LGB 1:22.5 SCALE BARREL CAR
Manufacturer: LGB of America, 6444 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, CA 92121. Price: Ready-to-run 3042 "Zillertal Bier" car, see your dealer for prices.
EUROPEANS LOVE IT and LGB thinks the Zillertal barrel car will be a hit in this country, too. It has that unique, almost ungainly appearance characteristic of railroad equipment with a "cult" following.
The model emulates a specific prototype now in use on Austria's Zillertal Railway. It falls clearly into the category of "novelty car". We have no plans of the prototype, but LGB's European models tend to be accurate. Our sample scales 21 feet 10 inches over the end sills (the buffers extend another 19 inches on each end), 8 feet 9 inches extreme width across the end steps, and 9 feet 9 inches tall from the bottom of the end sill to the peak of the roof.
As with virtually all of their rolling stock, LGB made the car entirely of heavy-duty plastic except for the metal screws holding it together and the wheel axles.
The detail is good. On the outside, precise die work has resulted in LGB's usual clean injection molded parts. The bands on the "barrel" line up well, the wood grain is attractive and believable, and the exterior and underframe hardware seems accurate and purposeful. On the inside, you will find a bar in the "house" section and a table and benches in the "barrel". The roof on each section is removable and both doors open and close (one, inside, connects the barrel to the house, the other the house to the rear platform). LGB has provided for interior lighting, available as a separate item so, if you populate your car with miniature tourists, you may watch their revelries as it rambles by in the evening.
Once again, the paint and lettering are first rate. The whole car tends to be rather festive and the beer signs help to bring it to life. The red, green, brown, black, and white graphics stand out sharply against the brown "wood" parts and the bright yellow trim. As you would expect, no bubbles mar the opacity of the lettering and it is up to LGB's high standards of clarity and precision.
The Zillertal barrel car reflects the excellent overall quality LGB continues to build into its products. If you want a robust, distinctive, and colorful piece of 1:22.5 scale, 45mm Gauge One rolling stock for your European (or even American) style layout, you should find nothing in the model to disappoint you.-RR
