Samedan

Maybe I just never registered what they were. But I’m surprised myself that such a distinctive vehicle hasn’t registered previously. Nor have I seen anything about them in books or articles. ….. No need to point me to any, thanks. I know all I need to now.

I don’t model N gauge, so can’t offer practical advice from personal experience, but I’ve looked into the subject for HO and plan to employ super-elevation selectively. I imagine that you’d need to be careful not to overdo it with N gauge, as the actual elevation would need to be pretty small, in scale. If it helps, there are videos on the subject of SE on OO on YouTube on, if I recall, the Chadwick Model Railways and New Junction channels.

Interesting stuff. Lots of detail and coverage of a part of the region that I don’t know well. But clearly has a lot of interesting traffic and infrastructure. I confess, I’d never heard of, let alone seen, a mobile substation!

Looks good. But try fitting one of those on an HO layout!

Yes, the whole Easy Track system looks really good. I like the way that they are providing all the parts you need to construct a neat, multi-level layout structure, so involving some construction but taking a lot of the stress and, for some people, chore out of it, and letting the modeller get on with the enjoyable side of scenic modelling. The hobby really needs this kind of innovation if it is to prosper. Like you, I’m heavily invested in HO and HOm, so it’s not going to be for me, but I think I did notice a brief mention that the Bergün station building will be available as an HO kit in September. I hope that the loco shed and the depot building based on Samedan will be produced in HO. And why only produce the attractive stone arched bridges in N and Z? I’ve also just had a look at the very nicely produced Faller new items video. The Bodensee Schiff looks really exciting - assuming that’s going to be in HO. The only serious model kits in HO of European lake boats that I’ve previously seen are very large and very expensive, so I’ll be keeping an eye on the Fallervmodel, although it’s bound to be pricey given its size and complexity. faller also appear to be going to produce a traditional Engadine house, complete with very well produced scraffito facade. The contemporary style house looked potentially very useful and could be seen anywhere in Europe, as did the brewery and modern glass walled office building, though they will probably be too big for my layout. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of useful structures in the Viessmann/Kibri video, which was very poorly presented in my opinion and quite difficult to follow.

Anyway, changing scales to HOm, this beauty from Bemo has got my juices flowing. I’ve coveted the “Crystal Panoramic” set (as it was originally called) for years and found good ones very hard to come by. It’ll be eye-wateringly expensive, and I don’t generally model the MOB, but I’ll have to have it. Not my preferred traditional MOB pale blue livery, but I love the Pininfarina designed lines.

It’s likely that there are differences in Continental European as opposed to U.K. (and Ireland) manufacturers. Although, to me, they seem counter-intuitive, given that the British consumer base must currently be weaker than the (Western) European norm. what I’m on about mainly, is the trend from British manufacturers, especially the newer and/or more niche brands, which seem to splurge numerous livery and period variants pretty much immediately. Perhaps the increasing trend towards limited production runs with an emphasis on “when they’re gone, they’re gone” pre-ordering is part of it? Whereas, Continental brands do seem to be playing a relatively cautious game these days. I suppose that one of the problems facing those supplying the Swiss-interested market is that brand new locos or sets, as opposed to endless livery variations, only appear infrequently. So they are left constantly fiddling about with livery and minor detail variants. Of course, the complaints that old favourites keep reappearing, rather than gaps being filled, reflects the view of the committed modeller who probably already has a lot of models in their collection. If a brand wants to attract new custom and appeal to the younger or less committed, they need to keep pushing colourful, iconic and widely-travelled prototypes. Interestingly, I’ve recently come from being involved in Pete Waterman’s / Railnuts Christmas exhibition in Cheshire. Lots of enthusiastic youngsters through the door. Based on anecdotal evidence from these exhibitions, Pete’s strongly held view is that the kids are really, really interested in attractive express trains that are currently running on the main lines. Such as Azumas. Can they be much different from their counterparts across the Channel?

You don’t say whether you have space for a “hole in the middle” circuit or if it’s got to be all in a line. If it’s the latter, then to achieve multiple levels you’ve probably got to resort to at least one helix at one end, if not both. I debated long and hard whether to incorporate a helix (on my HO layout), with the helix at one end to raise the track to a high level and then use a series of loops and curves to gradually bring the line back down (and up of course). I always look enviously at layouts that can achieve that, incorporating high level viaducts, such as Bieschtal on the Lötschberg Sud Rampe. For interaction between road and rail, without taking up a lot of space, you could simply have a private siding to a timber yard, stone or concrete plant, or any kind of factory or warehouse (bottled beer or water, sugar beet etc).

