Billerbahn Tin Steam Locos - battery driven

 

back to the clockwork locos

 
All locos on this page have the old version axle cover.
 
the black 1500 E
 
  Black superstructure, silver roof, red chassis and engine cover. Flat black switch. "1500" imprinted on both doors, a flash each side underneath the chimney. And the corresponding tender 1502. Novelty in 1956. By the way - all my 1500 have straight piston rods. retailers journal "Das Spielzeug" - FEB 1956 - adverts Billerbahn as "now also electrical"
 
Black 1500 incl. tender 1502 Retailers journal "Das Spielzeug" FEB 1956
 
as well delivered with bright blue engine cover - and a tender with bright blue chassis cabin rear showing the Biller-B and "Made in Western Germany" 
bright blue internal 1500 from the rear
 
and another version NOT showing the "Made in Western Germany" on the cabins back - the front of the cabin still has the holes / slots for the 013 diesel hood 

some of the 1500 loco have "Made in WEST GERMANY" stamped between the axles underneath the chassis. The 2 holes at the front and rear are self-made - what for???

"Made in Western Germany"
  
I could acquire this loco in DEC 2017 - offered by a medical dealer in New York City. The price was 1.25 USD - shipping cost was 22.06 USD. The bottom of the chassis shows beside the "Made in Western Germany" stamp a stamp of the Franz Carl Weber company of Switzerland. So this engine has made a small World Travel - before returning to Germany.
came from New York City
 
Another version came up - having a yellow coloured engine cover (see pictures at the 1510 listed below) - hand-painted red at the visible section around the wheels.
 
 Light blue motor covers were available around 1960, but obviously they failed to convince producer and customers - as the bright green covers at the clockwork locos.
 
the green 1501 steam engine
 
This engine was only available with the set 1650 E /1660 E and delivered together with the 1520 passenger coach / 1521 battery baggage coach as advertised by the Swiss FCW mail order company in 1958 through 1960. Additionally this engine appeared as No. 1500 E - tender loco either black or green - as a single offer in the 1958 FCW-catalogue. The only ever mentioned 1501 E appears in a 1960 German catalogue within the 1650 E set together with the 1520 Battery-Passenger coach.

 

similar to the 500, having an electric engine now. Red chassis and red engine cover. This version still having the key hole. This one having a light blue engine cover
the 1501 the 1501- light blue clockwork cover

 

this version now without key hole another version known without ruling on the water tanks.
the 1501 without key-hole without ruling on the water tanks
 
the black 1510 steam loco
 
same as the 1500 E, now having a small red bulb inside the more flat chimney. The plastic smoke makes it appear a real smoking loco. Novelty in 1959 - available until at least 1961. There are at least 2 locos known to have hand-painted coal-boxes. Biller simply used the green coal box of the 500 and painted them black.   It took a really long time - but a team from Switzerland and Germany managed to get a factory convinced to reproduce 20 pieces of the smoke for the 1510 Steam loco. In this case again the well known Swiss Precision was proved. Really well done - thanks a lot to all parties.

1510 incl. smoke

Smoke remake - Swiss precision works

 
January 2011 I could acquire this 1510 - having the already at the 1500 mentioned yellow motor cover - hand-painted red at the visible section around the wheels. And this is definitely genuine and no result of any home work. The coal box is hand-painted black - the fishplates inside the cabin still show the original green litho.
 

Found by chance: a 1510 without the usually mounted coal box. The roof is repainted.

1510 without coal box - from the left  1510 without coal box - from the right 
 

smoke stack comparison - left side the 1500 with the "long" chimney - right side the black 1510 showing the flat chimney - made of black hard plastic.

both smoke stacks in comparison

 
the green 1510 steam loco
 

According to the 1960 price list this loco was offered in green as well - and here it is. The smoke stack is made of black hard plastic.

My green 1510 - without ruling on the water tanks

the green 1510
 
The chimney was missing - and is a remake. This caused me to spend a lot of time. But it was worth spending the time - there is nearly no difference visible. And the stack is "smoking" again.
 
   

That's how it works: during each completed turnaround of the front axle the light is turned on and off once - caused by an excentric sitting on the front axle - the excentric opening and closing a copper contact plate.

The engine ready for a test run - even without rails

going into details here

prior the test run

 
static "Action" on the right

"naked" live action video HERE

1510 in "static" action
generated: JAN-10-2003 last update: Spring 2018