4005 / 405 A-M-S Auto Transporter Set (Road + Rail)
One of the absolute 'must-have' items for those wanting to combine Faller A-M-S with their model railway.
This accessory range was first released as 4005 in the 1970 catalogue and comprised of a single flat wagon with embedded A-M-S track, two loading ramps, a selection of single-lane curved and straight track, 1 single lane railway crossing (angled), 1 vehicle (Ford Capri) and a controller. The set remained in the program for just 4 years, appearing for the last time in the '74 catalogue when it was replaced with the 405 set.
Set 405 was reduced to just a single loading ramp, no road/rail crossing and a different assortment of single-lane track.
There are wonderful 'play' opportunities with this accessory, the wagon with embedded track has matching electrical connections when coupled with the loading ramp enabling you to drive the vehicle directly onto the wagon.
It is always fascinating to watch the loading and unloading of vehicles from the wagon and the interesting shunting operations that can be employed. Some careful driving is needed to make the most of this.
Although the scene photos often show two vehicles loaded on to a single wagon, this is not as easy as it appears unless you are using the half-wave method of operation to control two cars independantly (or are using some form of custom Digital/DCC control).
The special transporter wagons have a small mechanical shutter at each end which blocks the slot and is activated by a plastic plunger. When the car is engaged with the loading ramp, the plastic plunger is activated and the slot for that end is open, while the other end remains blocked.
It is easy enough to drive a single car onto the wagon, it will always be forced to stop when the guide pin reaches the shutter at the far end. To drive a second car on however means that you will also still be powering the first one, causing it to either spin the wheels or risking overheating the motor if it is stalled.
A preferred method, in theory, would be to use the 'half-wave' principle to control two cars independantly. I intend to do some further testing on this aspect to clarify the interaction between half-wave two-car control, and reversing by polarity reversal.
The design of this accessory is that the cars can be driven forward and backward, by reversing the track polarity. The cars for this set have a smaller rear guide pin enabling reverse operation without de-slotting and generally it works well.
If you are not using this dual-control system, then you are really limited to one vehicle per wagon, although attaching a caravan or trailer will fill the wagon nicely.
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Contents of Set 4005 (additional hand-control not normally included) |
Contents of set 405 (Ford Capri auto is missing) |
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4541 AMS Transporter Wagon |
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4538 Loading Ramp - (originally sold as a pair in this package) |
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4538 Contents - includes two ramps with special track section, adapter plates for matching to various H0 track, plus instruction leaflet. |
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438 Loading Ramp (single ramp packaging) |
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4532 Angled Crossing with H0 track to suit Märklin, Fleischmann, Rivarossi etc |
