LGB 20755, G-Scale BR139 electric locomotive

LGB 20755 is a product that is no longer in production. I noticed the existence of this model a few months ago and was surprised by its rather low price. Seemed that at a cost of a regular locomotive I could get one with a DCC decoder and a sound module. Too good to be true?

So I was thinking about buying it. Considering the pros and the cons. And thinking about it again. And by the time I've made up my mind, the locomotive was sold out everywhere. And I almost gave up looking for it. Until I came across it by luck at the ArsTecnica on-line store.

Seemed they had two pieces available. But soon only one was left. I could not wait any more and bought it quickly. It cost me 364 € but I knew it had to be worth it. After all it could have been the last LGB 20755 available in the entire world!

So what is LGB 20755? It's a G-Scale model of a German BR139 electric locomotive. As already mentioned it features a DCC decoder and sound functions. It's a budget model, it's really cheap compared to other large scale items. Will it feel cheap, too?

One of the icons on the box indicates you should not throw the locomotive into a trash bin. I wonder who would ever do that...

This is my first LGB product. So finally I'm able to see what the LGB packaging is like. The locomotive came in a rather large and heavy box. It feels sturdy and durable. Just as I would expect it to be.

Inside there's another box. The model is completely hidden inside a polystyrene foam case. It really looks safe...

And here's the locomotive. Additionally protected by a plastic wrap.

Let's unwrap it then...

...and see the full content of the package:

We don't really get that much. Four items only:

• the locomotive itself
• a metal plate (of undocumented function) 
• central buffers for narrow gauge operation
• manual in several languages

Somehow I expected a little more to be there. But is there anything missing? I don't think so... After all, I can't even find out what the metal plate is for. More stuff would confuse me even more.

So does the budget model feel cheap?

I would not say that. The locomotive is heavy and feels solid. It does not make an impression of a toy at all. Its body is rather simple - we won't find that many separately applied elements there. Except for the roof which is nicely detailed in my opinion.

The pantographs are extendable. Their mechanism is simple and they tend to rise at the slightest touch but they make a good impression overall. They're plastic though so I will be careful when operating them. And no, they cannot pick power from the catenary wires.

The paint scheme is very simple. It does reflect the original locomotives from that era though. And there are quite a lot of small details painted which is nice. It's just that everything is white-on-green. Rather boring and not eye-catchy...

But why don't we let the photos tell the story...


Looks perfect at first. But if you look long enough, you'll notice a small damage on the side of the model. I wonder how it got there. Here it is magnified:

I haven't had the chance to run the locomotive very much, yet. I did however build a test loop and made it go around a few times. It seemed to perform very well. The motor was not very loud, and it ran smoothly on my track.

The locomotive does not look good on a 60cm (2ft) radius track. It's already too long for such a narrow curve to look realistic. I would definitely recommend a wider loop for this engine.

The DCC functions worked right away. They're fully compatible with Roco/Fleischmann central stations. The DCC sound effects are clear with the exception of the "station announcement" function which could really offer a better quality of audio. The sounds are very loud. Much louder than my PIKO sound module and speaker set. I consider it very good news. I may however have to lower the volume not to annoy my neighbours too much. Here's a short demo of the DCC/sound capabilities.

Summary

The first impression of my new locomotive is very good. Despite the low price, I can't find anything I could really complain about. I don't have any other super-expensive models though, so perhaps I just don't know what I'm missing here. However, if you're low on budget, I don't see why I should not recommend buying this cheaper product.

Pros

• really attractive price
• DCC/sound equipped
• nicely detailed roof
• good general feeling (despite low price)
• loud audio output

Cons

• not in production anymore
• very generic, unattractive look
• audio effects (one in particular) could be of better quality

G-Scale DCC setup with Uhlenbrock Power 8 booster

My plan for this year is to really grow my G-Scale layout. I'm talking here longer track, more trains, switches with remote control, etc. This is not only going to cost, it's also going to need more power. And power is something my present DCC system cannot provide.

At the same time I really like my current digital stations. Both Multimaus and the Z21 are great kits and they proved to be fully compatible with large scale trains. I required a solution that would address all my needs and I found one in the forums at G Scale Central.

It's called Power 8 and it's manufactured by a German company by the name of Uhlenbrock. It's a signal booster that is not dedicated to any specific DCC system. Instead it accepts a DCC signal that would normally be provided to the track and increases its power to deliver up to 8 Amperes of electrical current.

I bought the booster from MSL at a price of 150 €. What I got is a rather small device with a huge radiator. The manual is fully in German, but luckily an English one is available on-line. The gadget makes a solid first impression:

So my plan was to use it with Roco/Fleischmann systems. The information I found in the forums indicated full compatibility. But of course I could not be sure until I tried it myself. And so the testing has started...

