Gauge: H0 Era: IV
Prototype: German Federal Railroad
(DB) class 491 "Glass Train" electric powered observation
car. Silver aluminum / Olympia blue paint scheme. The unit
looks as it did around 1977.
Model: The car has an mfx
digital decoder and factory-installed, controllable sound
functions. It also has controlled high-efficiency
propulsion. 2 axles in one truck powered. Traction tires.
The car has factory-installed interior lighting. The triple
headlights and dual red marker lights change over with the
direction of travel, will work in conventional operation,
and can be controlled digitally. The headlights are
maintenance-free, warm white LEDs and the marker lights are
maintenance-free, red LEDs. The interior lighting can be
dimmed as a digital auxiliary function. The trucks have
different wheelbases like the prototype. The car has
built-in interior details. The panorama windows are inset.
There is a double-arm pantograph and a single-arm pantograph
with a double wiper on the roof. Length over the buffers
23.7 cm / 9-5/16".
Digital Controls:
Control
Unit |
6021 |
Mobile
Station |
Mobile
Station 2 |
Central
Station |
Headlight(s) |
· |
· |
· |
· |
Interior
lights |
· |
· |
· |
· |
Surrounding
sounds |
· |
· |
· |
· |
Warning
Sound |
· |
· |
· |
· |
Direct
control |
· |
· |
· |
· |
Light
function (dims interior lights) |
|
· |
· |
· |
Highlights:
- Completely new tooling.
- Scale 1:87 reproduction.
- Factory-installed interior
lighting.
- Warm white LEDs for lighting.
- Additional announcement at the
start of the excursion.
One-time series released in 2010 to
commemorate the 175th anniversary of Railroading in Germany.
Additional Information:
At the start of the Thirties, the German State Railroad
was feeling the increasing competition from cars and busses.
There were therefore different attempts to improve the
service to customers and to make traveling more attractive.
Two electric powered observation cars were ordered from the
car builder Fuchs and from AEG (electrical equipment) in
order to give a stimulus to excursion traffic. These cars
were intended later as exhibition units for the DRG and were
known as the "Glass Trains". This cars had to satisfy
special requirements for excursion traffic in the scenically
very attractive Bavarian and Austrian Alps: Passengers had
to be able to observe the scenery unhindered in all
directions from their seats. This required the smallest
possible use of opaque building materials in the window and
roof area. In addition, as many parts as possible were
supposed to be taken from the standard design ET 25 and ET
31 powered rail cars to keep costs down. The builders were
able to fulfill these conditions: Large windows on the ends
and in the diagonal parts of the roof gave a good view all
around. The car bodies were constructed completely of shaped
parts and sheet metal welded together and had only a single
center entry on both sides of cars. The restroom was located
almost at the level of the lower edge of the windows in the
area of the center entry in order to have a free view from
the seating area. The backs on the passenger seats could be
folded over. Two traction motors suspended from the axles
powered both wheel sets in the powered truck; the second
truck was not powered. Also, the usual electrical equipment
was arranged under the car floor according to standard
design principles. The elT 1998 powered rail car (later road
number ET 91 01) was still not completely finished in the
electrical area but was presented at the Nürnberg exhibition
"100 Years of German Railroading" from July 14 to October
13, 1935. The second powered rail car, elT 1999 (later road
number ET 91 02) was delivered in September of 1935 and took
part in the great vehicle parade for the 100th anniversary.
Both powered rail cars then ran in special service from
Munich on the electrified routes of Southern Germany and
also soon to Austria. Favorite trips offered then and after
World War II were the "Karwendel Excursion" or the "Great
Alps Excursion". A bomb attack on Munich during the night of
March 9/10, 1943 ended the short career of road number ET 91
02. It burned up completely as a result. It's sibling had
been moved to Bichl and was walled in at the locomotive shed
there; it survived the war undamaged and soon made itself
useful again in excursion service; it was designated
starting in 1968 as road number 491 001-4 in accordance with
UIC rules. Its career came to an abrupt end on December 12,
1995 when it collided with a passenger train at the
Garmisch-Partenkirchen station. Since then the heavily
damaged "Glass Train" stands in the Augsburg yards and waits
for better times.
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