German Intercity (IC) and other train models.

[chadbag]

What part number is it?  How old is it?  How does it run?

I have a similar one I got used though looking for it just now it is missing and not with its creme/red brethren.  I'll have to track it down.

 

[gavino200]

8 minutes ago, chadbag said:

What part number is it?  How old is it?  How does it run?

I have a similar one I got used though looking for it just now it is missing and not with its creme/red brethren.  I'll have to track it down.

 

 

It's brand new. A 2018 release, I believe. Didn't test it. It's not converted. I ordered a couple of TCS 6 pin decoders but they haven't arrived.

Edited February 25, 2019 by gavino200

[chadbag]

2 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

It's brand new. A 2018 release, I believe. Didn't test it. It's not converted. I ordered a couple of TCS 6 pin decoders but they haven't arrived.

 

Ah, cool.  Should run well.   Mine has to be converted using a hardwired and is quite old I think.  Seem to run ok.   Looks nice!

 

[Suica]

11 minutes ago, chadbag said:

What part number is it?  

737803 DC

737873 DCC + Sound

 

[gavino200]

15 minutes ago, chadbag said:

 

Mine has to be converted using a hardwired and is quite old I think.  Seem to run ok.   Looks nice!

 

 

I also have a very old BR 103 in Era IV ivory/maroon. Conversion was fairly simple. It ran on the borderline between acceptable and disappointing. But it finally crapped out last week. I'm looking at this (below) as a possible replacement. Original Fleischmann replacements are available but they're much more expensive. I hope you won't need this but here it is anyway.

 

https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=44523.msg555517#msg555517

 

 

[gavino200]

I tried out the Era V IC cars today with my new BR 103. I like it but I have two problems. 

 

1. The BR 103 has an LED in the center top of the loco. There's a light guide that leads to the little windows above where the electric motors would be. However the LED is quite bright and the light doesn't really spread out to all of the windows. Instead it shines brightly through one of the windows while the rest remain dim. Anyone know if this is a problem with the model, or if my DCC wires are causing a problem withe the light guide?

 

2. My restaurant car was consistently decoupling on one end. I took ti apart, and wasn't expecting how ingeniously/horribly these things are constructed. Specifically I'm amazed by the tiny hair thin spring wire used for the coupler. I lost one and will need to order a replacement. But I still have no clue how to get this thing back together. Anyone know of a guide or have a method for doing this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yavianice]

1 minute ago, gavino200 said:

I tried out the Era V IC cars today with my new BR 103. I like it but I have two problems. 

 

1. The BR 103 has an LED in the center top of the loco. There's a light guide that leads to the little windows above where the electric motors would be. However the LED is quite bright and the light doesn't really spread out to all of the windows. Instead it shines brightly through one of the windows while the rest remain dim. Anyone know if this is a problem with the model, or if my DCC wires are causing a problem withe the light guide?

 

2. My restaurant car was consistently decoupling on one end. I took ti apart, and wasn't expecting how ingeniously/horribly these things are constructed. Specifically I'm amazed by the tiny hair thin spring wire used for the coupler. I lost one and will need to order a replacement. But I still have no clue how to get this thing back together. Anyone know of a guide or have a method for doing this?

 

1: All newer Fleischmann BR 103's and the newer Minitrix BR 103 have it. In the DCC version you can disable it. Otherwise you can solder it loose I guess? Or put some tape?

 

2: Good luck getting a new one. Most people (myself included) simply do not bother with ordering a new one and finicky-ing it in place and get different couplers instead of the unreliable standard Rapido ones (like PEHO-KKK's or Fleischmann Profi couplers). In theory you could try asking it at a reseller or the producer.

[gavino200]

20 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

 

1: All newer Fleischmann BR 103's and the newer Minitrix BR 103 have it. In the DCC version you can disable it. Otherwise you can solder it loose I guess? Or put some tape?

 

Do they always/usually look as bad a mine? I wonder if I can turn the voltage down so it's a dull glow. Otherwise I'll do like you suggest and disable/remove it.

