Vi har köpt en vagn typ Bo14a, modell av Piko. Det är en typ som skulle ha byggts för en privat järnväg och senare förvärvats av SJ (vilket numret, 3867, antyder). Denna vagn kanske inte ens är 100% äkta, men den är en bra representation av typen och har likheter med standarddesignen från 1930-talet. Liksom Rocos Bo8a från OKB och absorberad av SJ har den delvis öppna fönster! Det är en snyggt byggd modell och jobbet för juni var att eftermontera NEM-kopplingsmekanismer. Vi använde den vanliga Symoba-enheten och med förbehåll för testning verkar allt ha gått bra. Men hjulen…! Nej, inte som vissa andra senaste köp, dessa är inte ac, men deras flänsar är inte lämpliga för kod 83 räls! Men vi har kunnat trimma dem!
Vi fortsatte vårt arbete med modellen av Åmåls stationsbyggnad. Den emaljmattsvarta färgen hade verkat ha torkat blank, och verkligen ljus lyste igenom! När vi letade igenom en “modelleringslåda” som vi hade fått, hittade vi lite mattsvart akrylfärg, och detta fortsatte med bättre resultat. (Rännorna och stuprören lämnades dock blanka.) Vi målade även fönsterbågarna (Humbrol) Aircraft Blue. Åmål station hade blå fönsterbågar vid vårt besök (för ca 20 år sedan(!)), men vi bestämde oss för att detta var för mörkt, och den valda färgen är ganska populär i Sverige för fönsterbågar!
Tillverkarens Nyheter
Med så korta somrar är det typiskt att de flesta företag här lägger ner i en månad eller två! Så det finns inga nyheter från tillverkarna.
Andra intressanta nyheter
Vi har lagt till en länk till Model Railway Forum, som är baserat i Storbritannien, och vänder sig mest till den brittiska järnvägsmodelleringsscenen. Ändå finns det lite kontinentalt innehåll där och det hanteras av en av våra vänner!
På vår kommande evenemangssida har vi tyvärr varit tvungna att markera en som “inställd”. Järnvägsevenemang med europeiska tema i Storbritannien minskar i antal, och detta hade varit ett stort evenemang för Scandinavian Railways Society (tillsammans med Global-Rail, som brukade hållas på Didcot). SRS kommer att ha sin reklammonter vid French Railways Societys evenemang i augusti och vid det stora Warley-evenemanget i november. Dessutom väntas några av deras medlemmar med danska eller norska modelljärnvägar till Bridport i slutet av juli, Comberton i början av september (ej bekräftat), Willand i mitten av september, Aldershot i oktober och Westbury i november.
For our heritage fleet we acquired a carriage type Bo14a (a Piko model). There is quite a long history to this type of carriage, and it would have been built for a private railway and later acquired by SJ (which the number, 3867, suggests); indeed the designation seems to relate to various different designs and bodies and so on. This carriage might not even be authentic, but it is a good representation of the type and has similarities with the standard 1930s pattern. Like Roco’s Bo8a from the OKB and absorbed by SJ, it has partially open windows! It is a nicely made model and the job for June was to retrofit NEM coupling mechanisms. We used the standard Symoba device, and subject to testing, all seems to have gone well. However, the wheels….! No, not like certain other recent purchases, these are not ac, but their flanges aren’t suitable for code 83 rails! But so slightly, that we were able to spin the wheels and use a file to marginally trim them! Job done; a bit of a bodge, but not unsightly and no compromises.
We returned to our work on the model of Åmål station building. The enamel matt black paint had seemed to have dried glossy, and indeed light shone through! Searching through a ‘modelling box’ that we had been given, we found some acrylic matt black paint, and this went on with better results. (The gutters and downpipes were left glossy, however.) We also painted the window frames (Humbrol) Aircraft Blue. Åmål station had blue window frames at the time of our visit (about 20 years ago(!)), but we decided that this was too dark, and the colour chosen is quite popular in Sweden for window frames!
