B3r OCEM ex-Transat coach Models World

Original page created on 7/02/2020; updated on 13/02/2023.

Brand - Reference

Models World 40386-1

Type

B3r OCEM ex-État A4yfi or A2syfi
“Transatlantique”

UIC Number Revision Date
51 87 85-87 205-3 5 31.1.72
Management: Nice

Weight

124 g (NEM: 106 to 137 g); 129 g after lighting.

Comments

Very favourable first impression. The colour seems correct to me. The engraving is very fine (rivets, towing hooks, etc.). No part remains to be assembled, apart from the electrical connection boxes under the buffer beam, which I have not succeeded in assembling; I did not insist because they are not very visible, just like the dummy coupling hooks.

Mechanically, nothing to say: the bogies swivel well, the coach runs well, the drawbars have no hard point and the Profi couplings fit easily into the NEM boxes. Axles: see specifications in the dimensions table.

For once, there is an intelligent current pickup system (already used by Fleischmann and Roco) by metal bearings and insulated half-axles, the only drawback being the insulating sleeve on the axle, which increases its diameter (2.9 mm). The electrical connection between the bogie and the body is made by strips which arrive under the roof, ready to connect to a light strip.

The scale is very well respected. Quite exceptional, the height is the same on each end and, moreover, exact!

On one side, the marking plate under the chassis is shorter, to allow the bogie’s rotation. But the inscriptions are duplicated, as if the pad printing machine had printed it twice. See the photo. However, another plate of right length is provided in the spare part bag, with correct pad printing. The bag also includes hooks, with and without shackle, pneumatic and heating hoses, electrical connection boxes (one is missing) and only one folded bellows, with the corresponding holders. In fact, there are three for the three coaches in the set, so only one per coach. Too bad for people who display their models.Duplicated markings under body

The roof is easily opened, allowing you to discover a fitted bar, with stools, percolator, etc. The counter even has a support bar. See the photo. The luggage racks of the compartments are a little deformed and however not very thin, but so little visible… See the photo.Interior fitting (bar)Interior fitting (compartments)

Speaking of things that are hard to see, the leaf springs of real couplings are shown under the seagull wing… Here is a view of the brake components.View of the brake components

Overall, this coach is expensive, but, apart from the little hitch of the aforementioned marking printing defect, which is invisible to the naked eye, it doesn’t suffer from any real criticism.

See:

Modifications

  • Lighting: since the coach is pre-equipped, I only had to make and connect a lighting strip controlled by a home made latching reed switch. However, I had to mill openings for the capacitor and for the lighting of WCs and platforms. See the nocturnal aspect. See also the explanations on the Loco-Revue forum.Nocturnal aspect of the lighted B3r coatch

History

Coaches built in 1931 by Entreprises industrielles charentaises (EIC) in Aytré for the State railways, with the aim of transporting travellers to Le Havre and Cherbourg harbours, hence their nickname Transatlantiques. Of two different types (A4yfi and A2syfi), 25 for each type, these coaches underwent many modifications and allocation changes during their career.

Finally, from 1958 to 1959, eleven coaches were transformed into B4smyfi bar, then, from 1964 to 1966, into B3r snack-bar, losing a compartment in the process. After the cancelling of a unit in 1967, the remaining ten received UIC registration 51 87-85 47 201 to 210 and were assigned to the Sud-Est region. They were cancelled from 1978.

These coaches are perhaps the only OCEM authorized at 150 km/h, because they have been fitted with brake blocks made of composite material.

Source: Le Train, Les archives de l’OCEM, from page 51.

Documents

B3r OCEM ex-Transat coach Models WorldB3r OCEM ex-Transat coach Models World

B3r OCEM ex-Transat coach Models WorldB3r OCEM ex-Transat coach Models World

Photo J. D. Hérail in Le Train Archives de l’OCEM.

Dimension Actual 1:87 Model
Overall length 23 263 267.4 266.7
Chassis length 21 933 252.1 252.0
Width 2 938 33.8 34.2
Height 3 946 45.4 45.4
Pivot distance 15 343 176.4 176.2
Bogie wheelbase 2 500 28.7 28.6
Wheel diameter 920 10.6 10.6
D B U
0.55 14.4 1 23.6
  1. NEM: 14.5 ± 0.1

Document available as a PDF.
If you are interested, please let me know by e-mail,
specifying the title of the document-s.
For conditions, see page
Loco-Revue documentary sheets. .