Steam loco N 1304 has been given a repaint. On closer inspection, we have identified that Swedish steam locomotives are not gloss, so it has been given a matt black coating. Pipework and other add-ons are being picked out in bare metal colours so that they can be seen and appreciated without compromising the visual appearance of the loco. Being a kit-built model, it was also due its 3-yearly overhaul, which for a model that hasn’t yet been run-in, didn’t amount to much work taking place!
N 1307 after overhaul.
Manufacturer News
ACME has produced two sets of carriages for the current day (Epoch-VI) SJ international sleeper train, which uses former German and similar stock. Article ACME55311 contains one WLABmz Type MUn sleeping car and three Bvcmz248.5 couchette cars in blue livery with SJ logos. Article ACME55315 contains additional carriages for the Euronight consisting of a WLABmz Type 32s sleeping car and a Bvcmz248.5 couchette car in blue livery with SJ logos. The train operates Berlin – Hamburg Hbf – København L – Stockholm; and uses an Rc6 for the Swedish portion. It is much too modern to run here on the RTJ!
HNoll has reported that after a great start in 2024 with the new B4/BF4/BF7 carriages, all sales of their products have stopped completely! They are going to try Tradera (the Swedish eBay) for a trial period to reach out to more customers who haven’t found HNoll’s products yet. Customers who already know HNoll are referred to the retailers who do a great job stocking all their products. HNoll’s Blue-X/IC-11 and Special carriages will be manufactured during the summer and should appear in the early autumn. The production of these carriages is almost halved to adapt to anticipated sales volumes. There are no started or finished tools for other carriage types in the 80s series and HNoll will not start any more 80s carriages in 2024. (However, there is another carriage project where tool manufacturing will begin within the next few weeks, but HNoll is not letting on what it is!) Currently, there are over 2500 HNoll carriages of various designs in stock. The series B4/BF4/BF7 carriages released in February 2024 have not yet recouped their investment cost, which means that HNoll has to slow down spending for the time being. People are being urged to take a closer look at the A7/A8/B7 with ASEA bogies, which have never been correctly produced before. They have correct window placement, correct undercarriage, correct window size on doors, and many fine details such as transverse grooves on the roof, shunter steps and a really nicely painted interior; somewhat superior to similar carriages that have been in production from another source for a few decades.
Roco A7 (left) and HNoll A7 (right) compare the differences and quality.
Other News
This year’s Hjulmarknaden has been advertised for one date on their website, and another date in the press (in Tågsommar). In a Facebook post as April ended, they have confirmed that it will be on November 23rd, not the end of the month (30th).
Behind the Scenes
Mini-Series about the new railway; 5: Fenixås Jernväg
Last month, we told you about the potential for a narrow-gauge railway in H0n3. There is also a plan for a much smaller railway, and actually much easier to create, using H0e (9mm gauge) to represent Sweden’s 802mm gauge (not exactly, but close enough; see below). This small railway is the ‘extra’ plan that was hinted at for Skarpa Gård, and it will be said that the narrow-gauge line runs between the manor house and the nearby beauty spot at a local lake. The line’s imaginary history suggests that the house was formerly a mining office, and the lake was the mine; thus justifying the line’s existence! Using commercially available track components, it is intended that this line shall cross the standard gauge line on the level, thus a special ‘diamond crossing’ with one gauge crossing the other! The few 802mm gauge railways were mostly industrial, so it would be easy and appropriate to find a suitable European or Soviet steam loco (or diesel) to provide the main motive power. There is even a consideration for a British 00-9 scale “Fairlie” loco; as standard gauge versions had been used on the railway that passes near the house where we are! H0e is normally associated with the central European gauge of 760mm, but this gauge is very rare in Sweden (we’re not convinced that it was used at all, in fact). However, the track gauge (9mm) scaled up from 1:87 is actually 783, so 802mm gauge is close enough! The name is a translation (from Welsh) of a similarly gauged (00-9) model railway in the UK (Rheilffordd Bryn Ffenics / Phoenix Hill Railway), whose owners are Friends of the RTJ, and were instrumental in safeguarding the Railway’s artefacts when the FLMJ closed.
And, having mentioned the owners of the Rheilffordd Bryn Ffenics, we would like to extend our congratulations to them for their wedding (or coupling-up) during April! The ceremony took place at the Talyllyn Railway, very fitting.
Ånglok N 1304 har fått en ommålning. Vid närmare eftertanke har vi identifierat att svenska lok inte är glansiga, så de har fått en mattsvart beläggning. Rörledningar och andra tillägg plockas ut i ren metallfärg så att de kan ses och uppskattas utan att kompromissa med lokets visuella utseende. Eftersom den var en byggsatsmodell berodde den också på sin 3-åriga översyn, vilket för en modell som ännu inte har körts in inte behövde mycket arbete!
Tillverkarens Nyheter
ACME har producerat två uppsättningar vagnar för dagens (Epoch-VI) SJ internationella sovtåg, som använder tidigare tyska och liknande vagnar. Artikel ACME55311 innehåller en WLABmz Typ MUn sovvagn och tre Bvcmz248.5 liggvagnar i blått med SJ-logotyper. Artikel ACME55315 innehåller ytterligare vagnar för Euronight bestående av en WLABmz Type 32s sovvagn och en Bvcmz248.5 liggvagn i blått med SJ-logotyper. Tåget trafikerar Berlin – Hamburg Hbf – Köpenhamn L – Stockholm; och använder en Rc6 för den svenska delen. Det är alldeles för modernt för att köra här på RTJ!