Ooh, you’ve put me on the spot. I suppose it must seem like that, relative to N or any other gauge/scale. It does sometimes feel like we mostly get a lot of new liveries, rather than new models, but that is simply a reflection of the actual situation on the network I guess. Now that we have not one but two Girunos for the standard gauge and a Capricorn on the way for the RhB, the most obvious contemporary trains are catered for. However, my budget may not stretch to either. One prototype that I would be prepared to shell out for is the lovely bronze SOB Treno Gotthardo, but there doesn’t seem to be one in the pipeline from the major manufacturers, as far as I can see. No doubt there are missing relatively historic prototypes and variants that some must long for, together with representatives of the minor lines, both standard and narrow gauge, but I’m mostly interested in the post-green eras. Moreover, whilst the RhB continues to be well covered, the ZB, MGB and MOB could be better covered I would think. Given the number of people from all over the world who holiday there, it continues to surprise me that the BOB and WAB are not represented in mainstream RTR.

Is there anybody primarily interested in HO on here…..?

Your layout ideas resonate with my own current project, coyly called “Swiss Lakeside”. The eventual name has yet to be found. This is actually now a superseded version but it shows the basic concept. As can be seen, it’s in HO and HOm, so occupies over half of a double garage. It’s not based on a specific location, but on a variety of impressions in my mind’s eye. Since the metre gauge will be based on the RhB, I’m not going to try to situate it in the Montreux region! Moreover, I want the location to be more “central Switzerland Alpine” in character. I find that largely straight platforms better convey the impression of Swiss mainline stations for me, so achieving that in HO in the space available (approx 16 ft long) was a major planning constraint. I decided that I wanted the metre gauge platforms in front of the station building, in the manner of Brig, for example, with bus interchange taking place in the same area. It will be assumed that the lake shore is just in front of the metre gauge platforms, right on the edge of or just off the baseboard. Finding a suitable station building, of reasonable scale and importance but fitting into the limited available depth, has been a bit of a headache. My original aspiration for the visible lakeside, next to the lower part of the town, was to model a sufficiently expansive chunk of lake on which to place an actual model of a paddle steamer. But I reluctantly decided that, in HO, it would require too much space. I hope to start a specific thread about the project, so I won’t say much more here. What I will say though, is that, after actual-size track planning on large sheets of paper and with construction of baseboards now underway, even more compromise has been found to be necessary. To paraphrase an old military dictum, no layout plan completely survives first contact with actual construction.

Thanks for digging out the CM cover. I’m totally undecided now! One thing that’s indisputable is that, in the 1990s, Bemo trains set incredibly high standards and that, coupled with the superb layouts that a few modellers were creating to run them on, really persuaded me to seriously start taking an interest in Swiss railways and their model counterparts. It’s just a pity that it’s taken me 30 years to get round to building a proper layout.

Thanks for the explanation @PaulRhB and @Keith Addenbrooke regarding the FO tunnel motors. I must confess that I’d never heard of this. I had wondered for a while if Barrie Kelsall was simply revealing that he was a normal, human modeller who just liked to run trains that he liked, regardless of whether they fitted with his location and period! I can’t be the only person who secretly enjoys that time towards the end of the last day at exhibitions when a Union Pacific Big Boy suddenly emerges from a tunnel on the Settle - Carlisle line. I’m not sure if Via Mala was the layout I’m trying to recall. I can’t find any photos of it after Googling it. I do seem to recall either seeing it or reading an article in CM about it. On the exhibition scene in the 1990s sure enough. Wasn’t it an end to end or “simple” continuous run with fiddle yard layout? And it was based on a “what might have been” scenario? Or I may be remembering “Maloja”? Either way, the one I saw in Derby was definitely not intended to be an accurate representation of a location.

Ah, that was very therapeutic. Bob Symes, they don’t make presenters like that anymore. Like sitting down with your uncle in his lounge. I think I must have seen Filisur live, assuming it was exhibited, but I can’t remember very distinctly. Super layout, but how come the FO were responsible for a Davos-Filisur shuttle? 😉 One Swiss layout that made an early impression on me (as in early in my interest in Swiss railways) was exhibited at the Derby exhibition, which used to focus on Continental layouts, back in the late 1990’s I’d guess. I can’t remember the name, but it was a multi-level HOm layout, not based on any real location, but showing off the operational and scenic possibilities in a fairly compact space. I don’t recall ever seeing it again.

One always needs a bigger fiddle yard!

It is an amazing feat of heavy transportation. Perhaps the only alternative would be to lift the unit by a Chinook helicopter (or two)?! I'm not sure (because I can’t be bothered to translate the article I’m afraid) whether all the existing units are being replaced? That would be a pity, in my opinion. I’m no Luddite when it comes to updating rolling stock and motive power, but I do like the existing trains.

