Train Spotting in Sweden

Getting out in the real world and seeing full scale narrow gauge railways (nowadays mostly preserved) has always been a favourite activity for me. Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend 2 days in Sweden with a handful of good friends from the vintage railway in Denmark where I volunteer. The primary target for the weekend was the 600 mm gauge line between Ohs and Bor.

A forest railway should be enjoyed from a heap of timber. I did just that on the Ohs-Bor line watching Orenstein & Koppel 8338/1917 passing.

I was travelling with a group in two cars and thus we had the possibility to combine train rides with excursions along the line by car. A dense network of narrow gravel roads along the railway makes it quite easy to overtake the train to reach new locations for photographing. I visited the railway during the annual Ohsabanan Days, a weekend when the volunteers at the line run as many trains as possible with a varied stock of locomotives. 

Standing on a tree stump in the forest I caught VEB Lokomotivbau Karl Marx 250572/1974 passing with a passenger train to Bor. 

OBJ loco 14 with the firefighting train. Despite it being rather wet weather, the railway watches the beautiful forests vigilantly to prevent fires.

Sächsische Maschinenfabrik 4183/1919 in dark green with O&K 8338 in black being turned in the background.

The Ohs-Bor railway is a 14.5 km long 600 narrow-gauge railway east of Värnamo in southern Sweden. The track, rolling stock, locomotives and traffic are owned, maintained and run by the Ohs Bruk Järnväg's Museum Association, a non-profit association formed in 1970.

Despite rain in the afternoon the volunteers kept up the good spirit. Steam locomotives in the rain is always something special.

I appreciated the efforts of the volunteers to dress true to the age of the locomotives. The crew on Maschinenbau und Bahnbedarf 13584/1944 had dressed up like a Polish crew from the 1970's at the Ciechanów sugar factory - complete with sideburns!

The Ohs railway was built between 1907 and 1910 to serve a paper mill, connecting it to a standard gauge line in Bor. The first rolling stock was purchased second-hand from the Helsingborg–Råå–Ramlösa Railway (HRRJ). During the 1920's, the fleet of locomotives and carriages was expanded with German built equipment from the Heeresfeldbahnen. Even if the railway was becoming increasingly worn down from mid 1950's the factory retained its railway right up until 1967 when lorries took over. The track was left in place and a few later the volunteers took over preserving the line into the next millenium. It's their investment of time, effort and money that treated me to a memorable day. Lots of inspiration for this winter's modelling!

The line has a range of charming sheds placed next to the track. This weathered red shed begs to be modelled in 1/19 scale!

The OBJ V10C loco is approaching one of the many level crossings.

Protective Box For Skips

While I was modelling Nystrup Gravel in 1:35 scale I faced the challenge of how to store my models safely and protected from the usual mishaps during storage and transport. In more traditional modelling scales (e.g. 1/87) most models comes in neat boxes that protect them and some boxes even doubles as fancy display cases. I have yet to buy a 1/19 ready to run-model in a box, so I need to find a way to store and transport my more or less home built models. 

Skips stored safely in a padded box.

Having been very satisfied with the wooden boxes I used in 1/35 scale I proceeded the same way with boxing my 1/19 scale models. Finding wooden boxes large enough isn't easy, though. But after a some searching, I found two nice boxes that should be able to protect a few of my models sufficiently. I bought them on a flea market from a guy that make the boxes himself.

Two wooden boxes ready to be fitted out as storage boxes for some of my 1/19 scale models. The front box measures 26,5 cm in length, 13 cm in width and 8 cm in height. The box in the background measures 23,5x13x11.

I may have shopped just a little too much foam for lining the boxes!

As I began planning what models to house in the boxes, I found that I had run out of soft foam. Specialised shops only sold either small amounts online or very large industrial quantities. I found the cheapest option was to visit a local home furnishing retailer and buy a foam mattress 80 cm x 200 x 3 for less than 25 €. That the amount of foam will last me a long time is an understatement!

I decided to make the long box (measuring 26,5 cm x 13 x 8) a home for 3 Hudson skips. With materials acquired I could begin to outfit the box for the skips. A very easy task only involving some very basic measuring, cutting and glueing of foamboard and soft foam. The process is shown in pictures below.

Strips of 18 mm wide foamboard of 5 mm thickness was cut and glued into the bottom of the box. The strips hold the skips in place and avoids them sliding in the box. Strips of foam 1 and 2 cm thick are PVA-glued to cushion and stop the skips rolling back and forth in the box.