HNoll har rapporterat att efter en bra start 2024 med de nya B4/BF4/BF7-vagnarna har all försäljning av deras produkter stoppats helt! De ska prova Tradera (den svenska eBay) under en provperiod för att nå ut till fler kunder som inte hittat HNolls produkter än. Kunder som redan känner till HNoll hänvisas till återförsäljarna som gör ett bra jobb med att lagra alla sina produkter. HNolls Blue-X/IC-11 och Specialvagnar kommer att tillverkas under sommaren och bör dyka upp tidigt på hösten. Produktionen av dessa vagnar är nästan halverad för att anpassa sig till förväntade försäljningsvolymer. Det finns inga påbörjade eller färdiga verktyg för andra vagntyper i 80-talsserien och HNoll kommer inte att starta några fler 80-talsvagnar 2024. (Det finns dock ett annat vagnsprojekt där verktygstillverkningen kommer att påbörjas inom de närmaste veckorna, men HNoll kommer inte att säga vad det är!) För närvarande finns det över 2500 HNoll-vagnar i olika utföranden i lager. Serie B4/BF4/BF7 vagnar som släpptes i februari 2024 har ännu inte fått tillbaka sin investeringskostnad, vilket innebär att HNoll måste bromsa utgifterna tills vidare. Människor uppmanas att titta närmare på A7/A8/B7 med ASEA-boggier, som aldrig tidigare har tillverkats korrekt. De har rätt fönsterplacering, rätt underrede, rätt fönsterstorlek på dörrar, och många fina detaljer som tvärgående spår på taket, växlingssteg och en riktigt snyggt målad inredning; något överlägsen liknande vagnar som har varit i produktion från annan källa i några decennier.
Andra intressanta nyheter
Årets Hjulmarknaden har annonserats för ett datum på deras hemsida, och ett annat datum i pressen (i Tågsommar). I ett Facebook-inlägg som april slutade, har de bekräftat att det kommer att vara den 23 november, inte slutet av månaden (30:e).
Slutligen vill vi gratulera RTJ-vännerna Daniel och Andrea till deras bröllop (eller koppling) under april! Ceremonin var på Talyllyn Railway, en mycket passande plats.
T21 87 ombyggd på en dag! Endast fem saker ramlade av under denna process, två av dem hyttfönster. Det är omöjligt att ta av huven över motorn utan att skada modellen. Allvarligt! De fiberoptiska stavarna löper från öppningar i karossen, in i chassit, horisontellt; men kroppen kan bara tas bort vertikalt! Tricket var att bända bort den (limmade) frontpanelen och försöka att inte tappa de övre lampbitarna! (För att ta bort A-änden måste den del av karossen som ligger närmare hytten lutas enligt Heljans instruktioner, för att flikarna ska kunna rensa chassit; men luta det för mycket och stängerna går sönder!) Ingen annan tillverkare kunde tillverka en modell med så många “problem”!
Ångloket N 1304 fick sina kopplingar återmonterade, med Roco-kärlen monterade på plastblock (men inte med den kinematiska mekanismen). Det fanns en plan att ersätta buffertarna med de fjädrade som vi nyligen hade skaffat; men vi bestämde oss för att detta var mindre brådskande och att när det är klart kommer vi att montera tillbaka strålkastarna på baksidan så att de inte hänger över buffertarna!
När BC4R 5467 levererades hade två dräneringsrör slagits av. Genom att jämföra detta med nummer 5476 kunde vi se var de skulle monteras, och detta gjordes till slut. När vi undersökte den här vagnen efteråt, märkte vi att den också har M84S boggier med riktiga spiralfjädrar, men dessa är mindre tunna än på de nyare A7R- och B7R-modellerna, och inte så uppenbara.
En av våra Ugkkpp-vagnarna, som är så kort, har använts som en testmodell för kopplingskompatibilitetstester med ångloket ovan och med T21 och T45 dieslarna; men vi upptäckte att det var mycket känsligare än vi hade insett, och ett par komponenter nära ett av hjulseten hade slagits av. Dessa återmonterades och alla fyra av dessa vagnar är nu förklarade olämpliga för “prov”-arbete!
Vår relativt nya (norska) NSB ‘Hbikks’ vagn fick äntligen de nödvändiga handrattarna, små för parkeringsbromsarna och större för de öppna dörrarna. Dessa hade inte saknats; de låg i en väska med modellen. Vi behövde bara hitta tid att montera dem!
Tillverkarens Nyheter
Vissa uppdateringar har dykt upp från HNoll som är ganska intressanta. Först några försäljningssiffror; cirka 5 700 sovvagnar och liggplatser i 51 olika konfigurationer (färg och löpnummer), 2 600 restaurangvagnar i 18 konfigurationer och 9 300 vanliga sittvagnar i ett för närvarande obestämt antal konfigurationer, med fler att följa. De senaste vagnarna säljer långsammare än väntat och HNoll undrar om de inte var lika intressanta som modeller som han hoppats (med tanke på att dessa är den närmaste konkurrensen till Roco-modellerna), eller om det är av ekonomiska skäl. Vi är övertygade om att det är av ekonomiska skäl. Människor kämpar med sina ekonomier och måste avleda hobbypengar till grundläggande överlevnad. Men med minskade inkomster, försämrade av höjda räntor, kommer det att bli förseningar för framtida modeller. Men HNoll är fast besluten att tillverka alla avsedda vagnar; som motsvarar den nästan ena 1980-talsserien. De ‘generation-2-blå’ A7/B7-vagnarna som saknades i den senaste leveransen bör anlända tillsammans med B4/BF4/BF7-vagnarna på sommaren. Förhoppningen är att specialvagnarna (S1, etc) kan levereras till hösten.
I andra nyheter, och egentligen för moderna för FLMJ:s stationsparkeringar, ska PCX87 producera en 2019 årsmodell Volvo V60 i fyra olika färger, i H0-skala.
