Gordonwis

A couple of comments: Two of the best models shops have closed down / are closing down (Wemoba some time ago and Modellbahn Centre Eurobahn in Aarau-Rohr. BUT the latter closes 15 July so you might get there in tome for their closing down bargains (although the closing down sale has been going for a few weeks now so the best stuff might be gone. My favourite shop in Lausanne had virtually no N gauge last time I went in December - having been full to the brim of s/h N gauge on my previous visit. The prop said that N gauge was getting rare! My other experience in recent visits to Switzerland was that the "Swiss stuff you can't get in the UK" often isn't available in Switzerland either (because it is limited edition and thus sold out!)

Hobbytrain does the Br189 in a large number of different liveries. The models are perfectly fine. I doubt many people even notice the bogie side frames...

I'm wondering now if there are actually any rules! I've now found this photo of 014 which at the tine had just been repainted from red to Cargo (July 2021) and the grey is very light but no sign of 'white' grilles https://www.sguggiari.ch/4_foto_varie_1.php?veicolo=1849&gallery=Re 620 Same loco in September 2021 from a useful high angle https://www.sguggiari.ch/4_foto_varie_1.php?veicolo=1923&gallery=Re 620 Another thing I have done is to hold the models outside in the sunshine rather than just looking at them indoors. The darker grey looks lighter if you look at the model in bright sunshine!

I think it may be just sun/wind fade. I found this Georg Trub photo of 620 075 in March 2009. The loco was outshopped three months earlier in Cargo livery https://www.railpictures.net/photo/647740/

Yes, the Kato body is about 3 and a bit mm longer, but we ran both together on the test layout and it didn't grate. (see my rather nice piece of luck at Brig in May, when the only freight train of the day was a northbound pair and they departed up the mountain route!) I went to messrs Scograil in Ipswich (combined with a freight grice around Trimley on the Felixstowe branch) and by special arrangement took my Kato Cargo Re6/6 for direct comparison before I went ahead with the Fleishmann purchase. I should also mention that the Kato Cargo lok I have is not the most recent Kato moulding, so has the older sized cab side windows

Fleischmann's N gauge Re6/6 in Cargo. I've decided the shape (particularly the cab ends) is better than the Kato (ex Hobbytrain) Re6/6 which is now a long in the tooth body moulding. However I have ...several...Kato Re6/6 so will have to decide what to do with them. In the interim, the broadside comparison isn't too bad.

The tunnel driving trailer was indeed touted circa 2017, then 2019. But the release was a while ago now, circa 2020. The 'normal train' driving trailer is due out soon

It's the old Roco model of the VTG Ferrywagon for use into Britain. It is too small as it was scaled to represent a smaller UK loading gauge vehicle at 1:160

SNCF's batch of Eurofima coaches were orange initially - as were all the others (Belgian, Italian, Swiss) but SNCF repainted them into Corail colours. It's presumably a through train to Germany or Belgium

Fans of locomotive hauled trains can do worse than go to Finland. Minutes from the airport on a brisk commuter EMU will get you onto the main line into Helsinki. VR uses three classes of electric loco on huge push pull double deck coach sets and some non push pull single deck stock can still be seen. Inter City services are comparitively frequent and there is always at least two loco hauled sets in Helsinki main station at one time. Sr1 (30xx) are Soviet-built 1970s Bo-Bos Sr2 (32xx) are Swiss Lok 2000 design from the mid 1990s Sr3 (33xx) are Siemens Vectron, 2017 onwards Here's a picture of each type and a list of what I saw by just grabbing a few moments here and there during a 'non-gricing' family short break to Helsinki 29 May 2023 Sr3 3329 IC10 Joensuu – Helsinki inbound to P7 to form IC115 20.19 to Imatra 30 May 2023 Sr3 3336 IC102 Imatra – Helsinki P5 to form IC63 08.19 Helsinki – Kuopio Sr2 3216 IC104 06.02 Imatra – Helsinki Sr1 3023 HLV230 06.23 Kouvola – Helsinki (single decker type ‘Eil’ coaches) 31 May 2023 Sr2 3216 IC 93 09.03 Helsinki – Jyväskylä Sr3 3320 IC43 09.24 Helsinki – Vaasa Sr3 3344 IC104 06.02 Imatra – Helsinki Sr1 3087 IC274 19.15 Kemijärvi – Helsinki, into P6 09.10 Sr2 3230 into P10 for unidentified later departure 1 June 2023 Sr3 3338 IC102 Imatra – Helsinki P5 to form IC63 08.19 Helsinki - Kuopio Sr2 3230 IC166 06.22 Tampere - Helsinki Sr2 3232 HLV230 06.23 Kouvola – Helsinki (single decker type ‘Eil’ coaches) Sr2 3244 IC40 04.44 Vaasa - Helsinki

