Published: 1 May 2025

Introduction

Train Line 45 offers a wide variety of passenger cars for the Harz narrow gauge railroad (HSB), however, earlier production batches all showed a noticeable deformation of the car body sides. I have seen this across the whole range of Train Line HSB cars, on all of the 6, 7 or 8 window versions.

Car Body Deformation Issue

On YouTube, I found a good example, shown below. The 7 window car in the middle is from Trian Line and clearly shows the very rough side panel of the car body. The other cars are fine, as they are from LGB (easily identified by the thicker roof vents).

Image Source: YouTube – Amselbahner (external link)

The image above slightly exaggerates the issue due to the direct sunlight and glare at that moment in the video. It is less noticeable otherwise, and maybe some people don’t even see it if they don’t pay attention.

For me, it was not acceptable, and the reason why I never purchased a Train Line HSB car in the past.

I asked Train Line about this issue in the Summer of 2022 when I was visiting the Train Line Store in Wernigerode (Germany), and the staff confirmed to me they have fixed their production process, and new(er) cars should have a nice flat side panel. I took home a car from the newer production batch, and I can confirm the car body looked perfect.

Second Hand Buying Advice

If you are about to purchase any Train Line HSB car on the used market, consider asking the seller for a good picture of the sides of the car.