MODEL BUURT SPOOR
M.B.S. 48 inspection vehicle and rail grinder
The first non-self-built locomotive is a Schöma locomotive (L.G.B. 2067), with number M.B.S. 48
This standard locomotive is still in stock at L.G.B.
This locomotive originally was yellow and repainted olive green with red buffer beams in 2019 as no. 3.
During the major overhaul in 2022, the machine received a blue M.B.S. / N.B.D.S. color and
has been renumbered in M.B.S. 48.
The lighting has been converted to LED at my discretion, the rest of the electronics remained unchanged.
The locomotive is equipped with an HD camera for track inspection in the autumn of 2022.
This includes all attributes originally mounted on the roof was removed and the exhaust made way for one HD camera at the front.
The camera system has its own (rechargeable) power supply.
The locomotive moves forward during inspection runs and backwards during grinding runs.
This locomotive is in service.
M.B.S. locomotive 48 in its original yellow condition, but with a pantograph on the roof for cleaning the overhead lines.
The original headlights (frog eyes) already are been removed, the old front light is still on the front hood.
Because an arrow is printed on the long hood, it seems likely that it indicates the direction of travel, but the opposite is true.
The arrow only indicates the direction of travel for rail grinding, the locomotive drives backwards during this rail grinding!
Locomotive 3 has it's new olive green color here, but still has the old front lights, which are installed after the old frog eye headlights were removed
These new LED headlights worked fine in themselves, but the rear lights were missing.
The old coupling and the original flashing lights are also still there.
The correct factory plates and nameplates have already been applied, it is a Schöma type 2860 from Diepholz.
On this image, the locomotive drives backwards when cleaning, so this is the rear end.
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Locomotive 3 in the penultimate guise with the exhaust on the front nose, the red flashing lights, the tram buffer with normal coupling
and the double front signals.
Recording is from February 2022, during the last rides in 's-Hertogenbosch...
The olive green color with red buffer plates was actually an Dutch Railways thing and in my opinion does not belong on a tram locomotive, even though this is a fictional version.
After some discussion on higher level with the M.B.S. board, it was decided to renumber the locomotive to M.B.S. 48.
At the time, 47 was the highest locomotive number in the former M.B.S. company, no. 3 was a list number for administration on which this locomotive was included.
The locomotive also received the original M.B.S. blue color, as steam locomotives used in the large company also did.
The old Gmeinder shunting locomotive had no. 5, M.B.S. EL 103 D IV no. 4 and
R.T.M. M 1806 Bergeend no. 6 on the administration list.
Incidentally, numbers 3 and 5 were the only locomotives that carried these list numbers, the rest already carried the original company numbers from the start.
M.B.S. locomotive 48 in the new blue color scheme, but still with the old no. 3.
By acquiring some old small (defective) helicopters and a drone with a camera system, the idea came up to equip locomotive 48 with a CCTV system, so locomotive 48 also can be used for video inspections.
For this purpose, the defective drone was taken apart and the HD video system was expanded into two PCBs with two cameras, 1 SD camera and 1 HD camera.
The system was fixed in the cabin of nr. 48, the exhaust chimney was removed as well as the flashing lights and other attributes on the roof.
After this, the control LED was built on the roof to serve as a single flashing light.
Unfortunately, one of the two PCBs broke down during this installation, meaning that a Wi-Fi connection could no longer be established.
Consideration has been given to ordering new copies from a supplier of the same prints in Spain, but this was rather expensive.
This was finally abandoned due to legal objections with the Spanish mail order system.
In order to be able to use the locomotive as a video inspection locomotive, a new camera unit has been ordered by the management.
The roof is 'emptied' of all unnecessary items, and all old holes are closed off.
The new video system will be placed on the front of the cabin between the two windows.
Locomotive 48 equipped with the first video system (this is the front of the locomotive).
On the roof at the rear (the square box) the SD camera, the two small antennas, the flashing light and the HD camera in the middle between the front windows.
The above (smaller) pictures show the inside of the roof and the SD camera on the rear, shortly before removal.
The roof has now been 'cleaned up' and the correct locomotive number with company name has been applied.
Unfortunately my 'steady hand' is no longer what it used to be, but it still looks nice, at least readable.
Because the camera of the new video system measures less than 30x30x30mm, the intention is to place the camera between both windscreens of the locomotive cabin.
For this purpose, the camera unit has been taken apart to allow the battery, PCB and camera to be placed in different positions
instead in one fixed housing.
In the photo above clearly shows the gap where the HD camera used to be and in front of that there was the exhaust.
The new camera is mounted and aimed at the same position and the exhaust is replaced in a modified way.
This happens without obstructing the camera's view (of course).
The new video inspection system, as it was delivered.
With dimensions of 28.2x27.5x26mm it is very compact, but it is even too large for use on the locomotive.
The original housing and accessories have been stored and the camera with print and battery are mounted on the underside of the roof.
The two control buttons have both been provided with an external control in the cabin, which can be operated from outside.
The green control LED has also been brought externally
The first recording of the video inspection system.
Not so much because of the quality of the recording, but rather to establish that the camera is positioned purely horizontally.
According to locomotive M.B.S. 49, inspection locomotive M.B.S. 48 also received the buffer plates warning stripes on August 8, 2023.
Just like the 49, it also gives this machine an industrial look.