The first trams in Graz! The year was 1909, just four to five years after the last horse-drawn trams had been converted to electric multiple units and sidecars, and Grazer Waggon- und Maschinen-Fabriks AG (formerly Johann Weitzer) had just been incorporated! Its first prototypes, the railcars 71 to 76, went into operation after thorough testing, all the lines licensed at the time were completed and the Graz Tramway Company (GTG) received the first electric tramway sets specially manufactured for Graz.
ÖBB 052/S - The apiary! After ÖBB had closed the auxiliary workshop in Obergrafendorf and the maintenance of the narrow-gauge wagons was transferred to the main workshop in St. Pölten, there was a lack of a suitable shunting locomotive there in the spring of 1960. With the tried and tested confidence that makeshift is the longest lasting solution, a shunting tractor was quickly cobbled together from existing old materials. The engine came from a compressor, the gearbox from a standard-gauge tow train. The frame and the superstructure were built by themselves, based on the narrow-gauge wagons. After the ÖBB 052/S was taken out of service, the locomotive body was sold and served as an apiary in the Pielach Valley for many years!
The return of the narrow gauge! After two years of sorrow, narrow gauge is finally returning to HALLING! It is with great pleasure that we can present the first two motorised H0e models! The approximately 11 km long Mixnitz-St. Erhard narrow gauge line was built in 1913 as part of the development of the magnesite deposits in Breitenau am Hochlantsch. The electric locomotives ‘E1’ and ‘E2’ with the Bo axle arrangement were used for the mixed operation of passenger and goods trains.
A little piece of k.u.k. history! After the revolution of 1848, Venice was no longer acceptable to the Austrian navy as the main war harbour. The choice was between expanding Trieste, which already had an efficient commercial harbour, or the small fishing town of Pola, which at the time only had around 900 inhabitants, but an almost perfect natural harbour.
The U2 comeback! The Wiener Linien is celebrating the comeback of the year: the U2 has been running continuously from Seestadt to Karlsplatz again since December 6th 2024. With a slight delay, we can now also introduce the new star of the U2: The Type X from Wiener Linien! The smart newcomer is fully on board and is running the entire tour - We ♥ U2!
The famous Tichy-ULF is back! For all those who love the Viennese tram, for all those who missed the first edition and actually for all those who like to eat really good ice cream, we have excellent news this week - the legendary Tichy-ULF is back! The Tichy ice cream parlour, a cornerstone of the Viennese way of life, has had several trams wrapped every year for decades. These extremely smart advertising vehicles have become as much a part of the Viennese cityscape as horse-drawn carriages and coffee houses.
For 32 men or 4 horses! Today's G/s 106 began its long and eventful career in 1896 as a ‘troop transport’ on the Ybbstalbahn. Today, it has been restored to perfection by the Mh.6 Club and is still in use as a crew and power wagon with the Mh.6 in the nostalgia train of the Mariazellerbahn, making it the longest-serving narrow-gauge freight wagon in Austria.
The new one! Many of you have been wondering what's next. The fourth candle of the Advent wreath is a brand new H0e model from the brand new brand Mostviertler Schmalspurmodelle. We know from reliable sources that Mostviertler still has a lot planned and has already started production.
Mariazeller Advent! The quiet time of the year is almost over and we are looking forward to the few days after the festive season that we don't have to fill with all kinds of hectic activities - the unofficial festive days of the company holidays! Speaking of unofficial: the Christmas wagon of the third Advent was never actually an official Christmas wagon.
Underneath the Tree! The second Advent is just around the corner and we have another very special gift for you! The Christmas float from 2022 is back for the very last time! The Garstner Advent is one of the oldest and most beautiful Advent markets in Austria and offers handicraft exhibitions and a Christmassy atmosphere ‘Am Platzl’ in front of the baroque collegiate church.
A piece of contemporary history and not a bit tired! The Woltersdorf tram is a standard-gauge interurban tram. It runs on the eastern outskirts of Berlin and connects the Berlin-Rahnsdorf railway station with the municipality of Woltersdorf in Brandenburg. Due to the scenic route, the tram also plays an important role in Berlin's excursion traffic. However, it mainly serves as a feeder line from Woltersdorf to the Berlin-Rahnsdorf S-Bahn station.
We wish you a wonderful First Advent! If you would like to give someone a present, you can once again have the model professionally wrapped in one of three stylish wrapping papers by ordering the Christmas Upgrade articles ex works!
New Edition Flexity 2 Blackpool In 2012, the first of 18 Alstom (formerly Bombardier) Flexity 2 trams were delivered to Blackpool, making it the world's first customer for Alstom's new design. Since then, Alstom has manufactured most of the Flexity series in Vienna, a trend that we are only too happy to follow with the Flexity series models!
The last Reko in Berlin! Vor mittlerweile über 28 Jahren zog der 3012 eine melancholische Abschiedsrunde durch Berlin. Geschmückt und voll besetzt ist er mehrfach fotografiert worden, was uns dazu veranlasst hat, unsere letzten paar orangen Zweirichter diesem letzten Mohikaner zu widmen.
Tampereen ratikka! The Tampere tramway, originally Tampereen ratikka, was put into operation in August 2021. Two tram lines with a total length of 16 km and 24 stops are served and trains run every 7 ½ minutes. After a long planning period, construction of the standard-gauge lines began in 2016. This will be Finland's first standard-gauge tramway system.
Old Vienna at its best! The finely etched, full-colour and double-sided printed accessories with point tools and flags for the M wagons have run out. We have taken this opportunity to completely revise them and have added new roof advertisements, fresh destinations and previously unused rails. The current series of M-cars is now equipped with the sparkling Ottakringer roof advertisement, but the fine accessories can also be purchased separately and are suitable for all historic Viennese trams.
At the start of the season - the first Hoobl! The Freiburg im Breisgau tramway, formerly known colloquially as Hoobl (Alemannic for slicer), has been in existence since 1901, was electrified from the very beginning and is now operated by five lines in regular service as well as the vintage line 7. The current model replicates a railcar from the very first series of electric vehicles in Freiburg!
All good things come in threes! We're delighted that you liked the first two half-size models so much! The c2 1002 and c3 1110 models are now sold out! But as we all know, all good things come in threes. And so we are delighted and a little proud to present the c3 1156! This very harmonious model is modelled on the prototype in conductorless condition circa 1973, i.e. after the heyday of the ‘Halbstarke Garnituren’ in Vienna, and would therefore also combine perfectly with an E1.
Unique opportunity! The N railcars and the n trailer were used purely for light rail transport and on line 18G (1925-1961). The set of two railcars with a sidecar coupled in between is preserved in the Remise Transport Museum in very good condition to this day.
