Gordonwis

Photo montages - so no guarantees yet ! However it would be pretty poor if the marketing people hadn't woken up to the shape inaccuracies of the previous 'brand new' Re4/4II (and also perhaps an 'egg on face ' admission that they spent loads a money on a duff model) An interesting thing in the 'inset blow up' images is what looks like a raised FFS lettering .

There were loads of British built locos in Turkey both on the state railways and in industry. I recall visiting a sugar factory which used a Darlington built saddle tank...

The black plastic windows don't bother me too much, after all windows do appear black in many types of outdoor lighting conditions - just look at photos of the real thing where in many cases the cab windows look black, eg : https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9d5100e9026ee2fe88e5d31bdb4a624f?rik=NQYhfR%2bCMD1XOg&pid=ImgRaw&r=0 Also opaque windows they mask the lack of a driver that is rather obvious on some models. The original idea was also to presumably hide the motor inside. Overall despite the squat appearance I'm quite happy with the 'middle-older' moulding - which even has slightly raised worksplates. The black side windows can be replaced. My BN 179 currently has no side glazing at all at isn't all that apparent from a distance. And on the subject of seeing the model chassis through clear windows, I find seeing the chassis block through the windows is actually quite nice, you see some metalwork which is, after all an electric motor housing just like the real thing!

Yes, but what does this actually mean - less or same as or (more?) wagonload freight. Switzerland is one of the few countries left with lots of wagonload and even pick up freights! .

Here is the Shapeways BLS 174, compared against Arnold, and Kato Ae4/4. The key is that the Arnold Re4/4, like the current Fleischmann Re4/4II is too wide for its height, resulting in a disappointingly squat appearance. The same 'body too wide' issue also afflicts quite a few other models, notably the Minitrix DDR Ludmilla, and the Kato 1:150 Ge4/4II . Note that this exercise has proven to me that it is really the shape issue not the windows that is the problem (I've edited my earlier port to reflect this) The crispness of the number and lettering on 174 is notably good for a 3D print

A useful guide for N gauge: https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=ef5df3b132f60800JmltdHM9MTcwNDkzMTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0zMmY3ZTgzMC03NDZkLTY5YTMtMWU4YS1mYTU2NzVhNjY4YmYmaW5zaWQ9NTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=32f7e830-746d-69a3-1e8a-fa5675a668bf&psq=Fleischmann+neuheiten+2024&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3B1cndlaXRlLW4uZGUv&ntb=1

Regarding BLS Brownies. I should also have added that there is a very nicely done 3D printed Re4/4 available through Shapeways. It can be made to sit nicely on at least two of the available Swiss Bo-Bo chassis options (ie Kato Ae4/4 and Minitrix Re4/4II

As the pictures are photomontages, I wonder if the re-run might be re-tooled with more accurate ratio of width to height shape. Thanks to some of the people frequenting this forum, I realised that the cab windows are more like an Ae4/4, so sold both my Arnold BLS163s on the basis that - if the expensive up to date model is inaccurate I may as well stick to using the older models. As such at present i have about three of the older bodies (including the BN lettered version) running on Minitrix Re4/4II chassis .

Minitrix: https://streaming.maerklin.de/public-media/m/nh24/1/MINITRIX/PDFs/EN_minitrix_nh2024_Online.pdf

One possible factor in the 'reissue the NPZ?' scenario is exactly the fact that it was produced 30 years ago - ie at the time when NPZ was 'the latest thing' - which is certainly isn't now, with only Dominos left 'in the current public eye' .

Here we are again! Piko's decision making perennially baffles me. First there was the 'no driving trailer without an RBe' - now here we have the long awaited 'separate' BDt but it is (a) in essentially a very short lived guise (SBB NPZ livery with a particular BLS logo) and (b) still paired with something which perhaps we don't want (c) the RRP of 210 makes it not hugely cheaper than the price of an RBe/BDt pair .

Indeed the catalogue gives Piko's RRP (Euro 210) - the German big retailers as usual will probably knock 10 - 20 Euros off that

In France there is a much closer connection between wine and railways. Between Dijon and Beaune on the PLM 'Ligne Imperiale' main line railway traction units equipped with 'Faiveley' pantographs pass - several times a day - right by the vineyards of messrs Faiveley , winegrowers. It is my understanding that it is two branches of the same family

Freycinet is really only tangentially a railway related name. Charles de Freycinet was Minister of Transport in France for just two years 1877 - 79 so the fact that his name is attached to a programme of railway (but more so canal transport) plans is almost accidental. The Tasmanian Freycinet region is named after French maritime explorer Louis de Freycinet, who was Charles de Freycinet's uncle.

