Modellbahn Union Kühlwagen Tbnhs 30 Spur H0

Tbnhs 30: chilled stuff for all of Europe

The Tbnhs 30 ferry refrigerated car was used for traffic to Great Britain. A goods wagon was required for traffic that corresponded to the smaller British loading gauge and, in addition to the well-known air brakes, also had the suction air brake system that was common in Great Britain. From 1935, 50 refrigerator cars were produced in two lots. The refrigerator cars were used until 1969. Our product manager Heiko Stoll has more information about the original and model.

(all prototype pictures Copyright Stefan Carstens)

Knocked on the door of the product manager: a special type of refrigerated truck! How did the idea for this refrigerated truck come about?

The subject of ferry boats is already well represented in our own models. We have already successfully implemented the Tcefs 845 and the Rbmms 55 stake car as ferry boat cars in H0 gauge. The refrigerated truck is the matching and missing model. Many freight car experts and collectors were of the same opinion.

For which eras and areas of application can I use this freight car on the layout?

The car can be used prototypically from Era II to Era IV. Unfortunately, the cars were phased out by 1969 because they could no longer keep up with refrigerated trucks on the road. Of course, the models have the advantage that they can be combined with almost any European railway company. Especially with German, French, Benelux and English companies. But it also went to Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

What do you particularly like about the freight wagons?

For one, the story behind it. For that time, the idea behind a ferry boat car was very progressive, and one had to deal with the confusion of braking systems and clearance gauges. On the other hand, the role model is the prototype of what one imagines an old freight car to be: board walls, lots of writing, lots of add-on parts. It looks old-fashioned in the best sense of the word.

To your knowledge, are there any freight wagons that had even more lettering?

You have to search for a long time... Some wagons from the time of the Bavarian and Baden State Railways can perhaps keep up, or the well-known 2-axle wagons from England, which were provided with advertising of their owners. But in general, the addresses, especially those relating to the company, are impressive.

Is the car operational despite the many details, and do I need special axles for use on a Märklin layout?

As with all of our models, suitability for use is the same criteria as attention to detail. The trolley can also be used in "hard" system operation without any problems. Our prototypes have done plenty of laps on the test tracks in our workshop.

The car is factory-equipped with DC axles. Alternatively, we will exchange for AC axles. The customer can order this with one click, simply check the box for the quantity or in the shopping cart.

Conclusion: Part 3 of the series of ferry boats from Modellbahn Union, the model railway world is becoming more and more international! We are curious what our customers say. And further innovations in H0 have already been promised by the product manager for 2022.