The Wonderful GG-1: it lasted a long time...

[Doug G.]

Yeah but is that in metric years?

Hehe, just kidding. That is incredible!

Doug

[strummer]

1: There are also models of German "Alligator" (class E93) and a shorter, non-articulated class 144 loco.

2: It seems to me that this thread really belongs the Crew Lounge (since it is not scale specific).  Or maybe back in the Prototype section since it is about boxcab electrics in general.  Not an easy choice.

1: You mean like this? (eBay listing, not mine...)



2: That's what I thought... 

Mark in Oregon

[peteski]

1: You mean like this? (eBay listing, not mine...)



2: That's what I thought... 

Mark in Oregon

Yes, like that one, but mine is a greenish-gray color.  Also, this one looks to me more like an early Arnold model. Mine is a Minitrix, and it has more details and better pantographs.

[DKS]

Also, this one looks to me more like an early Arnold model. Mine is a Minitrix, and it has more details and better pantographs.

Probably these: http://davidksmith.com/birth-of-n/sommerfeldt.htm

[peteski]

Probably these: http://davidksmith.com/birth-of-n/sommerfeldt.htm

While the pantographs on my models were probably produced by Sommerfeldt, they are better looking than the ones made from bent wire.  Mine are made with the bottom part formed from stamped metal pieces (not just bent wire like shown in marks photo above or in the photo on your web page).  They also have better equalization than the bent wire ones.

I suspect that Sommerfeldt either supplied pantographs to most of the European model manufacturers, or got theirs from the same supplier as the other manufacturers.

[DKS]

I suspect that Sommerfeldt ... got theirs from the same supplier as the other manufacturers.

???

[peteski]

???

Maybe they outsourced their pantograph manufacturing?  Or do you know foe sure that they actually made them all in-house.  I wrote:

I suspect that Sommerfeldt either supplied pantographs to most of the European model manufacturers, or got theirs from the same supplier as the other manufacturers.

[DKS]

Maybe they outsourced their pantograph manufacturing?  Or do you know foe sure that they actually made them all in-house.  I wrote:

I suspect that Sommerfeldt either supplied pantographs to most of the European model manufacturers, or got theirs from the same supplier as the other manufacturers.

Displeased with the state of model catenary (overhead wire) at the time, he developed his own line of more realistic products in his garage. When Trix equipped an E-94 with Sommerfeldt pantographs, it proved so popular that other companies began ordering them. In 1969, a new factory was built in Hattenhofen, where around a dozen employees worked—a number that nearly doubled in just a year or two. Today the company continues to manufacture the same catenary products it has for over 65 years.

[peteski]

Some product manufacturers have been known to outsource portions of their production, or some product lines to other companies (without publicly advertising that fact).  This is especially true in today's world of model train manufacturers.

Just because the statement you found "Today the company continues to manufacture the same catenary products it has for over 65 years." doesn't guarantee that all their products are made in-house.   But to end this, I concede that Sommerfeldt manufactures *ALL* their products 100% in-house.  Is that better? 

[strummer]

Yes, like that one, but mine is a greenish-gray color.  Also, this one looks to me more like an early Arnold model. Mine is a Minitrix, and it has more details and better pantographs.

Indeed: According to the eBay listing, it is an Arnold #0321. I can only guess that since the model number starts with a "0", that means it's an early release...(?)

Mark in (warm today) Oregon

[peteski]

Indeed: According to the eBay listing, it is an Arnold #0321. I can only guess that since the model number starts with a "0", that means it's an early release...(?)

Mark in (warm today) Oregon

I'm not an expert on Arnold's numbering system, so I don't know whether a zero means early.
There is a huge European N scale database online: https://spurweite-n.de/ where you can look up all sorts of models and get detailed info about them.
It is only in German, but if you have auto-translating browser, that is not a problem. Or you can view the site through a Google Translate page.
I did that, but now I am familiar with it enough to just go to the German site and search for the model I want to get info for. Then I picked up enough of the German words to understand most of the info without translation.

I did look for 0321 and 321 but I suspect that item is not correct for that model as I couldn't find it in that database. I poked around and it looks like that model is BR E 94, part # 2367.  Supposedly it was sold in year 2000 (so it is not all that old).

[Doug G.]

The system with the numbers starting with a 0 was until 1975, I believe, when they changed to the later scheme, although the base number was still in the four digits. The 0251 BR41, 2-8-2 changed to 2510, for instance. Even later, however, the numbering system changed again with the catalog numbers not correlating to earlier ones. At least, I can't see any correlation.

Doug

[strummer]

Peteski

Yikes: you couldn't find it because I gave the wrong number. It should be "0231"...

Sorry about that...

Mark in Oregon

[peteski]

That makes sense.  I found it on spurweite-n.de website. BR 194. Looks like it was made in early '70s.

http://spurweite-n.de/ncontent/ndb/ndb-artdetails.asp?ID=2071