Car transport train "White Lady" Herpa/Märklin (DC version)

For the Toy Fair 2008 taking place from 7th –12th February 2008 in Nuremberg, Herpa in cooperation with Märklin presents an exclusive car transportation train, the “Weiße Lady“ from the German Democratic Republic’s period of change during the 1980’s. A historically unique treat, “Weiße Lady” is from the transition period between epoch IV and epoch V, aimed at the discriminating model train enthusiast._x000D_The prototype of the locomotive was already presented as “212 001-2” to the public at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1982. It was in particular the locomotive’s attractive appearance that aroused much interest. White with red stripes, visitors affectionately nicknamed it “Weiße Lady“ – White Lady. When the fair was over, the German Reichsbahn (DR) started the testing of the locomotive with a maximum speed of 140 km/h at the testing and development facility at Halle /Saale. At the Dessau repair workshop, it was rebuilt with the gear ratio changed and a new bogie in order to be able to test the planned 120-km/h variant 243. Because of the changed gear ratio, the tractive power could be increased significantly, whereas the maximum speed was reduced to 120 km/h. The “Weiße Lady“ then became known Euope-wide as 243001–5 and stood for the GDR’s quite powerful railway industry. The locomotive went into serial-production at the German Reichsbahn – more than 600 trains were ready for use when the German Railways (DB) and the German Reichsbahn (DR) merged. The 143 class was used in the West as a replacement for the140 and 141 legacy classes. Following a successful career as flagship locomotive, the “Weiße Lady“ today is in service for one of the “new wild” private railway companies.