Frateschi - models.

[jorgensen]

Does Brasilian fright cars ever run on USA - railroads?If so I want to include a couple Frateschi - cars on my layout.
Ove Jorgensen
Denmark.

[AltonFan]

AFAIK, only Mexican and Canadian railroads interchange frieght cars with US railroads. (As opposed to containers which come from anywhere and everywhere.)

And here in the Chicago area, over the past 35 years or so, I have rarely seen Mexican frieght cars in trains.

[Anonymous]

Brazilian freight cars would never end up in the US as it would be quicker to send goods by container ship or air. Also there may be a problem of compatablity with US and Brazilian stock

[Anonymous]

There's a major problem - Brasil's railways are 3'6" gauge!

But, a lot of the Frateschi stuff is of US outline. Be careful, though, as some, at least, is 00 scale, 1:76, and not H0 1:87.

[jrbarney]

Ove,
Welcome to the MR Forums !
It's your railroad, you can do as you please. One way around the gauge difference, unless you want to have dual gauge trackage, is to put the Frateschi cars on heavy duty flat cars and route them to and from a car/engine rebuilding facility. Graffiti covered subway cars and new, incomplete passenger car bodies are not uncommon sights on some railroads. After a trip he and his wife took, my brother-in-law just gave me a model Norwegian passenger car by Lima that I doubt has ever been seen on a real life American railway. It will be displayed in an exposition area with my UK and French models.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
P. S. I am currently regauging to 36 inch gauge a German prototype railway ferry model from Artitec, which as you probably know is a Netherlands frim.

[jorgensen]

Thank you friends for Your answers regarding Frateschi - models. I did not know that trains in Brasil run on 36" track gauge. So my layout will have no Frateschi cars running.

Ove Jorgensen
Denmark.

[van buren s l]

Brazil uses meter gauge and standard gauge track. Maybe the Brazilian railways use other gauges too. There are web sites about Brazilian trains in Portugese and Engli***hat are interesting and enjoyable.
Bob

[NZRMac]

My Passenger cars are made by Frateschi, they are HO. The wheels and trucks aren't high quality, I have fitted proto 2000 wheels and they run alot better now



Ken.

[DSchmitt]

From the introduction to Brazilian Steam Album vol I by (Cppyright 1985) Charles S. Small:

"The Brazillian railroad system was 90% narrow gauge, from meter (39 3/8") through every consieveble smaller gauge found on industrial lines."

A map on the next page showing railroads in the Sao Palo area shows 1600 mm ( 5'-3"), Meter, and 600 mm (2') lines.

The first chapter in vol II is about the E. F. Mau'a 5'-6" gauge built at the behest of Emperer Dom Pedro II and completed in April 1854. The next chapter is about the Estrada De Ferro Dom Pedro II (5'-3" gauge) which opened in March 1858 . The E. F. Cantagallo built in the 1870's was 1109 mm (42" gauge).

I took a look at the Frateschi web site. They have a nice looking 2-C+C-2 electric.
USA built, Brazillian versions of the General Electric EP-4

http://www.frateschi.com.br/produtos/v8_eng.php