SWISS RAILWAYS Z SCALE LAYOUTS
Helmut Paule
RORSCHACH - HEIDEN BERGBAHNAll pictures on this page are © Helmut Paule and used with kind permission
This page is also available in German - Diese Seite ist auch in Deutsch verf¸gbar
In some places, the changes of time come to take place slowly. The station at Rorschach is such a place, and so it could be any year between 1945 and today, because the short train arriving at the station just now is hauled by a DZeh 2/4, built in 1929 and painted into its bright red livery in 1945 (which it has carried ever since).
The village of Heiden, overlooking the lake of Constance, had been known for quite some time as a climatic health ressort when plans emerged in the 1870s to build a railway line up to the village from Rorschach. Construction of the Rorschach-Heiden Bergbahn started in 1874 under the supervision of the famous mountain railways pioneer Niklaus Riggenbach, and the line was completed one year later. Various proposals using standard and narrow gauge track had been contemplated; in the end standard gauge track in addition with the Riggenbach rack system (allowing for a more direct ascent to Heiden) was chosen. Electrification of the line was commenced in 1929 and completed in 1930. The RHB connects with Swiss Federal Railways in Rorschach, allowing for RHB and SBB special trains to run to or from St.Gallen to Heiden. In the year 2000, the RHB was able to celebrate 125 years of continuous rail service. (More information on the RHB can be found in Hans Waldburger's in-depth portrait of the RHB 125 Jahre Rorschach-Heiden Bergbahn)
Inspired by Freudenreich's model of the DZeh2/4 (kit no. ZB 108), Helmut Paule built his RHB layout in 2001/2002. The complete layout measures 87 x 100 cm ( 34 x 39 1/3 inches) which didn't allow Helmut to copy the real trackplan of the line. He therefore decided to set up 2 loops to go up the mountain from Rorschach to Heiden on a 3% gradient.
The catenary used is also Freudenreich's design. While this is non-functional, it certainly looks the part and adds to the overall Swiss atmosphere of the layout.
Two views showing the stations on the layout: Rorschach (topmost) and Heiden (top, built from a "Surava" kit). Note the fine looking Freudenreich catenary masts and the attention paid to scenic details which create a pleasing atmosphere (below).
As for the future, Swiss style signals are currently being installed, and there are plans for an additional two tracks for a second and third train to run: one being a siding for trains to cross midway from Rorschach to Heiden (as they sometimes do on the prototype, using a switchback siding), while the other is to provide some more "action" at Rorschach.
For shows, Helmut designed an automatic control for the train going up to Heiden: after a short wait at the station it backs down to Rorschach again. This is done by using photo-transistor sensors installed underneath the tracks with a lightsource on top to detect trains arriving at the station. A modified MCR 1300 controller with a maximum output of 8 Volts (halve-waves) is used, making the loco run at 3-1/2 Volt up the mountain and 3 V downwards (otherwise the loco would virtually race down from the mountain). The Turnouts are M”rklin, modified for under table operation with a modified relay.
The layout was displayed at the NTS Train show in Ft. Lauderdale Florida in July 2002, depicted in Ztrack Magazine July/August 2002 ("Z Makes Tracks In The Sand… an NTS Ft. Lauderdale Report").
You can see more of the RHB by visiting the official homepage.
For more information on the DZeh 2/4, Swiss catenary, and Freudenreich's products in general, visit the Freudenreich Feinwerktechnik homepage.
Page created: 20/JAN/2003
Last revised: 09/DEC/2004
