ViTrains

There will be further runs of the older FS double-deck stock in both the original and current liveries, sold in sets of three (driving trailer and two seconds) and separately. The French livery versions, in original SNCF grey & orange and current TER blue & grey, along with the ‘Centre’ grey-white-red and ‘Ile de France’ blue-white-red, are still noted as new.

There was no sign of the announced FS Aln668 bogie diesel railcar in three liveries (two-tone brown, blue-white-red, and green & yellow), but the Spanish class 250 Co-Co electric was on show and is apparently available; three liveries are listed - blue & yellow (above), brown & beige (below), and contemporary grey & yellow (below lower).

ViTrains have also completed a commission exclusively for The Hobby Company catering for the British market, a 4mm scale model of the class 37/4, in various liveries/numbers/names.

Their next major project will take them to yet another country, with the Belgian series 16 four-sys-tem Bo-Bo electric. Only eight of these machines were built in 1966 (as class 160) by ACEC and Brugeois & Nivelles, but they have worked as far afield as Paris, Dortmund, Köln, and even Spiez; five are still in service. Although the leaflet has only a drawing and prototype photo, a first master of the body shell was on show (below). Six livery/number combinations are envisaged.

The next proposal widens the scope even more, with the Stadler GT2/6 articulated railcar. This has the power unit in the short central section, and electric and diesel variants have been built. ViTrains list Italian diesel (Alto Adige), Swiss electric (Thurbo), and Dutch diesel (Arriva) possibilities, illustrated with official prototype pictures.

The electric version of the ‘Minuetto’ railcar is now available in GTT (Gruppo Torinese Trasporti) livery (above) while its diesel counterpart has gained Provincia Autonomia di Trento markings (below).

Bemo

The highly detailed limited edition Metal Collection model of the Ed2x2/2 0-4-4-0 Mallet tanks supplied by Maffei from 1891 to the Swiss Central Railway (SCB) is now available (below).

The next Metal Collection project is for the Gotthard Xrotm100 rotary snowplough, built in 1896 by Henschel under licence from the Leslie company in America. It served regularly until 1975, and even then had to be kept in reserve until 1982 as no diesel unit was available on the north ramp. It was then transferred to the transport museum in Lucerne. In model form the rotary blades are driven by a five-pole motor, and a decoder socket is provided. Like the prototype, it is not self-propelled.

The DB BR624 diesel railcar set and 924 intermediate coach are to be produced in Epoch IV blue & beige livery.

The RS-1 RegioShuttle diesel railcar will be offered as used by the Ortenau-S-Bahn, a subsidiary of the SWEG operating various lines in south-west Germany. Although a major user of these railcars, their initial deliveries had larger air-conditioning units, so could not be accurately represented by the regular model, but the last batch of six used the standard fitting, and the new model will depict one of these, VT531 Alpirsbach. It will also be offered in N.

Kato/Hobbytrain

Lemke have released the limited edition model of the Kruckenberg SVT 137 155 high speed railcar set, built by Westwaggon in 1938 using aircraft fuselage technology, which was effectively the forerunner of all subsequent DRG high speed railcar designs.

In HO as in N there will be further versions of the Fliegende Hamburger twin unit articulated high speed diesel railcars - in DRG Epoch II cream & violet as SVT877 (below) and in DB Epoch IIIa wine red as VT04.1.

Hobbytrain are still working on models of the DB 26.4 metre long experimental double-deck stock of 1951, to be sold in sets of three. Both Epoch IIIa steel blue and Epoch IIIb chrome-dioxide green versions are offered; a sample of the latter without markings was shown but could not be photographed.

In the tram range, the familiar Düwag four-wheeler appears with two trailers in München blue & white and in ‘Martini’ advertising livery.

A pair of Deutsche Post trams (in model form one powered, one dummy) dating from 1949/50, with five shutters each side protecting the load area, is also planned.

A new development is the K4000 low floor articulated tram, in model form powered by two motors, as used by the KVB in Köln and decorated with colourful ‘Kölner Zucker’ advertising.

