Gordonwis

I've decided that the Piko RBe4/4 and associated EW's are simply too pricey for me to justify purchase, so I'm reverting back to my already work in progress modifications to available existing models / spare parts / Shapeways 3D. I'm still reasonably content with the 2nd generation Lima / Minitrain / Minibahn / Arnold, especially as the pre-Arnold models are so robust and stand up to putting on an off layout hastily. Furthermore a batch that I obtained 2nd hand a few years ago had been fitted with shortened couplings by a previous owner. The old Eriam driving trailer (a 'full brake' Dzt version) is a good match to the 'Lima' type if 'lowered on its haunches' Here is my modified (lowered) Eriam Dzt EWII driving trailer lined up with a Lima EWI, a Brawa EWII and compared to the original Eriam (preserved in old state until these comparison pictures were taken - I will now start converting that one too.

I pressed the 'reserve' button for the Ds van on Hobby Search around 2 weeks ago, along with a load of spares, including parts relevant to some of the new items to facilitate the ongoing kitbashing programme .

I should have added that it is 100% Kato Unitrack, taking advantage of Kato's double track sections, superelevated double track curves etc (blended in with scenics and additional Kato ballast where necessary). The 'plug and play' simplicity of Unitrack means that the whole layout including fiddle yard of at least (because Unitrack fiddle yards can be easily modified) 4 tracks each way is powered - with all isolation achieved using the points - by just one feed on each loop, connected to the up and down main just inside the tunnel entrance

This is class 50, which is not a 'Kriegslok'

Only the SNCF 150Y were German class 52 (Kriegslok). The 150x were DRG class 44. The 150Z were DRG class 50 - the latter both DRG 'einheitslokomotiven' - the standard 1920s Reichsbahn builds. In any case, that is all irrelevant as the question is about DB 2-10-0s, and yes they visited French border crossings, but did not necessarily come side by side with 141Rs. Sarreguemines 141Rs ran to Saarbrücken (and DB class 23 the other way) into the early 1970s. Also in the early 70s DB 2-10-0s reached Hargarten and Apach, but tended to meet with SNCF electrics

AMF 87 has a huge range (including going as far as having two types of 'steel grey' for clean and dirty overhead masts!)

I've had deliveries from Switzerland, France and Japan since Jan 1 with no charges or questions asked - in fact less than before b***it (sorry I can't type the full word) - I fear my luck will change soon...

Precision are age old enamels and not worth pursuing IMHO

First off, my layout has appeared in public once, at Gaugemaster in 2018, and is booked for the next Swiss Railways Society AGM (whenever that might be...). BLS stands for 'Bern - Lenk - Sion' in this case... It is a simple layout on nothing more than a B&Q shelf board (supported on basic pop up (choice of three heigh settings) lightweight tables. I am a big enthusiast of freight railways, and wanted to replicate the way freights get looped at the approaches to major tunnel awaiting a path. My original idea was for a Grand St Bernard tunnel but I realised that if the tunnel was internal to Switzerland I could run Swiss internal IC trains. Thus I came up with the idea that a line was built beyond Lenk (Zweisimmen - Lenk having been often considered for relaying to 1435mm gauge) under the Wildhorn massif, coming out between Sierre and Sion. Sion is a regional capital so befits being the terminus of trains from Bern, but it is imagined that the axis continued south west of Sion to the Grand St Bernard, so justifying the use of Italian and German stock on through trains eg Hamburg - Torino - Genova

It's not a Swiss railway loco, so you might get better responses from another sub-board?

Is that because you don't have any of the Creanorm version?

The SBB 'RIC' (UIC X type) were all delivered as compartment coaches for international use. I remember travelling in them from the early 1970s onwards. I saw them a lot from base in Geneva, so that was on trains such as the Genève - Paris, Genève - Roma, Genève - Venezia, and Genève - Hamburg. In the mid-1980s the vast majority were rebuilt into open 2nds for internal use. They went from original green with the SBB + CFF lettering to all green with the <+> SBB CFF FFS lettering, then to green / grey with <+> SBB CFF FFS lettering. Some (an ever decreasing number sadly) are still in service in the latter livery. Unless I'm much mistaken, the RIC were not built using old underframes

Quite a few people I expect. If not for visible parts of a layout, useful for hidden sidings/fiddle yards

Have now received my 631 - A cracking job! Cab door footsteps are missed off but I agree with Kato's compromise to make the loco universal on Kato track. .

They were working in G scale AFAIK .

They've only just beaten you into service (sadly as I dislike them - much prefer my loco and coaches ICs)

Looks good. Plausible / might have beens/ nearly were's are my favourite type of layout .

One must assume that as the 607 6071 kits are for 140mm track that Arnold made 140mm radius track at some point. One option is to bite the bullet and buy Kato or Tomix tram track to replace your Fleischmann track. .

In the meantime, I have taken delivery of one of each of the two versions of Hai** van from TT Trams/Shapeways. I know MDS are about to issue RTR ones, but the Shapeways ones are a different variant, and I plan to use already prepared 'stick on sides'. I prepared the 'stick on' sides for us on bashed about Roco Hbis vans, which worked up to a point, but the stick on sides will be much better when fitted onto the otherwise accurate body of the Shapeways ones.

My Parcelforce letter arrived today...It's a mile or so away but I can't get at it! .

The other magazine to go is Objectif Rail. To be fair to the French magazines, some of them are cottage publishers not mainstream, because there is not a huge market for mainstream publishers to be interested. The long ceased 1980s orange cover 'Rail Magazine' was also a cottage publication. This is on reason why Le Train keeps going due to its tie up with the Germans. .

As a Swiss-o-phile, I love that the 18000 at Didcot retains a (very small) but nevertheless dead give away that it is Swiss - namely the Roma I and Roma II cab end numbers (that's as in No.1 end No 2 end, not a running number). They are of exactly the same styling as found on still active SBB locos. one of them is just visible between the top cab door foot steps in the linked pic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fairways4/39838486972/ .

Yes they have. Small shunters. They have also produced small shunters for Swiss (Tm2/2 aka Tm234). All look to be out of stock now (all limited runs) Pirata's web presence is confusing as they mix their own products with the 'shop' selling all other N stuff. .

Very sad subject when not one but two of the 'proper' French railway magazines have just ceased publication. .

I agree with the comments about 4-wheelers. These did not really survive into Epoch IV in western Germany. E44 (after 1969 class 144) and E94 (after 1969 194) were active for many years, right up to the 1980s so hauled modern vehicles. If I get time I will post some photos of an Inter Rail trip I did to Bavaria in the early 1980s specifically to see the 'Altbauelloks' (old electrics) of classes 118, 144 and 194 which were concentrated in Bavaria near neighbour states. At that time coaches on regional services were either Umbauwagen or silver fish. From the trip cited above, I have photos of 144s on trains of just 2 silverfish, so eminently suitable for a compact layout. I also have one shot of a 194 on 10 short bogie tankers. No brake vans were used, but when hauling tanker wagons, electric locomotives usually had the front pantograph up not the rear one, to reduce the risk of sparks from the back panto nearest the wagons from causing something nasty... .