A lot is happening in the wagon works. In addition to minor repairs and deadline work on the operational passenger coaches, as well as the optical refurbishment of the Gelnhausen coach set, we have – as already reported in the Bahnwelt Updates – been repairing Bi 84 803 for some time. The aim is to present it ready for operation before the end of this year and to be able to use it on special trips in the future. We are making great strides in this direction.
Interior
All wall panelling, ashtrays and heater trim have been refurbished and put back in place.
The windows have been fitted with new panes and window guides and are now fully functional.
Most of the seat frames were fitted and the seat cushions, after a thorough cleaning, were also reinstalled.
In the toilets, wall panels were replaced, new corner mouldings were fitted, the window surrounds were repaired, the washbasins were fixed, the toilet bowls were repaired and refitted and, of course, everything was freshly painted.
The emergency brake handles were cleaned and fitted with new plates.
Wagon electrics and light
The car electrics were a challenge, as hardly any documentation on the electrical installation was available.
Even the attempt “We’ll just try it out” was unfortunately not crowned with success.
After some research and the acquisition of a few books on the subject, we were now able to go troubleshooting.
As the front panel of the main light switch had been lost over the years, a new front panel was cast from a cast of a front panel of another Bi and fitted.
After checking all fuses, cables and connections with a measuring device and circuit diagram, it became clear relatively quickly that the charge controller (lower picture) must be defective. We replaced it with a device from our warehouse.
In pure battery operation, the circuit now behaved as described.
The second step was to test the operation of the car’s electrical system via the car generator. Since the wagon is not ready for operation, we used a device in the museum’s inventory for the stationary drive of the wagon generator.
It is not known how old this “monster” is. It had also not been used in the museum for at least 10 years. However, this technology seems to be indestructible, as the machine started up immediately and worked without any problems.
Thus, as a conclusion, one can say: “Let there be light”.
