Baureihe 423

About the real one:

AdTranz/Bombardier built DB class 423 EMU used for S-Bahn passenger services in the Rhein-Main Metropolitan area. Together with their successor classes 422/430 they form the backbone of four West German S-Bahn systems and are operated solely by the Deutsche Bahn company.

Each 4-car unit has two seperate traction equipments, connected to one single pantograph. A total of eight out of ten axles are driven by watercooled 3-Phase-AC-traction motors, which are also used for dynamic braking. The same eight axles feature conventional electropneumatic braking equipment, with the Jacobs-bogie in the middle being neither braked nor powered, as this bogie is equipped with sensors for speedmeasuring and parts of the “WSP” (wheel slip/slide protection).
Furthermore each unit is fully airconditioned and 24 doors ensure a fast passenger exchange at the stations.

About the moc:

Original idea by “Kai P.” from somewhere around 2008. When I build this train in 2016, his initial moc was heavily modified by me and further updated throughout the years as new parts and techniques became available.
Click here for a video of the original 2008 moc.

The moc itself consists of four individual coaches with fully detailed interiors, such as passenger compartments and the drivers cabs. Many of the details are as close to the real train as possible, notably the arrangement of the underside and roof mounted details.

This moc is for experienced builders!

Custom parts: Ball bearings

Optional parts: Metal washers to recreate the disc brakes on axles 3,4,7,8 (get them from any DIY-store)

Minimum radius: R104

Rare parts: This set contains a large amount of rare/discontinued/expensive parts. I’d recommend to use third party products as substitutes for the 48 red train windows with inserts.

Power: 9V by default, Power functions or Powered Up can be used too but requires modifications to fit the battery boxes and receivers.

Behind the scenes:

One of the main reasons why I’ve build this moc isn’t its sheer size and complexity, but more the fact that I’m actually certified to operate the real train! My knowledge of the vehicles insides and outsides really helped me recreating it with bricks, hence the addition of rather small and perhaps unneccessary details.


Last but not least, any feedback or criticism regarding the moc or the instructions is greatly appreciated. Also tell me if there are any errors or mistakes in the build/instructions (took me a whole week to create the thing…).

Baureihe 646 – Stadler GTW

The Deutsche Bahn Baureihe 646 or Stadler GTW is an articulated railcar for local transport manufactured by the Swiss company Stadler Rail.
GTW stands for “Gelenktriebwagen”.
The basic concept is rather unconventional: the rail car is driven by a central “power module”, also known as a “powerpack” or a “drive container”, powered on both axles. Two light end modules containing the cabs and the passenger compartment, each with a bogie, rest on the power module, which produces useful traction weight on the driving axles. Power is either generated by onboard Diesel engines or through overhead wires on the electric versions.

The Deutsche Bahn bought 44 Diesel-powered train sets of the 1st generation in the early 2000’s and classified them as Baureihe 646.

Disclaimer: This moc is for experienced builders! Some of the connections are very exotic and not stable at all and will require a lot of patience to get right. Since this is a digital version, I wasn’t able to incorporate all of the details from the real moc. Instead I created this simpler and more generic version for you to modify it at your own likings.

Minimal radius: R104
Custom parts: Ball bearings

Credits: Collaborative effort with “UrbanErwin”. He came up with the design idea for the front ends, from where I’ve built the rest.

Any criticism and feedback is much appreciated.