Your Most Unusual Train?

Claude Dreyfus · January 26, 2011, 10:00:45 PM

As this forum is growing, I am seeing more and more layouts being featured. Amongst all the interesting scenic work, or construction techniques, the trains take centre stage - some of which really have caught the eye. I was wondering, what is your most interesting train? It may be a one-off scratch build, or a conversion, or a particular combination that grabs the attention...

My offering is this rather unusual model, produced by Kato. It is a KTT set, which operates in Hong Kong using Swiss built Re 460-type locos. Kato produced them in half sets; you actually need two to produce a full eight-coach rake with top and tail locos. The quality is a little mixed, with the loco basically a Lemke model, whilst the carriages are a little more rudimentary...their knuckle couplings can be fiddly. Still, it raises eye-brows when I tell people that I have a Chinese N Gauge train.

In this picture the set is running along the section of track behind the freight yard on our Japanese layout. This area has now been reworked and this track now runs beneath the hillside...

matt-b · January 26, 2011, 10:18:10 PM

i dont really have anythink to unusual...i got afew resprays from mercig that aint available off the shelf thou.

cloughie · January 27, 2011, 06:45:31 AM

I got this from a mate of mine when I first started, the best I have come up with is that it is from a French model firm from the 70`s $:-\$ other than that the little devil is a mystery

cloughie

point blank · January 27, 2011, 10:46:04 AM

I am not sure whether you would class it as unusual but I have the Limited Edition Farish Pannier in London Transport livery if that counts.

poliss · January 27, 2011, 03:10:48 PM

Cloughie, your mystery model was first produced in 1969 and was made by the Yugoslavian firm of Mehano.
Spookshow doesn't think much of them and gives them a D rating. http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/mehano147.html

My most unusual loco is the Glaskasten (Glass case) shown in one of my other posts.

tadpole · January 27, 2011, 08:03:07 PM

I have a couple of oddities:

A single-car class 101 bubble car:
http://chris-fletcher.fotopic.net/p52330325.html
(yes, I know, you can see the join)

Also a Portuguese local train, a reasonable (albeit unpowered) likeness of the 1200-hauled trains which used to potter along the Algarve line before being replaced by 1400s and finally 100% DMU operation.
http://chris-fletcher.fotopic.net/p52330120.html

My most unusual carriage is a Roco DB coach in four liveries, ranging from DB green to the latest red/white IC livery. Not unique by any means, but certainly unusual.

cloughie · January 27, 2011, 09:31:27 PM

poliss you are my new hero

as people have been telling me it is a kermit and I am not to keen on kermits at the best of times
cloughie

D306Whistler · February 17, 2011, 11:14:17 PM

Mine have to be these two formations
MkIII DVT (VT) + 3x MkIII Carriages (VT) + Class 60

and the other one due to my Class 67 kicking the bucket last month

W&S MkIII DVT & MkIII's + MKB Blue Tiger Diesel Locomotive.

Will have to post a video of these working in action!

.

quinntopia · March 07, 2011, 06:20:50 AM

Hello all! I just recently found this forum and having looked around a bit, I like it here!

So this is my first post!

My most unusual train is getting to be quite popular, its that train which can't tell if its from the future or the past, but its certainly unique:

point blank · March 07, 2011, 07:02:52 AM

That wouldn't look out of place in Buck Rogers or something like that, great picture

michael · March 07, 2011, 09:03:12 AM

Heres mine, not that out of the ordinary.

Its about 3 or 4 years old (at least) but it still far better than anything we get here. You can shut the power off at full speed and it will only slow down gradually.

tadpole · March 07, 2011, 01:40:44 PM

When I shut the power off quickly, it's usually because I want my train to stop quickly!! (cos i've done something stupid like sent it down the wrong track

)

D306Whistler · March 07, 2011, 05:34:15 PM

Aye, being a Kato user myself. When using one for the first time, I had a few overruns and a couple of crashes as the driveline is connected to a clutch system that gives the gradual speed up/slow down sequence

. I usually shut off the power when the locomotive is about a loco length from the siding from a fast-ish as then it just glides to a stop just a few mils short of the buffers. With the Kato locos, you have to "learn" how to drive them. Once you master the distance they need to stop, they are fairly easy and fun to use

.

michael · March 07, 2011, 05:37:15 PM

as im switiching to digital soon, im hopeing i can make all my other locos mimick this one. That said Ive no idea how I'll go about DCC'ing the Kato!

quinntopia · March 08, 2011, 01:45:33 AM

QuoteAye, being a Kato user myself. When using one for the first time, I had a few overruns and a couple of crashes as the driveline is connected to a clutch system that gives the gradual speed up/slow down sequence Wink. I usually shut off the power when the locomotive is about a loco length from the siding from a fast-ish as then it just glides to a stop just a few mils short of the buffers. With the Kato locos, you have to "learn" how to drive them. Once you master the distance they need to stop, they are fairly easy and fun to use Wink.

D306...that's interesting...I was thinking that I had my speed table/settings in my digitrax decoder set up all wrong for this locomotive! Good to know...I'm thinking that they're may be a way to compensate for this a bit by using the speed table (not that I know how, just something to think about the next time it soars off down a dead-end siding!).