 Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC) Posts: 6,764 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Märklin H0 26928 Rheingold Train Set Also available in a two rail HO version as TRIX 21928.
2018 One-time model train limited worldwide to 2,999 sets for the anniversary "90 Years of the 1928 Rheingold".
Now I have owned this train set for some time and run it I feel I know enough to write this review.
First impressions.
This is a HO scale model of the Rheingold train set of the German State Railroad Company (DRG) consisting of a class 18.5 steam express locomotive and a set of 5 cars for around 1931.
Firstly I will explain what attracted me to this set. I do run era II but have resisted earlier models of the Rheingold train because of the expense.
So the clincher for me was two things.
1. The inclusion of a locomotive in the set, and particularly the BR18.5 because I have been waiting for Märklin to release an era II version.
2. The fact that this was a full-featured set with separate decoders, lighting and sound in both train and engine. I knew I could not get any better.
A consecutively numbered certificate of authenticity is included with this train set which is boxed with expanded styrene and a cardboard lid. A now typical hard plastic clam-shell protector encloses the locomotive. The locomotive is well detailed, with the extension covers on the two between frames cylinders being particularly noticeable under the smoke box. A driver and fireman figure are included. The engine has a smoke generator installed in the chimney.
Each car has an individual pocket within the set box, cradled in a plastic protective film. The cars have a solid feel and are quite heavy unlike many plastic models. The raised Rheingold, Deutsche Reichsbahn and Mitropa lettering are noteworthy. There are four parlor cars with detail interior seat and table fittings and some compartments. Two of the cars have a kitchen with a stove vent in the roof. The roof ventilation torpedoes are different on all cars (see later detail). There is one baggage car with a roof cupola.
Here is the set box. Photo acknowledgment to AD-Modellbahnen, Holzheim, Bavaria, who have this new item for sale as of Augut 2020.
Features
The locomotive MFX+ decoder registered within a few seconds on my first generation Mobile Station (60652) digital controller. The first thing noticeable is the quite advanced steam engine sounds on the locomotive. It is better than all my previous Märklin locomotives because the whistle is multi toned, the chuff rate is more in tune with the motion and has added sounds depending on the speed. These include louder acceleration, rod clank and mechanical motion sounds. The smoke generator has a large capacity which lasts for a good few minutes. The glow from the fire-box is independently switchable, but seems a bit reddish from my memory of steam fireboxes. A cabin light is switchable.
You can run this set of cars with any locomotive because the cars and the locomotive are independently controlled. Any of the older Märklin locomotives such as the BR18.3 (Bad), BR18.4 (Bay), BR38, BR39, BR41 could be used for the early 1930s, and from around 1935 you could add the BR01, BR03 to the list. (The underlined examples are for engines I have personally seen photo/movie evidence).
The baggage car has a pick-up shoe and an MFX sound decoder which also registered within a few seconds. All the cars have current conducting couplers, so when connected to the baggage car all the train lighting can be switched on and off using my digital controller. The cars have two light sources, firstly the lights in the ceiling, and secondly the table lamps. Both switch simultaneously. I thought it might be a nice feature if the decoder included a sequence where all table lamps are on, or some are on at random. The red tail-lights on the baggage car are switchable independently of other lighting. About 3 or 4 “at the dining table” sounds emanate from this decoder but I don’t believe I have discovered all of them.
Photo of the baggage car #105003, train car #1, showing the tail lighting which is switchable separately from other lights.
The cabin layout of both 1st and 2nd class cars is an open plan with individual high-backed seating, and table space for each seat. A kitchen installed in both a 1st class and a 2nd class car served each passenger at the seat which they occupied for the whole journey.
In the 2nd class the blue coloured armchairs are arranged 1 -2 across, with the footway between. So the car on one side has table with 2 chairs, the other side has table with 4 chairs.
The first class cars have dusk grey coloured seating in a 1-1 configuration across. At one end of each 1st class car is a compartment with seats for 4, and/or a compartment for 2 (see later detail).
The exterior colouring of the train was contemporaneously described in the Press as violet and cream, with the lettering picked out in gold-leaf.
Photo of the kitchen end of first-class car #3 in the train.
Image of the 1st class parlor car design plan (car with no kitchen)
Model Train Detail and running
The BR18.5 type locomotive was of Bavarian design dating from 1908 but being the most modern iteration and built around 1927 for the DRG. It towed a type 2´2´T31,7 tender and is in the black/red basic paint scheme for use as a Rheingold locomotive, the running number being 18 527.
Photo of BR18.5 18 527 included in the train set.
Each of the cars has roof torpedo vents, and ice or water roof hatches and is 26.5cm long. The baggage car is 22cm long.
Details on the cars which were built in 1927-28 are:
Even though I oiled all 40 axle points, the train has a lot of rolling resistance.
This is because of the ground pick-up shims on each of the 20 car axles. Even so, the locomotives I have used on this train have no difficulty in pulling it, namely the BR18.1 37115, and the BR18.5 supplied with the set.
I also found it useful to reduce the speed when negotiating R1 and R2 curves and R2 curved points because the forces tend to unbalance the dynamic couplings at higher train speeds. The cars are over 26cm long, so they can look incongruous on my R1 and other small radius track, but they are the compromises I am happy to live with in the interest of running model trains.
The modeller may be interested in other car-only sets of the Rheingold.
In 2000 set 4228 was released in the time honoured construction of tinplate. I might offer the opinion that this set would be a pinnacle of that construction method.
Later design methods were produced by Märklin in 2010 (41928) and 2014 (41929) respectively. These are current-conducting sets with lighting and are ready for installation of a decoder if desired. These sets are I believe the same design as this 26498 set.
