BM 73 SJ Nord from NMJ
Introduction
Type 73 is an EMU that is commonly seen where I live. It's also an EMU that is used several different places around Norway. SJ Nord uses it on Dovrebanen, VY uses it from Oslo towards Halden and Go-Ahead Nordic uses it on Sørlandsbanen. I actaully remember when these trains where put in to service. It was at that time NSB that operated the trains. They did as far as I remember have some issues making a few news headlines. I do not remember what those issues where as it is some time ago. There are actaully still a few problems with them. There was recently publised an article about all the issues at Sørlandsbanen. One of the things that was pointed out as a cause for these issues was the Type 73, due to it's age and the vulnerable tilting system.
Why do I call it the Type 73 and not BM 73? The correct name of the entire set is Type 73, which would translate to Class 73 in english. BM 73 is the designation of the "motor"-car. Note that I placed motor inside exclamation marks. I will get back to why later. I will do my best to get the terminology correct in this article, but I might get it wrong sometimes as I usually call the entire set BM 73.
This is a train that I have taken from time to time. I actually have pictures of me after a train trip with this train close to when they where brand new in the "Signatur"-livery. That livery can no logner be found as all the current sets at the time of writing has been rebranded. I like this EMU, but not as a passenger. I personaly find the B5 coaches hauled by an EL 18 to have better passenger comfort. The Type 73 is in my opinion a bit to cramped compared to B5 coaches.
NMJ have recently relased several models of the Type 73. The release is more or less a re-relase of an older version of the same model. The models NMJ have released in the past is in the "Signatur"-livery, "Agenda"-livery and a blue NSB livery. I do unfortunately not own any of those models, but I have seen them in real life and have a few pictures of some of them. It might therefor be possible for me to point out some of the improvements on the re-release.
What I have heard about the previous versions of this model is that it has a cheap look and feel, that it works poorly on tight curves and that it's mechanism is of bad quality. Another thing to note about the previous release was that it came without interior lights, while the new one can be bought with it. All of the sets I bought came with DCC sound and interior lights. Bellow is an image of all the sets.
I decied to pre-order a total of three different sets from NMJ. The one I will be looking at in this article is the Type 73A in the SJ Nord livery with running number 11. The other sets I got was the Type 73A in a blue NSB livery and a Type 73B in the VY livery. The main difference between 73A and 73B is that the first is typicaly used in long-distance trains (fjerntog, lines starting with F), while the last one is typically used in regional trains (regiontog, lines starting with R). The trains will therefor have some sligth differences, primarly in the interior.
I might write articles about the other sets some time in the future, but this article will as mentioned have a look at the SJ Nord version of the set.
First look at the model
One of the first things I noticed with this model was that a manual was actullay included in the box. NMJ have historicaly been quite bad at creating and sometimes even including manuals. This manual includes how to connect the different parts of the set together, where to lubricate the model and how-to open up the car with the decoder. There is also some history related to the model in the manual. The quality of the manual is unfortunately not the best though, as there is some bad print and spelling errors. They also included a piece of paper that explains in detail how to couple the set.
The set includes a tool for coupling the set together and a parts bag that contains what looks to be couplings that probably allows for connecting several Type 73 sets together. I will get back to how the set is coupled together later.
The set consists of the BM 73, BFR 73, BMU 73 and the BFM 73. The decoder and engine is located in the BFU 73. I am not sure if that is realistic or not. That is the reason why I put motor inside exclamation marks in the introduction, since the motor in a EMU is usually located in the BM. It could make sense tough that the motor is in the BMU in real life, as that is where the pantographs is. Bellow is a picture of the entire set after taking it out of the box and a picture of the BM 73.
My first impression is that the model is of decent quality. What I did notice though was that there where some residual paint on the model in places where it shouldn't be. Bellow are some pictures of the two paint marks.