 

20 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

 

2: Good luck getting a new one. Most people (myself included) simply do not bother with ordering a new one and finicky-ing it in place and get different couplers instead of the unreliable standard Rapido ones (like PEHO-KKK's or Fleischmann Profi couplers). In theory you could try asking it at a reseller or the producer.

 

I was able to find the Fleischmann springs. After a lot of fiddling I was able to get the cuppler holders in place with springs engaged. But then trying to get the housing back on and hold it while screwing the truck screws back into the loose metal weights is incredibly difficult. I'd probably go through a whole 10 pack of springs trying to do this. 

 

But I'd like to put lights in these wagons, and having to do this ever time would be horrible. Unless there's some clever method. In any case I've always liked rapidos because of their reliability. Japanese rapidos are very reliable. Railsquid warned me that British rapidos are not reliable at all. If that's also true of German rapidos then I don't think I'll keep them. They don't exactly look fantastic. 

 

Which do you recommend more strongly, the PEHO-KKKs or the FLM Profis?

[Yavianice]

8 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

Which do you recommend more strongly, the PEHO-KKKs or the FLM Profis?

 

PEHO KKK's are rock solid in reliability because of magnets, and they also have a power transfer coupler version (since you like to build in LED's this will be awesome, look at the video below). They especially perform well in push/pull performance where trains with Rapido couplers would derail. But they are also very expensive! FLM Profi's are also expensive, less than the PEHO KKK's, but still very reliable. But in my opinion look a bit awkward.

 

The youtuber does not have pickups in any of his cars. All the power is routed directly from the loco.

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Yavianice

[gavino200]

The BR 120 arrived today along with the final Epoch V IC car. Well really I'm still one car short because of the coupler problem with the restaurant car. I ordered some profi couplers on Yavianice's suggestion, so hopefully I'll get it running soon.

 

I also put a tiny dab of black liquid tape on the top/center LED of the BR 103 to get rid of the annoying engine room light.

 

Shockingly this loco actually has incandescent bulbs instead of LEDs, and the light insulation isn't great. You can see a glow through the cab window. It'll take a little bit of work. Otherwise I love it.

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by gavino200

[gavino200]

The 103 looks much better with the center-top light darkened. I'm very happy with it now.

 

[Yavianice]

9 hours ago, gavino200 said:

Shockingly this loco actually has incandescent bulbs instead of LEDs, and the light insulation isn't great. You can see a glow through the cab window. It'll take a little bit of work. Otherwise I love it.

 

Shockingly? All Fleischmann older models have incandescent bulbs including the ones that have not received a new model (such as the BR 103).

Edited March 5, 2019 by Yavianice

[chadbag]

6 hours ago, Yavianice said:

 

Shockingly? All Fleischmann older models have incandescent bulbs including the ones that have not received a new model (such as the BR 103).

 

I have 3 of these older BR103 and some other lder FLeischmann.  I plan on figuring out a way to replace the bulb with an LED.  DOn't have it figured out yet (have not really started).

 

[gavino200]

6 hours ago, Yavianice said:

 

Shockingly? All Fleischmann older models have incandescent bulbs including the ones that have not received a new model (such as the BR 103).

 

My new BR 103 has LED lightboards. It's been a while since I've looked inside my BR 101 but I think it also has LEDs. My old BR 103 has bulbs but I think it's from the 70s. I would have expected anything built in the last 10 years to have LEDs.

 

I also have a deep rooted bias to expect the highest quality possible from anything German. My German friends laugh at that, but I can't shake it.

Edited March 5, 2019 by gavino200

[gavino200]

36 minutes ago, chadbag said:

 

 I plan on figuring out a way to replace the bulb with an LED.  DOn't have it figured out yet (have not really started).

 

 

I may also do that, but I haven't got round to it. I think you can also change the CVs in the decoder to give a suitable current for incandescent bulbs. Otherwise they tend to look a bit yellowish. Perhaps you've already made that adjustment.