Andra intressanta nyheter
För alltid att slå sönder de minsta borrkronorna vi har, experimenterar vi nu med 0,2 och 0,5 mm borrkronor tillverkade av Tamiya; som har 1 mm skaft. Detta förhindrar att vi borrar för djupt med de finare bitarna och kommer kanske att hålla mycket längre. Tidigare hade vi fått något liknande av en tandläkarkompis, men tandbitarna har mycket längre fina partier. Tid och användning får utvisa.
Vi har länge letat efter en officiell betydelse av bokstaven ‘h’ i vagntypen ‘Uh‘. I ’SJF 637’ från 1971 har vi funnit att det helt enkelt betyder, “för flytande och gasformiga ämnen”, eller med andra ord ’tankvagnar’. Vi har uppdaterat den relevanta delen av hemsidan!
LEG:s filmserie “Svenska Tåg” går inte längre att köpa i butikerna. DVD-skivorna kan endast köpas från en “godkänd” leverantör. Därmed slutar vårt umgänge med dem (vi har upplagorna 1 till 51). Vi kommer inte att stödja några åtgärder som potentiellt leder till stängning av järnvägshobbybutiker.
February was quite a busy month, for the wrong reasons. The employment was being wound down (not enough orders coming in) and being on a time contract, being sent home (or just told not to come in) became very much the rule. This provided time to apply for better employment (and accommodation), and in order to break up the stress, a lot of modelling! T21 87 was reassembled in a whole day! Only five things fell off during this process, two of them cab windows. Ordinarily, one should not need to remove the B-end motor cover (unless access to the DCC loudspeaker is required), and having been glued together by Heljan, we can aver that it is impossible to get off without damaging it! The fibre-optic rods go from receptacles in the body into the chassis, horizontally; but the body can only be removed vertically! The trick was to prise off the (glued on) front panel and try not to lose the upper lamp pieces! We were fortunate in that only one tiny part got lost, and that all five lamps (if you include the red) at this end work, albeit, one of the whites dimly (which is not inauthentic)! The A-end was much easier, though again there was damage to the fibre-optic rod to one of the lamps because it is fitted horizontally in a body/chassis that separates vertically! Gluing it back on was not a viable option, but pressing it into the receptacle in the chassis for its ‘mate’ to meet up with it when we mounted the body was better. (To remove this end, the part of the body nearer the cab needs to be inclined as per Heljan’s instructions, to enable the tabs to clear the chassis; but tilt it too much and the rods break!) This is being typed whilst we wait for glue to dry before refitting the last handrail (to a step that was one of the items that fell off); but there is no guarantee that this will go back on without issue or complication! [Stop Press: Yes, sure enough, the steps fell off, the nearby buffer beam fell off, and during handling to put these right, the exhaust stack fell off. No other manufacturer could make a model with so many ‘issues’!] The N 1304 steam loco had its couplings refitted, with the Roco receptacles mounted onto plastic blocks (but not with the kinematic mechanism). At the front, this sat in a small gap between the frames and behind the lighting resistor that was behind the buffer beam. At the back, there was a lot of space, so a plastic block was bolstered by some washers, but it all fits in quite nicely. There was a plan to replace the buffers with the sprung ones that we had recently acquired; but we decided that this was less urgent, and that when it is done, we will re-seat the headlamps at the back so that they don’t overhang the buffers! When BC4R 5467 was delivered, two drainage pipes had been knocked off. Comparing this with number 5476, we were able to see where they should be fitted, and this was finally done. Examining this carriage afterwards, we noticed that it too, has M84S bogies with real coil springs, but these are less flimsy than on the newer A7R and B7R models, and not so obvious. One of the Ugkkpp wagons, being so short, has been used as a test model for coupling compatibility tests with the steam loco above, and with the T21 and T45 diesels; but we found that it was much more delicate than we had realised, and a pair of components near one of the wheel-sets had got knocked off. These were refitted, and all four of these wagons are now declared unsuitable for ‘test’ work! Our relatively new (Norwegian) NSB ‘Hbikks’ van was finally fitted with its required handwheels, small ones for the parking brakes, and larger ones for the opening doors. These hadn’t been missing; they were in a bag with the model. We just needed to find the time to fit them!
With the front panel off, the fibre-optic rods can be removed – a requirement before removing the hood!The Roco coupling mounted onto the N-loco.The two drain-pipes in the corners, under one of the BC4 carriages.Lots of small parts are under each of the ‘Ugkkpp’ wagons, so they need to be handled very carefully!The newer NSB van seen just after the yellow handwheels were fitted.