Piko Bo14a 3867, retrofitted with NEM coupling sockets.Light blue window frames (right) and acrylic matt black (left) for our replacement model of Åmål station building.
Manufacturer News
With such short summers, it is typical that most manufacturers in Sweden shut down for a month or two! Not just model railway manufacturers, but across the country. People naturally want to make the most of the short period of very good weather! (But firmly imprinted on the memories of some club members is a holiday to Sweden, which included a trip to Öland, Sweden’s primary holiday destination, to find nearly all of the restaurants shut for the summer! This seemed a little strange, and greatly inconvenient.)
Other News
Shortly before India’s devastating train crash, there was a high-speed derailment at Arlandastad, very near to where Adrian lives. Fortunately, it was the rear of the train that left the tracks at 150kmh, and only two people needed to be taken to hospital. Had it been the front, the consequences would have been more catastrophic. Already, poor permanent way has been identified as the cause; and just like in the UK, concerns had been raised by workers, which were ignored by managers. It is our understanding that the section is a little peculiar in that it is privately owned and maintained by the company whose train derailed (which is why they can charge a fortune to customers to/from other train operators to use their platforms at Arlanda); and for the endangerment to life, there is a possibility of criminal charges being levied. Of greater hope to all passengers who use the airport is the possibility that they will lose their monopoly; and then travel to and from the airport can be without the extra charges. But, time will tell. Until then, we continue to urge all passengers (as we did even before the derailment) to take the local SL bus to the railway station at Märsta for onward travel, or the direct busses to Stockholm or Uppsala cities.
We’ve added a link to the Model Railway Forum, which is based in the UK, and caters mostly for the UK railway modelling scene. Nevertheless, there is a little continental content there and it is managed by one of our Friends!
On our forthcoming events page, we have sadly had to mark one as “cancelled”. European themed railway events in the UK are dropping in number, and this had been a big event for the Scandinavian Railways Society (along with Global-Rail, which used to be held at Didcot). The SRS will have their promotional stand at the French Railways Society’s event in August, and at the big Warley event in November. Additionally, some of their members with Danish or Norwegian themed layouts are expected at Bridport late July, Comberton early September (not confirmed), Willand mid September, Aldershot in October and Westbury in November.
Behind the Scenes
Mini-Series around the FLMJ; G: The Articles
Köpingsvik, the KRBJ, the FLMJ, and even Steninge, all featured in glossy railway magazines around the world. Peco Publications’ magazine, “Continental Modeller” is a companion magazine to “Railway Modeller”, but as its title suggests, it’s for non-British railways. The editor has nearly always been grateful to receive articles, and generally does a good job as editor. Köpingsvik was featured as a special feature, a stand-alone railway for indoor use, which was also part of a garden railway. We didn’t write a full article about the KRBJ as we had just extended to Röjeråsen (at the time of the Köpingsvik article), and there wasn’t much to show for it; yet we didn’t want to keep delaying! There existed, for a short while, a similar magazine in the US, catering for non-American layouts. This is a very low-interest area and sadly the magazine did not last for long; but the publication of a similar article about Köpingsvik was well received. In Sweden, the newly built FLMJ was featured in an edition of “Tåg” before they dropped all modelling interest, and much more recently in “Modeljärnvägsmagasinet” (“The model railway magazine”)! A very good dialogue is maintained with the editor there; and he has been keen to translate our English submissions to Swedish, given that it will be a while before Adrian is fully fluent! (Other themed articles have been sent also, hence the plural!) Returning to the UK, it is natural that the Railway has featured in “Skandiapilen”, the journal of the Scandinavian Railways Society. Without doubt, articles about a new railway will be sent to all relevant magazines, when the time is right to do so.
How the FLMJ was seen in Sweden’s primary railway magazine, ‘Tåg’.
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.
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.SWB Third class carriage 138, operated now by SÅS.Inside SÅS’s SWB carriageS1 tank loco 1921 at Hägersten; sister loco 1928 was preserved in England, but its whereabouts (or existence) today are unknown!
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.Pre-production sample of Minichamps’ Resin model of the Volvo 240 sedan.
