Mercedes Benz Type 1017 trucks for the Elmslohe Bundeswehr barracks

I am not a military modeller. But I like freight and switching operations on my small layouts and therefore grab every excuse for a new source of traffic: the small town of Elmslohe is home to barracks (a "Kaserne") of the "Bundeswehr" and some of their transport is carried out via the railroad. Recently two Mercedes Benz 1017 trucks could be spotted at Elmslohe station.

The trucks are brand new as they first came into service in the mid 1970s, perfect for period IV operations (I want to build Elmslohe so that it can be operated alternatively in period III and IV).

The MB 1017's are from a Kibri kit (No. 18051) that I bought at the latest event I participated in with my Dutch layout Valkenveld. Amongst others I used the images featured here for the paint job. I used Revell 42 olive-yellow representing the 1970s Bundeswehr base colour, applied in three coats.

I also went through the typical stages of a modeller's roller-coaster of feelings. I enjoyed this little project a lot, especially after working on stuff like the lighting and cabling of the new layout. As I am no Bundeswehr truck expert, I searched the internet for images of details, colours, etc. Then you discover many flaws in the model kit (like the weird fenders on the rear-axle, etc.), questioning yourself whether to fix or leave it, and ultimately losing lots of the original enjoyment of a simple build - until you put it into perspective and move on. As for the fenders: I didn't mount them as of yet and will build my own version of it. Unless the next project tempts me even more...

Immediate next steps in this little project: assembly of the cabin, applying decals, final touches of paint and top layer of matt varnish.

The model as advertised by Kibri (art. No. 18051)

After the third layer of paint and before final assembly. I am happy how the Bundeswehr colour has turned out.

MB 1017 prototype inspiration for the colouring and details. Source: tankograd

Light in the "Aquarium"

I installed two LED panels above the Elmslohe station modules. It's an amazing effect to stand in a dark room and see the layout brightly illuminated. There LED light distribution is such that you don't see any shadows on the layout or background. As Elmslohe is sandwiched in-between cupboards below and above, the lit layout has a sort of "aquarium" feel to it.

I still need to mount a front fascia, ca. 12-15 cm high. Also, I need to store the cables properly and out of sight.

Once the fascia is installed, I want to properly judge the light. Depending on how much light I also get on the sides of cars, buildings, etc. I might install some LED spots in addition to light the layout from the front. So far, I don't think this will be really necessary. But as always, the proof is in the pudding..

The panels are from Ledlichtstunter:

- 2 panels of 120 x 30 cm each
- 36W
- 4000K

It is impossible to capture the effect with the mobile camera. Unsurprisingly with the high dark-light differences. The below images therefore only give a very rough representation of my new "layout aquarium".

Stellprobe

I positioned the station buildings on the layout to see how everything works together. Ignore the bad, way-to-yellow lighting etc. I am keen to get started with ballasting and the scenery, but I am afraid that first the backdrop and lighting of the layout has priority. I have LED panels that I want to install above the layout and also want to frame it properly so that everything is integrated within the furniture.

The white styrene strip marks the platform position.

Bathed in morning sunlight the VT98 is ready for departure.

My inspiration for the station surroundings and the simple platform comes from Wakendorf-Götzberg on the former EBOE (Elmshorn-Barmstedt-Bad Oldeslohe Eisenbahn) in Schleswig-Hostein. Stately trees shall surround the brickstone buildings, thereby neatly covering the corners.

You might have noticed that the track plan of Elmslohe features a very special situation: the locomotive shed is located at the end of the main track. This was the case on a number of German short lines. The picture shows Neuenkirchen (Niedersachsen) at the Soltau-Neuenkirchen line. Another example is Arneburg in Sachsen-Anhalt. Franz Rittig has described some in his Eisenbahn Journal publication "Lokstationen".

Elmslohe freight shed

I have been working on the Elmslohe freight shed, a straightforward and very satisfying project as I made the decision to use the Auhagen shed (No. 11383) without any bigger adaptations or "personalisation". Why change a winning concept when you can use a model which is in my view absolutely perfect? I really like the proportions and the overall look of the building.

As Elmslohe is a small terminus station, I am only using the main building without the shed extension. I also prefer the look of the proportions of the main building as stand-alone more.

There are still some minor things to be done once interior lighting is installed, like timber frames supporting the roof above the doors, vertical rain pipes and general weathering.

Wilhem Klützig patiently waits on Elmslohe’s shed platform for the Köf to pick up and spot the daily “Stückgut” wagon.

With the Tillig Elite track that I am using in Elmslohe, the loading dock is at precisely the required height.

The buffer stop is a placeholder only.

I painted the brickwork with Humbrol No. 100 so that the shed fits to the Elmslohe station building in look and feel. The grooves were done with a 50/50 mixture of white and thinner. After drying I sanded grooves where the timber goes to allow a good fit.

The timber got first a layer of Tamiya primer and then a layer of Tamiya flat brown. After some sanding all has a quite irregular and slightly weathered look when the primer gets exposed in certain spots. 

Glueing everything together.

The four walls are up.

Engine Shed Interior

A few images from the Elmslohe engine shed. I have taken these pictures to determine the best usage of the interior space and view through the windows. The engine shed itself is from the Auhagen "Bahnhof Neukloster" set (No. 1503), some of the machinery is from Busch (No. 1185) that I painted and weathered, plus some additions from my collection of small bits and pieces. The people working in the shed are obviously steam fans. The posters are out of railway magazines, actually from covers of advertised book titles. I still want to add more details like a lamp and some papers and tools for the work desk. But in general I am quite pleased with the overall look and feel of the scene.

Bleichert Raupenkran RK3 "Mitschurin" for Elmslohe

I did a small project whilst I am mostly busy with the new "Elmslohe" layout, a terminus of a short line in Northern Germany: an RK3 "Mitschurin" crane by the company "Bleichert" (kit from Auhagen, No. 41647). The crane will be used mostly on the Elmslohe layout but might occasionally appear on the Valkenveld layout as well.

I weathered the model with a.o. Vallejo Model Color "Burnt Umber" and Tamyia XF-1 Flat Black. After I have taken the below images I also applied some rust with Vallejo Brown Iron Oxide and coated the whole model in Vallejo Matt Varnish.

I still want to add some features that were not part of the Auhagen kit, like the lights and electric cable that provided the power for the crane.

Source: pinterest

Presentation of the RK3 "Mitschurin" crane at the autumn exhibition (Herbstmesse) in Leipzig, 1952. Sources: wikipedia and wikiwand

Der Raupenkran 3 „Mitschurin“ bestand aus dem Oberwagen des ADK 3. Bei der Firma Bleichert entstanden im Zeitraum von 1953 bis 1960 507 Stück. Weitere 170 Stück wurden dann bis 1965 im VEB Förderanlagen „7. Oktober“ in Magdeburg produziert. Dort wurde dann auch das Modell RK 3/1 in einer Stückzahl von 255 von 1963 bis 1965 gebaut. Der Raupenkran 3 wurde durch ein Kabel mit Energie versorgt.

Noordhollandse Modelspoordagen in Alkmaar

Last weekend, I have exhibited Valkenveld together with the modules "Looseinde" and "Ergernisse" of friends Marco and Jasiu at the Noordhollandse Modelspoordagen in Alkmaar. This time we used a lot of "Period IV" material, like the new Sik from Roco and the 2200 from Piko. Especially the new Roco Sik drew lots of attention and all visitors were amazed by the model.

Overview of Valkenende, Looseinde and Ergernisse in Alkmaar.

For the first time we introduced a corner module, built by Jasiu, to good effect, as the fiddle yard is now more hidden.