Visiting my local model railway emporium (Waltons of Altrincham) on Saturday, I noticed a new item I hadn’t expected to see; a beautiful-looking N gauge Fleischmann model of the Zurich S-Bahn Re450 push-pull locomotive with matching driving trailer. And they also had the two intermediate coaches in stock. Naturally, with a price tag to match. The whole train would cost about as much as my recent weekend in Edinburgh!
But when modelling Swiss outline, I’m into the trans-Alpine main-lines, not the Zurich commuter belt.
But part of me keeps saying “It’s a superb model, you know you want it”. I’ve already got a 4-car NPZ set, and those two trains could form the basis of a Swiss suburban terminus, a sort of continental version of ‘Minories’. I’ve even got as far as sketching a a track plan; it would all fit quite nicely on a 6′ by 18″ plank. A nice contrast to the British “Restormel” layout that’s beginning to take shape on the old baseboards from “Wöminsee”.
I managed to avoid temptation so far. All I bought was a Bachmann 04, which is itself a nice model, and not much more than a tenth of the price I’d pay for the Zurich S-Bahn set.
But, as Mr Walton said, it’s the last one they’ve got left in stock, and he doesn’t know if he’s going to get any more…