Manufacturer News
Some updates have appeared from HNoll (one seemingly backdated) in which Rickard takes stock of events over the last six years. To date, HNoll has sold roundly 5,700 sleepers and couchettes in 51 different configurations (liveries and running numbers), 2,600 restaurant carriages in 18 configurations, and 9,300 ordinary seating carriages in a presently undetermined number of configurations, with more to follow. However, despite these latest carriages selling in the greatest number, it represents roundly 50% of those received from China and sales have, after the initial rush, stopped dead. Rickard wonders if they were not as interesting as models as he had hoped (given that these are the closest competition to the Roco models), or if it is for economic reasons. We are convinced beyond doubt that it is for economic reasons. Food prices in Sweden have almost doubled in the last year; electricity costs have more than doubled. People are struggling and having to divert hobby money to basic survival. And to a greater or lesser extent, this is true around most of Europe regardless of political position. Since the start, HNoll’s operations have been 100% based on home loans and other favourable loans. This was because the interest rate had been very favourable for a long time. The situation has clearly changed for the worse financially as the monthly cost with interest has noticeably increased. The revenue is eaten up by the interest and there is great uncertainty about expected sales volumes. Volumes need to be kept at a high level to generate enough revenue which have the risk of turning into loss if sales volumes are less than expected. There may need to be a halt in tool manufacturing as the loans must be prioritised. The ‘generation-2-blue’ (A7/B7) carriages that were missing in the latest delivery should arrive together with the B4/BF4/BF7 carriages in the summer. Maybe also the long-awaited Blue-X carriages, but that depends on the sale of the carriages in stock. There is currently not enough money to bring the Blue-X carriages into production this spring. (They have, among other things, differently opening windows!) It is hoped that the special carriages (S1, etc) can be delivered in the Autumn. It is of course, our hope that Rickard is able to keep the production running, even if there has to be a delay with the next round of models. But people’s private economies need to improve before this can happen; the interest and other financial problems that Rickard has experienced, have also been experienced first hand, by a vast majority of the Swedish population (and his other worldwide customers). For the FLMJ, we are looking forward to the B4; and hoping for B2, UA7X (aka AFM7), and series 1 A7/B7. (Assuming that we haven’t misinterpreted an earlier comment by HNoll, we are also hoping for one R4 (which would be original brown without the InterCity chevrons), to go into one of the night trains; but we fear that might be a misunderstanding!)
In other news, and really too modern for the FLMJ’s station car-parks, PCX87 is to produce a 2019 year model Volvo V60 in four different colours, in H0-scale.
A picture of the pre-production PCX87 Volvo V60; the first modern Volvo car in H0-scale after the 850 estate, thus a gap of roundly 25 years!
Other News
Forever breaking the tiniest drill bits that we have, we are now experimenting with 0,2 and 0,5mm bits made by Tamiya; which have a 1mm shank. This prevents us drilling too deep with the finer bits and will maybe last a lot longer. Previously, we had been given something similar by a dentist friend, but the dental bits have much longer fine sections. Time and usage will tell.
We have searched for a long time for an official meaning of the letter ‘h’ in the wagon type ‘Uh’. In ‘SJF 637’ from 1971, we have found that it simply means, “for liquid and gaseous substances”, or in other words, ‘tank wagons’. We have updated the relevant section of the website!
LEG’s film series, “Svenska Tåg” is no longer available in the shops, sadly; the DVDs can only be purchased from one ‘approved’ supplier. Thus ends our association with them (we have editions 1 to 51). We will not endorse any action that potentially leads to the closure of Railway hobby related shops.
Behind the Scenes
Mini-Series around the FLMJ; C: The Newsletter, AJ-Nyheter
AJ-Nyheter was a less glossy and more formal newsletter created for the people who were regularly active upon the railway. Instead of book and video reviews, this would have explanations to the changes in the operating rules, servicing instructions for the various models, and anything that was more appropriate to the operation of the Railway than the promotion of it. It also promoted the same for the club’s other activities, including the outings and exhibition layouts (Köpingsvik and Steninge, for example). This newsletter changed format several times, from A4 printed single sheets, to staple-bound magazines, and various alternatives in between! And whilst the main journal was leaning towards colour production, this one certainly wasn’t. With the closure of the Railway, this newsletter was naturally obsolete. However, in fact, it had stopped in production earlier because it was considered superfluous; internal issues were best talked about, not written; and any written communication that was necessary was enacted by email. It is envisaged, that when the new railway does get started, an online presence will be more likely, and that AJ-Nyheter will not go back into production. Online communication already exists among some of the Friends of the Railway, who are keen to build their own Swedish model railway dioramas, and naturally have our full support. One key area for this is the Swedish equivalent of eBay, where some very good models of Swedish rolling stock often appear, but the sellers will ship only to Sweden, or the EU, or the EEA (and some couriers will not operate in the UK now). So, delivery is taken here in Sweden, and we arrange (with the Friend) for onward delivery (or collection during a visit)! So now, two key journals have been stopped, ‘FLMJ-Nytt’ and ‘AJ-Nyheter’, and both are very unlikely to restart; but that’s not bad news! We abhor change for change-sake; but change for improvement has always been encouraged and as we will discuss during the year, we are taking advantage of this quiet spell to prepare for a new means of printed communication in support of our online presence, Next month: our Annual Review.
And finally: We aim to post our updates on the first day of the month following (February’s news on March 1st, for example). So be aware that if looking through archived news, our host records the archive date as the ‘date published’, not the date that the news is about. (Thanks to one of our readers for this enquiry.)
The Dm3 was fitted with replacement mirrors and windscreen wipers in May. There is some confusion about the part number for these Roco items, the number given on the instruction sheet seems to be for different components (if website searches are anything to go by), and Roco’s own website is not very helpful! So, we have modified and fitted Jeco components instead. We also need to fit new handrails, but we may need to make these here. The 0,5mm rod would be very suitable for most applications, but there are some items that need stanchions between the ends, and that is where it gets tricky! We’re still investigating that one.
(Roco) Dm 1222 with (Jeco) windscreen wipers and mirrors fitted. The mirrors have since been adjusted to sit straight!
N 1304 lost one of its buffers during recent work, and it is a very flimsy piece of metal. A repair was made at the beginning of May, by drilling a 0,5mm hole in the stock and buffer head, inserting a rod, flanked by a tube (from the materials bought last month), and then gluing it all together! It looks messy, but if it holds, then we’ll leave it alone. Otherwise, we shall replace all four! An order has been placed for a replacement set, but the items is not in stock, and we don’t know for how long.
