Looking for a matching passenger consist for my PRR GG1, Alsterstreek hinted me to the Brazilian manufacturer Frateschi.

As Marklin does not issue suitable PRR coaches, these seem to be a nice alternative. The price is really low (CHF 13,70 = € 11,20 = $ 15,25). At this price, you would not expect premium quality, however I think they make up a nice looking consist. I unfortunately only received two coaches so far (the diner car and the observation car), see below for some pictures. The coaches have interior and run very well on my M-track. They have no close-coupling mechanisms, but run quite closely coupled using the conventional couplers.


1. Some paint smear
2. Misaligned paint mask
3. Scratches on window


Scratches in paint and red stripe runs too far.


Unsharp red line, sheet liner corrugations do not align.


'Downhill' printing on one of the coaches (last A lower than first P)


Windows are made of plastic foil inside of coach, therefore retracted quite far.


Wheels are metal on plastic axles.


Although a bit rudimentary and poorly finished under the looking glass, their appearance is similar to older Marklin products. This picture compares the Frateschi PRR to a Marklin SNCF 4076 car (from the seventies).


All in all a nice consist, I look forward to receiving the remaining coaches.

Best regards,
Gregor

Edited by user 05 May 2014 00:26:18(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

UPDATE: After a year of operation, it was about time the PRR coaches received their interior lights.
I used warm white LED strips on adhesive tape.

I did not want to go into the adventure of adding sliders underneath these coaches, as they are very light, and I did not want the sliders to cause derailments. As the axles are made of plastic, I could not get the connection to ground either, unless I would make a sliding contact to the wheels themselves.

Instead I decided to take both ground and power from the loc. I soldered two wires inside the GG1, and could lead them out relatively straightforward. I glued contact pins underneath the bogies, and joined the coaches by soldering wires in between. I do not decouple cars regularly.











I added some lead strips in the coaches to give them a bit more weight.

Best regards,
Gregor

Hi Ak,

Caught the train while still on the ramp down to the shadow station.



View on the LED strip attached to the roof



Views inside the coach. All the seats face forward.


View inside the diner car.


View inside the observation car. All seats are with their backs to the wall.


I installed a tail light as well. People who understand photography know how to make a red light show red in the picture, I am not one of them.

Hope this clarifies,
Gregor

Hi,
Well my Frateschis now have a Trix GG1 to pull them.
In fact I purchased two, a red one for the cars, and a green one to pull freight cars.

Here is the train on a Club layout.


regards
Kimball

Frateschi streamliners rule. Today: Santa Fe.

Hi all,

Decided to have the Frateschi's replaced bij the Marklin coaches 43616. Main reasons for this:
- Easy derailment of the Fratesch's due to their low weight. Esp. during stopping on downward slope in my helix the front coach was lifted due to the weight of the remaining coaches.
- I want as much as possible to have two sliders to pick up current, and this will be difficult to install.

So I ordered a 43616 set which allows me to compare.

The printing is a bit more crisp on the Marklin coaches and also smaller font size. Also Marklin did a better job on the windows (flush with exterior).


Marklin in front


Marklin


Frateschi

Scale length is exactly the same

Frateschi top, Marklin bottom

Marklin coaches couple closer

Frateschi gap 4-5 mm, Marklin gap 2 mm

Overall impression is quite similar





The clean metal makes the consist light up in the landscape.

So... is worth the money? Depends on your preference.

Pro's for Marklin are:
Better print finish
Interior lighting
Nicer interior in diner coach
Current conducting couplers
Closer coach distance (though Frateschi does look great as well)
Better window finish
Higher weight

Con's for Marklin
No roof details
Price.... (factor 7 higher)

The Marklin coaches definately look better but certainly not 7x better to justify the price. I am happy though that I can raise the speed of the train a bit, can safely run it backwards, and will not have to climb inside my helix any more to rerail the train.

As always,... a matter of preference.
Now hoping for an extension set.

Gregor

You are probably right, the flat versions seem to be more common, although some exceptions exist.



Judging from the number 1126 Marklin just re-used the Superchief / Montreal Limited observation car and then looked for a PRR car that came close.

Not the closest match....

Gregor

Hi all.
Most if not all Eastern Railroads did not have dome cars because of limited overpass clearance !

If you want to get it really wrong put one of these behind a New Haven F7.



New Haven did not have dome cars or F7 units ( only FL9s) !

Regards, Colin.

In the days when access to information on railroad equipment was limited to specialist books and no internet I suppose model manufacturers could use a current model and produce a version with a livery which did not accurately represent the actual locos used on that Railway/Railroad.
Several manufacturers did this and I have examples of GP9 numbered locos which are actually GP7 ( the difference is subtle but noticeable).
This saved the expense of producing actual models for a small market which would not be noticed by most purchasers.
As I mentioned the New Haven had no F7 or F7B units at all and only FL 9 units which are very different - see photo below.



Regards, Colin