I started adding City Night Line (DACH Hotels) models to my collection around 2006. First, the models were from Heris. Then, new models were introduced by LS Models. I upgraded my consist from the Heris models to the new LSM ones.
Around the same time, the OBB had left the CNL group and went big on it's own Night Trains, which included some ex-CNL coaches, so I also added those in the then OBB livery. Then, DACH (CNL) was taken over by DB and the coaches were repainted in red/white with some coaches being moved from DB Nachtzug to CNL, meaning more coaches had to be added. At the same time, OBB moved away from the old livery and started repainting it's Night Coaches in the red, white and gray corporate colors, meaning even more new models had to come into the collection. Then OBB took over the operation of many CNL lines from DB and acquired a percentage of the fleet
This was all complicated by the decision at LSM to move from selling the models as individual models or sets of two models to larger sets designed to recreate specific trains, which began as LSM before a number of those projects moved to the new ModelsWorld marketing or were special productions for specific dealers.

My original CNL and OBB trains represented the Night Trains from Basel/Zurich to Vienna and Graz, both trains which passed along the line on the south of Lake of Zurich.
After the introduction of the Railjet trains, the Austrian Night Trains were rebranded as Nightjet and the coaches were repainted in blue with red and gray stripes.

So, I began collecting those models too. It was hard to find individual models, so I waited for the announced models of the Nightjet "Wiener Walzer" from ModelsWorld. The 6 coach set was a special edition for the Swiss Distributor KML. In addition to those coaches, I also needed the Hungarian MAV coaches that continued to Budapest. Those were available from ACME, but were already hard to find at that point. I managed to locate most of them on the internet.
Along the way, OBB added SBB logos to some of the Nightjet coaches and MAV and CD changed their liveries, so I had to recreate that in my collection. LSM/KML released two sets of coaches with the SBB markings.

I was able to locate new CD sleepers from LSM (part of a 3 coach set) and MAV liveried coaches from NMJ (no sleeper) and learned that a dealer named Naumann was offering a special run of an ex-Wagonservice couchette and sleeper in the new livery. The sleeper was not the CAF design that was commonly seen on the route to Zurich, but at least, it was in the new livery. I am happy to report that I have now been seeing these ex WLABmee sleepers in the actual train.

To complete the consist, I needed a modified OBB UIC-Z "seat" coach, which was recently released by ACME in a special production run for Austrian dealer Memoba. The coach came with a regular Nightjet seat coach (ex-OBB EC coach). That coach was assigned to my Graz consist (NJ Zürichsee) along with a WLABmz 173 (ex-DB Nachtzug/CNL) and couchette coaches. There is no manufacturer for the Slovenian and Croatian coaches in that train, so my consist represents a day where the train was late to Graz and the NJ segment ran separately from the section from Belgrade.

I am still waiting for a couchette coach with handicapped access (LSM/PirATA Italy) which will complete the Nightjet fleet for me.

Of course, by that point, they will be replacing the older rolling stock with the new Siemens Nightjet Trains, but those are not yet running into Switzerland.

The combined NJ trains with OBB, MAV and CD coaches are very colorful models to have on the layout. I am happy that I was able to find most of what I was looking for.

I'm hoping to see the Slovenian and Croatian coaches at some point and maybe more new livery MAV coaches will come from ACME

On an interesting note, I now have sufficient Nightjet coaches to have a few running with some SBB and DB coaches, modelling the Nightjet to Berlin/Dresden/Prag, which is also a colourful train.

I will try to add some more photos to this thread.
NJ 466/467 OBB and MAV coaches:



Regards

Mike C

Edited by user 06 April 2025 00:23:44(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Here is a consist representing the first few months of operation of the NJ between Zurich and Graz. As there is no manufacturer for the Slovenian and Croatian coaches normally part of this consist (to and from Belgrade), the consist represents one of the rare days when the consist ran from Graz to Zurich without the section to Belgrade.
OBB Bmz 21-91 (LSM 47134)

OBB Bcmz 59-91 (MW1813) (LSM/KML CH)

OBB Bcmz 59-90 (MW1813) (LSM/KML CH)

OBB WLABmz (ex-CNL) (LSM/Lemke)


I can assemble this consist using coaches in the current blue Nightjet colors, with the mix of OBB and ex-DB coaches as well as with older OBB night train stock, including WLABm 32/33 and WLABm Type P

Enjoy

Mike C

Going the other way, this time, our Nightjet is heading from Zurich to Amsterdam. I replaced the BTEX Bvcmz with an OBB one.



Enjoy,

Mike C