Catering carriages R4R 5441 and 5447 arrived in early May. These are such limited items from HNoll, that they were not to be missed at any cost. One will go into the existing 1980s InterCity train; the other will be a reserve until more carriage types arrive from HNoll, and then it will go into that set. (The next models hinted from HNoll are the series-2 A7 and B7; two of each of these would go with the ‘extra’ R4R to make an InterCity train. Then, longer term, one each B2 and B4 would be added to make a seven-carriage train. At this time, a second B2 and B4 would be added to the existing set, and one of the (Roco) B7 replaced by a HNoll AFM7! That’s the intention, anyway! If HNoll produces series-1 A7/B7, then that could see the withdrawal of many of the Roco carriages.)
HNoll R4R, corridor side shewn.
HNoll R4R, kitchen side shewn.
Manufacturer News
HNoll has advised that delivery of the remaining catering carriages, and the Connex/TKAB couchette and sleeper carriages are expected to Sweden early June. The earlier sleeper and couchette carriages are starting to sell out. Some carriages are already out of stock; there is an increase in demand for these mainly abroad, accounting for about 50% of sales at the moment. PCX87 (Premium Classixx 1:87 scale) has now advertised Volvo 740 sedans and estates, of the 1985 year model. This raises even more questions about the proposed Minichamps 1986 year models, which have production dates advertised for early 2022!
Koenigsegg specialises in full scale ‘sports’ cars, hand-made, and a good production run will see about 20-30 vehicles! We’ll say nothing about the price! And now, the ultimate H0-scale model car for your Swedish diorama… from the Koenigsegg website, you can buy a 1:87 scale model of their Agera RS (from 2015). Only 25 (1:1-scale) units were made, so a diorama would be closer to average with a Volvo P1900 than one of these! Nevertheless, despite being too modern for our epoch, one has arrived! Koenigsegg is based in Ängelholm (home of the Swedish Railway Museum)!
Koenigsegg Agera RS, in H0-scale!
Other News
In recognition of a particular trend in Sweden, and wanting to do something with the four abandoned model car conversion projects (Saab 900i, Volvo 544, Volvo 240, and Volvo 740), they will all be rough-finished to represent the infamous ‘A-Traktor’, which is a common sight. (A-Traktor is a motor vehicle consisting of a converted car, which is designed to tow other vehicles or work equipment and must be equipped with a coupling device. The maximum speed of the A-Traktor may not exceed 30 km/h, and they carry a large red triangle on the back. They can be driven without a full driving licence and without attaining the age for a full driving licence! They are more popular with teenagers than with their intended users! Try selling that idea to the British DfT.)
What to do with an old Volvo – convert it into an A-traktor!
And here is a Porsche – also as an A-traktor, limited to 30km/h.
A British car in Swedish service: this is the Busch LandRover Discovery in Swedish polis livery.
Dm3 utrustades med utbytesspeglar och vindrutetorkare i maj. Det finns viss förvirring om artikelnumret för dessa Roco-artiklar, numret som anges på instruktionsbladet verkar vara för olika komponenter (om det är något att söka på webbplatser), och Rocos egen webbplats är inte särskilt hjälpsam! Så vi har istället modifierat och monterat Jeco-komponenter. Vi måste också montera nya ledstänger, men vi kan behöva göra dessa här. 0,5 mm stången skulle vara mycket lämplig för de flesta applikationer, men det finns några föremål som behöver stötar mellan ändarna, och det är där det blir knepigt! Vi undersöker fortfarande den. N 1304 förlorade en av sina buffertar under det senaste arbetet, och det är en mycket tunn metallbit. En reparation gjordes i början av maj genom att borra ett 0,5 mm hål i komponenterna, sätta in en stav, flankerad av ett rör (från de material som köpts förra månaden) och sedan limma ihop allt! Det ser rörigt ut, men om det håller, lämnar vi det i fred. Annars ersätter vi alla fyra! En beställning har gjorts för en ersättningssats, men varorna finns inte i lager och vi vet inte hur länge. Serveringsvagnar R4R 5441 och 5447 anlände i början av maj. Dessa är så begränsade föremål från HNoll att de inte skulle missa alls. En av dem kommer att gå in i det nuvarande 1980-talet InterCity-tåg; den andra kommer att vara en reserv tills fler vagntyper anländer från HNoll, och sedan kommer den att gå in i den uppsättningen. (Nästa modeller antydda från HNoll är serie-2 A7 och B7; två av vardera skulle gå med den “extra” R4R för att göra ett InterCity-tåg. Sedan, på längre sikt, en varje B2 och B4 skulle läggas till för att göra en sju-vagnars tåg. Vid denna tidpunkt skulle en andra B2 och B4 läggas till den befintliga uppsättningen, och en av (Roco) B7 ersattes av en HNoll AFM7! Om HNoll producerar serie-1 A7/B7, kan det se återkallande av många av Roco-personvagnarna.)
N 1304 är redo för fullständig testning och körning. Med lite hjälp från en vän som har erfarenhet av walschaert-redskap gjordes många förändringar, inklusive åtdragning av lösa anslutningar så att de inte vaggar så mycket. Många delar behövde beskäras ytterligare, inklusive tapparna på hjulen som håller kopplingsstängerna. Till vår glädje hittades den ”förlorade” mässingsmuttern och vi monterade den på Expansion Die Block, och det är nu en mycket mer uppmuntrande passform! När vi hade fått loco (chassit) igång på testbanan var vi redo att montera karossen och då fungerade det inte alls! Efter långvarig undersökning fann vi att en del av kroppen “bara” rörde kopparkontaktremsan på den “isolerade sidan” och orsakade en kortslutning. Den enklaste lösningen för detta var isoleringstejp, men för att säkerställa dess livslängd stöddes dess applikation med lite Loctite Superglue! Jobbet färdig!