I’ve done plenty of holidays to Switzerland, but only one what I would call a full-on rail-riding week, which was for my 50th, alas some years ago now, with my son as my travelling companion. He still complains of exhaustion to this day (Millenial snowflake!) 😊. I travel with my wife, who likes train travel, but not quite as intensively as I would like. I hope that, one day, I might sneak in a heritage rail day such as this.

Actually, now I think about it, you could have stumbled on a very crude way of modelling the gauge-changing Golden Pass Express! 🤣

I’ll be following this topic with interest, as I’m going to have a Brig-inspired RhB platform at the front of my main station. I’ve just measured a piece of Bemo track (standard I presume) and the height to the top of the rail is just under 4mm. The height of the platforms being suggested in these comments would add another 4mm or so to that I guess. That “feels” quite high enough, if not a bit too high, to me for a metre gauge platform. I’m also conscious that, if you allow for the possibility of a slightly uneven baseboard surface and the thickness of glue etc, you could be adding to that. But I’ll have to get a modern GEX coach out and look at it properly. If I may expand the topic a little, I’m struggling to get my head around the question of relative levels of road, m-gauge track, m-gauge platform, pavement, station internal concourse, station std gauge platform and std gauge track? All of which must be modelled in my scenario. I haven’t been out of a train a Brig for some time so only have photos, memory and common sense (!) to go no. I don’t suppose anyone has actually observed these relative levels?

Ah, OK, that sounds plausible. Possibly another little detail to model, though I can’t recall seeing it anywhere else. But then I haven’t travelled on the RhB for a while to be honest.

Sounds a lovely location for a hotel. Room with a view of the chemical works anyone? 😉

Hi Andrew I’m currently building a HO layout which is a “folded double track oval” for the standard gauge (there will be a Metre Gauge HOm end to end line as well). I’ve tried to keep the track plan as simple as possible, although for reasons best known to myself/ the site/ the evolution of the scheme, I have to have 2 double slips and numerous points at each end of the main station to facilitate access to and from the fiddle yard. But apart from that, the idea is that standard gauge trains will simply run through the station and along the open stretches of track for me to enjoy, until I decide to run them into the fiddle yard and bring another one out. There will be no timetable or anything fancy like that. Pure enjoyment on a whim. Having said that, I’ve found room for an up and a down loop through the station, plus a longish siding and at least one short siding or loco spur. The purpose of these is primarily to enable the odd freight train or out of service EMU or spare loco to be parked whilst trains are running, just to enhance the scene. And these are things that are always to be found at any moderately large Swiss station. Having spent the last 30 years planning, in effect, this layout - over and over again - and finally getting round to building it, I fully appreciate the importance of achieving a compromise between ambition and actual physical progress. I admit I would’ve quickly got bored with a small shelf layout, but I sure as anything would have loved, in retrospect, to have had something up and running a bit sooner! Best wishes for the project Nick

I’m not familiar with Davos. Can anyone tell me what is the purpose of the textured surface in which the track is embed please? It doesn’t appear to be a foot crossing point for the several tracks. Is it just to mark out a section of track where coupling and uncoupling regularly takes place perhaps?

I’ve just caught up with your progress after a bit of a Summer break from RM Web and YouTube. The layout’s looking really good, particularly with the long straight tracks through the viewable area. And there are so many lovely, reasonably up to date, models available in N gauge these days - I might have once gone down that road if I could’ve foreseen the choice available, but then again, I find HOm quite fiddly enough. Scratchbuilding most of the buildings will make your layout very distinctive, but life’s a bit too short for me and my spread of interests. I look forward to watching progress, and I find the sound of the seagulls on your videos strangely relaxing ((unlike when they’re trying to steal my fish and chips!) The signal cabin makes for an unusual building. I don’t associate signal boxes with Switzerland but you have a perfect prototype there. Personally, I wouldn’t stress too much about the weathering (what you’ve done looks fine to me in the photos) but I would try to recreate the graffiti. I think that’s a brilliant, arresting visual feature. Re the catenary, as long as your masts and gantries are capable of holding wires if needed, I think leaving them until the end and then deciding whether they are worth it is the way to go. My layout will be in two distinct scenic areas and I’m thinking of adding full catenary in the simpler, rural one, but not the main station, where the pointwork feels very daunting. We’ll see in due course. Keep up the posts.

Are we allowed to talk about HO in this topic?! Pretty much the only thing I’m holding out for at the moment is the exquisite, bronze SOB Traverso RABe 526 Voralpen Express set. I’m so enamoured with this train that I would pay pretty much whatever it cost. Not only are they great to look at, but they also have wide geographical coverage. I’d love one of the Piko Giruno sets but it’s prohibitively expensive. I really need to focus my spending on track and electrics, so that I can build something for my now large collection of HO and HOm to actually run on! Thinking about the cost of catenary gives me nightmares.