A Train Trip to Switzerland on my Layout
BR42
Auburn
Hello:
Today, we look at a few shots of Swiss trains. The first two show a push/pull train powered by a Trix Re 4/4 I. It is my first model with a sound decoder, alas it can only make one sound: The Horn! The coaches are Lightsteel Coaches from Trix:
Next, we have an Express train pulled by a Roco Ae 6/6 with EW II coaches from Roco and a Lightsteel Diner from Marklin:
A second shot of the same train shows it pulled by a BLS Ae 6/8 made by Roco:
Next is another express train, but with older cars: Fleischmann Ae 3/6 pulls 3 BLS Heavy Schlieren made by Sachsenmodelle (now available from Tillig), followed by 2 DSG sleepers from Liliput Bachmann and a heavy steel SBB baggage car from Roco.
Finally we have the same train pulled by the famous Ae 4/4 (Roco):
Hope you enjoyed the short trip to Switzerland.
Ulrich
Comments
Your layout blows me away every time I see it, Ulrich. It is amazing in detail and your great Swiss train collection is so typical of what I grew up with. That, of course, gives my age away :-). Thanks for sharing these pictures, I most certainly enjoyed the trip to Switzerland and will undoubtedly do so many more times. Gives me impetus to get on with my own layout.
Uli
Uli:
Then one more to motivate you. Not a Swiss crocodile but an Austrian one.
Ulrich
Thanks Ulrich, you made my day! The Austrian crocodile version is a bit "edgier" on the body but otherwise pretty much the same as the Ce 6-8. Its origin is a bit nebulous though, I could not find out when and where it was made and by whom.
I have an Arnold N-scale version, but the low speed running quality is a bit jerky. Probably not enough motor torque to move all those gears and wheels.
Uli
Hallo Uli:
Probably the Arnold motor is a 3-pole one which does not perform well at low voltages. You might want to try either a pulse powerpack, or digitize it. However, the latter may be a painful experience. The 1189 in HO was already bad enough.
The real 1189 were built by Floridsdorf in Austria in two series 1923/24 and 1926/27. BBC/Vienna provided the electric componnets. The power was 1600 kW for the first, 1740 kW for the second series. The speed was 40 mi/h resp. 47 mi/h. They were retired in 1979.
Ulrich
Thanks for the info on the Austrian crocodile, Ulrich. Very similar to the Swiss version except for power which was apparently 2721kW, probably required for the Gotthard route it was designed for. They were built by the Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik in Winterthur and the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon near Zürich which you probably already know.
I drive my locs with an 18 Volt peak square wave at 60Hz, positive and negative for direction. The locs have a circuit similar to a light dimmer, providing variable width slices of the square wave to the motor to control speed, in a way similar to DCC. Except for the Ce 6-8, this gives very smooth low speed performance with the other 9 locs I have. Oh well, can't have everything, I suppose :-).
Uli
Uli:
That sounds like an interesting setup. Had computer issue an then traveled, so I only get not to answer.
Ulrich
Wonderful layout Ulrich. I see something new every time you present this work of art to us.