NLMS - Dutch ModelRailroad - www.nlms.info

Dog nose mat.' 54 and Benelux.

 

The dog nose, as I translate the nickname of the "hondenkop" was the image of the Dutch railroad for over thirty years.
Because of expanding main line electrification, and for replacement  of older train sets, this unit came in service in the mid fifty's

The nickname dog nose came from the new look of the engineer cab, or nose, as compared to previous train sets. The benefit of this shape nose was the safety of the engineer for frontal collisions.

The railroad name of materiel '54 is based upon the year of development, the first units arrived in service in 1956.

The main use of those train sets was for the Intercity lines. Later, after new equipment came in service, she was demoted to lower status trains and branch line service.
Finally the torch was put on her, and ended this, to me, typical Dutch train set.

In 1957 a series of two car sets came  in service for the international route between Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium.

The biggest difference was the capability of operating on two different systems, Dutch 1500 Volt DC and Belgium 3000 Volt DC. In the Netherlands she was often coupled to her two and/or four car set sisters

In the seventy's the four car  set units  were overhauled. The main external change was the color yellow in stead of green.
Also a third headlight appeared in the center of the nose, and some models got an electrical / mechanical destination sign, instead of the metal signs on the outside.

A few units were changed especially for the intercity service, and were painted yellow with a bleu banner on the side. The seating became coach, instead of a face to face seating.

The series was numbered 1700, and some also got equipped with single spar pantographs.
A rare unit was the 776, which partly burned out, and was rebuild as the 1970, with three first class and one second class cars, instead of the common one first class and three second class cars.

drawings:
series 300, two car set
series 700, four car set
series 1200, Benelux train set
train set 1970
powered truck
un powered truck

Unfortunately two dog nose train sets have been involved in a hijack, to the best of my knowledge, the only train hijacks in the world. In 1975 it was a train with two two car set's, including the 378 in Wijster, and in 1977 the four car set 747 at De Punt.

 

 

And new the dog nose in model, kit bashed with a Lima model and Mastica kits.
 
I started this project 14 years ago, but it has been paused for this period of time due to many moves, part of the military lifestyle

I am building three two car set's and three four car set's, in the old green and new yellow colors, as well a Benelux version.

series 300 two car set green
series 300 two car set yellow
series 1200 two car set Benelux
series 700 four car set green
series 700 four car set yellow
series 1700 four car set IC

The basis of the dog nose is a Lima train set, kit bashed with Mastica kits, and for the 1700 series model, the pantographs are being replaced with single spar pantographs from Sommerfeldt.

These Mastica kits are sidewalls with the proper spacing of windows and doors. The original Lima model is a four-car set made out of two identical cars, and  is therefore not prototypical.

First we disassemble the Lima train, for the two car  set, we only need the two head end units.
From the original we use the boogies (the powered boogie is replaceable with a better running one), the weight, interior, pantographs and diagrams.

From the glass we only need the cab windows.

The main body will  be mostly kit bashed, and the bottom part just a little modified.

When building a two car  set, we have to modify the roof. This is best done before cutting and installing the sidewalls.

For a Dutch two-car set  we remove the two pantograph attachments from one head end car.

For a Benelux set we remove the inner attachment from each car.
New we build the new side walls from Mastica according to the included drawings, and when they are finished, we cut out one wall from each Lima car, and after filling a nice fit, we glue the Mastica wall in it's place.

Do this with all two or four cars, and then the other side from each car.

Mastica supplied a special holding fixture to maintain proper spacing of the walls.

 

This page is last updated on 15 July 2012

NLMS - Dutch ModelRailroad - www.nlms.info