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.
Vi har målat mattsvart på insidan av några hussatser för att blockera interiörbelysningen från att lysa igenom plasten. Vi kommer då att montera fönster och dörrar, men inte faktiskt montera dem; så att vi kan lägga undan dem i deras lådor tills ett permanent hem har hittats åt dem. Vi började med modellen av Åmåls stationsbyggnad (vår Lövhöjden, som behövde bytas ut efter att ha skadats av så mycket väder). Under denna månad har vi även tagit del av några bra priser på Joswood laserskurna kit och två har köpts in, redo för samma behandling.
Tillverkarens Nyheter
HNoll har kommit med fler nyheter. Förseningar beror som vi redan vet på problem i Kina med Covid, och problem i Sverige med räntor och generellt stigande priser! B4/BF4/BF7 väntas på sensommaren. Resten av A7/B7 och specialvagnarna väntas strax därefter. A11/B11 skulle vara nästa, men för närvarande finns det inte tillräckligt med intäkter från befintliga modeller för att betala för deras produktion. HNoll befarar att folk kommer att ge upp att vänta och behålla sina Roco-modeller, men när HNolls överlägsna kvalitet väl uppskattas tror vi att de flesta modellbyggare kommer att välja att ändra dem. Första generationens A7/B7 och BFS9 finns på ritbordet/CAD. Förutom ett omnämnande av B2/B10 finns det, klokt, inget vidare utvecklingsschema. (Vi hoppas på följande modeller: A7 (första serien), B7 (första serien), B2, B4 och UAF7, alla i brunt, två av varje utom UAF7 (en). Om HNoll skulle producera R4 i brunt utan InterCity pil skulle en av dem också vara trevlig.) Utöver 1980-talets vagnar överväger HNoll 1940-/1970-talets BC2 liggvagn, 1960-talets R1 restaurangvagn och 1960-talets WL1 sovvagn. (Alla dessa skulle passa oss väldigt bra.) De skulle vara dyrare än befintliga modeller eftersom de nästan inte har några designdetaljer som kan “bäras över” till/från andra modeller! (Varken R1 eller WL1 finns i NMJ:s 1960-talsvagnar.) HNoll planerar fortfarande att tillverka ett Ma-lok i toppklass, även om Jeco har en befintlig modell; och vi befarar att detta skulle hamna i priskategorin Brimalm och locka så få köpare att det inte skulle vara en klok investering. (Varför inte bygga en acceptabel modell av Mg-loket; det skulle vara mycket mer användbart och populärt?) Dessutom vill HNoll producera X10-enheten och alla dess derivat. De enda aktuella modellerna är satserna från SWB/UGJ, men med ett Byggsvenskt chassi fungerar dessa fint; skulle X10 locka tillräckligt många köpare för att vara värd att producera? Vi skulle föredra X9; aldrig gjort färdig att köra tidigare, men en bra representation av SJ:s rullande materielhistoria.
Andra intressanta nyheter
Vi har återställt en länk till det Storbritannien-baserade Scandinavian Railways Society, nu när deras webbplats är tillbaka under samhällets kontroll och ser mycket bättre ut; snyggt, läsvärt, relevant, osv…! Vi har också lagt till en länk till Model Train Prices på vår hemsida. Priser på modeller jämförs mellan butiker, inklusive 20 i Sverige; men det är inte bara för svenska modeller. Prova och se.
It’s been a low-activity month, again. We won’t bore you with the saga of finding a suitable home for the Railway, because it is just about buildings. But this has taken up a lot of time recently. Desperate to do some model-related activity, it was decided to open some of the housing kits, paint matt black on the insides to block interior lighting from shining through the plastic; and then fit things such as windows and doors. Stopping at this point means that the kits can be put back in their boxes, for assembly once in situ in the eventual location. But we can also use a very low-tack adhesive if we want to put them together for photography or other reasons! During this month, we also took advantage of some good prices on Joswood laser-cut kits, and two have been purchased, ready for the same treatment. We started with the Heljan model of Åmål, as used at Lövhöjden. Our existing model is quite badly weather-damaged, so having found an unbuilt kit on Tradera (the Swedish ‘eBay’) some time ago, we decided that it would be good to replace it. In addition to the insides of the walls and rooves, we painted the gutters and downpipes, chimney tops (and insides), and small details on the main base plate. Looking further ahead, we are intending to not use the printed paper curtains, because the interior lighting shines through the curtains but not the space in-between. Instead, we intend to fit home-made interior walls, basic interior details suitably painted, and have a more authentic appearance. Quite how well this goes will be determined as we do it!
