Tag Archives: Rc4

Nyheter för tredje kvartalet 2025

Våra nyheter

Jecos Rc4 1182 har anlänt till butikerna (tillsammans med andra nya modeller), och en har anlänt hit. Denna modell är privatägd och utlånad till järnvägen tills en tidpunkt som har överenskommits gemensamt. Det är en fin modell, och dess prestanda “direkt ur lådan” är mycket bättre än T23. En märklighet som vi faktiskt gillar är att modellen har felmatchade plogar; en snöplog i ena änden och en älgplog i den andra! Speglarna behövde monteras och den reflexmässiga delen målas på, men en av våra var något trasig, så extra försiktighet kommer att krävas när man böjer dem till rätt profil!

Efter långa överväganden “bakom kulisserna” har vi beslutat att ersätta det föreslagna stationsnamnet “Skarpa Gård” på RTJ med “Sköndal”. Inget annat har ändrats; det kommer att bli en lantlig plats mellan Rickbacken och Töjnan, och troligtvis den första som faktiskt byggs!

En av våra vänner i Storbritannien äger nu Steninge-modellen och har renoverat den. Av bilden (i den engelskspråkiga uppdateringen) framgår att den är lite mer utbyggd nu och att spåret läggs om helt. Medan arbetet fortskrider visades dioramat på en utställning i början av juni. Y1-järnvägsbussen är i Epoch-V-lackering (1990-2010-tal-liknande)!

Modellnyheter

HNoll har producerat konferensvagnen S4 i ASEA-lackering (före ABB-lackeringen) och om vi hade haft pengarna hade vi köpt en!

Jeco har nyligen tillkännagivit den föreslagna produktionen av inte mindre än 20 TGOJ M4 3-axliga malmvagnar som ska finnas tillgängliga i fyra paket med fyra vagnar och två paket med två vagnar. Idealiska lok för dessa vagnar är deras föreslagna TGOJ Bt-lok, eller nyligen producerade TGOJ Ma-lok.

One87 har via sin onlinebutik Tradera producerat fungerande modeller (som byggsatser) av spårspärr som används i sidospår (istället för den brittiska “catch point”), en länge förbisedd artikel. De har också producerat modeller av Kalmar plattformstraktor, med släpvagn.

PCX87 Saab 900 sedan har anlänt till butikerna; fyra olika färger plus en svensk “polis”-bil.

Andra intressanta nyheter

Rc2 001 (en tidigare ÖBB klass 1043, men i alla avseenden samma som SJ Rc2) har målats om till den tidigare färgsättningen som den bar under tjänstgöring i Österrike. Tio extra Rc2 byggdes för ÖBB och levererades i SJ-färgsättning (utan markeringarna), och de var mycket framgångsrika. Så småningom pensionerades de alla och de nio överlevande fördes tillbaka till Sverige, där de används i gods- och “service”-transporter. De skiljer sig från de svenska versionerna med olika strålkastar- och bakbelysning, en modifiering som gjordes under ÖBB-ägandet.

Rc4 1166 har målats om till en Amtrak-lackering av sina nya ägare, Nordic Re-finance. Denna är nästan identisk med den lackering den bar när den skickades till Amtrak i USA för provkörningar, vilket slutligen ledde till beställningen av ASEA-lok av typ AEM7, vilka i huvudsak är Rc4 i en annan kaross! De var mycket framgångsrika och Amtrak var inte det enda företaget som köpte dem. I skrivande stund används detta lok nästan uteslutande av Nässjö järnvägsmuseum för deras icke-ångtågsresor.

Nu väntar vi bara på att se om Rc6 1377 kommer att döpas om till Rc5 och målas i antingen den vit-silverfärgade lackeringen eller den “disco”-lackering som följde!

News for third quarter, 2025

Our News

Jeco’s Rc4 1182 has arrived into shops (along with other new models), and one has arrived here. This model is privately owned and on loan to the Railway until a time that has been mutually agreed. Overall it is a nice model, up to the detail standards that Jeco manage so well; and its performance ‘out of the box’ is much better than the T23, for example; though it will need running in, properly. The ‘set place’ for the driver-side windscreen wiper is not the correct resting place and it would be an irritation to the driver being right in his line of vision. One oddity that we actually quite like is that the model has mis-matched ploughs; a snow plough at one end and a moose plough at the other! The mirrors needed attaching and the reflective part painted on, but one of ours was slightly broken, so extra care will be needed when bending them to the correct profile!