Vi blev så uppmuntrade av detta framsteg, att vi lödde på anslutningarna så att belysningen också skulle fungera och sedan monterade hytttaket. Motorn ger ganska hemskt ljud när den trasslar längs, men vi är hoppfulla att detta kommer att slå sig ner under inkörningen. Arbetet slutade dock inte här. Under allt avhjälpande arbete skadades de tunna plastbromsarna, så de togs bort och behövde monteras igen (se nedan). Vi beslutade också att inte montera den främre kopplingen förrän en ersättning för den trasiga delen hade erhållits. Det finns också en önskan att ta bort hyttens sidoavledare och ersätta dem med transparenta (för att vara mer autentiska), men det är inte brådskande. Och kanske kommer vi att skaffa och montera gasflaskan för belysning; tills dess måste vi argumentera för att loco har elektrisk belysning!
Vi gjorde ett nytt försök med bromsbackarna. 0,5 mm plast hade varit för spetsigt och varade inte länge. Tyvärr försvann en av bromsskorna under denna tid. Ersättning av 0,5 mm mässingsstång anskaffades tillsammans med 0,5 mm (inre) rör. Med detta kunde vi förstärka stängerna mellan ramarna, och därmed stod stavarna exakt vinkelrätt mot ramarna framför hjulen. Rören klistrades fast på ramarna och stavarna klistrades inuti. Sedan var skorna superlimade och såg till att de var rätt inriktade och inte rörde på hjulen eller ens stängde. Sedan, som en extra detalj, och eftersom vi fortfarande hade massor av plast 0,5 mm stång kvar, gjorde vi några sliprör och gick ner till hjulen med hjälp av bromsstängerna för att stödja dem på plats (vilket vi inte kunde göra , naturligtvis, om de arbetade bromsar)!
Andra nyheter:
PCX87 har släppt sin Saab 900 (1986-modellen) i fyra färger, som en tre-dörrars halvkombi. Detta är en intressant utgåva eftersom den följer deras Volvo 240, och båda modellerna har föreslagits av Minichamps, om än olika (men nära) årsmodeller. Kommer Volvo 480 och 850 att följa snart?
Vår tidigare Steninge-layout har ett nytt hem. Vi skilde oss från det för många år sedan, och en del arbete var nödvändigt för att hålla det i användbart skick. Vi tror att det gick runt några vänner, men nu är det med en annan, en vän till FLMJ, och förhoppningsvis kommer det att få ett nytt liv.
N 1304 is ready for full testing and running in. With some assistance from a friend who has experience of valve gear, many alterations were made, including tightening up loose connections so that they don’t rock so much. Many parts needed further trimming, including the studs on the wheels that hold the coupling rods. Much to our delight, the ‘lost’ brass nut was found and refitted to the Expansion Die Block, and that is now a much more encouraging fit! Once we had got the loco (chassis) running on the test track, we were ready to fit the body, and then it wouldn’t work at all! After lengthy investigation, we found that part of the body was ‘only just’ touching the copper contact strip on the ‘insulated side’ causing a short circuit. The easiest fix for this was insulating tape, but to ensure its longevity, its application was supported with a little Loctite Superglue! Job Done!
We were so encouraged by this progress, that we soldered on the connections so that the lighting would work also, and then fitted the cab roof. The motor makes quite an awful racket as it trundles along, but we are hopeful that this will settle down during running in. The work did not end here, however. In the process of all the remedial work, the flimsy plastic brake rods got damaged, so they were removed and needed refitting (see below). We also decided not to fit the front coupling until a replacement for the broken part had been obtained. There is also a desire to remove the cab-side deflectors and replace them with transparent ones (to be more authentic), but that is not urgent. And maybe, we will obtain and fit the gas cylinder for the lighting; until then we will have to argue that the loco has electric lighting!
We made another attempt with the brake shoes. The 0.5mm plastic had been too flimsy, and didn’t last long. Sadly, one of the brake shoes got lost during this time. Replacement 0,5mm brass rod was procured, along with 0,5mm (inside) tube. With this, we were able to reinforce the rods between the frames, and thus the rods protruded exactly perpendicular to the frames in front of the wheels. The tubes were superglued to the frames, and the rods superglued within. Then the shoes were superglued, making sure that they were correctly aligned and not touching the wheels or even close. Then, as an extra detail, and because we still had lots of plastic 0,5mm rod left over, we made some sanding pipes, going down to the wheels, using the brake rods to support them in place (which we couldn’t do, of course, if they were working brakes)!
N 1304 on test with working headlights.
Sanding pipes (seen, still in white) are an extra addition to the model.
Manufacturer News
PCX87 (Premium Classixx 1:87 scale) has released their Saab 900 (1986 model) in four colours, as a three-door hatchback. This is an interesting release in that it follows their Volvo 240, and both models have been proposed by Minichamps, albeit different (but close) year models. Will the Volvo 480 and 850 follow soon?
File photo (from the internet) of the four new Saab 900 Turbo models from PCX87.
White Wiking Saab 900i from ±35 years ago, compares with two PCX87 Saab 900 Turbo models produced more recently.
Other News
Two extra items this time. First, the Steninge layout has a new home. We parted company with it many years ago, and some work was necessary to keep it in useable condition. We think it went around a few friends, but now it is with another, a friend of the FLMJ, and hopefully it will get a new lease of life.
Steninge, seen on 1st August 2007, the day that it was admired by His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Not quite a case of Caveat Emptor, but getting close: be very careful if you should choose to use Google Translate for translating between English and Swedish (or any translation). Once, an excellent tool for assisting with translation, it seems to have become quite a liability. Recently, a test was made of 25 Swedish phrases (converting to English), and 25 English phrases (converting to Swedish). We had a 62% failure rate (wrongly translated).