The Joswood summer house and school buildings, as kits.Matt Black (looking glossy whilst wet) has been applied to the insides of this model to prevent the light from shining through the plastic!Åmål station building, by Heljan, seen here at the old Lövhöjden.
Manufacturer News
HNoll continues to keep modellers up to date with developments, and despite all the problems being experienced, Rickard remains up-beat, which is good to know. The problems are of course, the delays in China due to Covid; and an enormous hike in interest rates and utility prices, affecting people’s ability to buy the models, and subsequently HNoll’s ability to produce the next round of models. a) The B4/BF4/BF7 are expected late summer. b) The remainder of the A7/B7 and the Special carriages are expected soon after. c) The A11/B11 would be next, but currently there is not enough revenue from existing models to pay for their production. HNoll fears that people will give up waiting and retain their Roco models, but once HNoll’s superior quality is appreciated, we think that most modellers will choose to change them. d) First Generation A7/B7 and the BFS9 are on the drawing board / CAD. e) Other than a mention of the B2/B10, there is, wisely, no further development schedule. (As a point of interest, we are hoping for the following models; A7 (first series), B7 (first series), B2, B4 and UAF7, all in brown, two of each except the UAF7 (one). If HNoll were to produce the R4 in brown without the InterCity chevrons, one of those would also be nice.) There are however, mentions of other, non-1980s carriages; either to accompany the proposed ‘InterCity’ concept train or as requested by modellers. These are the 1940s/1970s BC2 couchette carriage, 1960s R1 catering carriage, and 1960s WL1 sleeping carriage. All of these would suit the FLMJ very well. They would be pricier than existing models because they have very few design details that can carry over to/from other models! (Neither the R1 nor WL1 are in NMJ’s 1960s carriages range.) HNoll still plans to produce a top-of-the-range Ma-loco, despite Jeco’s existing model; and we fear that this would end up in the Brimalm pricing category and attract so few buyers, that it would not be a wise investment. (Why not build an acceptable model of the Mg-loco; that would be much more useful and popular?) And on top of this, HNoll wants to produce the X10 unit and all of its derivatives. Fair enough; the only current models are the kits from SWB/UGJ, but with a Byggsvenskt chassis, these work fine; would the X10 attract enough buyers to be worth producing? We’d prefer the X9; never made r-t-r before, but a good representation of SJ’s rolling stock history.
The Märklin R1 (with reduced scale length) is seen in a train on the old KRBJX10 3149 (the prototype for the FLMJ’s model) at Kungsängen.X10 3149 at the original Köpingsvik station.
Other News
We’re delighted to re-establish a link to the UK-based Scandinavian Railways Society, now that their website is back under Society control, and looking much better; tidy, readable, relevant, etc…! We’ve also added a link to Model Train Prices on our website. Prices of models are compared between shops, including 20 in Sweden; but it is not just for Swedish models. Try it and see. As a rule of thumb, there is very little price competition between the shops for Swedish models. (Customer service says a lot, here in the Nordic territory.) Swedish models are produced in small batches to match the smaller demand than for other countries like the UK, Germany, US, and so on. Smaller quantities lead to higher prices, so there is very little margin for shops to compete, knowing that the prices have to be low enough to attract customers, but without putting themselves (or the manufacturers) out of business. Look above at the problems being experienced at HNoll, for example.
