taken over the local trains - with is a pitty as these were the trains using sometimes rather old and weird locomotives. 20161218_133549 20161218_133556 Long distance trains are mainly covered by the Railjet and its family. Here a Czech Railjet, with the usual 1016 (Taurus) in front going up the pass. 20161218_140236 A couple of 1044 go back down the pass to help the next heavy train to make it. 20161218_140506 A goods train hauled by a 1016 and a 1042 going down direction Vienna 20161218_141124 A private 1016 - from the logistic company LTE - goes up the pass alone 20161218_142040 Another EMU goes up the pass - just crossing the Wagner viaduct - one of the highest viaducts on the pass route. 20161218_142634 A Railjet - now in Austrian colors on its way down the pass 20161218_143133 And the usual 1016 is pushing it. View to the east with the ruin of castle Klamm and the first signs of snow on the Otter mountain in the back of the picture. 20161218_143151 And finally a goods train bringing some Seat cars over the pass. 20161218_143852 There have been a few more trains, but I wasn't fast enough to catch them. It is still a busy pass road, during the week is normally even more traffic. To go back in time again: I found some more photos in my fathers photos, which i will show you another time.

Today we are in Austria, I went through the old photo folders of my late father and found a few pictures. The first is from the Mariazeller Bahn, a electric 760mm narrow gauge line in lower Austria. Hofstaetten 1994. 20161217_225812 Now we are at the Semmering line. A 1042 exits Wolfsbergkogel tunnel direction Semmering 1994 20161217_225740 The next one is from Krauselklause. taken in 1994 20161217_225705 Now we are at the Krausel tunnel, the shortest tunnel on the line. People think that Karl Ritter von Ghega left this piece of rock just as a feature. It would have been cheaper to blast it away instead of making a tunnel... Again a 1042 - which was the work horse for a long time at this line until it was replaced by the stronger 1044 20161217_225654

Thanks for the picture, I know now that I need more earthing poles and a acetylene bottle to make it more realistic... The one from Kleinbahn is for sure not top of the top - but with a little bit of brass wire and weathering powder I will try to upgrade it. Also it needs lights and a decoder to be allowed to run on Donnersbachkogel...

A long brake in my activities - mainly family related - but now I have a little helper for my overhead line build. I am currently in Vienna - well - family again And I couldn't resist visiting Kleinbahn to purchase a little permanent way set. And there is my little helper 20161217_102242 It is the OBB x534.80, a diesel driven platform car for set-up and maintenance on ohl lines. The pantograph on this car is just for measurement and earthing reasons.

David, you are like clockwork. Every day at almost the same time an update. Today I like the unusual 12139 "fer à repasser". A 25kV 50Hz locomotive in use long before the mainlines changed to this system Looking forward to your next update Best regards Vecchio

if you are running a sound loco or you are at a show you will not hear the servos tick. If you are in your mancave where you hear the clock on the wall ticking (should you have one in there) you will hear it. I fly RC planes since I am 18 and the servos always tick. But again - once the bird is in the air you don't hear it ) Vecchio P.S.: On my newer and bigger models I use digital servos - and surprise: they tick as well....

Great stuff! What are going to make next? (just to know at what thread to look) Vecchio

Finally I purchased a 00 electric pole from your company - will see how it comes out when I build it.... Vecchio

Bother - on the 11th of February (Newbury) is also Milton Keynes MRS.... cannot miss that as I am club member... Will try to come to Guildford in January instead. Vecchio

If we consider that your pictures are made in a pre- digital time I have to say that the quality is amazing. Your father must have used a very expensive photo paper. Also - as you send pictures almost every day I wonder how many you have. Must be thousands... Vecchio

I am slowly proceeding with the masts. Detailing takes quite some time. And a good eyesight... What I have to stock up at Wharley next weekend is L profile brass 1x1mm. I need quite a few of these bits. 20161122_210648

This one is a bit behind bars - but I couldn't go any closer. The security at Crossrail is quite strict. 66772 at Plumstead railhead this morning. ..

Joseph, Well - I am working for a French company - headquarters in Paris. So - yes, average once a month. I will note this address and have a look. Thanks

After that a little cosmetic on the masts. Not really precise but from a normal viewing distance ok. 20161121_212922 Especially after coating with grey primer and colouring the insulators. Now with the right glossy paint. . DSC04041 DSC04044. Now I ask myself if I should leave the colour as it is or if I should paint the masts in rose-grey. Both colours are present at the Austrian OHL.