Yes, I remember Felsenburg well. Although I live over 150 miles from where Felsenburg was based, it did the big shows, on spec I took some stock to one of those, and the operators kindly gave some of it a run out (as I had/have no room for such an expansive scenic layout). As such, some of my stock makes a guest appearance in the pictures in the Continental modeller article, notable a Fulgurex BLS Ae6/8 which was my pride and joy until Fulgurex models lost their prestige with time (old fashioned mech) and the arrival of a 'mass market model (Hobbytrain) .

My thoughts: 1) in general when researching buildings for use on model railways, the best approach is to research regional architectural styles. There are quite a few on line and hard copy resources around (for example green Michelin tourist guidebooks used to have chapters on architectural styles (for example the very different styles of farmsteads in the various cantons of Switzerland). Equally, certain 'quarters' of towns and cities across the world might have been built by architects wishing to evoke styles from elsewhere. So you can get Italianate architecture in northern Europe, French style buildings in parts of central London, etc. For example is a building is in 'baroque' style, research where cities have baroque architecture. For each building (slightly awkward as your sequence goes A, B, C, C, D, E, G :-) A) - definitely looks like some large German city buildings to my eye . The triangular 'apex' above some of the windows is a style seen in some German city buildings, for example here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RFu2P5N1ZLGtGHMf6 B) Generic red brick - usable anywhere but only where red brick is common - eg in parts of the former DDR, England, north east France (the Nord Pas de Calais coalfield is famous for having red brick houses that at a glance look like Coronation Street. Red brick is of course mots common close to where the underlying rock is red (eg sandstone) C1) too American IMO C2) oil tanks and corrugated iron buildings are universal worldwide IMO D) This sort of timber architecture is good for American or Nordic countries (Norway etc) but style is not very western/central/southern European E) as per D G) looks a bit French / Belgian/ northern German.

I was scanning some old photos today and included was a photo of a Saarbrucken tram in 1962 take by my late father (but I would have been nearby - aged 2 !) I realised there was a Mercedes L in the background. Although no number plate is visible on the van, the two other cars visible nicely illustrate the registration plates of the era, with a French Simca Aronde from nearby 'Moselle' department 57 - showing the 1950 French FNI scheme (style 1 A 57 to 999 ZZZ 57) , and a small van with an early 'modern era' Saarbrucken registration (SB - C xxxxx)

Yep, I can see VW beetles, Saab , Fiat 124, Renault 12, Citroen Ami 8 break, Volvo .

Nice to see them using semi convertibles on the 15 in amongst the modern artics. However the 15 used to use the handsome bogie cars rather than the 4 -wheelers.

I confess to being irritated that I haven't got the answer given that I have had a fascination for car license plates stemming from a lifetime of road trips between UK and family near Geneva, starting at a very young age. I don't recognise it as any 'normal' regular private plate from the obvious places for a Mercedes L van such as Germany or Austria. It looks most like a forces plate or other 'departmental' plate . There are a number of online registration plate 'enthusiast' websites, try searching using a suitable phrase and hunting around.

Returning to the subject of rolling stock, remember that SBB Crocodiles ran between Lausanne and Aigle right up to the late 70s (locos running between their home depot at Lausanne and St Triphon refinery sidings where they shunted. I don't recall if the movements were only light engine though, sorry

I rather agree with Montreux 1991 about 'scaling down' to a smaller lakeside station. Good luck to you Mark if you want to replicate something of Montreux - but I fear replicating the lakeside luxury hotels might be a challenge. As regards feeder branch lines, don't forget that there is a Rochers de Naye rack railcar available via Shapeways: https://www.shapeways.com/product/QHM6WWWAG/mgn-bhe-2-4-ne-1-160?optionId=299239128&li=shops

agree - a much better thread title IMO

Because Austrian Federal Railways made a decision a few years ago to reverse the trend to remove night trains in western Europe, and launched Nightjet. Because Austria is on the eastern edge of western Europe they had a legacy of popular night trains running to and through Austria between the rich western economies and the eastern European destinations and saw the chance to re-expand overnight Services in central Europe. This new service will just be an add on to the existing Nightjet network. .

Care needed when reading some of the hyperbolic text! (For example 'fully booked train' is a mis-transliteration). Also, Paris - Berlin is only the "jewel in the crown" of European night trains if you happen to want to travel that itinerary! It is worth noting the completely different route compared with the traditional Paris - Berlin route which was from Paris Nord via Liege - Koln - Hannover