A skip placed illustrative on its place in the box. 'No foam needed between the skips?' No, because when the last element is added the skips will be held securely by closing the lid.

A strip of foam 1 cm thick is glued in the lid. When the box is closed, the strip holds the skips in tension and put an effective stop to the moving in any direction inside the box. 

The next box is planned to contain the Lister RT and its battery charging equipment. And then the hunt for more nice wooden boxes is on again. I have more locomotives and rolling stock that needs safe storage and transport boxes. There is plenty of foam mattress left - 197 cm and some scraps.

I'm also considering a tube that can carry some Peco SM32 track panels. Combined with 3 skips and a Lister I could have a 'travelling kit' of a small railway to bring to the cottage or a location for some fun photography sessions.

'Planet' Progress

I now have a self-propelled model of a self-propelled skip. The 'Planet' is moving! A rare and extremely swift process during a few days of modelling in the last week of my 3 week summer vacation has seen the small Loco Remote 'Planet' evolve from naked 3D printed parts to a running semi-finished state.

Current status on Nystrup Gravel's self-propelled skip: Ready for fitting of the upper works after having gone through its first test runs.

Only a few days ago I had little hope of finishing the self-propelled skip anytime soon, but vacations works wonders and with time enough on my hands, a simple kit and Loco Remote's user friendly mobile phone control solution less than a week on I have a running model ready for the layout at home. Not a finished one yet, but another piece of machinery will soon join the production of gravel and sand.

In my last post on the 'Planet' I had begun sanding parts and test fitting them together. From there the first parts were glued, new details were fitted, the drive line was tested and control interface established on my mobile phone. 

Loco Remote has done a lot of work in advance. On/off swith and connecting wires supplied finished. Wires attached to motor/gear box. Loco Remote Mini B unit supplied with kit. I have bought and clipped on the small 3.7 V LiPo battery. These gadgets power the skip in combination with my mobile phone.

Detailing in progress. New front buffer from plasticard. Bolt heads from hexagonal plastic stock and old 1/35 scale etched brass parts to top off the axle boxes. I had to remove a good deal of plastic on the front of the frame to add the new buffer type. The rear buffer will be a piece of wood as no coupling is fitted in that end of the vehicle.

I had planned to divert from the instructions but it turned out that only a few things had to be added out of sequence to make me comfortable. I'm sure it is possible to assemble the model entirely after the supplied instructions.

I thought the top of the frame looked a little bare, so I built a haphazardly applied cover over what would have been a usual open skip chassis with brake hangers and chain transmission. One steel plate and a piece of steel with tread plate pattern make up the covering to ensure no lost gravel gets in the working parts of the 'Planet'. New springs were made from copper wire and AC-glued in place. With the trunnions to carry the skip body glued in place I was ready to prime the underside and sides of the model in preparation for fitting the drive line.

Ready for a coat of my usual primer 'Chaos Black' from Games Workshop.

Primed, wheel sets and O-rings fitted. Mini B-unit fastened between the axles, motor/gear box to the left and battery (still unattached) to the right.

As per the instructions I fitted the electrical components, wheel sets and O-rings. With the power switched 'on' and connection made on the mobile my little 'Planet' took off on my short test track. As the track was very short I soon dispensed with track and simply ran the model on the table. A clear advantage to battery powered railway models over rail powered!

The next task is getting the upper parts ready for priming and painting. The skip body needs sanding and fitting of a few details and the cab area is also in need of a little improvement to create my own personal version of a great kit from Loco Remote. 

Train Travelling Holidays

Relaxing travel. Great scenery. No problems with detours or getting used to the locals' traffic habits. That's what you avoid when you travel by train in Norway. Having been working from the Trondheim office for about a week my vacation began with wife and son joining me in Norway. Having enjoyed Trondheim for a few days we took the train for a beautiful 497 km long train ride to Oslo.

EL18 2261 waiting in front of 8 carriages in track 5 on Trondheim station. Splendid weather to help make a scenic ride even more unforgettable.

Being used to travel by train in Denmark and southern Sweden spectacular scenery isn't on the agenda. I have been visiting narrow gauge railways with great scenery, but usually they are rather short. On the ride from Trondheim to Oslo two thirds of the ride is first class views just waiting for you. And its cheap entertainment, too.

While the signal is still red, the hills in the background are promising a great day on the railway.

One of the many great views captured through the less than clean window. Not that it spoiled my enjoyment of the trip.

