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My Alter Ego

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  • Member since
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My Alter Ego
Posted by Postwar Paul on Friday, November 27, 2020 12:29 PM
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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Friday, November 27, 2020 4:18 PM
You just need to treat yourself to a Krokodil!
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Posted by Postwar Paul on Friday, November 27, 2020 5:12 PM

Well, if you insist!

 

....preferably in brown...( old school)

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Saturday, November 28, 2020 12:59 AM
No other color is a Krokodil! I saw the real thing at the Luzern Verkerhsmuseum years ago. It just emanates cool!
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Posted by Postwar Paul on Saturday, November 28, 2020 11:00 AM

Eric, I did not make it to the museum, but I have a model of the Krokodil in N scale in green. I bought the matching SBB green coaches in Switzerland in 2000. The green scheme was common at one time.

I remember my first trip to Switzerland: in '76/'77, I had a 2 month Eurail pass,and was riding trains in Europe, and staying at the Youth Hostel. I remember Swiss trains were green at that time.

I remember riding the BLS( Berne Lotschberg Simplon), we were traveling on a ledge on the side of a mountain, overlooking a valley. Changing trains in Brig, we would find our green coach by a metal sign hung on the side of the car. Then, on through Simplon tunnel.

Trains are much more deluxe now!

Paul

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Posted by PVT Kanaka on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:10 PM

Paul, 

 

Cool story!  Never had the chance to do the Eurail Pass.  I did ride the "Grey Funnel Line" to various ports, however, as an adult!

 

With so much of my collection being '80-s vintage LGB Alpine stuff,  have a soft spot for that model line.  I hope to slowly build both a Zillertalbahn and Harzschmallspurbahn train...just because!  Kristine at TrainLi rebuilt our beloved but worn out LGB m2071 D U-Lok, Zillertalbahn No. 2 (Gustav in the Triple O service) early this year, so I set my search on finding a few cars to go with "him."  Most sellers seem to equate "LGB" with "maintains value indefinitely," but a seller finally asked what I thought was a reasonable price for the first of a string of what may be 2-4 car train, the last being the Zillertalbier Kesselwagen:

The coach needed a bit of scrubbing, and it bears some scratches, but otherwise runs fine.  

 

Heres what a PLAYMOBIL-sized railfan might have videoed:  

VideoGustav Plies the Hawaiian Alps with "His" New Coach

 

I am very dubious of the online second hand market, however, and this is only my third purchase since returning to the hobby in 2014, and one of those was local, so I got to inspect the wares.  I am learning to be patient, set my price, and be willing to walk away.  In seemed to work in this case, and I hope it'll allow me to fulfill a few other "needs" (in the hobby sense of the word need!) in 2021!

 

In the meantime: AN-steigen!

 

Eric

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Posted by Postwar Paul on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:31 PM

Eric,

great to see Gustav on the road again. Train Li is the best, aren't they ?

My European memories are from long ago, but Experiences I'm glad to have had. My only thing I would have done differently: I went through Gotthard pass at least twice, but only at night. Wish I could have seen it in light.I believe much of it has now been bypassed with a tunnel. This was Krokodil country! Their stomping grounds.

Paul

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