Innholdsfortegnelse for APRIL / MAI / JUNE 2024 - 117 i Voie Libre international

April, may, june 2024 STORY-TELLING It is generally accepted that railway modelling calls on a wide range of abilities: a touch of historical research, just to know where we stand and provide some context. A bit of technical know-how, to make sure everything works properly and smoothly. Some artistic gifts, to ensure the various volumes are pleasingly arranged on the layout, and that the colour palette contributes to an attractive atmosphere. And, to round things off, let's never forget the narrative, because first and foremost, our layout must tell a story. After all, isn't this what drives all of us: telling a good story and sharing it! Enjoy your reading.…

H0-12 Built by SIG Neuhausen in 1908 for the Bernina line, it was transferred to the RhB in 1942 under number BC 1415, then converted to AB 1415 in 1956 when 3rd class was abolished. It became a 2nd class carriage (B) in 1973, and was withdrawn on 4th July 1975. Sold in 2000 to the SEFT, Misox line, it was re-numbered B 22 and some restoration work was undertaken on it. Following the closure of the line, it was sold in 2007 to the Velay heritage railway in France, where restoration work was completed in 2017 with its conversion into a dining carriage and shop. With some help from the Swiss association Club 1889, it was also given back its fine livery with original markings: Bernina Bahn BC 105.…

Never produced in H0 scale, these small endtipper wagons used to be found all over public works sites and quarries from the mid-XIXth century until the 1960s. Their wooden structure meant that very few were preserved. Pascal Boivin has just released very pleasing scale models of these wagons. The model, sold in pairs, consists of 3D printed resin parts, of plastic axles and of a few metal components. The quality of the printing is very sharp and does not require much cleaning up, but do be careful when handling the parts as they are fragile. The body and its flap are mobile, being articulated on metal axles. The holes do not require reboring. But should this turn out to be required, proceed very gently with a bit held in a…

HISTORY At the end of the XIXth century, the Peloponnese region represented one third of the newly-established kingdom of Greece. It is a mountainous area and its central part is very remote. This means that the eparchy — meaning the sub-prefecture — of Kalavryta, with a total population of 44,000 inhabitants, was connected to Patras, some 50 km away as the crow flies, by a single road crossing mountain passes at an altitude of almost 2700 feet, and impassable most of the year. The only natural access to the region was the Vouraïkos, a mountain torrent that flows into the Gulf of Corinth by way of a series of deep gorges. So that was the route that a railway would have to follow. THE KNOW-HOW OF FRENCH ENGINEERS To carry…

LAYOUT PROJECT It's the summer of 1941. We are in Vichy, rue Chomelle, and more specifically in the attic of the house standing at number 7. This is where the young Jean-Marie spends his summer holidays with his grandparents, upstairs from the family medical laboratory. On the table installed below the skylight, he dreams of his trains, his models, his future layout. His workbench is poor in tools, the period is difficult: a handful of crayons, a pen and some black ink, a razor blade held in a piece of card to protect his fingers… And by way of adhesive, a clever flour-based dilution that his mother prepares regularly for him; less frequently, a jar of cellulose glue. His materials: card of various types and thicknesses, bottle corks, a bit…

The layout at a glance Scale: 1/32 Gauge: 16.5 mm Control: digital Plan: terminus to balloon loop Dimensions: L-shaped, 3.80 × 1.80 × 0.60 m deep Michael is quite a character, a generous man who enjoys telling the story of this layout. A story supported by the 3-dimensional construction of an L-shaped layout consisting of five caissons extending over a length of 5 m and a depth of 60. He opted for 1 scale on 16.5 mm gauge, a large scale that offers scope for in-depth detailing and the creation of life-like figures. Michael's story is fun, it starts on the left-hand caisson and a locotractor takes us on a journey from scene to scene. … Introduction From the technical standpoint, the layout consists of plywood caissons. The rails are…