After lengthy considerations ‘behind the scenes,’ we have decided to replace the proposed station name ‘Skarpa Gård’ on the RTJ with ‘Sköndal.’ Nothing else has changed; it will be a countrified location between Rickbacken and Töjnan, and most likely the first to actually get built!

One of our Friends in the UK is now the owner of the Steninge model, and he has been rebuilding it. From the photo, it can be seen to be a little more built-up now and the track is being completely re-laid. Whilst work is progressing, the diorama made an appearance at an exhibition at the beginning of June. The Y1 railbus is in Epoch-V livery (1990s-2010s-ish)!

Model News

Quite unannounced, HNoll has produced the S4 conference carriage in ASEA livery (predates the ABB livery) and had funds permitted, we would have liked one here!

Jeco has recently announced the proposed production of no fewer than 20 TGOJ M4 3-axle ore wagons to be available in four packs of four wagons, and two packs of two. Ideal locomotives for these wagons are their proposed TGOJ Bt-loco, or recently produced TGOJ Ma-loco (but it seems that the TGOJ Hg-loco was used on other duties, including shunting these wagons).

One87, via their online Tradera shop has produced working models (as kits) of the derailers used in sidings (instead of the British ‘catch point’), a long overlooked article. They have also produced models of the Kalmar platform tractor, with trailer.

The PCX87 Saab 900 saloon has arrived into the shops; four different colours plus a Swedish “polis” car, and at least one especially commissioned livery that we know about. Its window and door profile seem a little different to their 3-door hatchback, but there’s 7 years between production versions (the saloon from 1981, and the hatchback from 1988).

The S4 in “ASEA Pendeln” livery, which later became “ABB Pendeln”. [HNoll]

Other Interesting News

Rc2 001 (a former ÖBB class 1043, but in all respects, the same as the SJ Rc2) has been repainted into the earlier livery that it wore whilst in service in Austria. A local business in Sweden made up the special number plates so typical of those used in Austria. Ten extra Rc2 were built for the ÖBB and supplied in SJ livery (without the markings), and they were so successful that ÖBB followed them up with the more locally built class 1044, which were not as successful! Eventually, they were all retired and the nine survivors were brought back to Sweden, where they are used in goods and ‘service’ operations. Visibly, they differ from the Swedish versions with different head and tail lighting, a modification that was made during ÖBB ownership.

Rc4 1166 has been repainted into an Amtrak livery by its new owners, Nordic Re-finance. This is almost identical to the livery it wore when it went to Amtrak in the USA for trials which ultimately led to the order for ASEA locomotives type AEM7, which are essentially Rc4 in a different body! They were very successful and Amtrak was not the only company to buy them. At the time of writing, this locomotive is being used almost exclusively by Nässjö railway museum for their non-steam rail-tours.

Now, we’re just waiting for Rc6 1377 to be rebranded Rc5 and painted in either the white-silver livery, or the ‘disco’ livery that followed!

Nyheter från september 2023

Våra Nyheter

Vi har införskaffat en Pochervagn typ C3b. Trots modellens ålder (den är från 1958) är den väldigt autentisk och väl detaljerad. Det enda produktionsfelet är att den är tryckt som en C3c (identiska vagnar förutom att C3c hade en toalett, men nummer 1449 var en C3b, och modellens interiör inkluderar inte toaletten)! Den har inga kopplingar (eller låda), därav det bra priset vi betalade för den, men båda sakerna kommer att lösas i sinom tid.

Den 30 september var det femårsjubileum av det sista tåget som körde på FLMJ, vår svenska modelljärnväg i H0-skala i trädgården runt ett Park Home i England. Det hade varit vår förhoppning att vi skulle markera detta femårsjubileum med ett ’första tåg’ på en ny järnväg; men även om det inte är möjligt nu (möjligheten har passerat), har vi åtminstone några goda, positiva nyheter om vägen framåt.
En ny järnväg ska byggas i källaren under ett hus i södra Sverige, enligt överenskommelse med villaägarna där. Det kommer att bära andan från det tidigare FLMJ och använda så mycket av den rullande materielen och natursköna material från den som möjligt; men det blir inomhus. Även om det är möjligt att behålla FLMJ-namnet (genom att ha tre huvudstationer), har det beslutats att eftersom den nya layouten skulle vara så mycket annorlunda, skulle ett nytt namn vara bättre. Det nya namnet kommer att avslöjas när vi har låtit alla möjliga varianter privat, så att när det dyker upp här kan det förhoppningsvis vara absolut!
Det är för tidigt att skriva om en ny järnväg i detalj, men här är en retas… Källaren består av 4 rum, arrangerade 2+2. Ett rum lämpar sig för ett stort diorama, så detta skulle ersätta FLMJ:s Lövhöjden, vår huvudort och järnvägscentrum. Ett rum bredvid fungerar också som tvättstuga, men med gott om plats bredvid ytterväggarna är troligen ett mer avlägset diorama här. Det tredje rummet har ett hinder i form av en inåtgående dörr (utåtgående dörrar från källare är inte en bra idé om det ligger snö på marken), och idéerna för detta rum är fortfarande lite vaga. Det fjärde rummet, som inkluderar trappan från huset, skulle kunna ge möjlighet till en smalspårig sektion! Vi hade velat ha en smalspårig linje för att stödja FLMJ, men att göra detta i trädgården var oklokt. Sverige har haft många smalspåriga järnvägar, och en del av järnvägarna från två av spåren (891mm & 1067mm) absorberades av SJ; så de är betydelsefulla. Retas avslutad; kanske mer nästa månad!

