The last big box arrives (for a while, at least)

The new V200 looked rather silly pulling a handful of freight cars around the layout.  Seriously, a proud express locomotive relegated to a local freight?  Not cool.  So last week a big box arrived, the last I will see for a while (lottery win notwithstanding):

Yup, that's an HO scale V100 on top of the box...

One train car I have always loved is the AR4üm-54.  This dining car is more well known by its nickname, the 'Kakadu', so named because of its bright red and blue colors.  Marklin has recently reintroduced it in 1-gauge.

Lucky for me, I can create a prototypical train with my V200 and a Kakadu dining car.  It's called an F-Zug, a precursor to the Intercity train system in Germany and the inspiration for the Trans Europe Express trains.  These exclusively 1st class trains ran with minimum stops and with strong motive power from the 1950's through the 1960's.  The picture on the cover of the book below is the closest thing I could find to the train I want to model, a short F-Zug:

So after waiting nearly a year since ordering them, my F-Zug cars arrived, and yesterday my V200 finally had a train worthy of its status:

 It occurred to me shortly after I ordered the coaches that I had no idea if they could negotiate past another train on the parallel curve.  So, holding my breath, I parked a long freight train on the inside trach and sent the new passenger train around the sharp S-curve:

   I'm pleased to say that the two trains do not touch anywhere as they go around the entire layout.  Although I can't run these long passenger cars on both tracks and not have them touch when passing each other, the combination of one freight train on the inside track and my F-Zug on the outside track avoid any problems.

Whew!

Koenigstein starts coming together...

Hey everyone,

It has been a long time since the Carstenbahn One blog was updated.  I suspect there will be some additional updates in the near future as I step up some other projects, but today's post is about laying the benchwork and the track for the Koenigstein station, the end point on the branch line...

You can see the branch line coming in from the left.  This is the first of the three six-foot-by-three-foot tables supporting Koenigstein.  I spent last night getting all three boards installed.  The main line passes below.  In the shot you can see the KM-1 BR50.  In retrospect I should have moved it before I stared working on the table above it, lest something fall on it!

 here is a view from the 'end' of the station.  In the back of the picture you can see the branch line coming in from the left.  The track at the front right is the 'dead end' of the branch line.

Here is the two-stall steam locomotive shed, located in front of the incoming branch line.  It's the Marklin 1-scale model, 5617.  I repainted much of it.  I'll add a blog entry that talks more about that, but here is a picture of the original for comparison:

Below is what the original looked like in the 1980's.  Obviously neither shed is close to the original, so maybe at some point I'll attempt to scratch-build something, but for now I'll stick to the Marklin model.

Looking in the other direction on the layout you'll find the larger railcar shed and maintenance building for the diesel railcars that run to Koenigstein from Frankfurt.  In the 1980's this was a three-track shed, which has since been expanded to four tracks.  I used a modified version of the Piko locomotive shed and made a two-track version.

Again I'm kitbashing three of the Piko 63003 kits together to create this long shed. When completed it should be able to hold the longest train cars and locomotives I will ever own. I have a little more work to do to get this model finished.

Above is a shot of the current shed.  Again, it's a mch different design than mine, as was the 1970's version.  But sacrifices must be made...

Here is one last shot of the steam locomotive shed at the 'west' end of the station, if you use the orientation of the original.  A freight depot will sit next to the siding on the right.  Stay tuned as more of this comes together!