Hello all.
First of all, let me apologize for being slightly off-scale here. I model gauge 1 or 1:32 scale, but since the track spacing for 1 and G is the same, I hope I pass the audition.
I have arrived here because I am considering buying an MTH One Gauge F7 set, and I asked a question in the Märklin Users forum. One user there guided me here, and this looks like the place to ask my MTH questions. Which I did.
Now at the age of 52, I have been a model railroader on and off since the age of 6. It has always been H0 scale, but a few years back, I was accidentally introduced to gauge 1, and now I have sold practically all my H0 and have started in gauge 1. Quite a big step, but I have not regretted it for a second.
In H0 - even though I did not have a layout at home - I was collecting rolling stock for a Danish brown-coal freight train as they ran in the 1950's and 60's. Denmark has never had any natural resources worth mentioning (except maybe wind), but back then, brown-coal (lignite) was shipped from open quarries in the middle of Jutland to power plants in the cities of Esbjerg and Aarhus.
These trains were long, heavy and overloaded, and there were no steam engines suitable for the job until the mid-50's, where the Danish State Railways bought 10 pcs. BR50ÃœK from Belgium. These engines were a cheap variation of the classical BR50, the ÃœK designating them as pre-war engines, but not as bare-bones as the later BR52.
In Denmark, these engines were called class N, and they were by far the most powerful freight engine in the country, and very well suited for the brown coal service.
Although official records state that the brown coal trains used only certain types of freight cars, numerous sources say that during the peak years, they were formed from anything that ran on rails and was reasonably roadworthy. This is my excuse for not adhering to the official records.
Back the old days, there was not much Danish H0 rolling stock on the market, so people converted whatever they could find or built from scratch. Lately you can get almost anything you like, and manufacturers seem to struggle finding "interesting" types that will sell enough to warrant a production run in the relatively small Danish market.
Having switched to gauge 1, I'm back to square one. The German market is driving the gauge, so naturally German models are most common, Danish models are few and far between, so I need to be creative. Luckily, a certain level of standardization has been going on in Europe for a long time, and certain German freight cars can be converted directly.
As it happens, the German O10 type of freight car is identical to the Danish types PER and PE - with and without a braking platform, respectively. These types have been made by Märklin, and they can be had on eBay for around 100 Euro a pop. However, the same mold was used for some starter sets, which included bright blue and green variants of these cars, and on eBay they go for 1/3 the price of the "real" ones. I am going to paint them as part of the conversion anyway, so I don't care what color they are out of the box
Below is such a blue car before and after the conversion to a type PE:
Same story with the PER type. 1/3 the price.
This one is available in blue from a special set with two cars and two glasses and a thermos flask and weird icing paint on the sides. One of those strange things Märklin does time and time again.
Before and after the conversion to a PER:
In 1958, newer types freight cars entered service. This was the standard European steel box, and they are thirteen to the dozen on eBay.
Below is a Belgian version, where I have begun the conversion, and the final result as a type E:
The locomotive is a straight forward conversion from a BR50. More about that when I get around to the actual conversion. Much worse is the guard's van or conductor car (we don't have cabooses in Europe, you know). There are no suitable conversions on the market, so I have ventured into my first ever scratch build. The undercarriage is made from brass, and the wooden body will be made from laser-cut layered veneer.
Below a few pictures of this car.
First, a shot from above, showing much of the overall construction. I follow the original drawings as close as possible, using brass profiles.
The suspension with brakes.
Yes, the leaf springs are working
A shot from below, showing the brake triangles around one of the axles. The brake system does move, but for modeling purposes, it doesn't make sense anymore. I had fun taking it as long as I could, though.
Finally for now, a link to YouTube, showing the latest hobby show where my club attended.
At shows, we exhibit together with the Model Tractor Club, which operates R/C trucks and tractors, and we have adapted our club modules to each other, thereby increasing the fun and play for both clubs.
Best regards
Jens
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