As part of our stay in Trondheim we spent a day in the hills south of the town. The narrow gauge tram terminus Lian is a great starting point for a hike in the mountains. Sevreral routes are clearly marked in the landscape or available on hiking apps. The tramway is the most northernly tramway on the planet, is doing well finacially and is currently having track and catenary modernised. The wooden catenary masts are probably on their way out which is sort of sad.

The loop on Lian station has received new steel catenary masts. Here trainset 93 is making its way back to the current northern terminus Ilevollen.

From Lian it's down hill to Trondheim. Here the wooden catenary masts are still going strong.

Arriving in Oslo there is no doubt that one is in a capital. Lots of people, more tourists and a much larger tram network transporting 55 mio passengers anually. All trainsets are SL18-types built by CAF in Spain - a type I have also met in Edinburgh and Budapest. Very efficient and cheap travel to all major locations in and around Oslo. Combined with local and regional trains and busses there is no reason to hire a car when visiting Oslo. A car will be like a ball in chain around your leg!

Henrik Ibsens Gate at the Nationaltheatret. Trainset 487 as line 15 toward Disen is moving down hill while trainset 464 towards Majorstuen is beginning the climb.

As a pleasent variety to all the blue trams the orange workscar 358 is seen here passing the pub in the old trading stalls at Kirkeristen with the Oslo cathedral in the background.

'Planet' Motorised Skip

Vacation. The time where one can relax and enjoy a hobby. I have begun to prepare for assembly and detailing the Loco Remote F. C. Hibberd & Co Ltd 'Planet' 6 hp self-propelled skip. A 3D printed kit that was marketed for a limited time frame in 2023-2024 and that I was instantly tempted by. A small, simple vehicle that would be very much at home on Nystrup Gravel's railway. 

A view of the main parts for the 'Planet' self-propelled skip. New table cloth in the cottage means a shift from the chequered cloth.

As readers that have followed the blog for a long time may remember I bought a 'Planet' in Feburary 2024 and examined it briefly. Since then it has been in storage. Now it's out of the cupboard and the first stage in its construction has begun. 

As I found out during my first look at the parts, some of the printing is a little coarse with the layers of the printing clearly visible. That is one of the things I will have to attend to during the build process. As usual I will also add and replace detail on the kit. 

A side frame part directly from the box. Lots of 'striping' from the printing process and springs in a condition I have to replace.

Some work done on one part with an original for comparison.

While sanding some of the main parts like side frames I have been making a list of what I plan to add or replace on the kit. As usual the list, I may be shorten or lengthen it depending on my mood as the build progresses. So far the list looks like this:

• Sanding away the worst traces from the printing process
• Replacing bolt heads
• Adding metal springs for the axle boxes
• Rebuilding floor under the skip body
• Rebuilding and detailing the driver's position
• New buffers
• Detailing skip body
• Modifying driver figure.

Not too different from what I usually do to my models. I hope to build the 'Planet' next to my Baguley-Drewry that should be in a an almost finished condition by Christmas. 

Test assembly with wheel sets inserted in axle boxes.

Holds together quite well withou glue!

There is a lot more sanding to do before parts will be glued together, and I have some reservations with Loco Remote's assembly sequence and will probably differ a bit along the way. 

Nystrup Gravel In Print

It's seldom Nystrup Gravel is mentioned in printed media. My model railway is small, narrow gauge and somewhat 'niche'. Usually it's also myself that has to do the writing and that cuts down on the likelyhood of printed articles. In the soon to be published issue of the Danish Industrial Railway Society's magazine 'Tipvognen' (The Skip) Nystrup Gravel get's some rare attention.

Just out of the box and the Fowler is years away from being finished.

Over 3 pages the story of detailing and rebuilding the Essel Enginering Fowler F 30 is told in Danish to an audience not used to see 16 mm scale modelling. Being born before the internet spread across the world, seeing my modelling in print is something different than 'just' seeing it on a screen. 

'Tipvognen' is only in its second year of coloured print. A good decision from the society's board that benefits all the club's members.

Besides being mentioned in small newsletters Nystrup Gravel has actually once been mentioned in a real book. It was the 1/35 scale version that was included with image and all in a Danish book about petrol stations. This blog had to celebrate such a success and you can find a short text here about the book, its author and the 1/35 petrol pump.

H0e Coaches From Ukraine

Once again the workshop at Miniland in Kyiv has produced a couple of excellent 1/87 scale models and shipped them northwest to Denmark. The coaches are part of a larger order being gradually delivered as the models are finished. So far I have received two bogie platforms and a refrigerator wagon and I'm still expecting the arrival of some tank wagons and two PV40 coaches.