Behind the Scenes
Mini-Series around the FLMJ; E: The Stocklist
Additional to the Year Book, and with a similar cover photo, we have produced a printed Stock List every year. Its purpose was simply to catalogue all locomotives, units, carriages and wagons that we have here. Even after a computer program became more relevant, this provided a good back-up, quick and easy to read. But only one copy was ever printed, and kept on file. This has been maintained, but this year’s list (as always, correct to January 1st,) could be the last. We also have this information in other formats, formats that are more useful to us with regards to operating the railway; such as a service schedule in Excel. A simplified list is produced in Word and is taken to all events and places where there might be an opportunity to acquire desired models; its purpose is to ensure that we can avoid duplicating existing models! And this copy is sufficient for our insurers. In our previous updates, we considered the future alternative for the Year Book. It could include elements from this book; if we feel that it makes interesting reading.
“Tillbehörspacket” till Dm3-loket kom under mars, så vi började jobba med att montera så många delar vi kunde. Först, de goda nyheterna; det finns ett kinematiskt kopplingsfäste som är lämpligt för dummy SA3-kopplingarna, så dessa har monterats och Kadee-enheterna kommer gradvis att tas bort. Det fanns en viss frustration och förvirring med innehållet, och som ett exempel behöver loket fyra speglar, förpackningen innehåller sju, fyra svarta, tre kroppsfärgade. Ingen av dem passar bra och vi var tvungna att vidga hålen i kroppssidorna och trimma beslagen. Värre var dock monteringen av en av bromsslangarna med buffertbalksnivå, en tät passform, och när vi tryckte in den i lokkarossen sprack – rakt fram! Tack och lov, med lite penetrerande lim och sedan lite superlim på insidan när den väl torkat är sprickan nästan osynlig – tills vi någonsin behöver ta bort kroppen! (Hur gör en svag bromsslang så stor skada? Loket kanske redan var skadat och det var så det slutade som en begagnad rea!) Ledstängerna gick in vackert, och som ett tips till alla som har en av dessa lok; det finns en rätt väg upp för ledstänger; toppbeslaget och underbeslaget är inte samma sak!
Efter att ha monterat SA3-kopplingarna på Dm3:an var det naturligt att de två malmvagnarna, var och en med SA3 i ena änden och standard H0-koppling i den andra, skulle modifieras därefter, och nu har de båda SA3 i var sin ände.
Tillverkarens Nyheter
Vi har läst att PCX87 hade utställt på Nürnberg-mässan, en Volvo V90 (se förra månaden om V60). Återigen, för modernt för vår epok, men trevligt att se att moderna bilar av detta märke börjar dyka upp. (Ändå finns det ungefär ±25 år i historien att fylla!)
Rietze har tagit fram en modell av Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid i modern X-trafik-livery, och för gott skull en elektrisk version för grannlandet Norge. Vidare har de producerat bussen MAN Lion’s City E 18 i “Gamla Uppsala Buss”-livery från 2018.
Andra intressanta nyheter
Gamla Lidingöbron för spårvagnar på Lidingöbanan kommer snart att ersättas av nya Lilla Lidingöbron. Inför bytet av bron kördes några specialturer med Lidingöbanans veteranspårvagn, SSLidJ 17, som var fullsatt. Resorna gick mellan Ropsten och AGA, och innehöll tre returkörningar och en enkel resa till AGA, där depån också finns. Den nya bron är subtilt välvd, så den behöver ingen lyftsektion och är dubbelspårig över hela sin längd. Några snäva kurvor (nåja, inte snäva för en spårväg) vid Ropsten-änden kommer att leda den nya sträckningen in i den befintliga stationen.