Tillverkarens Nyheter

Under ett samtal nyligen förstod man att Jecos föreslagna diesellokomotiv T23 kan vara tillgängligt inom de närmaste månaderna (kanske i tid till Hjulmarknaden?), och att den nya Rc-serien då borde vara snart efter. Vi frågade inte om släpvagnarna till rälsbuss!

Andra intressanta nyheter

Med mycket kort varsel nämnde vi på vår “kommande evenemang”-sida, evenemanget Höglandståg i Nässjö. Vi hade förbisett det, men vi insåg att det är nära där vår nya järnväg ska ligga. I första hand var detta en utställning av digitala modulära järnvägar; det fanns två järnvägar, en i vardera av de två använda rummen; den ena H0-skalan, den andra N. Operationellt var detta inte av intresse för oss (som DCC), och det var naturligtvis frustrerande att se de många oplanerade stopp och starter; och ett tåg som inte gick att stoppa när en del av det spårade ur! Men det var inspirerande att studera de olika scenerierna; alla sektioner byggdes (förmodligen) av olika människor, och så gjordes detta enligt olika standarder; men alla var inspirerande. Det fanns också ett bra urval av handlare där, och vi kunde köpa en äkta vagn av Märklin (och handlaren bytte ut hjulseten för att fungera på ett två-rälssystem, utan extra kostnad). Vi hoppas kunna besöka detta evenemang igen under kommande år.

News from September 2023

Our News

We have acquired a Pocher carriage type C3b. Despite the age of the model (it dates from 1958), it is very authentic and well detailed. The only production fault is that it is printed as a C3c (identical carriages except that the C3c had a toilet, but number 1449 was a C3b, and the model’s interior does not include the toilet)! It has no couplings (or box), hence the good price that we paid for it, but both matters will be put right in due course.

C3b 1449, a model by Pocher, in need of a bit of TLC!

September 30th marked the fifth anniversary of the last train to run on the FLMJ, our Swedish H0-scale model railway in the garden around a Park Home in England. It had been our hope that we would mark this fifth anniversary with a ‘first train’ on a new layout; but whilst that is not now possible (the opportunity has passed), we do at least have some good, positive news of the way forward.
A new railway is to be built in the basement under a house in southern Sweden, as agreed with the home owners there. It will carry the spirit of the former FLMJ, and use as much of the rolling stock and scenic materials therefrom as possible; but it will be indoors. Whilst it is possible to retain the FLMJ name (by virtue of having three principal stations), it has been decided that because the new layout would be so very different, a new name would be better. The new name will be divulged once we have privately sounded out all possible variations, so that by the time it appears here, it can hopefully be absolute!
It is too early to write about a new railway in any detail, but here’s a taster. The basement is made up of 4 rooms, arranged 2+2. One room is suitable for a good-sized diorama, so this would take the place of the FLMJ’s Lövhöjden, our main town and main railway ‘centre.’ A room next to it also serves as the laundry-room, but with ample space alongside the outer walls, a more remote diorama is likely here. The third room has an obstacle in the form of an inward opening door (outward opening doors from basements are not a good idea if there’s snow on the ground), and ideas for this room are still a bit vague. The fourth room, which includes the stairs from the house, could provide opportunity for a narrow gauge section! We had wanted a narrow gauge line to support the FLMJ, but doing this in the garden was unwise. Sweden has had many narrow gauge railways, and some of the railways from two of the gauges (891mm & 1067mm) were absorbed by SJ; so they’re significant. Taster over; maybe more, next month!