[chadbag]

7 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

I also have a deep rooted bias to expect the highest quality possible from anything German. My German friends laugh at that, but I can't shake it.

 

At least they would like you to think that 🙂

 

(I tend to agree with you and have a great record with VWs since 1988)

[Yavianice]

4 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

My new BR 103 has LED lightboards. It's been a while since I've looked inside my BR 101 but I think it also has LEDs. My old BR 103 has bulbs but I think it's from the 70s. I would have expected anything build in the last 10 years to have LEDs.

 

I also have a deep rooted bias to expect the highest quality possible from anything German. My German friends laugh at that, but I can't shake it.

 

@gavino200... as you can see I wrote specifically that the OLDER fleischmann models have bulbs. Your BR 103 is the newest release from a few years ago which is different, since it is longer and has fully reworked internals. But Fleischmann does not really remake models for new releases.

 

Basically if any model has white/white lights instead of white/red lights from Fleischmann, it's pretty much a certainty that it has bulbs. For example the BR 120 that will be re-released this year, is pretty much identical to all the previous versions, has bulbs.

 

[chadbag]

3 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

I may also do that, but I haven't got round to it. I think you can also change the CVs in the decoder to give a suitable current for incandescent bulbs. Otherwise they tend to look a bit yellowish. Perhaps you've already made that adjustment.

 

I have not converted to DCC or anything more than test DC runs so far (and some research like 1zu160 for conversion info).   I will eventually get around to it.

 

[chadbag]

6 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

 

Basically if any model has white/white lights instead of white/red lights from Fleischmann, it's pretty much a certainty that it has bulbs. For example the BR 120 that will be re-released this year, is pretty much identical to all the previous versions, has bulbs.

 

 

Yes, I just checked my two Fleischmann BR120 and both have bulbs (and NEM651 6 pin slots).  Interestingly one has sleeves around the bulbs and one does not (to avoid light leakage).  These look reasonable easy to convert to LED.

[gavino200]

10 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

 

@gavino200... as you can see I wrote specifically that the OLDER fleischmann models have bulbs. Your BR 103 is the newest release from a few years ago which is different, since it is longer and has fully reworked internals. But Fleischmann does not really remake models for new releases.

 

 

 

Ah, yes I see what you were saying now. This part ".... including the ones that have not received a new model (such as the BR 103)." was a bit vague. It seemed that "such as" referred to "have not received". 

 

My BR 120 is also new, but I guess it's a model that hasn't been re-worked by Fleischmann. BTW my BR 101 has (I believe) LEDs but no red tail lights.

Edited March 5, 2019 by gavino200

[chadbag]

1 minute ago, gavino200 said:

BTW my BR 101 has (I believe) LEDs but no red tail lights.

 

yes, mine as well.

[gavino200]

Just now, chadbag said:

 

Yes, I just checked my two Fleischmann BR120 and both have bulbs (and NEM651 6 pin slots).  Interestingly one has sleeves around the bulbs and one does not (to avoid light leakage).  These look reasonable easy to convert to LED.

 

Yeah, that's really weird. They've re-worked it enough to make it a 6-pin plug-in. I also would have thought switching to LED would be simple in comparison. Do you remember if the BR 101 had LEDs? I think it had.

[chadbag]

5 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

Yeah, that's really weird. They've re-worked it enough to make it a 6-pin plug-in. I also would have thought switching to LED would be simple in comparison. Do you remember if the BR 101 had LEDs? I think it had.

 

Yes I just looked at some pics I took of the internals of the Fleischmann BR101 and it is a LED.

[chadbag]

FYI, here are the insides of my 2 BR120.

 

I have a plan to replace the bulb with an LED.   I'll try to implement this week or weekend as a test.

 

[gavino200]

6 minutes ago, chadbag said:

 

I have a plan to replace the bulb with an LED.   I'll try to implement this week or weekend as a test.

 

 

Great. BTW the roof of the loco shell has a bit of curvature, so the wire harness of the decoder has to be made quite short in order for the decoder to fit. Good luck!