Setup #1 - Uhlenbrock Power 8 with Fleischmann Multimaus

This setup consists of the following elements:

• Fleischmann Multimaus controller
• Fleischmann 680801 DCC station
• Uhlenbrock Power 8 booster
• 16V 150VA transformer

The configuration is connected as shown in the below diagram:

The important points are:

• usage of the C and D inputs on the Power 8 booster
• proper jumper settings in the Power 8 booster

Test result: works without any issues. As soon as the setup is powered, the Multimaus switches on. Green LED on the Power 8 indicates valid operation. A few seconds later the DCC signal appears on the track and the layout is ready for operation.

Setup #2 - Uhlenbrock Power 8 with Roco z21

This setup is very similar to setup #1. The elements used include:

• Roco z21 DCC station
• Network router (not shown)
• Android tablet with z21 application
• Uhlenbrock Power 8 booster
• 16V 150VA transformer

 The connection is also very similar to the previous setup:

Test result: works without any issues. And just like with the Multimaus configuration, all devices report valid statuses and the track becomes powered within a few seconds.

Summary

It would seem the information found in the forums was fully accurate. The Uhlenbrock Power 8 booster is compatible with both Roco/Fleischmann systems. I'm very happy about that. Not only it's a relatively cheap option to upgrade a DCC setup for more power, but it also allows me to continue using controllers I'm already familiar with. Seems like I'm ready for this year's G-Scale season.

I've also captured a video showing my test procedure and results. Enjoy!

Piko 62040, G-Scale "Rosenbach" train station

The need of having a train station on a railroad layout does not need to be explained. Actually a miniature world should have two or more of such buildings to allow fully featured operation. But since I had none of those in G-Scale, yet, I've decided to start with just one.

Building sets for large scale modelling tend to be very expensive. Luckily my layout will not be very huge, so a smaller station will fit there just fine. That's why I went for a medium sized structure - PIKO 62040 "Rosenbach". The official price for this item is 144 €. Luckily it can be picked on Ebay for much, much less. That's where I made my purchase and a few days later a rather large box has arrived.

The size and weight of the kit were the first surprise to me. I did not expect anything small but this is really much, much bigger and heavier than any building kit I ever built. I guess I should get used to it, now that I'm starting to think seriously about my G-Scale layout.

Let's open the box. It contains two smaller boxes with parts, a lot of "protection paper", manuals, stickers, a bag with foliage and two tubes of glue.

The manual is rather short. It describes the entire build in just 14 steps. But it's also very clear and the small number of steps allows the assembler to easily notice patterns in the included parts.

Several sets of stickers are provided with the kit and they're in different languages, too. Transparent plastic parts for window glass and paper curtain imitations are also available.

Here are all the plastic elements. They're all big and solid-looking. No tiny details like in the N-Scale kits. This is going to be fun!

The base element (the floor) is not provided though. You have to buy one extra or come up with your own solution.

Unfortunately even with all this careful packaging, one part still got damaged during transport. Luckily it's not a huge problem in the large scale. Such damage can be easily fixed.

Let's start the build. The first step is assembling the walls. Here are the results of my first afternoon's activities. Very easy to assemble but also very glue consuming. The first included glue tube is already gone at this point.

After the second afternoon some of the walls are already erected and connected together. Window decorations are there, too. I also started working on the front roof and the chimneys.

Afternoon number three and we've got a building already. At this point I'm very impressed by how well everything fits together. For example: the roof installation requires several elements to slide into each other. It looks complicated at first, but then you try it and... it just works.

Oh, I'm out of glue already at this point. Luckily I've bought some more beforehand.

After the fourth afternoon, the building is complete. All that is left is the appliance of the stickers. The only part that did not fit perfectly is the front grey roof. I'm still not sure why that happened but it should definitely be aligned with the walls much better. Might be I did something wrong there...

Now for the stickers... Those are provided in English, German and French. I'm not surprised Polish ones are not available, so I'm just making my own.

My stickers are just printouts on a slightly thicker than regular paper. They're not weather resistant. So I cover them all with several layers of a clear lacquer that is supposed to provide the protection from moist and sun. If the product shown below does half of what is advertised on the box, my stickers will last forever.

So let's take a look at the final result. I have to say I really like what I've built.

Summary

I had a lot of fun building the set. And the outcome is very satisfying, too. It's a very simple and not a very big train station but it seems perfect for a start. It will act as my main building on my new layout and I'll definitely extend it with a platform and interior lighting. The thing I'm worried about are my stickers, but luckily those are easily replaceable.

Pros:

• easy and fun build
• parts fit perfectly
• clear manual 
• some glue provided
• reasonable price (on Ebay)

Cons:

• no base element
• not enough glue
• very high official price