So You Think Playmobil Is Toylike And Not Worthy Of A Place On Your Line?

[James Day]

Each to his own - I can't stand the Steaming Mary, but would very much like the 2-4-0, but by operating what is basically a branch line without a turntable, I can persuade myself that I can manage without one.

Think of it as the NG15 being rebuilt for the RhE at Dinas, or something similar. It is designed to run both ways. I love running mine backwards, as you can see in the video.

It is a very powerful and chunky loco. Yes I agree with the other comments - (owing to the fact that it uses the standard PM motor block and the cylinder position as the 0-4-0s), it can look a little odd. Ideally the cylinders would be futher forward, but this goes against the broad interchangeability of parts - the principles on which the PM range was originally created.

I use to let this bother me, a bit, but not any more!

James

 

[dunnyrail]

I am going to answer the question that the OP has raised "
So You Think Playmobile Is Toylike And Not Worthy Of A Place On Your Line?

Yes

Ian, I thought that some of the adaptions that I and others have done might have made you think a bit differently. Never mind. We all have our Rule 1.

Now for my final piece some of the changes that I have made to PM Buildings. The first one is not so much of a change, just to use pretty well as is because it is a rather nice Halt Station. I use it for my Sternhaus Station. As you can see from the picture below the prototype has limited facilities. I have given the residents a nice new shiny roof to wait for Trains. Though I think that on a Snowy Day the Garden Shed might have been more appreciated by the residents of Sternhaus.
Below is the PM Model Cat 4382:-

This is how I have used it on my line, note the Clock set forever to Pub o Clock:-
Next we come to Cat 5301 The Grand Mansion, I lucked out at a Bootsale with this one going for a very reasonable £10-15 quid I think. I had the vague idea that it would fit in somewhere in my old Garden at Hemel. However it was just too big so languished for a while till I had the lightbulb moment and it became 2 Station Buildings and a Hotel/Bar. I had a very inconveniently placed Brick Support Wall and just wrapped part of the structure around it.


They have all found a new place on my current line.

The Wrap Around one as a Hotel at the end of my Alexisbad Station, it also doubles as a Wagon Load Store. Plus it disguises nicely the exit from the scenic Alexisbad Station to the non scenic bit of the Shed that has my Workshop and Carriage Siding. The inevitable East German Trabant Executive Saloon awaits it's Driver.

As you can see the other side is not so pretty beyond the PM Structure, but as it is impossible to see this no problem.

Here is how the Hotel has been used as an add on to my Silberhutte Station:-

And my old Gernrode Station is emerging as a small halt called Strasberg. Still work in process as the levitated Building shows.

Finally for inspiration just a few more Buildings that I think are of Great use for the builder that wishes to capture that nice old European feel. I have not used any of these, but if I had space I would not hesitate to hunt them out.



JonD

 

[PhilP]

Playmobil block..

 

[stockers]

Now that IS a conversion. I like that.

 

[PhilP]

Thanks Alan, I can't take the credit though..

The block does need the black rubber band to keep contact in the block (a little tired, and worn). Wish I knew more about it.. It was a 'member to member' purchase at G-Rail a couple of years ago. The material is quite 'stiff' (rigid), so do not think it is plasticard (more like resin perhaps)?

Been trying to see if it is based on a prototype, or just a 'generic diesel'.. Either way, I think it has a nice 'faded NCB' look about it.

The wagons came from a different source, and are pretty rough in places, so again suit the air of neglect..

 

[Zerogee]

So it was you who purchased the little blue "Meg" at G-Rail, Phil! I was the seller, so I hope you felt that you'd got a good deal..... I can neither claim credit for building it nor tell you much about it, sadly, since I bought it via evilBay a year or so earlier! I sold it again exactly as I bought it, after one of the periodic "Oh God, I have too much stuff!" clearouts.
It's a well-made little thing, isn't it - an entirely scratchbuilt body on a Playmobil R/C chassis - I think there is a sticker underneath giving the name of the chap who built it...... I think it actually IS mostly of plasticard construction, though I could be wrong.
To me it always just looked like a simple generic diesel, and I thought the slightly faded and lightly weathered paintjob suited it well.

Glad to see it's getting some use out on the line!

Jon.

 

[James Day]

View attachment 205633 Playmobil block..

Phil,

That is a very nice loco and shows just what could be done with the classic RC PM loco chassis and the sort of thing that could be done with the older track powered block.

Sadly PM have moved on and whilst the new Diesel is nice looking and has lots of child friendly gizmos built in, I really don't like the chassis on several counts.

1/ it moves away from the classic PM block style and no longer can you take an RC PM loco and bolt or clip in an older track powered PM mech. I have created a track powered version using metal wheels and strings of diodes to reduce the track voltage to suit, but it is frankly not that successful

2/ Why so long? The wheelbase is now far longer than the classic mechs, which seems very odd when most locos will spend thier lives going around those very sharp curves. There is no bolt in alternative mech that I know of anything like as long. It is even longer than an LGB Kof

3/ The independent motors powering each axle - Why do this? Give me rods any day. When you open the mech up the motors do look rather cheap to me. This lacks the robustness of the LGB-like track powered mechs and the classic PM RC chassis. I just can't see scratch builders rushing to use the new mech like they did with the older ones.

On the plus side for PM to be able to sell a loco with all this electronics built in, as a set with the track and a wagon for around 100 GBP is astonishing and all power to them.

I just wish that they had done it slightly differently, but my motives are purely selfish and based upon my desire to have it track powered. I appreciate that I am seriously out of fashion here!