The ‘accessory bag’ for the Dm3 loco arrived during March, so we set to work fitting as much as we could. First, the good news; there is a kinematic coupling attachment that is suitable for the dummy SA3 couplings, so these have been fitted and the Kadee devices will gradually be removed. There was an amount of frustration and confusion with the contents, however, and as an example, the loco needs four mirrors, the pack contains seven, four black, three body-colour. None of them are a good fit and we had to widen the holes in the body-sides and trim the fittings. Worse however, was the fitting of one of the buffer-beam level brake hoses, a tight fit, and as we were pressing it in the locomotive body cracked – right across the front! Thankfully, with a bit of penetrating glue and then a little superglue on the inside once dried, the crack is almost invisible – until we ever need to remove the body! (How does a feeble brake hose do that much damage? Maybe the loco was already damaged and that is how it ended up as a second-hand sale item!) The handrails went in beautifully, and as a tip to anyone who has one of these locos; there is a right way up for the hand rails; the top fitting and the lower fitting are not the same!
Dm 1222 with handrails, mirrors, brake hoses, wipers; and an invisible crack across the front!
Having fitted the SA3 couplings to the Dm3, it was natural that the two ore wagons, each with SA3 at one end and standard H0-pattern at the other, should be modified accordingly, and now they both have SA3 at each end.
Manufacturer News
PCX87 is understood to have had on display at the Nürnberg trade fayre, a Volvo V90 (see last month about the V60). Again, too modern for our epoch, but nice to see that modern cars of this brand are beginning to appear. (Still, there’s roundly ±25 years gap of history to fill!)
Rietze has produced a model of the Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid in modern X-trafik livery, and for good measure, an electric version for neighbouring Norway. Furthermore, with local sponsoring, they have produced the MAN Lion’s City E 18 bus in “Gamla Uppsala Buss” livery from 2018.
The Rietze Solaris bus for Xtrafik.The Rietze Solaris bus for Ruterby (Norway).The Rietze MAN bus for Uppsala.
Other News
The old Lidingö Bridge for trams on the Lidingöbanan will soon be replaced by the new Lilla Lidingö Bridge. Before the replacement of the bridge, some special tours were run with the Lidingöbanan’s veteran car, SSLidJ car 17, which was packed full. The trips ran between Ropsten and AGA, and featured three return workings and a one-way final trip to AGA, where the depot is also located. The new bridge is subtly arched, so it needs no lifting section, and is double-track over its entire length. Some tight curves (well, not tight for a tramway) at the Ropsten end will lead the new alignment into the existing station.
Heritage tram SSLidJ 17 at Ropsten.Looking across the new Lidingö bridge to a modern A36 tram on the old Lidingö bridge.
Behind the Scenes
Mini-Series around the FLMJ; D: The Review of the Year
By about now, we would have produced our annual review, and its title would have been “FLMJ 2022”. (Well, it exists on computer, but not in print!) Inspired by the lamented “Nordens Järnvägar” series by Stenvalls, it would report on all new rolling stock arrivals, new equipment, withdrawn and sold items, operational challenges; and mostly as a colour photo album with very little text. Earlier editions were also bi-lingual. Although none have been physically printed since the FLMJ closed, they have continued in digital production, and a PDF version is available upon request. Recent editions have said very little more than the stock changes (but they do have a look at the modern railway scene to provide inspiration), and even once the new railway gets started, we are wondering if we want to continue with this publication? Following the demise of Stenvalls’ year-book, they produced 6 editions of “Lok & Vagnar” at sporadic intervals. These carried less information about stock in and out, but more about themed items, technical details, usage, and in a relevant format. Might this work for us, too? Whilst online updates are timely, the purpose of our book was to summarise the year, a record of that year, a keepsake. Is that really necessary and of interest? Or do people still enjoy the nostalgia of something in print to discover when having a clear-out? We are discussing this with our friends. On thing that the Review was intended to report on, was the so called, “2020 Vision”, the great plan for the Railway to reach Fjällnäs by (or during) 2020. It would have been a timely record of how well we did and ultimately tell the story of how the FLMJ finally reached Fjällnäs, the ‘F’ in our title. So, this is something to discuss among our Friends. We already have a template for a different way of reviewing the Railway’s development; but will it be just a new name for an old format, or will we be able to find something more relevant? The key difference, of course, is that the internet has changed the way we do almost everything these days. With the former FLMJ’s Director General now working in a book warehouse, there is an element of empathy towards that medium, but relevance is key.
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.)