OK, this is not from Italy - but I think it is also worth being published. Find here a class 52 goods engine taken by my father in 1967 - at the station Gesäuse Eingang These locomotives were frequently used when I was a little boy - even in Vienna - we had a level crossing with a foot passenger bridge next to the school I went - and it was a courage test to stay there when a 52 went below....

I like your garden railway! Had a small garden railway while I lived in Italy, it just went around the pond (which means approximately 10m track length). We got 15 goldfish from the previous owner, who put them in just for my kids - this was very polite - but after a few years I counted more than 70.... this pond had a small stream, the filter pump was feeding this. As I had to cross this "river" I made a scratch built bride from brass profiles. Mainly soldered, with a few additional screws. DSC00310 Now the whole pond: DSC00309 DSC00308 Sorry - there is no train on the circuit - I (or rather Alex - my son) just had a start set upgraded by some more trucks. My late father had a live steam G-scale loco, I will go to Austria by car next spring and bring that one over. So may be in the mid term future I will look at G-scale again... My garden in the UK is approximately the same size as in Italy - 550m2 - so no excuse in doing it :-)

Speaking about Italy - my job brings me from time to time back into the country where I used to live - so have a few from this afternoon. I used FN to go from Milano Lancetti first to Porta Garibaldi and from there to Malpensa. EasyJet did the rest, and I just rolled home from Gatwick. I took a few pictures at Porta Garibaldi, I have to say that Ferrovia Nord has upgraded their rolling stock, all looks up to date and there is even not a lot of graffiti on it. First a 464: . DSC04034 This machine will push its train out of the station in a sew minutes. There was no goods trains in sight, also on the 45min trip to Malpensa I saw no good trains except permanent way stuff. I suppose FN stopped all good services on these routes. I wonder who serves the container terminal of HUPAC north of Milan, in my opinion also this is in the area of the FN. HUPAC is a Swiss company organizing the rolling road and container transport from Italy to Switzerland. The only older stuff I could see was this double decker coach, probably also here a 464 was pushing from the other end of the train. . Most of the rolling stock at FN is formed by these ETR 425 EMUs DSC04036 Here we see a little graffiti attack, but this is nothing in comparison to the FS stock in the past. DSC04035 This DMU is looking strange, it has small power units - like mini locomotives- between the coaches. DSC04038 DSC04037 After that it went too dark and also the battery of my camera gave up. That's it for the moment, to get more Italian pictures I have to go there again - which I normally do 3 times per year.

Well - tried to make it as lifelike as possible. Look from time to time into Donnersbachkogel - this is the layout I am currently working on - here I make my own OHL wires as well - and of course improved (0.6mm contact wire, all other wires 0.5mm)

Well - there is no excuse to make such a model - you find models at BEMO in their H0m (or H0 - I don't like that as is not a model if the track width is wrong) range but also in bigger scales like G (LGB) ...of course there is an excuse - the cost... Vecchio

Time to go down again. We had to wait at Pontresina for a train from direction Chur. The tracks that are forming a huge track triangle near Pontresina go parallel for a long time. IMGP5615. now we are climbing back up to the white lake. IMGP5629 The snow moves back and flowers - in this case small pale crocus - pop out immediately. The summer is short at that sea level, if nature wants to survive it has to hurry. IMGP5640 On the plain near the lake the ski season is still on. We have May 17th... IMGP5643 The station Bernina Diavolezza gives direct access to the cable car. On we go - the signal shows attention - so probably we will have to stop soon. IMGP5645 Actually it was the signal before the station Bernina Hospitz, which we see in the back of the next picture. Today the white lake looks quite turquoise,. IMGP5655 Now we are entering the slope where the train goes down in hairpin bends. IMGP5660 A lot of bridges and viaducts make this possible. IMGP5668 Turning into an avalanche protection. IMGP5670 And another viaduct IMGP5682 We see a bridge quite a bit below us IMGP5685 And after a minute or so we are entering this bridge IMGP5687 Just to see it from the next terrace-now high above us. IMGP5694 Here we see how the train shares the road on the way trough Boschiavo. IMGP5706 Back again along the lake Poschiavo IMGP5714 Close to Brusio, the slope is held by a stone wall. IMGP5728 The town of Brusio and below the spiral viaduct. You can see that there was a massive landslide the winter before, and a team of builders is still working on the repair of the line. IMGP5729 And another view of the spiral viaduct IMGP5736 And down we go. IMGP5738 IMGP5744 Finally we are back in Italy, at Tirano, where the whole journey started. I hope you enjoyed the trip. IMGP5477 . .

Dave, Thanks a lot - you are quite busy next year. Will pencil Newbury into my diary... Vecchio