Another addition to my collection of Soviet narrow gauge rolling stock: Miniland built models of Ukrainian Pafawag coaches.

A total of 600 3Aw 750 mm narrow-gauge passenger cars were built between 1957 and 1960. 560 units were officially imported by the USSR. The coaches were almost exclusively known by the name of their manufacturer Pafawag (Państwowa Fabryka Wagonów) in Wroclaw, Poland. The factory opened in 1833 as Linke-Hofmann-Werke, in 1953 the company was renamed Pafawag and is today a part of the Bombardier group.

While most Pafawag coaches were standard passenger cars, the order also included variants used as VIP and dining cars. Most of the coaches, however, were fitted as 'Жесткий' (hard class) with simple, robust wooden slatted benches to maximize capacity and withstand wear from industrial and agricultural commuter traffic. 

The variants of the Pafawag wagons also included post and baggage wagons. Worth noting that this mention of the wagons is also simply naming them 'Pafawag' and not by any more specific type. 

Once the carriages reached the Soviet Union, local railway workshops soon carried out customizations to local needs. Several long-distance narrow-gauge lines in the Soviet Union required overnight accommodation, and workshops added internal bulkheads to convert the open coaches with seats to sleepers with simple, stacked longitudinal wooden berths.

Interior view of a Pafawag 'sleeper'. A sleeping passenger can just be seen lying in one of the upper berths. Most likely an image from the 1990's. The line's rural character is easily betrayed by the abundance of baggage in the top berths.

The 3Aw was the final development in a process that ironed out shortcomings in the original design. Soviet industry had begun to produce the PV40 coach in 1955, but the need for a larger and more technically advanced carriage seems to have prompted the need for assistance from the Polish railway industry. The original design 1Aw suffered from unstable running at higher speeds and the 2Aw sought to improve running and was built in almost 100 examples. The 3Aw was the final and most numerous version with final deliveries in 1960. 

Drawing of a standard 3Aw. Interesting to note that the drawing is printed in Russian, but the Polish company has signed and stamped in Polish. The Pafawags were long (almost 15 m) and became popular due to their better running compared to the shorter and more primitive PV40.

In model form my Pafawag carriages are built by modellers associated with Ukraine's largest model railway 'Miniland' in Kyiv. Some very talented modellers, fast and safe shipping as well as reasonable prices have made me a faithful customer. The wagons are most likely built from kits manufactured by another Ukrainian company Retro Trains Models. The carriages were shipped in a sturdy cardboard box in record time: only five days passed from receiving a notice that the wagons were sent to they were delivered on my doorstep.  Each coach is individually packed in a cardboard box lined with foam. Opening the box and removing a foam lid gives access to the model. I paid ca. 220 € for two coaches and considering the excentric prototype and quality provided I find that most reasonably.

Long and sleek with toilet in one end and a stove in the other. A modern coach by Soviet narrow gauge standards in the late 1950's.

The models have fully detailed interiors. Hard to see from my photos.  

My two 3Aw are finished in different liveries: the original green and blue as currently used by several of the 'childrens' railways' having replaced the old Soviet 'pioneer railways'. Both models are with Ukrainian Railways' lettering. If you wish to display green coaches with Soviet markings, I think you are best advised to reletter yourself by ordering a decal sheet form RTM. The wagons display a full interior, but I haven't yet had the courage to find out if I can gain access to the interior to install passengers.

The 3Aw bogies are remarkably detailed their small size considered. They are difficult to appreciate when seen from usual viewing angles on a layout, but in a close up they look really good. Compare with the image of a prototype bogie below.

A prototype bogie with decorative white painted wheel rims.

The underside of the Pafawag carriages is less detailed than the freight wagons in my collection. As I don't display my models on their sides it really doesn't matter. What can be seen from the side is present.

The steps are etched metal with 'see through effect' and the bogies are equipped for power pick up for internal lighting.

As usual the assembly of the wagons has been done with excellent workmanship, and the painting is of no less quality. The company logo of Ukrainian Railways and lettering looks painted through a stencil resembling the style used on the real carriages perfectly.

A good representation of the usual stencilled lettering between the central pair of windows.

The length of a Pafawag is clearly visible when coupled to a TU4 locomotive.

Both Pafawags are packed safely away in their boxes again. The summer of 2026 is dedicated to 1/19 scale modelling.