For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works

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Reading Topic #523

SwissieMember since Sep-27-02 · 1264 postsSep 21, 2004 8:42 PM

LAST EDITED ON Sep-21-04 AT 04:56 PM (EDT)

Good evening traction gangI'm pleased to announce that Sjoerd Lefeber and myself are currently teaming up with the project of bringing the 1908 vintage electric motors of the Rhetian Railways int MSTS. As the textures got 99% done the last few evenings, and also some minor bugs and physics issues ironed out, I felt like "leaking" some screenshots to the community here, too. For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works – image 1
Meet the twins from Mt. Bernina. Because motors were almost always MUed into pairs to cope with the Alpine grades, the crews soon dubbed them "the twins".It is a change from the standard gauge, mostly North American interurban and urban traction equipment we're used to read about here, but as these cars are a personal favorite of mine in the prototypical world, and as Sjoerd has really done a marvelous job at detailing the model, I felt it appropriate to "bother" you guys with a few teasers. For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works – image 2
Car 32 is modelling the current status of the 96 years (!) old veterans, with the not-so-prototypical consist including a D&RGW narrow gauge boxcar for reference of dimensions...
...and a recent front-line shot from sistership 31 out there in the prototypical world.A few facts:
- Built 1908 as motors 1-12, 14-15, and 21-23 of the Bernina Railroad in Southeastern Switzerland
- Gauged for 1m narrow gauge tracks (roughly 3ft).
- Initially used under 750V DC, later upgraded to run under 1000V DC
- Used on Bernina Pass route from St. Moritz to Tirano (Italy), ca. 40 mi., with grades up to 7% (route currently being built for MSTS by Max Calvi).
- Modernisation program started in the early 1950s, after Bernina RR merged with Rhetian Railways.
- Nine cars modernized and renumbered 30-38, remainder of the fleet scrapped until ca. 1972.
- Cars 30 & 34 restored as heritage motors in 2001/02, sporting Bernina RR markings again, still current as of today.
- Cars 31, 32, 35 still current as of today, mostly as helpers or back-up units (totalling now 96 years of service!).
- Cars 36-38 converted into MoW equipment, still current as such as of today. For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works – image 4
Car 34 as it appeared when it came out of shops after an extensive rebuild in 1951, painted in the contemporary green & cream colors of the operator. The dots on the window aren't squished mosquitos, but the handles to pull down the opening windows (no a/c in 1908). For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works – image 5
Car 31 modelling the red livery with simple bold lettering that the cars wore for ca. 20 years, from roughly 1960 to 1980.
The interactive cabview isn't done yet. But that's where to start from. Throttle for combined power / brakes is the wheel on the left, reverse to the front of it, levers for panto, main power switch etc. to the left of the wheel, under the speedometer, crew timetable stand between the speedometer and the door, brake handle will go to the right of the doorway, whistle center/top, just right of the door, lights on the console right of the door, just to give you a quick & dirty briefing... For a change: Narrow gauge motor in the works – image 7
As mentionned above, car 34 is now restored into the livery it wore upon delivery in 1908. The shining "canary" is quite a beauty now...
...especially when seen in scheduled service with its twin sister 30. Yep, in the summer months from June to September of this year 2004, the schedule assigns the two veterans an 11 hour shift heading a total of four services over the pass...The files are now back with Sjoerd for additional fine-tuning and sorting out some final some mapping / animation bugs. I'll keep you informed when and where he'll release them.Btw: As I don't have a matching electric NG route yet, I put up gantries and wires on a short stretch of Sumpter for the screenies. So don't ask me about where to get that route...Lukas a.k.a Swissie