This basement room will easily afford space for a 4,5 x 2,2m baseboard (just under 14′ by 7′ in English imperial)!

Manufacturer News

During conversation, it was understood that Jeco’s proposed T23 diesel locomotive could be available in the next couple of months (maybe in time for Hjulmarknaden?), and that the new Rc-series should then be soon after. We didn’t ask about the railbus trailers!

Other News

At relatively short notice, we mentioned the Höglandståg event on our website ‘forthcoming events’; having originally overlooked it, yet it is close to where our new railway will be. Primarily this was an exhibition of digital modular railways; two layouts, one in each of the two rooms in use; one H0-scale, the other N. Operationally, this was of no interest to us (being DCC), and it was naturally frustrating to see the many unscheduled stops and starts; and a train that couldn’t be stopped when part of it had derailed! But it was inspiring to study the different scenic efforts; all the sections were presumably built by different people, and so this was done to different standards; but all of them inspiring. There was also a good selection of traders there, and we were able to buy an authentic wagon by Märklin and have the wheel-sets changed to work on a two-rail system, without extra charge. We hope to visit this event again in subsequent years.

X11 3113, very similar to the X10, seen at Nässjö.

Behind the Scenes

Mini-Series around the FLMJ; J: U3A Presentations

The University of the Third Age is an international movement whose aims are the education and stimulation of mainly retired members of the community—those in their third ‘age’ of life. There is no universally accepted model for the U3A. It was founded in 1973 by Pierre Vellas in France. One of the FLMJ’s Friends is an active member/student of the U3A, and the Railway’s Director General was invited on more than one occasion to give a presentation to the local group. The FLMJ was the subject of one, and the Y6 generation of railbuses was another (there were others of a Swedish classical musical theme); and these presentations were very well received. These presentations would be supported by so-called PowerPoint displays, and they remain on file to this day.
Initially, it seemed a little surreal that we should be giving a talk about a Swedish model railway to a group of people who were (probably) not railway modellers. But, the reality was that the interest was in the creativity that went into the railway, its construction, maintenance and operation. And because the FLMJ was in every respect a railway, (albeit too small to carry passengers,) rather than a train-set, its appeal was universal among people with a creative mindset. Above, we mentioned music; and this too, is a creative hobby, especially the process of playing the music (not so much just listening to something that has been pre-recorded). It should come as no surprise that having the creative mindset that was suitable for what we had with the FLMJ should also lend itself to musical creativity, and to be able to talk at other U3A meetings on that subject. And many well known professional musicians have declared their railway modelling interests to the public. Only a few years ago, Sir Rod Stewart’s American–themed diorama was featured in the railway modelling press; and what he had created is incredible by any standards.
But, being creative is a very individual thing. If one person builds a railway, and another builds the trains, both are creative, neither are lacking creativity because ‘the other’ has created what they didn’t. At the U3A presentation, we were pleased to announce that we ran mostly ready-to-run models, and built kits from the boxes. By taking advantage of these possible “short cuts”, we were able to use OUR creativity in the many other aspects of the FLMJ. And that was the message we delivered.

Next month: Publishing in the Future

Nyheter från maj 2023

Våra Nyheter

Vi har inga järnvägsuppdateringar denna månad. Vi hade hoppats på att åka med ett arvståg under maj, men detta ställdes in med kort varsel. Bilderna med våra engelska nyheter är från ett besök på öppen dag, där SÅS håller sina tåg vid Hägersten.

Tillverkarens Nyheter

Jeco visar nu en bild på en modell av en Rc4 i Epoch-IV skick för att stödja deras föreslagna release av en sådan modell. (Tidigare var bilden som användes en Rc2.) Vi hoppas kunna köpa en, kanske två!

Ryktena har bekräftats; förutom en 2019 Volvo V60 kommer PCX87 att producera 2019 Volvo V90 i fyra färger, alltså:
PCX870384 svart metallic
PCX870385 grå metallic
PCX870386 silver
PCX870387 beige metallic

Minichamps, som har föreslagit inte mindre än två Saab-bilar och sex Volvo-bilar, alla med fyra av varje, och alla passerat deras ursprungligen föreslagna leveransdatum, har nu lagt till en engångsföreteelse till förslagen, en Resin-version av Volvo 240 sedan från 1986. Det kommer att bli billigare än de försenade ABS-modellerna, men om denna levereras eller inte, återstår att se. (Artikel D87171400, för leverans 5.2023!)