The previous edition had front windows that where entirely black, which meant that you can not see into the drivers cab, while this model have windows that you can see through. So at least that is one thing that have improved.
Pictures of the prototype
The Type 73 is an EMU that I have seen several times. I do therefor have several pictures of it, including pictures of the running number 11. I will therefor have a decent collection of pictures to compare the model with. Bellow are two images of the 73-11 in traffic.
Let's compare the model and prototype of the BM 73. Bellow are some pictures of the front on the prototype.
The challenge with taking pictures of the Type 73, is that it tends to be parked in a way that its a bit hard to take photos of. Especially when there is weed that is in the way, as seen in some of the above pictures. I do luckily have a video of the 73-11 from the side rolling into a station. I have been able to take some screendumps of that video. Bellow is the BM 73 from that video.
Let's look at the model next. Note that I turned on the interior lights to better see where the windows are. I have also included an image from my roster page bellow showing the full length of the BM 73 in one image.
One of the differences I am able to see between the images and the model at first look is the color of the wheels. The outer rim of the wheels on the prototype look more black, while it's silver on the model. The color difference could be due to the lighting conditions when taking the photos or it could be that the prototype wheels are more dirty. Another thing related to the wheels is that the inner part of the wheel is just plain silver. That is not the case on the prototype, which has some bolts attaching some sort of cover to the wheel. The interesting thing here is that the wheels on my EL16 from Roco actually look more like the prototype BM 73 wheels.
The color on the lower part might be a little bit darker on the prototype than on the model, but that could be the lighting condiions when the pictures where taken. Another detail I noticed is that there is one red line to much on the model close to the front compared to prototype. There might be other lines on the livery that is incorrect. There are also two circles that can be seen when the lights are on in the same area. I do not know if that is realistic or not.
The model have the text 73011 under the front side window. That is not the case on the prototype. The prototype also has a longer area that is painted black in the same area.
The prototype have more details under the large window (which I belive is an emergency exit). It should be mentioned though that the prototype could be missing some covers for all I know. Some of the text on the door have black background on the prototype, while it's transparant on the model. There are also some markers of some sort at the bottom that is all green on the prototype, while it's two reds and one green on the model.
Another detail to take note of is the lack of coupling in the front. This is actually realistic, as the coupling can be retracted into the shell and outside covers can be closed.
All of the mentioned differences are in my opinion mostly minor issues that won't bother me too much. I also want to point out that there are a lot of details that are correct. The door opener is for example located at the correct possition, many of the hatches and grills are located at the correct position and the fine print on the model seems to be correct.
There is also a detail here that might be an improvement from a previous version of the model. One of the complaints I have heard about the model is the size of the "ear" hanging out of the side. I am not sure if it's a yellow light or a camera used as a mirror alternative, so I will simpy refer to it as ear. Bellow is pictures of the previous generation and the current generation.
What we can see from the above pictures is that there is a size difference. The difference for the drivers window is also quite clear. My impression is that the newest generation do have a more realistic ear, as the previous generation has it way thicker. Do note that such difference might be relaistic, but I have my doubts in this case.
Let's look at the BFR 73 next. Bellow are som picutres seen from the side.
And then some pictures of the model.
The discrepancies on the BFR 73 is similar to those on the BM 73. The markers at the bottom half is wrong and the door text have transparent background instead of black. The wheels seem to be more correct on the BFR 73 though. I have not bothered to count all the lines, but it wouldn't suprise me if it is the wrong count of lines. I have at the time of writing not found any other discrepancies unique to the BFR 73.
Let's look at the BMU 73. Bellow are some images of the prototype.
And then some pictures of the model.
The discrepancies is the same here as with the two previous parts of the set. It can be argued though that the pantographs have the wrong color. They look more silver on the model. This could again be due to more dirt on the prototype.
The last part of the set is the BFM 73. Bellow are some images of the prototype.
And then some pictures of the model.
