An old but nice model: the Lufthansa Airport Express with BR111 converted to DCC with sound.

Original

The Lufthansa Airport Express service is long gone (see Wikipedia article here). But as someone who travels a lot, I have a bit of a thing for airport trains. I have started converting the “Donald Duck” LH Airport Express (see article here), and still have a CAT Train (Vienna Airport Train) to modify properly.

On a side note, there is one train I would love to see in N scale (but with little hope): the Norwegian Flytoget. The austere but beautiful Class 71 train is one of the few high speed airport links in the world, linking Oslo Airport to the capital at 210kph (about 130mph).

Model

Back to the Arnold Lufthansa Airport Express. This set, with a BR111 locomotive, part no 0180, was a 1991 limited edition. I got my hands on it on Ebay.

Arnold 0180 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold 0180 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold 0180 Lufthansa Airport Express

As many Arnold models, it stood the test of time pretty well.

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Conversion details

I found enough room for sound in the locomotive, so here was the plan:

  • Doehler & Haass SH10A sound module in locomotive + DH10C DCC decoder
  • Replace bulb headlights with LEDs
  • 3 coaches each with Tams FD-R Basic decoder.
    Custom LED interior lighting in each + red lights for last coach.

Locomotive

The original board had to be cut, to leave room for the SH10A sound module from Doehler & Haass. As usual when possible, I am using a homemade 1.27mm plug between the decoder and the sound module, in case I want to upload a new sound project someday.

Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express Arnold BR111 Lufthansa Airport Express

Coaches

I am using a cheap Tams FD-R Basic decoder in each car, with a custom led board.

Arnold Lufthansa Airport Express coaches Arnold Lufthansa Airport Express coaches Arnold Lufthansa Airport Express coaches Arnold Lufthansa Airport Express coaches

Conclusion

It’s nice when a 25 years old model ends up running as smoothly as fancy new models. Now I still need to finish the BR403 Airport Express conversion, it’s been lying around for more than a year. Unfortunately, the old N scale Lima models don’t have the quality of Arnold ones, so the result won’t be the same.