Andra intressanta nyheter

På denna webbplats har vi gjort några mindre tillägg till informationen i vår artikel om YCo6 (datebox) järnvägsbussar; inklusive littra av de som åkte till Danmark, hänvisning till att några också åkte till Norge, och att finnarna hade sin egen bredare spårvidd, byggd på licens i Finland.

News from May 2023

Our News

We hoped to have a report and some photos from a rail-tour that was to happen mid-May, with steam traction for some of the way; but it seems that the TOC didn’t give the infrastructure authority enough time to approve the journey, so it didn’t get approved. A visit was made instead to an open day with another group who planned to run a couple of short return trips with a steam loco the following day (already approved); but we had heard a rumour that Stockholm County had introduced a ban relating to steam trains and other fire risks because the weather was too warm and dry to be safe. So, the plan was to watch the online tracker to see if the first train ran, and if it did, venture out to ride on the second one. In the event, the first one did run but didn’t shew up on the tracker; then there were reports of a lineside fire on the route, which cancelled all trains, including the second trip. As the first one didn’t shew up, we hadn’t ventured out for the second; so we avoided disappointment!

The view from the cab of a class T21 of the rather cramped facilities for SÅS at Hägersten.

Manufacturer News

Jeco is now shewing a picture of a model of an Rc4 in Epoch-IV condition to support their proposed release of such model. (Previously, the photo used was an Rc2.) This assures our confidence with the model being correct, and justifies our purchase of one, maybe two!

Publicity image from Jeco of their proposed Epoch-IV Rc4 loco.

The rumours have been confirmed; in addition to a 2019 Volvo V60, PCX87 is to produce the 2019 Volvo V90 in four colours, each costing 22,95€, thus:
PCX870384 black metallic
PCX870385 grey metallic
PCX870386 silver
PCX870387 beige metallic

Minichamps, who has proposed no fewer than two Saab cars and six Volvo cars, all with four of each, and all past their originally proposed delivery dates, has now added a one-off to the proposals, a Resin version of the Volvo 240 sedan from 1986. It will be cheaper than the delayed ABS models, but whether or not this gets delivered, remains to be seen. (Article D87171400, for delivery 5.2023!)

Pre-production image of the Volvo V90, proposed by PCX87.

Other News

On this website, we have made some minor additions to the information in our article on the YCo6 (datebox) railbuses; including the classification of the ones that went to Denmark, reference to the fact that some also went to Norway, and that the Finns had their own broader gauge version, built under licence in Finland.

Behind the Scenes

Mini-Series around the FLMJ; F: The Calendar

Home produced for many years, until just before the Railway’s closure, is the calendar. This is now professionally produced, and whilst copies are available for sale (if ordered and paid for in advance), they mainly serve as yuletide ‘presents’ for our Friends. The images would normally reflect the year gone by (usually November to October so that we had a chance to get it produced and proliferated before the end of the year), but of necessity, the recent few years have carried historical photos with a particular theme. One recent year for example, was our trains on tours to other model railways. This year, it was to have been the scenery (not many trains to be seen, but appropriate scenic modelling to be appreciated instead); but the FLMJ didn’t have much of that, and having looked through the selected pictures, we just felt completely uninspired! So, in the 11th-hour we changed it to so-called “runner up” photos; those which are quite nice, but had previously been neglected in favour of other, similar photos. We haven’t decided on a theme for next year, yet!

Of course, the calendars always had a nostalgic and inspirational feeling. Having visited the railway, people would see the images and remember the enjoyment that they had during that visit (and kept them coming back, or so we like to think)! And even today, it keeps people interested, to want to know how we’re progressing with getting a new layout ready to start.

The first copies were printed in exactly the same way as our journals, but everything was printed, inclined at 90°. For a couple of years, we used glued-on colour photos; then colour ink-jet printing became available. Spiral binding was too difficult and costly to manage, so they would be staple-bound with great care to ensure that the staples were precisely in the middle so that the pages folded properly without creasing. A simple single hole was then punched so that they could be hung on the wall. We did experiment one year with a diary instead (month to a view, picture on one side, dates on the other); thus removing the need to hang the item or turn the printing through 90°, but that was not popular. Then, one year, a calendar was received from a friend, professionally printed, and we liked it so much that after a few enquiries, we ’went professional’ the following year. This did push up production costs, but the greatly improved quality is worth it. And, even though these calendars are not especially cheap to acquire (nor to send), we do intend to keep up this tradition.

Next month: Published Articles about the Railway.