Original page created on 24/10/2015.
Roco TEE Rame à grand parcours after improvement.
Observation
Deformed body
The problem of the deformed body that does not hold on the chassis (both for the motor car and the trailer) was known to me and signalled by the seller. But the evil is worse than expected, because the deformation is irregular along the sides. It is precisely where the clips are that the sides move away the most from the chassis.
On the other hand, at the centre of the bodies, lugs are supposed to catch on the chassis, but they are a little too short to really work.
The positive point is that it is very easy to disassemble the bodies: just shake (a little!) and the chassis fall!
Painting
The painting is gloss (I have nothing against), is unfortunately very thick and has an orange peel appearance.
Interior fittings
In terms of interior fittings, this model is well-old, i.e. it is simplified to the extreme. The interior lighting is made, as for Roco unified trailers, by incandescent lamps and light guide.
Electricity
The trailer is equipped with power pickup strips on the four axles (some of which are twisted and others fully disassembled) and a bogie is equipped with a two-pole reversing switch working by friction on the axles, which adds further travel resistance. This arrangement, which could be justified at the time when this DMU was designed, about twenty years ago, can today be replaced advantageously by a power supply from the motor car.
As for the decoder, there is an eight point NEM plug and all the necessary space in the motor car. But, apart from the motor of course, only the front lights of the motor car are controlled.
Mechanical
There is only one driving axle per bogie — the one of the front bogie has a rubber tyre. It is a curious solution, which makes a transmission shaft pass all along the chassis, whereas it would have been simpler to motorize the two axles of the front bogie, as in reality indeed!
Tests
The first tests, in analogue mode, well demonstrate the importance of the trailer travelling resistance: starting under 4.5 V; maximum speed under 12 V: about 170 km/h — to scale of course — motor car alone, and 130 only with the trailer! The train passes over the smallest Fleischmann radius (356 mm), with an elongation much greater than strictly necessary. The bellows, almost joined in alignment, then spread by more than 5 mm.
The trailer is taller than the motor car by about 0.5 mm and it is visible!