Product Features and Details
Model: The Liliput 334021 BC-21 has the car number 31 005, district classification "Halle", Model features full Interior and very nice detail, it also comes equipped with a NEM 362 coupler pocket and close coupler kinematics, length over buffers 160 mm. Interior lighting can be installed using Liliput 38951 LED Lighting Kit.
Prototype History: These cars are a modelers dream since they were used for more than 40 years. After World War I, the newly founded German State Railroad (DRG) encountered several problems. Firstly, quite a few passenger cars had to be surrendered to the victors of the war as reparation, and secondly many of the remaining cars were old and came from various former state railroads. The resulting maintenance issues made it necessary to build new cars as soon as possible. However, financial constraints made this difficult, and many cars of the state railroads actually survived into the late 1950’s. Some of their parts were even used in the 3yg rebuilds! The cars represented by the Liliput models were the first new constructions for local service. At the time they were built, there were two philosophies when building commuter cars. The northern, mostly Prussian approach, favored compartment coaches of which the well-known Prussian coaches with three axles are best known. However, compartment coaches made ticket control while the train was moving difficult and dangerous for the conductor, so that all Prussian stations controlled access to the platforms with gates. Finally, passengers found it very difficult to reach bathrooms while the train was in motion. Because of all these problems, the states in the South (Baden, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria) favored coaches which were subdivided into (usually two) large rooms. One was for smokers and the other for non-smokers. Access to the cars was through platforms at the end, and passengers could easily move around the cars to reach the restrooms. Moreover, the conductor could easily move from one car to the next using the platforms even when the train was moving. However, this was not permitted for passengers. Because of this, no access control was required at the station. However the design offices of the former Prussian State Railroad dominated those of the DRG in the 1920’s, so the first new cars were built according to the Prussian principles. Interestingly, following generations of commuter cars, like the Thunderboxes, reverted to the southern ideas.
The baggage car is actually a Prussian design indicated by its designation Pw3 Pr11.
Model Train Consist: The basic ideas for modeling a train with these coaches apply to all three periods. Local passenger trains did not carry many cars with second class compartments. Thus, one full second class car in a train with four coaches is almost too much, but still plausible. However, each train should have at least one coach for passengers with heavy and/or bulky loads ((L334027, L334035, L334047). The modeler should also add a postal car to the train since it was almost standard on all but the shortest locals. Often closed freight cars and refrigerator cars were added to the train. In addition, mixing these coaches with others like Liliput’s Baden style coaches, Thunderboxes made by Fleischmann and Roco, or compartment coaches with three axles will result in interesting train compositions. There are even pictures of these coaches between two pairs of 3yg rebuilds.