March got off to a slow start. We were preoccupied with house viewings, a new (second-hand) car (from a dodgy dealer, with some technical issues), and a ‘name-day’ celebration.
Rolling Stock Updates
N 1304 is so near, yet so far from completion! For testing, we purchased a GaugeMaster Combi (a very basic controller with plug-in transformer) from a UK supplier, but we weren’t ready to use it immediately. The brake rigging was removed in March and cleaned up. Then the metal rods were replaced by plastic rods and the risk of short-circuits across that means was eliminated. 0,5mm plastic rod is a very difficult product to work with and replacing the four rods took over three hours. It is also very soft, so they are easily bent out of shape! We took a fresh look at the handrails that support the front steps. The design really does suggest a trip-hazard, so by changing the height, and modifying the fixing point, we have been able to fit these without upsetting more of the loco. They have been painted dark grey, so that they are slightly visible against the black background. This has worked so well that most of the other handrails have been repainted in this way. Fitting the front coupling was also a struggle. We needed a spare offcut of metal that was wider than 5mm and longer than 14mm, into which we could tap a thread for a fixing screw, and turn up each end so that it would fit inside the frames. We had nothing of this sort, so we used a more narrow piece which was quite weak having been tapped. Then, we ‘butchered’ a ‘cap’ for the UK 3-pin plug, and made a suitable brace to fit into the frames, to carry the coupling. The coupling pocket has been damaged, however, and this will be replaced at a later date. Returning to the Controller; this arrived mid-March and we were able to properly test the loco’s performance, not just the motor, but also (and especially) the valve gear. As expected, the first run was virtually stationary, so several modifications were made. In the process, the driver side motion virtually fell off! The cause was the still faulty top glide on the crosshead, and this had damaged the slide bars. We also found a faux-pas on our part in that on the fireman side, the eccentric rod had been fitted closer to the wheel than the return crank, so the wheels could not go round! The fireman side valve gear was adjusted and corrected and with none of the other side attached, the loco ran under power quite satisfactorily. The driver side was to prove a little more problematic, however. During the short run under power, the coupling rod fell off, which was not a problem, just amusing. It meant that we could start from scratch, and having learned a few lessons, we were able to do this with more professionalism. Unfortunately, the now-damaged slide bars were really beyond repair (we had several attempts), but after a couple of hours, we had to resign to the fact that they needed to be replaced. Thankfully, MJ-Hobby had a twin-pack of etched parts in stock (giving us a total of four pairs of slide bars and loads of other spare parts). This was of course, very frustrating, but it led to something much better; see our next item! The new etched sheets arrived quite quickly, and one of the slide-bar assemblies was extracted, shaped, and filed so that it would be an easier fit. Once fitted, a little glue will stop it rattling, but this seems unlikely, anyway! Everything was fitted in one day, but not to the pivot for the connecting rod big end or the return crank. This was because we needed to allow time for the glue to dry where we had used a washer instead of the now-lost nut on the expansion die block. As work continued, more irritations became apparent. The pivotal pin for one of the connecting rods’ big ends unscrewed as the wheels went round and that had to be glued back in. This, in turn had damaged other parts of the valve gear, and a whole day was spent on remedial work. To be safe, we made this modification to the other side, also. We have lost count of the number of times that we have had to clamp and re-glue the fitting for the expansion die block, or the front of the radius rods to the cylinders (not required on genuine steam locos, of course), or even the slide bars to the cylinders, and these corrections are ongoing as March drew to a close.
Two slide bars and the ‘ring’ that connects them to the cylinder; in need of replacement from this condition; they were “one item”!
The etched brass sheets with the new slide-bar assembly – and lots of other spares, also!
A familiar scene; parts of the valve-gear assembly being clamped together.
Dm3 1221+1240+1222 is one of the later versions (Marshall lights, revised position of driver side door, extended roof ventilation openings, etc) and the Roco model in plain brown has been desired for some time. At the time that we needed to order the spare part for the N-loco, we had a casual look at the second-hand models also available, and there it was, the Dm3 loco that we wanted! For us, this is the perfect Epoch-IV version of this loco, others have either older lighting and door layouts, or have more modern LKAB/MTAB logos on (or even more modern (blue) liveries)! The prototype for this loco, sadly came to an abrupt end on March 19th, 1993, when iced-over points threw it off the track and down the side of a mountain near Katterat. The driver and has passenger (his young daughter) suffered only minor injuries because the snow came through the broken windows and cushioned them from any serious harm! The loco had to be scrapped on site; on the side of the mountain! (We wonder if Roco was aware of this fate when they produced the model?)
Dm 1221 + Dm3 1240 + Dm 1222; collectively understood to be a Dm3 loco!
SCENIC MODELS are also in the news this month, with the arrival of some new cars and a lorry. Two PCX87 Volvo 240 models have arrived (see Manufacturer News, below), and a Scania lorry in Swedish postal livery. (Our only current Swedish postal lorries are Iveco; not very Swedish!) Ironically, this model arrived in a package covered in no fewer than 31 postage stamps…! We also took delivery of a Wiking Chervolet Malibu, which is the nearest imitation we can find (in H0-scale) of the Chevrolet Impala; the car used by the Jönsson Gang in the classic Swedish films, “Jönssonligan…”! We will alter the appearance of the model to match the film car!
1989 Volvo 240 sedan and estate from PCX87
The Swedish postal service lorry as a Swedish Scania!
Wiking’s Chevrolet Malibu; to be used as a base model to create Jönssonligan’s Chevrolet Impala, as seen in the films!
Manufacturer News
NMJ has released the second wave of Y1 railbuses, SJ blue with the air-intake boxes on the sides. We’re a little disappointed that the orange version has not been produced with these intakes; that is the condition that applied in 1990 when Sweden was first identified as the country to model.
