My set came with a red Mercedes truck. It starts as a Herpa model but Faller installs a can motor, battery, steering, and two switches. One switch is a slide switch that you use to turn the truck motor on and off and the other switch is a magnetic switch that lets you stop and start the truck remotely. The set also comes with wire, a battery charger, road material, and some accessories.
The truck runs smoothly and quietly. It runs a little fast for in town but it’s very cool to watch. I painted the box on mine silver, which was easy to do because it lifts off.
To make a road, you can use plaster or buy Faller’s ready-made road sections. If you want to use plaster, you’ll need to make forms along the edges of the road, tape the wire to the layout, then pour on a thin layer of road material. Paint the wire first with enamel so that it doesn’t rust when it gets wet. You can also make the road, then carve a groove in it for the wire, then fill the groove.
The truck runs between a freight station and warehouse on my layout. I use Faller parking sections at each one so that the truck is stopped until I release it to go. You wire the parking sections using 12 volts DC and a single-pole switch. Faller sells other accessories, like traffic lights and small switches, that will send the vehicles in different directions.
I’m pleased with the set. It adds a new dimension to the town and makes operation more realistic because the freight seems to actually go somewhere.
