New Arrivals & Releases

Sourced from both eBay and actual shops are a mix of mainly ÖBB rolling stock.  Given that the Austrians are soon going to have 300+ Taurus locomotives  then it makes sense to have several of them, doubly so given the quality of the Minitrix and Hobbytrain* offerings and I have recently taken delivery of two 1016s in current and previous liveries from Conrad UK.  

(The 1016 with 'pflatsch' although apparently not available on the Conrad website is available if you ask nicely, after all these are all delivered from Germany where they have both liveries).  It is very easy and useful to paint the door handles and hand rails by the door and ends silver (I will be using 'Mithril Silver' paint that I bought ages ago from the Games Workshop) to bring the detail up to Minitrix super-detail standards (see 12730).  This can be done on both the Conrad and Minitrix (hobby) Tauri to good effect, hopefully as demonstrated by the picture below that I have finally (October 2008) uploaded!  Sommerfeldt pantographs have been installed which is a bit of a fiddle until you've done two or three but the improvement in appearance is definitely worth it.

On the Minitrix front a model of the SETG** 'wood chippings' liveried 1016 912-5 has also just arrived from a German eBay shop with a very good price.  SETG is part of the Ecco-Cargo network which was set up to transport small batches of wagons between Cologne and Salzburg and is itself a freight forwarding company I am reliably informed.

This is a Beta+ level Taurus, in that it is flawless mechanically with 4-axle drive, close-coupling, directional headlights, has a flywheel equipped motor and is DCC ready but the exterior is not quite finished to Alpha Taurus standard.  The wood chipping effect is very well printed but the pantograph assembly is unpainted and the insulators on the roof need also need a coat of paint. These things are just cosmetic though and therefore easy to fix! 

Two of these close coupling Wascosa tankers arrived as well and will be added to my 1142's kesselzug - the detailing is very good on the bogies and undercarriage and the propagation of close-coupling mechanisms all the way down the rolling stock hierarchy to lowly goods wagons is excellent to behold:

Additional pictures of these can be found in the model gallery.  Some DB wood Sgmmks?? wagons due to be relabelled as belonging to the ÖBB by addition of a 'pflatsch' transfer over the [DB] logo have also turned up - a wood chipping SETG Taurus can hardly been seen pulling something without serious cellulose content can it?!

*Once the Conrad version plastic pantographs are replaced!  Sommerfeldt replacements are on order. 

**Salzburger EisenbahnTransportLogistik GmbH

New Releases for 2007, looking reasonable...

ÖBB modellers will enjoy the E189 from Minitrix (12753) and the no doubt very expensive ÖBB ICE-T from Fleischmann (7760,7761,7763,7764,7765 and shocking that you have to buy and fit interior lighting separately).  Interestingly the multi-voltage E189 is a repaint of an existing model and the prototype is only being hired temporarily until the Taurus 3 (Rh 1216) is delivered in decent numbers from Siemens.  Perfect for a 'rolling road' though and the apparently the truck-driver coach doesn't have to have stripes or a huge bed painted on the side...!

E189 904? - Picture from www.trix.de

E189 906 with Rollende Landstraße train.

Picture by (the as ever uncontactable to ask permission) Harald Walkner, from www.br146.de

The ICE-T is being used to test routes for the forthcoming high-speed premium East-West Railjet service due in 2008 to Budapest, Zurich and Munich and the ICE-Ts themselves will be used on shared express services into Germany with the DB.  Railjet will feature Rh 1216 multi-voltage locomotives push/pulling new coaches (from Siemens also) all in a livery to be chosen by the Austrian public.  Each potential livery design (there are three and two are mainly silver) is being worn on a 1016/1116 locomotive and used on EC trains so that the public can see them in use.  It seems the Railjet locomotives will receive 'Spirit of X' names; for example this 'Railjet Red' design-testing 1116 is 'Spirit of Vienna'...

Rh 1116 200-5 'Spirit of Vienna' (used to have Semmering anniversary livery). 

Picture by the also uncontactable Chris Dvorak, from www.railcolor.net

Also Roco are definitely reproducing the new livery EC/IC eurofima coaches (24430, 24432, 24433) later this year so get your orders in before they abandon N scale all together.  Obviously some people don't know this given the daft prices being paid on eBay.de for the coaches when they come up for sale occasionally!

SBB CFF FFS modellers have an Re 482 SBB Cargo from Minitrix (12188) on the way, this is a new tooling and will be significantly cheaper than the Fleischmann super expensive version (7386) that has so far had a monopoly.  Fingers crossed they'll do the BLS Cargo version in future (quite likely now they have a new mould that needs exploiting!) since the Fleischmann version was done in a very small production run (200?) just for Switzerland.  Also an Am 842 diesel in SBB Cargo livery (12183) is on the way and a Gotthard crocodile (12153) to commemorate '125 Years of the Gotthard Line'.

SBB Cargo specimen pictures from www.trix.de

Unfortunately the IC 2000 double-deckers from Hobbytrain look like a distant promise, probably without delivery until late this year if not next (the Lemke website said April!) given that there was nothing to see of them at the Nuremburg Fair this year.  I'm sure they'll be with us eventually...and given the probable expense of an eight coach rake AD-A-A-WRB-B-B-B-Bt (£200+) I'm not too worried about holding onto my money at the moment given the high interest rates in the UK.  Like virtue, thrift is its own reward!  Or should that be: a rainy day is thrifts reward?

Also of note, Minitrix have a 20 wagon Alpine bogie freight set (15645) coming with eight ÖBB and SBB wagons included.  I'm currently looking for a supplier who will sell individual items from the set and accept non-bank transfer method of payment from the UK...a significant challenge!  Brown paper envelopes it is...