NMJ’s blue Y1 railbus (as seen in their publicity photo)
Volvo 265TE as an ambulance, by BoS, but not a particularly Swedish livery!
BoS has released a Volvo 265 ambulance (stretched chassis), but the livery is not especially Swedish.
Minichamps has added to their range of proposed Volvo cars, the 480 coupé in four colours (1987 year model) and the 850 sedan in four colours (1994 year model). If the latter is produced, it will be probably the most modern Swedish car in H0-scale!
Vovlo 480 proposed as a model in H0 scale by Minichamps.
Vovlo 850 sedan proposed as a model in H0 scale by Minichamps.
PCX87 has released limited models of the Volvo 240 sedan and estate (1989 year model) ahead of the 1986 ones proposed by Minichamps. One of each has arrived, and close inspection reveals some disappointing details discrepancies. One of the most classic features of the 145/245 estate is the top of the rear passenger door which drops away from the roof-line; this is not recreated on the PCX87 model! Our photos compare this with a Brekina 145 model (which has other faults)! Other discrepancies are less obvious. (Compare the differences, below!)
Brekina’s Volvo 145 in profile
PCX87’s Volvo 240 (245) in profile.
And finally, if you want to decorate the scenic area of your Swedish diorama with moose, then Preiser produces a set; but they’re males only (with the antlers, of course). For females, the Canadian supplier miniprints.ca has some convincing models (and more males, of course).
N 1304 är så nära, men ändå så långt ifrån att vara redo! För testning köpte vi en GaugeMaster Combi (en mycket grundläggande styrenhet med plug-in-transformator) från en brittisk leverantör, men vi var inte redo att använda den omedelbart. Bromsarna avlägsnades i mars och städades. Metallstavarna ersattes av plaststavar och risken för kortslutning över det sättet eliminerades. 0,5 mm plaststav är en mycket svår produkt att arbeta med och att byta ut de fyra stavarna tog över tre timmar. Det är också väldigt mjukt så att de lätt böjs ur form! Vi monterade nya ledstänger för de främre trappstegen. De har målats mörkgrå så att de syns mer mot den svarta bakgrunden. Detta har fungerat så bra att de flesta andra räcken har målats om på detta sätt. För att passa den främre kopplingen hade vi inga lämpliga bitar av metallskrot, så vi gjorde ett plaktiskt stöd för att passa in i ramarna, för att bära kopplingen. Kopplingsfickan är dock skadad och kommer att bytas ut vid ett senare tillfälle. Sedan var vi redo att använda den nya styrenheten. Vi behövde testa motorn och ventilkugghjulets frikörning. Motorn är bra, men det finns många, många problem med ventilväxeln, och ständiga justeringar tar mycket lång tid. Vid ett tillfälle kunde vi köra loco med ventilväxeln saknas från ena sidan, helt! En uppsättning glidskenor skadades utan reparation, och vi var tvungna att köpa en ny etsad bit. Detta kom på ett ark etsade komponenter, med många, många andra delar. De nya etsade arken anlände ganska snabbt, och en av glidstångsenheterna tillverkades så att den skulle passa. Sedan skruvade man bort den svängbara stiftet för en av vevstakarnas stora ändar när hjulen gick runt och det måste limmas in igen. Detta i sin tur hade skadat andra delar av ventilväxeln och en hel dag spenderades på att avhjälpa arbete. För att vara säker gjorde vi den här ändringen till andra sidan också. Vi har tappat räkningen av antalet gånger som vi har haft att klämma fast och limma tillbaka beslaget för expansionsblocket eller framsidan av radiestavarna på cylindrarna (naturligtvis inte nödvändigt på äkta ånglokaler), eller till och med glidstängerna till cylindrarna, och dessa korrigeringar pågår när mars närmade sig slutet.
Dm3 1221 + 1240 + 1222 är en av de senare versionerna av denna klassiska lokstyp (Marshall-lampor, reviderad position för förarsidans dörr, utökade takventilationsöppningar osv.), och Roco-modellen i vanlig brun har varit önskvärd under en längre tid. När vi behövde beställa reservdelen till N-lok såg vi en avslappnad titt på begagnade modeller som också fanns tillgängliga, och där var det Dm3 lok som vi ville ha! För oss är detta den perfekta Epoch-IV-versionen av den här loken, andra har antingen äldre belysning och dörrlayouter eller har mer moderna LKAB/MTAB-logotyper på (eller ännu mer moderna (blå) färger)! Prototypen för denna lok slutade tyvärr plötsligt den 19 mars 1993, när iskasta punkter kastade den från banan och nerför sidan av ett berg nära Katterat. Föraren och passageraren (hans lilla dotter) fick bara mindre skador eftersom snön kom genom de trasiga fönstren och dämpade dem från allvarlig skada! Lok måste skrotas på plats; på bergets sida! (Vi undrar om Roco var medveten om detta öde när de producerade modellen?)
Icke-järnvägsmodeller är också i nyheterna denna månad, med ankomsten av några nya bilar och en lastbil. Två PCX87 Volvo 240-modeller har anlänt (se våra engelska nyheter från denna månad) och en Scania-lastbil i svensk postleverans. (Våra enda nuvarande svenska postbilar är Iveco; inte särskilt svenska!) Ironiskt nog kom den här modellen i ett paket täckt av inte mindre än 31 frimärken …! Vi tog också emot en Wiking Chervolet Malibu, som är den närmaste imitationen vi kan hitta (i H0-skala) av Chevrolet Impala; bilen som används av Jönssonligan i de klassiska svenska filmerna! Vi kommer att ändra utseendet på modellen så att den matchar filmbilen!