Here's another interesting international consist:

The Night Train (EN) "Palatino" travelled from Paris to Rome via Vallorbe, Lausanne, Brig, Simplon, Domodossola and Stresa and back. The coaches in the late 1990s and early 2000s were made up of a mix of SNCF and FS (Trenitalia) sleepers and couchettes. This consist can be reproduced as follows:

The Lok would be a Re 4/4II or Re 460 (Vallorbe-Domodossola), available from Roco, Maerklin or Hag.

The coaches include:

Roco 64753 and 64754 (WLABm sleepers T2s) in the current Trenitalia Treno Notte livery
Roco 45819 (Couchette coach of the SNCF) in the blue/white Corail livery
Additional FS Couchette coaches and sleepers (Type MU) are available from ACME (#55033). I believe that Eurolokshop has this set in stock
The restaurant is from the FS and is available from ACME/Heris as #50024 or #16024
There were additional SNCF couchette coaches with older liveries available from Roco under other numbers. I believe that most can be found at http://www.bahn.hfkern.de/Roco_Wagen/SNCF_ec.html

You can add a Jouef SNCF Corail sleeper as an optional coach or replace the Roco T2S sleepers with the ACME models T2S 50922 and T2S Excelsior (ACME/Heris 16026).

The Lok in France would be a BB26000 "Sybic" which was available from Maerklin and others. In Italy, traction would be a E402, E444R or E655.

In the early 2000s, this service was taken over by the Artesia joint venture between SNCF and Trenitalia, models of which were available from ACME a few years ago under numbers 55021/55022 as seen here:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/A...HO-neu-OVP-/281020420012
(Includes the restaurant and 2 couchette coaches of the FS)

Here is a video of a model, with coaches in the Artesia livery:

a number of other interesting consists (with model references) can be found here: http://e.bournez.free.fr/Eurocity.html
You don't have to understand French to see the pictures and the model numbers. Enjoy!

Regards

Mike C

Edited by user 26 December 2012 07:16:08(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Great info, Mike.

Thanks for posting!

I slightly modified the consist above, changing the position of the coaches to make the consist more prototypical.

I also have a variation on this consist that reproduces an earlier edition of the same consist (earlier liveries):

Re 4/4II - WLAB Type P OBB - Bcm OBB - Bcmz (OBB) - WLBmz OBB* - WLABmz OBB*
RO 78403 - RT 32502 - LS 47045 - RO 44770 - RT 32511 - LS 47001.1 - LS 47001.2
(RO=Roco, RT=RailTop, LS = LS Models)
*ex-CNL (CityNightLine)

Additional coaches for this consist could include RailTop, Roco or ACME OBB coaches in either grey/red or red/black as well as Roco or Tillig's WLAB Type Y MAV (282mm).

Regards

Mike C

Edited by user 26 December 2012 07:18:09(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I was watching a video on YouTube showing trains around 1990 with FS UIC-Z coaches. Some of the consists in the video were being pulled by Re 6/6. I miss those loks with passenger trains.
It got me thinking about consists, so without further ado, here is the link to the video:

and here are some consists inspired by the trains shown:

Re 6/6 - FS UIC-Z A - FS Eurofima Az*** - FS WRmz**** - FS UIC-Z B** - UIC-Z B* - UIC-Z B* - UIC-Z B**
MAR 37320.1 - RIV4113 - ROC64372 - ROC45432 - RIV4114 - RIV4133 - RIV4133 - RIV4114

* Gran Comfort Livery
** Bigrigio Livery
***Any Roco Eurofima FS Az will do
****Any Roco Gran Comfort Restaurant will do (UIC 61 83)

MAR=Maerklin
RIV (HR) = Rivarossi
ROC = Roco
The Rivarossi coaches can be replaced by any similar ACME coach

This consist can be used to represent an IC, EC or similar train between Basel, Zurich and Milano (Gotthard) or Geneva and Milano (Simplon)

For the Italian segment, the lok would be a E444 or similar.

