Brekina VW Railbus

Last year I bought the yellow Brekina VW railbus.



I was planning to give it a red/white livery but untill today I never came to it.
This is how I had it in mind (sort off):



I already had builded in a RC receiver and a speed controller (only forwards...) but since I only use it for continues running (just let the little bugger make his rounds) I decided to build in a Simple Critter Control that came in from G Scale Graphics last week (so yes, the Stainz project is on a sidetrack for now!).
The plan is to construct the Critter Control under the roof with only the controller sticking out. This will be "camouflaged" by a roof rack with some goods on it.

Removing the lights, windows and little parts. The windows are glued but snap out very easily. Be careful with the front window; mine brake in two parts (luckily on a not noticeable spot!). The roof can be removed by 2 little screws.



The DB signs can be removed with thinner.



And the first layer of white paint.



On to bed now... More progress this weekend (I hope).

Interesting little project... please pardon my ignorance, but do these vehicles actually exist in 1:1, and if so what would they have been used for? I have seen another version of this model on a G-Scale Society open day I attended last year:

Yes, and for inspection of track.

There are prototype photos on the net somewhere.

My hopes are for more models, Brekina have a lot of GDR models in HO.

In comparison to the gauge of the track, the model looks quite small.
Is the scale some what smaller than 1:22 ?

Looks about 1:29 scale perhaps ?

I had the same doubts as you Paul but I'm very happy with this picture I found on the net today! It proofs how small the bus was in real. I thought the Brekina model was more 1:25 than 1:22,5 but it is realy in the right scale. It was just a small 'mini bus'...


Links to bigger picture and a picture of a VW railcar on trailer!

Some more info (including measurements) and pictures of the vehicle can be found here: Bahnamt-Draisine Klv 20 and here: Klv 20 VW - Draisine

Also in blue available...


The US variant:



And a more modern version used on the Wassertalbahn http://www.lokralf.de/assets/db/24456.JPG

Paulus wrote:

I had the same doubts as you Paul but I'm very happy with this picture I found on the net today! It proofs how small the bus was in real. I thought the Brekina model was more 1:25 than 1:22,5 but it is realy in the right scale. It was just a small 'mini bus'...

We used to call it a Microbus in the US (especially when filled beyond capacity with hippies!).

Thanks Paul, a Wasserboxer on the Wassertalbahn!!!!!

But why have a VW Transporter when you could have a Packard?

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_42140-Packard-Custom-Super-Clipper-2126-1946.html

Or if in Russia, no Packards, just Packard knock off Zim...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sestsettrojka/2947694868/

Quote :

We used to call it a Microbus in the US (especially when filled beyond capacity with hippies!)

Great picture! Yes, those vans were some colorful appearances!
There is one G scale VW railcar bashed in this theme also: Woodstock Draisine

Quote :

But why have a VW Transporter when you could have a Packard? Or if in Russia, no Packards, just Packard knock off Zim...

Awesome!
And what do you think of a Pontiac or a Ford V8 (both Danish State Railways).

And a modern day VW Golf (German state railways?).
A very nice video of it in the snow (hear the horn sound!)




My project has a setback... And it's all my own stupid fault being too impatient...
After spraying the cab white I wanted to begin with the red color. Last night I had some spare time to work on it, but I did not had red spray. So in my urge to work on it I decided to paint Tamiya red paint on it. The paint was become too sticky and I also did not had the right brushes.
So make a horrible story short; the cabine is now in a plastic bag covered with MrMuscle oven cleaner to get rid of the paint. I have to start over next week....
Again a lesson that patient is a modeler best tool... (a lesson I sometimes forget...).

But than again, now I have the pleasure to spray it again (as I find that fun to do!)

I found also this great video about the VW railbus. Again you can see how small it realy is!

I'm sorry to hear that. I've always struggled to get a smooth finish with Tamiya acrylics, so I've gone back to spray cans.

How about a HSB trabby ! I bet that would take a while to get up the Brocken

Great vid of the DB Mk2 Golf, sounds as if it has a square wheel tho? I also suspect that the second Golf is home-made.

I liked the Ford, and Mr. DTS, I think one of the plastic kit makers (Revell?) has a nice 1:24 Trabi now....

It does point out the cultural differences tho, what can be done with a small car in the rest of the world, has to be done with a GMC 2500 pickup (getting maybe 10 MPG) here in the US for whatever reason?

Paint tip, I have found the best paint for my large scale models (LGB plastic) is the Testors Model Master paints. I thin them with Xylene also. When allowed to dry properly, they bond well.