James

 

[playmofire]

I don't have and won't be having one of these, but another shortcoming of it is the horrid whining noise from the drive system. I don't know whether the ones I have heard have been atypical, but hopefully they have.

Having said that, when my great-niece received one of these as a present last Christmas aged four and a half, she loved it and had mastered all the operations (other than the reset button) within minutes, giving me a detailed run down, illustrated with operations, on how to use the hand control when we arrived for the day.

 

[James Day]

I don't have and won't be having one of these, but another shortcoming of it is the horrid whining noise from the drive system.

Having said that, when my great-niece received one of these as a present last Christmas aged four and a half, she loved it and had mastered all the operations (other than the reset button) within minutes, giving me a detailed run down, illustrated with operations, on how to use the hand control when we arrived for the day.

Tend to agree with you on both points. The mechanism reminds me of an LGB screecher I once had....

HOWEVER

When someone comes to me and asks which train set they should buy for their child (of almost any age you care to mention) to PLAY WITH my reply has to be Playmobil.

Sneeze and your Hornby or Bachmann is probably broken. If a child of almost any age tries to put almost any 00/H0 track together more than once it is trashed. Playmobil appears to be virtually apocolypse proof and it can be safey used indoors or out. BY UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN!

Also look at how well this loco attracts and involves children - As you described! (and it was a GIRL too! Brilliant news! A train set that appeals to both sexes!)

Add in the Playmobil Spy Camera (which is designed to fit in the cab) and they can even make movies with it, which involves using their computers.

A child starting out with a PM train could quite possibly go into garden railways one day too!

James

 

[Robert Howard]

Everyone has to start somewhere



Ours has had a tough life but no harm done.

 

[playmofire]

Tend to agree with you on both points. The mechanism reminds me of an LGB screecher I once had....

HOWEVER

When someone comes to me and asks which train set they should buy for their child (of almost any age you care to mention) to PLAY WITH my reply has to be Playmobil.

Sneeze and your Hornby or Bachmann is probably broken. If a child of almost any age tries to put almost any 00/H0 track together more than once it is trashed. Playmobil appears to be virtually apocolypse proof and it can be safey used indoors or out. BY UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN!

Also look at how well this loco attracts and involves children - As you described! (and it was a GIRL too! Brilliant news! A train set that appeals to both sexes!)

Add in the Playmobil Spy Camera (which is designed to fit in the cab) and they can even make movies with it, which involves using their computers.

A child starting out with a PM train could quite possibly go into garden railways one day too!

James

I couldn't agree more, James.

Sophia isn't quite the "normal" girl. When they were leaving preschool, all the children were asked what did they want to do when they grew up. Sophia's answer was an emphatic, "Build a bridge like my Daddy". And nowadays, of course, that's not impossible. A temporary PA I had, who looked as if she should pay half fare on the bus, got a job with Balfour Beatty, added a qualification in Commercial Surveying to her existing BA in Business Studies and French and was last heard of working on the construction of the Gold Coast line in Australia.

 

[dunnyrail]

Brill to see the young ones enjoying their Operating with the PM Diesel. Despite some of the negative comments, it is a superb little beast and as I and others have shown a perfect starting pont for one to put a personal stamp on it.
JonD

 

[chris m01]

Each to his own. I don't have any PM and don't plan to get any but I can seen some good conversion work and I like seeing PM stock in use.
This is not mine and it isn't exactly serious modelling but I must say I like it.

 

[David1226]

I love the driver who can barely see over the dash.

David

 

[PhilP]

I love the driver who can barely see over the dash.

David

"Bello!"

Looks perfectly serious to me!!

We have some 'little old lady' drivers like that round here!!

 

[chris m01]

The great thing about garden railways is that you can run trains like these at the same time and nobody minds a bit. In my experience everyone in the garden railway fraternity is happy so long as there are trains running, it isn't raining and food (usually pork pies and doughnuts) is being served.

I don't think there is much that can be done to make this PM item more realistic but it kind of works as a piece of art. The minions being representative of commuters off to their daily grind in a shiny train- brings back memories.

 

[Zerogee]

..........but it kind of works as a piece of art. The minions being representative of commuters off to their daily grind in a shiny train- brings back memories.
View attachment 205668

Excellent, Chris - Allegorical Railway Modelling, could be the new antidote to Numerorivetophilia (obsessive love of Rivet Counting)......

Jon.

 

[Madman]

I purchased the new diesel set, earlier this year, specifically for my grandchildren and visiting junior engineers to run on my line. I got it for $75.00 plus I think $20.00 shipping, brand new, from a seller on Ebay. It runs very well on my line, even though my track is not perfect and has many turnouts. The range os speed is acceptable for junior engineers, but a bit too fast for me. The sound and lights at great for the money. For $75.00 I think it's a great buy. And it's already been said here that Bachmann, being at the lower price range, cannot even come close to the play value of this set.

 

[owlpool]

useful too

 

[andyb]

I was quite lucky to get a 2 storey 'Neustadt' station (Playmobil 4302) quite cheaply off a certain auction site but with some parts missing.

The beauty of the Playmobil System-X modular building system is that you can move things around and buy extras to incorporate - and as I wanted something that looked a little less 'continental' I had a play with moving the upper floor to the ground floor as a waiting room. Bought a few more spares bits to extend the canopy and came up with this.

I'd be quite happy to include this on the garden layout when it's restored after the winter - See what you think...