Regards

Mike C

Another nice international consist that I used to admire was the IC between Stuttgart and Naples via Zurich and the Gotthard.

Re 6/6 - Am (SBB) - Az (FS) - Avmz (DB) - Bz (FS) - Bz (FS) - Bz (FS)

The train consisted of SBB, DB and FS coaches. Maerklin has not made models of the FS Eurofima coaches in the original orange livery, making this consist a little harder to model.
Roco did manufacture the 4236E (44306) and 4237B (44310) FS Eurofima in 1/100, so you can use those coaches to complete the consist:

37320 - 4236D (44305) (SBB) - 4326E (FS) - 4236B (44303) (DB) - 4237B - 4237B - 4237B
The Swiss loco from Singen to Zurich and from Zurich to Chiasso was a Re 6/6 like the one from the 37320 Set.

This colourful mix of orange Swiss and Italian coaches with a single TEE/IC coloured DB coach made for a very nice consist pulled by a green or red Re 6/6.
The consist normally included a FS baggage car in the orange (c1 "Eurofima" livery which ran between the DB coach and the second class coaches. Some consists also included the SBB Bpm or Bm (also in the orange livery), both not available in 1/100.

In 1/87, the consist would be as follows (Roco or ACME):

37320 - 44655 (SBB Am) - 44636 (FS Az) - 44653 (DB Avmz) - ACME 50521 - 44637 (FS Bz) - 44637 - 44637
(The Roco FS Eurofima were re-released with new numbers over the years. See http://gamos81.altervist...ia/Carrozze/Eurofima.htm for a list of options. Arancia = Orange

This train included coaches from the Eurofima series and not coaches of the derived UIC-Z series of the FS. ACME is bringing out the Eurofima coaches in their catalog this year, so you will be able to recreate this consist using ACME coaches only. (52400 SBB, 52300 DB) plus the new FS ones.

This consist is based on photos found in Marti & Trueb, Die Gotthardbahn (1984). If I can find photos on the net, I will provide a link here.
Could be this one: http://www.polier.ch/ima...SBB.70-06/SBB-70-274.jpg

In at least one of the photos, the train included a SBB WR or WRm diner. I guess that LS Models 47235 could be used for 1/87. LSM has also announced models of other EWI based WR that would fit the time frame.

Regards

Mike C

Here's one for all of us who have bought the 37347 Re 420 LION. In this photo, Re 420 227 (the actual one that Maerklin modeled) is pulling a CityNightLine Sleeping Car train:

http://www.bahnbilder.de...ternationale-zug-an.html

The coaches are available from LS Models

Here is another Re 420 LION, this time pulling OBB EC coaches. You can recreate this using Maerklin's 42726 or the new 42728 coach sets.
http://www.bahnbilder.de...0-zieht-am-29032014.html

Regards

Mike C

New limited ACME FS consist from Reisezugwagen.eu:

Without getting into the whole debate about whether the ACME Eurofima coaches are better than the Roco ones or whether it is better to wait for the LS Models ones, I noticed the following two Coach sets from ACME which make for a very interesting consist for modellers with an Italian, Swiss or German theme. The train in question is the D 383 "Hermann Hesse" which travelled between Stuttgart and Genoa via Zurich and Milano (via the Gotthard). This means that this consist should appeal to a broad selection of modellers:

The set includes a FS baggage car, 2 first class Az coaches and 2 second class Bz coaches. The actual train would have more second class coaches. This train would also contain a number of cars that were added to the consist for segments of the run. In Switzerland, for example, a restaurant car and other SBB coaches would be added between Chiasso and Schaffhausen or vice versa. The DB added coaches from Zurich/Schaffhausen to Stuttgart and the FS added coaches in Chiasso (southbound) and in Milano and in Genoa for the return trip.