I have reproduced the detail of the 41929 set which has different car numbers to our 26928 set and includes an additional baggage car.
Car set #41929 (cars only) released 2014:
Gepackwagen SPw4ü car 1 - #105 003 Ams – Zurich
2-Klasse SB4ü car 2 - #10 706 Amsterdam-Zurich
2-Klasse SB4ü car 8 - #10 705 H of H – Basel SBB
1-Klasse SA4ü car 6 - #10 508 H of H – Basel SBB
1-Klasse SA4ü car 3 - #10 501 Amsterdam-Zurich
Gepackwagen SPw4ü car 10 - #105 002 H‘H – Basel SBB
This set has provision for decoder fitting.
Real route and operational Information
Information here comes from various sources, including Märklin promotional material.
Rheingold Poster
In 1927-28 the train was envisaged as competition for the Great Britain (and cross Atlantic) to Swiss travel market held by the Orient Express company. 26 parlor cars were built, 8 of first and 18 of second class, with 3 baggage cars. These allowed the train to run in the north and south directions at the one time. The best German designers and builders were engaged to create a train worthy of the scenically attractive Rhine route with its unique backdrop. The legendary Middle Rhine Valley provided the train with its name. The heavy parlor cars offered the passengers of considerable means an incomparable travel experience with the highest level of comfort and luxury.
Separate trains originated in Holland for passengers arriving on the Continent. Both Hook of Holland (near The Hague) and Amsterdam originating trains were combined at a convenient point (likely Utrecht) and the whole train moved onto Basle. Part of the train then ran to Zurich. The same applied from Zurich northward, where the train combined at Basle then splt over the Dutch border. The train designations were FFD 101/102.
This model set shows the destination boards for a southbound train towards Basle and Zurich. The train route Hook of Holland – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Mannheim – Basle SBB uses cars 6 and 8.
The Amsterdam – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Mannheim – Zürich route uses cars 1, 2 and 3.
These two separate trains are combined for the section between Düsseldorf and Basle SBB (or return). It might be quite prototypical to run the train with only 2 cars and no baggage if using a Dutch locomotive. A truncated train can also be used between Basle and Zurich. In some periods the locomotives such as the BR18.5 only travelled from the Dutch border to Mannheim and another one took over.
At first, the cars had the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft and MITROPA inscriptions with the DRG logo.
Around 1931 the name RHEINGOLD was added in cast relief on the coaches and the locomotive tender, and the DRG logo remained.
In these days, the trip took 11 hours for a distance of 1,067 kilometres (663 miles). There are railway lines on both sides of the Rhine River for much of its length.
From what I understand, the train used what is called the left (western) bank of the middle part of the Rhine valley. (The term left bank is rooted in geographical and political history.)
Regarding the position of the baggage car, there are no rules except prior to 1932 when it was mandatory to have a non-passenger car behind the locomotive tender.
In the case of the Rheingold I believe it had to reverse a couple of times en-route when at stations used as terminal.
I believe an example is at Cologne, where the train crossed the Rhine to the station and continued the journey by going back across the Rhine to the left bank. So a leading baggage car then becomes an end baggage car.
A total of 26 Rheingold parlor cars were built:
4 cars, 1st class, type SA4ü, with seating for 28
4 cars, 1st class, type SA4üK, with a galley and seating for 20
8 cars, 2nd class, type SB4ü, with seating for 43
10 cars, 2nd class, type SB4üK, with a galley and seating for 29.
For their time they represented the longest German cars with a length of 23.50 meters / 77 feet 1/3/16 inches. The bodies were constructed entirely of steel and the total weight was between 50 and 52 metric tons, i.e. up to 12 metric tons more than a conventional express train passenger car. Trucks (Görlitz II heavy) were developed just for the "Rheingold" series. They had to withstand high train speeds and had a wheelbase of 3.60 meters / 11 feet 9-3/4 inches. In addition, there are also 3 baggage cars, type SPw4ü, each with a length over the buffers of 19.68 meters / 64 feet 6-13/16 inches and facilities for goods in bond and for transporting pet dogs.
Tom (member of this forum name HO) posted this information in a previous topic, and I add here for interest.
Prototypical train north of Mannheim:
1. The loco.
2. The baggage car.
3. Second-class coach without kitchen.
4. First-class coach with kitchen.
5. First-class coach without kitchen.
6. Second class coach with kitchen.
One kitchen served two coaches, so in an ideal train the kitchen is towards the other coach it also serves.
The catalogue picture:
1. Loco.
2. Second-class coach with kitchen.
3. First-class coach with kitchen.
4. First-class coach without kitchen.
5. Second-class coach without kitchen.
6. Baggage car.
The picture in the new items brochure (2018) is a nice start for a shunting puzzle. Don't forget a turntable or a wye.
The outbreak of World War II brought the Rheingold time-table to an abrupt end and its cars were stored during the war or put to special uses for the German army and the Red Cross and after 1945 for the occupation forces. The cars at that stage were easily mis-identifiable as normal cars of the same build era in a standard green or blue colouring.
In summing up, my purchase of this set was encouraged by the knowledge that it was COMPLETE. No decoders to install, full-featured sounds and running qualities proven by Märklin experience. This set is not inexpensive, but if you say half the price is locomotive, and half is train it stacks up quite well with similar purchases.
So €350 for loco and €350 for 5 cars at €70 each. In my eyes that was value enough.
Kimball 2020Edited by user 27 August 2020 01:10:19(UTC)
| Reason: photo captions |
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge. |
