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NS 6200 class

Project Dutch Railways Class 6200

Besides articulated steam locomotives my interest also extends to Dutch steam locomotives. In January 2010 I ran into an etched set of components which would turn a Roco BR 93 into an NS Class 6200. (errrm NS = Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Dutch railways, and NOT Norfolk &Southern ;-)

This project may seem, at first view, of lesser interest to many of you. Now, who of the international visitors is interested in a Dutch steam locomotive Class 6200? But both for German and UK modelers there are connections. Most Dutch railways tended to base their designs on the English "look & feel". Beyer Peacock was one of the main suppliers of Dutch locos and aesthetically the Dutch Railway companies tended to follow the sober and clean lines of the English style locos. Now, the 6200 series was ordered by the then "Company of exploitation of State Railways" at Hohenzollern Germany. Hohenzollern on its turn churned out a design which was very German in its mechanical conception: form follows function. The Staatsspoorwegen (unfortunately abbreviated SS, which was to gain a sinister connotation in decades later) however influenced the design for the sake of standardisation to the maximum extend with common parts already available from other classes. So the design eventually reflected the English aesthetics and German mechanics. This resulted in a class which looked like a cartoon collision between an English loco and a German loco resulting, after the clouds lift, in a loco which unites both.

A factory photo by Hohenzollern

It is a matter of taste wether you find that beautiful or not. The 6200 class did not come to life for beauty though, it was to pull the coal trains in Limburg. Hard work which it did pretty well. Read more on the history of the class in the Collection Section

 

Status of the project

5 December 2015

Done! After five years in the making this relatively simple project has finally come to an end.

 

in 2017 I saw a comparable model on eBay, now look at its value

 

18 November 2015

Grrrrr. Guess what. I intended to finish the model today but I could not find the hook couplings. After some searching I remembered I cannibalised them for the completion of the SHM26. I also forgot to reorder a set for the 6200. So with the very last task at hand I am stranded until new supplies arrive.

15 November 2015

Work was resumed after the more than liberal summer pause. Painting has been completed, re-assembly has started. A few tasks remain, nearly there!

April 2015

Painting and lining completed. Coating and final assembly are awaiting the arrival of decals.

March 2015

Progress is slow but steady. It is now painted in green and black. I'm working on the black lining and detail painting.

November 2014

It's been almost two and a half years since I last worked on this model. A lot has happened since then, amongst which a complete reconstruction of my hobbyroom and all kinds of far more pressing family matters. To complicate things I started the AD60 and the SHM26 projects without finishing the NS6200 first. So first thing now is to finish all three projects before taking up anything else.

I cleaned the 6200 of the failed paint attempt and restarted painting.

Since February 2012

When painting a first coat I discovered nasty blobs in the paint. My airbrush had taken a beating and the little damage there was created a disturbance in the air flow. So I mailed my supplier. While waiting for the spares I started working on my AD60 which had just arrived. By the time the airbrush parts arrived my AD60 was well underway and then my 6200 rested on a plinth making me feel guilty.

 

 

January 28, 2012

This is the most recent photo. By now a first coat of green has been applied, but the airbrush splattered. It is hardly visible but I stopped working and ordered spare parts for the airbrush. Currently awaiting them

As of January 6, 2012