En ode til et Lyntog :D - or as times go by....

For over ti år siden skrev jeg følgende i et nu nedlagt "engelsktalende" forum. Indlægget kom som et svar på en forespørgsel om hvad et lyntog dog var for noget og jeg kom i tanker om en tur med Sølvpilen for over 25 år siden.

To: Bill Comfort, Niels Peter Andersen, Stefano Chiti-Batelli, Helmut Schuetz, DK modelrailroaders and cross- boarder (D-DK) enthusiasts (and people disliking the nose of a normal VT601!!!).

Niels Peter Andersen Wrote:

„Now I am wondering if this train (except for painting) is the same as the Danish class MA trains, which originally were red but later silver coloured.

and Bill Comfort wrote:

„I think you are referring to the so-called „Lyntog" or lightning train"...."any other help from our DK experts?"

Well - I am not and expert, but here we go....

Right you are Bill. The Danish Lyntog (lightning train) was build by Linke-Hoffmann-Busch, MAN, Wegmann & Co. and Danish subcontractors. The business idea of this special train was a fast connection between Zealand (read Copenhagen) and the major cities in Jutland. The train( typically started early in the morning from Copenhagen and returning in the afternoon (and vice versa).

The train consisted of two car arrangements each consisting of a motor unit and three passenger cars. Passenger car number three with a steering compartment on the top of the roof. This concept was chosen because the train was to be transferred by ferry over Storebaelt (Great Belt), where the maximum length of a train was limited to roughly 130 meters or so (depending on ferry and year). Here the train was split up in to two - transferred over the Belt - and then again connected to each other. By the arrival in Langaa (small town in Jutland), the train was once more splitted up. One part of the train then continued to for example Frederikshavn an the other part to Struer. A very flexible concept and from a economical point of view not so stupid because the population density in Jutland is pretty thin compared to the Copenhagen area.

The trains were first delivered in 1963 (MA 460 to MA 464), another six were bought in 1966 (MA 465 to MA 470). A typical car arrangement was

(MA-AM-BM-BS)+(BS-BR-AM-MA).

LEGEND

MA= motor unit + baggage room + compartment for the personnel

AM= 1. class, 36 seats

BR= Dining car, 20 seats 2. class + kitchen + bar + 18 seats in the restaurant

BM= 2. class, 51 seats

BS= 2. class, 47 seats (with steering compartment)

The trains were painted red with a small yellow (beige) stripe, but in 1984 the colour was changed to silver with red logo’s and the interior was modernised.

In summer 1984 I (and a very nice girl who later became my wife) went on vacation on this train from Copenhagen to Frederikshavn (continuing to Skagen with a small local train).

We were travelling first class and luckily the new conference compartment (situated in the AM car) was not occupied meaning that the other 1. class passengers (only the two of us) could use it. There is no gangway there so you have a free view through the big windows to both sides and you are sitting in free standing leather arm chairs (Boerge Mogensen design or a copy I think) with small tables in dark wood in front of you.

This was THE best railway journey I ever made! Imagine a sonny day with a dark blue sky and white clouds (cumulus type) in Denmark, the journey with the ferry, yellow cornfields, the green forests and when passing the fjords of Denmark the many white sails as a contrast to the grey/blue water. This together with some Danish open sandwiches and a Chateau Figeac, Premiér Grand Cru Classé, St. Emilion from 1971 and (not to forget) the nice girl made the combination to an unforgettable journey. Absolutely smashing !

This was definitely one of the few occasions, where I can remember the place, the name of the girl and the wine (and not as usual only the wine!). As you can understand I am bit emotional attached to the this train so now to the question, how do you get it on your layout?

As basis you need the ROCO VT601, the supplement package with three additional passenger cars and two additional cars with small windows. Wait a minute didn’t he just said that the train consisted of 8 cars and now he buys nine? Good question - the reason is that one of the passenger cars in the in the supplement case cannot be used - it is optically wrong.

The shop Trinbraettet in Aarhus, Denmark can deliver all of the above plus a kit containing a new nose for the MA-unit and a new nose and steering compartment for a steering car plus some minor details. The following changes have to be made in order to get a correct model.

MA: New nose must be fitted

AM: No changes needed

BR: One window must be „removed" (i.e. filled with plastic padding)

BM: No changes needed

BS: One end must be fitted with a new nose and the steering compartment must be

placed on top of the roof.

For a more thorough description on what exactly to do, I can refer to the Danish modelrailway magazine „Lokomotivet" number 27 from February 1992 and number 1 & 3 from 1993 (the description covers a rebuild in scale N, but the principles can be converted to HO without problems).

And now some remarks to the cross-boarder enthusiasts. As far as I know the Danish „VT601" never went abroad before 1992, where they all were phased out and sold to Poland. That was by the way no success - the train is difficult to service and a pretty fragile so they were quickly run down and taken out of service (the company also went bust).

So if you want to have a cross-boarder „lightning train" you have to stick to the old lyntog from 1935. This train reminded of the „fliegende Hamburger" (flying hamburger ) from 1933, but already then the split-up principle as described above was invented. This train was in service from 1935-1973 and from 1968 DSB had to deliver the rolling stock for the Neptun Express Copenhagen-Berlin. If you want this train Heljan just brought out a model, but I think you have to react

fast (limited production). The quality is OK, but not Maerklin.

Tja, som tiden dog går HilsenLars