MOB 2002

Does anyone have any views on when we have to stop referring to this as a hobby and start calling it an addiction? Piko Ae3/6 No. 10710 joined the collection today. I’ve wanted one of these for ages and nearly bought one from Germany, but one finally came up on UK EBay and I was weaker than I realised. It’s actually a pretty old model now, but I don’t think it had ever run. Took some liberal application of graphite to the rails and a spot of lubrication for satisfactory running. May need a bit more attention yet. Mark

The pantograph is sprung. Certainly not the best on the market, but not the worst either. Windscreen wipers, front hand rail and mirrors are all separate parts. The mirrors in particular are an immediately noticeable improvement on the old Roco models big plastic lumps. Mark

This month really hasn’t gone well. Just when I thought the new Hobbytrain Re4/4 IVs might never arrive - this appeared on the Scograil website: Looks pretty good, runs really well and of course a vast improvement over the old Roco model in terms of detail. Must resist getting another! Mark

I’ve had another Contikits splurge. Some more FS passenger stock, and some other little gaps filled. The rarest addition was probably this Wabu small series full brake, obviously adapted from Hobbytrain RIC parts. A lot less sophisticated is this Lima FS full brake. It’s not accurate at all, but it’ll be a useful stand in as there’s no sign of this livery appearing on something more accurate any time soon. Just like 95% of people who have bought the Kato RIC pack with two couchettes and a green/grey RIC rebuild I suspect, there was only really one of the three that I ‘needed’ but they don’t come up often in the U.K. so never mind. I’ve seen some suggestions that the livery doesn’t sit well next to Roco/Fleichmann EWIV, but I don’t think it’s that bad. And I’ve now got an excuse for an EWIII to make an appearance in due course. A pair of the Sputnik brakevans used as barrier vehicles for moving EWIII stock. The Arnold Ee3/3 was also a new purchase. I think I’ve added a dozen carriages, two brakevans and two locos in a little over a fortnight. The modelling budget has really had a battering this month - whoops! I’ve also just realised that I’ve now got more than 100 carriages for a layout I haven’t even started 🤦‍♂️ Mark

A real bargain just arrived today. Hobbytrain Re4/4 II of the first batch in green. There’s a 2021 date written on the box, but it looks like it’s never been used and ran well straight from the box. Even the most discounted price I’ve seen for a ‘new’ one was in the region of £120. This one, £50! And I thought the days of the eBay steal were long gone. Mark

The actual ticket is only one element though … I paid more for parking at the airport than I did the return flights last year, then there’s the time penalty of insane check in requirements and in most cases exorbitant additional costs if you want to take a decent sized bag - it all adds up. Mark

I’m not even sure it needs to be direct, just avoid the complications of a cross Paris connection. A simple cross platform change somewhere and I’d be sold. Given that year-round Newcastle - Geneva flights are no longer a thing, it’s only the time lost and aggro involved in the current connections that tips the balance towards flying for me now. Mark

Do you still consider your project ‘stalled’? Mark

Agreed wholeheartedly- it is very frustrating that every possible version seems to have at least one error! My cant rail observations are merely from photos on the likes of Polier.ch, although even ScalaeNNe has a comparison photo showing that various nations got their cant rail treatment completely different. As far as I can tell actual uniformity only arrived at the UIC Z family. My donor bogies are on the way and I’ve worked out how to dismantle the Fleischmann roof so all being well I’ll get something passable in the end. Mark

In a word … yes: It turns out that Rivarossi bogies clip straight in and what a difference they make! Buffer heights now line up and the overall height is much more acceptable. I’ll need to take the razor saw to them to lose the moulded in steps and coupling pocket, but that looks doable. Just trying to source some more now as I don’t want to destroy the FS sleeper I’ve borrowed this one off to test the concept. Thanks so much for the suggestion - I guess I didn’t expect the solution to be that easy! Now to decide whether I try to tackle the roofs. Mark

Part of the problem seems to be the size of the wheels. They look enormous. I might gamble on some small diameter wheelsets before I write the job off completely as a lesson learned. Mark

This is technically Italian stock … but very definitely for a Swiss layout - so only partial apologies. I’ve picked up a trio of Fleischmann UIC carriages in FS liver and grey livery. Now I know they’re less accurate than ideal, particularly around the roof, but the scarcity of vehicles in that livery and the mix and match nature of stock during the era I’m modelling still made a purchase fairly desirable. I also knew in advance that the Fleischmann UIC stock rides high - but I don’t think I was quite prepared for how high! In reality the cant rail of the FS UIC is higher than the SBB equivalent on the right. But not that much higher. Has anyone successfully lowered the overall ride height of a Fleischmann UIC? Mark

It’s been a long time since I’ve had some time for this layout, but things have conspired to give a few hours. I was never really happy with the Kato office building that was screening the exit to the fiddle yard. A while back I bought an alternative, a grain warehouse and silo set from Faller. This is them nearly complete and posed in place to allow me to adjust the scenery and check clearances before the last detail components get fitted. The silos also come with enough bits to create a conveyor belt bridge over the railway to add a proper scenic break for the first time. I need to get everything perfectly in location before I build and install that though. Lots of tidying up to do, but a definite improvement in my mind. The Fleischmann Re4/4 II is another project. One of a pair acquired to improve the glazing and replace the pantographs while awaiting the next generation model. Mark

Scary isn’t it … I still consider them the ‘modern’ locos that displaced the ‘interesting’ stuff! 😳 Mark

It’s a 1st / 2nd composite (ABm in Swiss parlance) of the UIC X type, a 1960s design primarily intended for international traffic. Mark