Keith Canada

Yes, they're HO scale - and I agree, too many $$$'s for me!! Of, course, the Swiss models are priced according to what the market will bear. As a friend once said: "Whatever you do, don't convert Swiss Francs to Canadian Dollars and make a comparison - it will do your blood-pressure no good at all!" I recall seeing Athearn US-outline locos in a store in St Gallen, Switzerland, priced at over CHF100 each when the same model was on sale in Canada at that time for about $45 - with a 1:1 currency exchange rate....

Here's another Swiss rack railway model: http://www.suter-meggen.ch/Motreno/fo/index_schoe.htm - however, note that the locos are marked " Delivery date still unknown." Personally, I'd like to see someone produce models of the AppenzellerBahnen rack systems - either for the original lines or for the recently-acquired Rorschach-Heiden and Rheineck-Walzenhausen lines.

There were a couple of articles in Continental Modeller (July & Sept 1996) on a rack layout based on the Schafbergbahn using the same loco and coaches as FerroTrain but marketed at that time by Gerard.

Of course if you REALLY want a rack railway model, there's always this: http://www.alpnacher.ch/Eisenbahn/pilatusbahn_H0e.html One good thing about rack railways if you suffer from restricted modelling space - "If you can't build outwards, build upwards"!!

Thanks, Will. Your N-scale one looks impressive, notwithstanding my own interest in larger sizes (goes with aging eyesight!!) As an aside, I reckon I could model the whole of the Stourbridge line in my basement to scale in N-scale. Might be a bit boring to operate prototypically, though.... Regards, Keith (ex Worcester resident)

Do you know if anyone will be producing the 139 in larger scales - OO or O? I could do with one of those for a pier railway! Regards, Keith CAMBRIDGE, Ontario CANADA