Otto Michaelsen: colors palette
(Written by P.G.)
Blue Puppyย … ..
… .Red Puppy….
… Green Puppy (dark) ….
… .or Green (bright) with pantograph …
Conti has really enjoyed playing with pantographs and colors.
However it was not the only manufacturer of trains to do it, now I will present another, little known, in particular in Italy.
Otto Michaelsen founded in Denmark in 1946 his namesake brand, which he marketed until 1953 in OO scale even with the “MICH” brand or “O.M. “
In the immediate post-war the Danish economy, like that of all of Europe, was in crisis and O.M. packs were accompanied by labels inviting to buy Danish products … “… to save it …” ….
I bought my first train of this brand
in 1968 in Berlin
(at the time “West Berlin”) ……
… I remember that the seller did not know what it was and he sold it as a likely DDR production ….
I took extensive research to find out that , instead, it was a “railcar with trailer” manufactured in Denmark by Otto Michaelsen.
He produced, to my knowledge, only one “propelled base” who nevertheless declined in electric version with central pantograph, diesel, even also as a trailer without engine … ..and a four axles car.
They were also made in several colors and, from that time, I managed to find a certain number.
All my O.M. locos function in AC to three rails with manual reversing bakelite lever situated under the central part of the case, except a single loco, which is equipped with permanent magnet motor and operates on two DC rails.
All are free of the frame and the cart axles are fixed with two long pins directly to the roof.
The palette of Otto Michaelsen varies from red to purple, from green to black, and probably he did not like the various shades of blue and light blue …. unfortunately for him Blue Puppy did not exist !!
All its locomotives, except the DC version, lead in the bottom center on the sides the initials “O.M. ” .
The color of this red electric locomotive, photographed in the sunset light ….
… . remembers the girl’s scarf in “Dance at Bougival” of Renoir ….
… .and here it is framed with his trailer ….
This diesel version ….
… with a different hue of red, with the roof and gray finishes, rather reminds me certain nuances of the dress of Cosimo the Elder in the portrait attributed to Pontormo ….
… And, like all these locos, it is equipped with a zinc alloy body and axles with the sides and the wheels in burnished brass ….
I associate the color of this other diesel railcar ……
… to that of the garment of the Carpaccio “Virgin who reads”ย … ..
…. or perhaps the book a “reader” of all another kind, that of Renoir …
Speaking of “readers”, that of Fantin (I wonder if Otto Michaelsen knew who wasย Fantin) …
… .. She sits on a burgundy-purple chair that lends its color to this loco ….
ย …. whose wheels are not burnished brass and axles sides are painted in black.
And here is a “red” brightest …
…. the Carpaccio first color … .
… .that, photographed from below, shows the system of the power outlet from the central rail, the simple and robust transmission ring gears and the manual gear reversing system.
The very dark livery of this railcar …
… is closed to the color of the garment by Pissarro in his famous self portrait ….
This “DC electrical loco” running at two rails was probably one of the last pieces produced by Otto Michaelsen in 1952-’53 and has the distinction of not having on the lower flanks the word “O.M. ” โฆ.
… The shades of its color reminds me certain works by Degas …
… .and, view from below, it shows the difference in relation to his sisters working AC.
In this case the socket is via the wheels and the sides of the carriages, while the axes are isolated in the central part and the body of the carriages is in bakelite.
We now turn from red to green with this railcar with the carts with axles … ..
…. Which, depending on the light and the angle at which you look at it, it has many of the nuances of Pissarro bushes ….
Note that the vehicle is equipped with bogies whose side walls have the shape of those locos, except that they are not in iron and brass ….
The patina of time worked on the painting of this piece and perhaps its shades of green can be found in certain works of Rousseau ….
I purchased thisย Otto Michaelsen loco diesel in Copenhagen in 1984 …
ย It was still new from factory in its box never opened: it has the distinction of being equipped with Maerklin type hooks in place of the typical ones of the O.M. and particularly also the hue of her green cloak …
It isa color resembling that of Van Gogh as his self-portraitย ….
… .or, why not, the dress of this noble woman, the work of Pontormo …
Instead this electric railcar has the distinction of having the unpainted body, but oxidized in black …
…a black that reminds me the splendid portrait of Berthe Morisot by Manet …
With this last image …
… .we close the review of Otto Michaelsen, who produced this rainbow
of little-known models, but also full of charm..!!
…and now I suggest you to change the matter and look atย the first part of a very interesting article referred to
Biaggi/GEM production
by clicking on the above image
ย (@ July 17, 2016)