I have been told that these are sold in the UK, but not sure about mainland Europe.

http://www.testors.com/category/135232/Model_Master

Thanks for the tip Garrett. I have some Testors paints (euh, about 4 little bottles I guess). There are a few internet shops that sells them.
I believe they also have a special color line for model railroading (or was that another brand?).

Yesterday I bought Minilak 2 rattlecans from the local DIY store (from the dutch brand "Stilleven"; www.stilleven.com Just 4,50 euro each and they are very nice. They also have very good weatherproof acrylic hobby paints that I use on my model buildings - a bit too thick for detailed models though).

So, I'm happy to inform you all that the body is white again, waiting for further treatment (the red paint layer).

To be honest, I do own a Revell air compressor and a Revell airbrush dual-action pistol but it is such a time consuming process (preparing, mixing the paint with the thinner in a little glass cup, cleaning the pistol parts afterwards etc..) that I often get tempted by those cheap rattlecans

DTS; that trabi is "super toll"!!!!

Little update on the spraying.







Paul

It was yellow

Bearcastle wrote:

It was yellow

Sorry.... I should have had you be prepared for this...

Paulus wrote:

Bearcastle wrote:

It was yellow

Sorry.... I should have had you be prepared for this...

Its inner self will always be yellow.

There are lots of railcar photos on the net.
A 1955 Pontiac on the New Orleans Public Belt Railway.


another Pontiac (1957 model)


a Daihatsu from Oz


yet another VeeDub



and my personal favorite, the Delorean


Here's a site with a collection of Photos of interesting and bizarre (especially the Russian ones) rail vehicles:
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/10/cool-road-rail-vehicles.html

and finally, not to be outdone by a Trabby, there was even an Isetta rail car

Isetta railcar you say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXNYJ8JlfA

Spule 4 wrote:

Isetta railcar you say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXNYJ8JlfA

Gotta love the blitz painted on the side. Thanks for the video.

Last night (after days of sleep and fever I finally felt good and awake... at two o' clock in the night...) I builded in the Simple Critter Control and 2 switches (recycled ones) one for forward/backward and one for on/off (actually, when it's in the 'off' position it's wired to a 2,5 mm jack at the underside so I can recharge the the battery).
The electronics for the LED lights are also connected to the Critter Control. The LED's begin to shine at a very low voltage already, even if the car itself is not running. This way it can stand still with it's lights on.

An other option could be to connect the electronics directly to the battery. That way the LED's are feed constantly and therefore shine constantly (also during changing of direction).

Here it is before the wiring.



And this is how it looks like outside (don't worry, the switches and knob will be camouflaged!).



And frontview (have to do something with those blue/ cold white LED's)



Paul

Another update on last weeks work:

First a picture of the wired stuff...



Than, meet Charles! He started as an alu-foil skeleton. This time the body is completely build up from Milliput.
I now understand why Brekina put a 1:32 scale figure in the vehicle; the seats are way too high! I discoverd this after I had placed the figure and did a test fit on the body. The 1:22 scale figure was sitting way tto high!
I could redo the figure, but that would mean I had to make separate legs and body the are glued up and in front of the seat. Instead I sawed a hole in the seat to place the figure a bit lower. This way he wont get his head hurt and can he see through the window. On the second picture you can see he is sunk in the seat.





Because Charles is not planning to get out of his van he does not get too detailed. So a simple paintjob is all. I decided to give him a light grey sweater, so he is better noticeable from the outside when the body is back on place.



He can use the clutch!



A comparison between Charles and the Brekina dwarf...



Charles has clear visibility now!





And finaly, today there was a sense of spring here also. So I went outside for a little ride!







The white/blue lights were tempered a bit with a see-through layer of yellow oil paint.
Looks much better I think





Next to do is to make a roof rack. I'm thinking to make one that covers the whole roof instead of only a small rack on the back. Not sure yet... Stay tuned!

Paul

Nothing better than a bus with a roof rack. I always evnied a full roof rack on the roof of a "Wasserboxer" owned by a neighbor of a friend when I was younger.

Back to this long forgotten thread! Just before the RailExpo I picked this project up and made the roof rack using brass wire and plastic strips:





The switches were camouflaged and look like stuff inside a crate on the rack. The crate can be closed. The knob that regulates the speed has become a small yellow oilcan.

Here some pictures of the end result on Carl's layout during the show:

Nice camouflage work, Paul.