Here are the links to the Exclusive Models from Reisezugwagen.eu:
90078: http://www.reisezugwagen.eu/?p=18541
90079: http://www.reisezugwagen.eu/?p=18549

Typical locomotives would be a FS E444, a SBB Re 6/6 and DB would be either a BR 218 (Schaffhausen to Singen) or 110 or 120 (Singen-Stuttgart). In the 1980s, the track between the Swiss border city of Schaffhausen and the German city of Singen had not yet been electrified.

I already have this consist using the ACME baggage car plus Roco FS, SBB and DB rolling stock, all bought separately. This coaches in this set have destination signs and car indicators.

Regards

Mike C

Thanks Mike.

Interesting consists indeed!

I was just informed by my dealer that he has shipped my order of 42920 FS 2nd class Eurofima coaches. I am still waiting for the first class coach to arrive in country.
I already have most of these coaches in 1:87 from Roco, ACME and LS Models, but I decided to order the Maerklin ones, since Maerklin never made the orange FS ones in 1:100.

Here is the consist, as seen in a photo in the 1984 edition of "Die Gotthardbahn" by Marti & Trueb (Orell Fussli CH)

Re 6/6 (37320) - SBB Am 43440 - FS Az (42910) - SBB WRm (43874) - FS Bz (43920) x 3 or 4

In the actual photo, there are more than 4 second class coaches and there is also a DB Avmz111, a orange FS Dz (Baggage) and the SBB WRm is orange and not red. The DB coach is available from Maerklin and can be added to the consist.

I do not have permission to duplicate the photo and I could not find a suitable image on the web.

Regards

Mike C

I have not updated this topic in a while, so based on a few changes, I have updated my 28cm consists:

Schnellzug (1968-1976) (Nürnberg-Stuttgart-Zuerich-Milano)
3638 - 23414.1 - 23414.2 - 23414.3 - 43874 - 29043.1 - 29043.2 - 29043.3
Ae 6/6 - ABz - Bz - Bz - WRm - Am203 - Bm234 - Bm234

I had been looking for the DB coaches in blue and green with UIC markings and managed to obtain the coaches from a Start Set.
This consist would be typical for a day train between Germany and Italy, with a combination of DB and FS coaches. The Swiss diner would be inserted into the consist for the run through Switzerland (e.g. Schaffhausen-Zuerich-Chiasso). I have not included any Swiss domestic coaches, which could often be found in such trains due to the lack of matching SBB coaches in the same scale.

Based on a photo in the 1984 edition of Die Gotthardbahn, I have expanded my EC Barbarossa to include a DB Avmz111 between the SBB Am and the FS Az coach. Pending a possible SBB WRm in Eurofima colours, I have occasionally used the 43874 WRm with this consist as well.

I am searching for additional coaches from the 23477 TEE "Roland" set so that I can put together two consists with the coaches that ran between Basel and Chiasso. The original set included a 6 coach consist for the Gotthard segment including the coach inherited from the "Rheingold". The other consist represented the DB segment including the "Roland" coach that was detached at Basel and routed to Zurich and Chur. My intent is to replace that coach with the "Rheingold" coach to have two Gotthard consists and use the Chur coach with other coaches as it would have been seen on the Basel-Zuerich-Chur route.