It's the same story here. The black section at the rear is longer on the prototype, just like on the BM 73. The wheels are also wrong, in addition to the backgrond for some of the text.
A railway friend of mine have pointed out that the interior is incorrect. All the Type 73 sets in this release have the interior for the Type 73B, not the Type 73A. That would be incorrect for this particular model, but would be correct for the Vy livery I bought. Do note though that it is most likely possible to 3D print a new interior. Also note that there are shops out there that tends to create improved interiors for existing models. One of those might decide to create a new interior for the Type 73A.
I would say though that the level of detail of this livery overall is quite impressive. It is a bit sad that the wheels are incorrect, the black section is to short and that the black background is missing even though the issues won't bother me that much as mentioned previously. It's also worth noting that the wheels most likely can be exchanged for more realistic ones quite easily.
Coupling the set
The model of the Type 73 does not have regular couplings. Instead it does have some custom ones with electricity going through them. A special tool is included to connect up the set. The tool is shown in the bellow picture.
Useage of the tool is described in the additional manual included with the set. I tried to use the tool for both coupling and decoupling. I where able to decouple it quite easily with the tool, but coupling it was not possible for me. What I have heard from others is that it's simpler to couple it together while the model is on the side. That tip is actually mentioned in the manual. What you do to couple the parts is to simply hold the model in your hands while making sure that both your thumbs are holding on the coupling. You then gently push them together making sure to align them properly. Be careful when using that approach as the model easily can get scratches to it's paint job if it's laying on a hard surface when you connect or disconnect. It's recommended to have a soft underlay to prevent that.
You can then gently place the model onto the track by lifting one and one part onto the track.
The benefit of the tool is that it can be used to couple and uncouple the set while it's on the track. Assembeling it off track means that you have to be next to the track. My current layout is an interim layout, so it's therefor easy for me to assemble it next to the track. Most layouts will have scenery in the way. It might therefor be difficult to assemble the set off track. That is in my opinion a drawback of this model.
I initialy did not use a soft underlay when coupling, but I have decided that I will use a soft underlay going forward. It's an expensive model that I definetely want to keep as scratch-free as possible. I tried two different soft underlays. A scarf and a blanket is what I have tested at the time of writing. I ended up using the blanket, which is 130 x 170 cm and made of 100% polyester. Bellow is a few pictures showing how I use the blanket.
The reason why I ended up using the blanket is beacuase it's softer than the scarf and can be folded to make a thick soft layer that will keep the model safe. The benefit of the scarf though is that it have the perfect length and width (because I am somewhat long and therefor need long scarfs). The blanket on the other hand is a bit to short and way to wide.
First run
The first run went well. I did have a stall right away, but I strongly suspect that is due to my dirty track as it only happend once. I where able to run in the EMU by driving it in both directions for 30 minutes. The only issue I encountered during run-in was that the train would derail when comming from one specific direction over my curved turnout. The funny thing is that it would get back on track simply by continuing forward.
The model works fine in the curves I have at my layout, so there doesn't seem to be any issues related to that on this model at least. The product page states that the model should work fine with any R2 curves and wider. I have also been able to test the model on a club layout. It worked perfectly fine there without any issues.
Programming the decoder
This model have, with the exception of the decoder address, two issues I want to fix by reprogramming the decoder. The first one is the lights that change in the direction of travel and the second is the sound volume. It's a good thing that the volume is too loud, as it's easyer to reduce volume rather than increase. I changed the volue to be 64 for master and 32 for faded. The default is 192 for master and 64 for faded.
The function F5 is according to the manual available. The funny thing is that the function actually is mapped to Aux1[1] and Aux2[1]. Those outputs do however seem to be disconnected from the decoder. I therefor considered it safe to unmap F5 and instead use it to toggle lights in the reverse direction. The changes I did is highlighted in yellow in the bellow screenshot from JMRI in the "Function Map" tab.