Mehano

Mehano continue to develop their range, announcing a number of interesting new models, though most are initially illustrated with prototype pictures, and no delivery dates are given.

First is the Vossloh G1700 Bo-Bo diesel as SBB Cargo (two styles) and BLS Am843, ÖBB 2070, CFL 1700, MRCE, HGK, and Acerealia.

The previously announced MaK 1206 is still awaited - ACTS (old and new liveries), ERS, E+H, HGK, LTE (red), WLE, RAG, Rail4Chem (two numbers), CFL series 1500 (two numbers), and SNCF 461000 in ‘Fret’ green (two numbers) are now listed.

The new SNCF BB475000 Bo-Bo diesel by Alstom is also heralded, in ‘Fret’ green.

Progress is being made on the SNCB/NMBS class 26 Bo-Bo electric, and painted body shell mouldings were shown (below). No fewer than eleven numbers in four colour schemes (original green, blue with yellow trim, and two types of yellow with blue trim) are planned.

A sample was also shown of the Alstom SNCB/NMBS class 41 diesel multiple unit, in modern grey livery with red doors and warning yellow ends (above); there will be a choice of four numbers.

The Alstom LINT 41 diesel railcar, though shown as new, is believed to have just been released - versions shown include DBAG, Nord West Bahn (above), Vectus, Syntus (for Holland, with two numbers listed, below), and Alstom demonstrator.

There will be a new version of the popular Bombardier ‘Blue Tiger’ in ‘hvle’ grey with orange trim, but no new versions of the Class 66 or the Vossloh G2000 are planned this year, though the Siemens EuroSprinter Bo-Bo electric will be backdated to the original silver & pink as 127 001, and the ICE3 will get NS markings. This model is still marketed as a four-car pack, and there is no news of extra intermediate cars.

All these are Prestige models, and are offered in DC, AC, digital, and sound-equipped versions (using a LokSound™ decoder by ESU).

In the Hobby range, new is a Krupp-built BR210 B-B diesel (above), with three DB numbers (one described as ‘grey’, and one given as a 218) plus one private operator, EVB, as 420 01 in red with cream trim. The model does not look as toy-like as the Hobby offering of the V160.

Also new in the Hobby range are two different packs of three intermediate coaches for the SNCF TGV Duplex; the unit on display had unpainted test shots of the body shells.

The planned Sggmrss90 articulated twin unit container flat is still awaited, but the range of versions for different authentic users has expanded considerably - three DB, three AAE, four WLE (all with ‘Warsteiner’ containers), three ERS (with ‘Maersk Sealand’, ‘Nedlloyd’, ‘P&O’, and ‘Cosco’ containers), three SNCB/Touax (‘Cosco’, ‘Hapag Lloyd’, ‘Evergreen’, ‘CMA-CGM’, and ‘China Shipping’), three DLC (‘MSC’, ‘Triton’, ‘Seaco’), three ACTS (‘MSC’, ‘P&O’, ‘China Shipping’, ‘Evergreen’, and ‘K Line’), and three Rail4Chem (‘China Shipping’, ‘Cosco’, ‘CMACGM’, ‘Hapag Lloyd’, and ‘K Line’).

There are to be new versions of freight vehicles in the Hobby range: Eaos bogie open in either red-brown or DB Cargo traffic red; Kbs four-wheel low-side with side stakes (three numbers); and the Ibbhs long wheelbase four-wheel refrigerated van in three liveries, including one lettered for ‘Transthermos’.

First is a type D four-wheel fourgon, the most common French freight type, introduced from 1949 and in use until the 1980s; some survived, relegated to work train duties. The model (above) will have sliding doors, interior detail, and a hand-painted metal crew figure. It can be expected in the second quarter, in three versions - Epoch III brown, Epoch III red-brown, and Epoch IV red-brown.

Next will be an Arbel type MK or MKH four-wheel hopper for coke or coal, placed in service in the 1950s and still in traffic (above). Three versions should arrive in the third quarter.