Regards

Mike C

Just a quick update on my consists.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that one of the US dealers had reduced his price on the LS Models/ModelsWorld MW1604 Set. I jumped at the opportunity to pick up that set, even though I already had the same consist composed out of individual coaches.
The consist is composed of a pair of SBB Am (Eurofima) coaches, the SBB WRm restaurant and three Bpm coaches, all in the 1970s Eurofima C1 livery.
I remember when I first saw the model of the Eurofima coaches in the Maerklin catalog. It was probably around 1982. In 1985, I was in Switzerland and was fascinated by this new livery for international trains and the unique Bpm coaches that did not at that time exist as a model. In the 1990s, Maerklin released a model based on the DB Apmz model (4224) in SBB colours, but only in the Chameleon test livery (4366) and then in the green Intercity livery (42163). They never brought out the model in the original orange livery.
Finally in the early 2000s, RailTop/Heris brought out the 13020/13021 1/87 models and LS Models released the 47235 Set (WRm plus a pair of Bpm) in 2011.
The RT/Heris models had the orange livery with a white stripe. I combined those with the 44655 Roco Am Eurofima coaches that I had with the white stripe.
I relegated my older Roco models with the light grey stripe to my IC Barbarossa consist with mixed SBB, DB and FS stock. (See also Post #18)
The LSM Set (47235) and the matching Bm compartment coaches (47207/47220) also had a white rather than light grey stripe. Rather than taking the Eurofimas from the RT/Heris consist, I decided to use the LSM coaches with the then new models of the Am Eurofima from ACME (52400).
LSM then announced a 7 coach consist in 2015 for the EC Bavaria. I did not buy this set because I did not like the look of the colour of the roofs of the Am Eurofimas and the Bm coaches.
While I do agree that the original colour may have been more metallic, I do not think it was the colour that LSM rendered the models in. As I said, I already had a number of these coaches and could put together the Bavaria myself.
I had committed to order the EC Rossini sets from LSM/Pirata, which were made specifically for the Italian distributor of LSM. The set contained SBB and FS stock, including one Bpm and one Am, along with the SBB Restaurant and a FS coach in the orange livery, plus a single B (RIC) in the green/lightgrey intercity livery sometimes referred to as the EWIV livery. This set had the Am coach with the darker grey roof that I remember.
When I saw the special offer, I decided to pounce, even though the two Am Eurofima coaches once again had that pale grey livery on the roofs. I figured at that price, I could overlook it, and if it really bothered me, I could substitute those coaches with some of my other Am Eurofimas (Roco or LSM) with the lightgrey stripe. This train had a particular significance for me, because in July 1985, I was travelling from Zurich to Chur and jumped at the opportunity to ride in the Bpm coach. That segment of the "Iris" included only a single Bpm and the Am coach, as the rest of the train ended in either Basel or Zurich. I don't remember if it was still pegged on to the rear of the Hamburg-Chur DB train, but I remember that the tail end of the train had the two SBB coaches plus one or two of the standard SBB EWI or EWII coaches.

Thinking about the colour of the roofs got me to do a little experimentation, which I was able to accomplish with some help from my Roco 44650 SBB Bcm (Eurofima Z1 type) couchette coach.
I was trying to decide whether the silver colour of the Bcm roof looked accurate on the first class Am. In my mind, the Am roof colour was clearly more metallic and reflective than the following Bm (1977), Bpm (1980) and WRm, but I don't remember it being the same silver as the new WLAm T2S or Bcm coaches.

I would be interested in knowing what you think of these photos:
LSM/MW1604 Set (Am and Bpm):

Roco 44655 (modified with silver roof from 44650) and LSM/MW Bpm coach

Roco 44655 with roof from 44650 and Roco 44655 (52436D) with original roof


It just seems to me that the LSM/MW livery is just a little too creamy for lack of a better word.
A more metallic grey would have been optimal, but metallic silver would probably have been just fine.

Here is a photo (IC Iris in Rheinfelden) taken in 1985 that concords with my memory from that time:
http://bahnbilder-von-ma...rugg//picture_00718.html

I will take some photos of the entire LSM/MW Iris consist and post them here in the next day or two.

Regards

Mike C

This is a great thread and really gets you thinking out of the box about what you can do on your model railroad.

The real world of railroading has never been as neat and tidy as the MRR world. All kinds of permutations in rolling stock can occur and often do in reality. The most unrealistic thing about most model trains is the uniformity of condition and equipment. The more random and bizarre the consist, the more realistic it probably is!

You MRR is your world - probably the only one you will ever get, so have fun and make more of these unique and fun HO consists.

That after all is why we do this, I believe.