Some of my other models have a dimmer function for the lights. I therefor started to investigate if this is the case for this model also. I therefor went to the "Function Output" tab. Both the headlights and taillights where set to "Dimmable headlight" with the "Dimmer" option unchecked. I therefor went ahead and checked the dimmer for both lights and programmed F16 to be mapped to the dimmer function.
Light and sound functions
The light functions are in my opinon quite simple. The lights in either end is white or red without any dimming function by default. It looks to me from the pictures of the Type 73 in operation that the center lights can be turned on and off individually on the prototype. That is definetely not the case on the model. A railway friend of mine belives that the old model did have that option, so that might be something that is worse with the new edition.
It's quite strange that there was no dimming function mapped up by default, especially when it was easy to map up as explained earlier.
Sound functions is decent, but it's worth noting that some of the sounds are in german. I doubt that is the case for the prototype. It would have been nice if a more complete set off sounds would be included. Do note that other manefacturers also usually ship norwegian models with incorrect sounds, probably to make the models more affordable.
A cool function included with the model is the emergency brake system. That function will after a few seconds trigger a full emergency brake which is quite cool. Should be noted though that the function is not specific to the model. I have seen the exact same function on a dutch locomotive. So it's not something new and it is probably possible to program that function into any Loksound 5 decoder.
The manual included with the set do have a function maping table, but that is unfortunately not entirely correct. There are for example two functions that according to the manual is mapped to the same function key, which is simply incorrect.
Inside the model
Opening up the model is actually quite tricky. The manual states that it should be as simple as just taking of the end walls followed by pulling the shell upwards. The hard part is to get the end walls off. What I ended up doing was to place the model upside down in a servicing craddle followed by very gently using a tiny flat screwdriver. Do note that this approach will leave some scratch marks and dents on the model. It's therefor extremly important to only use this approach at places where such marks won't be noticable!
The next step is to then very gently bend out the shell from the four plastic pieces near each bogie (eight in total). The bellow picture shows the plastic piece that needs to be loose for the shell to come off. Note that I also unscrewed two screws on the bottom of the model. That is in no way necessary, so it's better to leave those screws alone.
You will then be able to very gently pull the shell of the model. You might have to very gently bend the lower half of the shell outwards to be able to take it off.
There is actaully a switch on the circuit board that allows you to switch between DC and AC. AC in that case would refer to the 3-rail Märklin system. The bogies on my model only works with DC, but having a switch there probably means that you can swap the bogies and then run the train on an AC system.
One thing I found strange with this model is that there seems to be only one sugarcube speaker. The fact that the sound can be that high with just one speaker is something that suprises me. My experience is that you would need at least two sugar cube speakers for decent sound. My model also had a screw laying on top of the speaker for some reason. I have no idea how it got there and where it is supposed to be.
I therefor decided to use a plier to simply get it off the speaker to make sure it wouldn't cause any problems.
The motor for the model is located under the circuit board and the interior. There is actaully a flaw in the design here in my opinion. You can not do service to the engine without desoldering it from the circuit board. This is because the wires go through the interior and not on the side of the interior. That design do have a benefit though, and that is that you won't squeeze the wire when you take the shell on beacuse it's locked into place. I would still have preffered to have it on the side in a way that the motor would be more servicable.
The process of putting the shell back on is the reverse of taking it off. Start by placing the shell on top of the chassis like in the bellow picture.
The shell can then be gently pushed downwards. It's important to remember that the shell might have to be slightly bent outwards in it's lower half to get it attached to the model. The "doors" on the shell must line up with the shell as shown in the bellow pictures.
The shell will then click into place. The last step is then to gently push the walls into it's place.
Final thoughts
This release of the Type 73 is decent. There are a few discrepancies and the lights are in my opinion a bit disapointing. This is in my opinion to be expected when you buy a set of this type, as the cost have to be cut somewhere to make it more affordable for everyone. More realism to the light system for example would probably have increased the price.
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