I will be in Alaska... 😃

Sommerfeldt ref 946 is their correct SBB pantograph. I'm afraid artisan products for superdetailing are almost unknown in Swiss modelling as the Swiss are generally happy to use off the shelf products - helped by the comparatively high purchasing power of the average Swiss. As such, detailing parts are hardly available in Switzerland let alone the UK. A longshot would be to try and get a UK retailer to get you Roco Ae6/6 spares ! I fear that the only way to get a 'more detailed' HO Ae6/6 is to look out for a reasonably priced second hand Roco Ae6/6!

Superb! I have two railcars that would also look good on your layout - an FNC and a U150 Gordon

Yes, a somewhat bizarre piece of model manufacturing. The car carrier wagons were produced over 30 years before an RTR model of the accompanying coach that is vital to their realistic operation !

I got my BLS car carrier driving trailer a couple of years ago. Here it is exiting the transalpine tunnel on my Chamossaire layout

This is my latest acquisition, bought last weekend. The car transporter wagons have been available for decades so it’s about time this was produced.BTW I’ve been told that the transporter wagons are very poor runners but over the length of they’ve been produced there’s probably been some modifications. Anyone able to comment? I have a set of the original Hobbytrain BLS car carriers and they run perfectly well. The design of the wagons does make the modelling of the bogies tricky so good track helps them to run well

What you have here is an SBB CFF FFS class Ae6/6 locomotive. The first 25 were named after the cantons of Switzerland, the rest of the class named after towns and cities. ( the patten was broken when canton number 26 (Jura) was created and the town name Porrentruy (the second most important town in Canton Jura) was moved from loco 11483 to 'make room' for that loco to be 'Jura' . The Porrentruy name was given to class Re4/4II locomotive 11239 , a class which does not have named locomotives. [the only other Swiss loco class to carry names is the Re6/6 (Re620). Lima HO scale models of the 1970s era are somewhat 'rough and ready'. The styling was essentially OK, but the dimensional accuracy was not up to the standard of other models. You can find a history of Liam models here: http://mmiwakoh.de/Eigene Webs/lima-modellbahn/Seite2 en.htm Amazingly, I camped at Sisikon camp site (5 minutes walk tent to platform!) with my family when I was 14 ! That was summer 1974 - the second year that we had a Swiss holiday Pass rail rover ticket. Here is one of my (many...) photos of Ae6/6, 11440 towards the end of the class (Bavois, June 2012)

Minitrix do the 1:160 scale ones, but the containers are never available separately so you have to pay over 30 quid for the complete wagon Here's the 12 in to the foot scale version at Bussigny (close up) and Vufflens la Ville depot 10 days ago

Indeed, consistently used in the EC trains Zurich - Buchs SG - Austria for at least the last 25 years. I saw one most recently in EC163 Sargans - Graz 13 days ago...

Lille 'Mongy' tram on the old alignment. November 1981 (my photo)

Somain - August 1995 (my photo) A screen grab off a video sequence. Thionville 11 12 1994

72068 awaiting departure to Laon at Paris Nord - 1991 (my photo) 2 x 141R storming up the steep Vulbens bank from Fort l'Ecluse towards Annemasse. 2 January 1970. Photo by my late Uncle Jeremy Wiseman (I was in the vicinity aged 10 with a useless small plastic camera...) CC7137 stabled at Bellegarde (Ain), 1988 (my photo)

By the way at Aixe sur Vienne the Chef de Gare is marching towards me to tell me off for photographing the train !!!

I have spent quite a lot of the last 2 years 'managing' the archiving etc of images following the death of my father and uncles all since 2019, and mixed up in that is sorting my own stuff . In the process I have scanned quite a bit of rather nice old stuff. Here's a starter for 10. Limoges - Angouleme evening peak Autorail departing from Aixe sur Vienne. July 1980 (my photo) Narbonne - Perpignan local, Narbonne, September 1987 (my photo) Redon, August 1980

Prices have gone up a bit but - nevertheless available via Shapeways: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/platformmodels