And if you want to have a loco pull a single coach fast there is a prototype for that as well. I guy I knew told us of being on some tour in Germany with a group, and for some reason the train they were on was held up and the group missed a connection. So DB put a single coach in the station with a loco, and they climbed on board. No sooner had the last persons feet left the platform than the driver hit the loud pedal hard and they rocketed out of the station at a great rate of knots. I suspect it was a case of slotting this special train in a minimum gap between other trains on timetable.

I updated my last post with photos of the LS Models coaches.

The train (EN/NJ Zurichsee) will look as follows:

Re 4/4II (Maerklin, Hag or Roco) - OBB Bmz (compartment coach) - OBB Bcmz (Couchette) (NightJet livery), OBB Bcmz (Upgrading livery), OBB WLABmz (ex-DB/CNL)

Unfortunately, I have not found a model of the Slovenian or Croatian coaches usually included in this consist, but I have seen at least several photos where the coaches were run in separate consists, most likely because the Slovenian/Croatian coaches were late and were run separately from the main train between Graz and Zurich.

I am now waiting for LSM to release the Zurich-Vienna NightJet set. I have a pair of CD WLABmz sleepers and some MAV coaches waiting to join this consist to complete the Zurich-Innsbruck segment of the train. Hopefully ACME will bring out one or two MAV coaches in the new livery so that I can spice up the train and return some of the MAV coaches to earlier versions of this consist, when it was still the EuroNight (EN) Wiener Walzer.

Regards

Mike C

I received the Models World (LS Models) MW1813 NJ 466/467 "Wiener Walzer" set. To complement that set, I also received the 97028 set with two modular couchette coaches. The last model on my wish list was a solo WLABmz 72-90 (ex-DB/ex-CNL) as reserve. Thanks to one of my European dealers, I have now been able to reserve such a model:
http://www.railfaneurope..._80_72-90_040-9_ZUE1.jpg

This gives me the full option of coaches to insert into my Nightjet "Wiener Walzer" consist and allows me to complete my NJ "Zurichsee" consist as well.
I had assembled that consist using a mix of NightJet, Upgrading and ex-DB/CNL liveried coaches. I can now reproduce this consist in Nightjet colours too.
Unfortunately, that consist includes only the OBB coaches. I have not found a manufacturer for the Slovakian or Croatian coaches in that consist. I was happy to see a few photos that show an abridged consist with just the OBB coaches. I guess that the section from the Balkans was late and OBB dispatched the train from Graz independently. The photos seem to show that the Balkan section followed a few hours later and the train was reunited in Zurich.

Getting back to the "Wiener Walzer", I have the MAV coaches from ACME and the CD sleeper(s) from LSM. I would still love to see a MAV couchette in the new colours.


Regards

Mike C

Edited by user 21 August 2020 05:04:45(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I am posting about all kinds of consists. It just happens that my collection and area of interest is trains in Switzerland between 1965 and today.
The international trains that run/ran through Switzerland were some of the ones that most interested me, whether it be the Holland-Italy Express, the Paris Arlberg Express, the TEE Rheingold, Helvetia and Roland, the successor IC/EC Tiziano and Verdi and the Transalpin and Wiener Walzer.
Many of these posts are the result of acquisitions which have allowed me to reproduce a particular consist. Others might be because a manufacturer has released a model that allows for the reproduction of a consist.
It is not limited to Era VI, Era V or any era other than to the post-1965 period.

I hope that you enjoy the posts and that the information is of use.

Regards

Mike C

UPDATE

I wanted to edit this post and add a photo that I finally ran across, but the "Edit" feature was no longer available on my own post.
Here is the photo: http://666kb.com/i/ddv34zqorl8nwy9ds.jpg as taken from:
https://www.drehscheibe-...php?017,7986876,page=all

I also added a version of the consist in Maerklin's 282mm scale length (in the quote above) and see Post #18 & 19

Regards

Mike C