SCENERY A 4.60m gauge is a long, long way from narrow gauge, there is no doubt about that! 1m diameter wheels, a 10.85m height, and a tiny 42m2 platform. What on earth is this contraption? Jean-Pierre Schenfele: This contraption, as you call it, François, is the Saint-Malo to Saint-Servan mobile bridge. And yes, there only ever was one in France. The principle was simple: crossing the entrance channel to the harbours of Saint-Malo and Saint-Servan, irrespective of the height of the tide, and without ever hindering the movement of ships, meaning without fouling either the draught or the vertical clearance height! FF: The British had nicknamed an identical device in the UK «Daddy Long Legs», as its spindly legs were reminiscent of a mosquito! How did it work? JPS: The…

Motive power is back in the SBLC range, with a new locotractor based on a D22 agricultural tractor. As is customary, Richard has concocted a kit consisting of some 20 neatly injected resin parts. Once separated from their spruces, the parts are assembled with superglue. The door of the machine can be set in an open position, providing a view into the cab and onto the original tractor transmission block. The body fits onto a new generation Tenshodo driving mechansim, featuring a coreless motor, sold separately. A kit of complementary accessories includes a jerrycan, a vice, a winch and a toolbox that can be located on the running plate. François Fontana SBLC SBLCKITS.COM LOCOTRACTOR REF. VE12 (WITHOUT DRIVING MECHANISM): €68 ACCESSORIES REF. AC21: €7 0-16,5…

Built on bogies drawn from military surpluses, these carriages were supplied by the Gloucester Carriage Company to the Ashover Light Railway in 1925. Quite logically, to complement the Baldwin 4-6-0s and the ALR open wagons that are already in their catalogue, Bachmann Europe decided to produce them. The model is fairly pricey, due to a very high level of detailing. The cast metal chassis is detailed. The body is finely engraved and the inside furnishings are complete, down to the ceiling woodwork. Enough to prompt one to remove the four screws that hold the body to the chassis and add some figures. The «Crimson Lake» maroon outside livery and ivory lining are perfectly applied. A challenge on finely grained pinewood panels… The carriage also exists in the three different liveries…

This Italian artisan, based in Japan, has released some splendid 3D printed locomotive bodies. They are designed to fit over 0-4-0 driving mechanisms, produced in kit form by one of his Japanese colleagues, Model Imon. Most of the bodies consist of one single block. They require some sanding where the resin was applied, but these points are carefully located to avoid damaging the flat surfaces. Before painting, I recommend a careful clean-up using lukewarm water and soap. Some primer, or a simple coat of acrylic paint applied with a spray can, will be enough to cover all the surfaces. Once this is done, let your inspiration guide you. The kits are supplied with fictitious 3D printed chassis that can be used to model static vehicles; one reservationis that the motion…

PLANS 1/43.5 PAGES 42 TO 44 Irrespective of the gauge, the main reasons for which railcars were introduced were the same everywhere: to cut back on running costs and increase the average speed. After WWI, road transport became a strong competitor and attracted a growing number of passengers with the advent of raod transport companies. Introducing railcars meant that goods and passenger traffic could be separated, and, unlike steam locomotives, railcars were immediately operational. When compared to the hours of firing up required for bringing a steam engine to its working pressure, the choice was pretty obvious. Like other networks, the Economiques des Charentes was faced with these problems and introduced various solutions. The latter helped defer closure, but did not prevent it happening eventually. VARIOUS TYPES OF RAILCARS The…

TECHNIQUE During WWI, 60cm gauge field railways played a particularly crucial role in supplying troops of the Vosges Army – probably more so than on other parts of the front. Trains were pretty much the only way of supplying the men posted on the mountain passes. This was why the works in Toul produced boxvans carefully built out of wood and carefully painted. Besides a very fine three-shade camouflage, the meat-carrying wagon of the Bussang to Wesserling line featured images of animals. Given their small size in 1/76 scale, using decals to reproduce them looked like a very good solution. Provided I could find an artisan able to print them for me… So I set out to find a supplier who could produce a single sheet of decals. I chose…

HOW TO MY WORD, WOOD AND NOTHING ELSE! We are going to model prototype 40cm gauge, by using H0e 9mm gauge track. True, 9 mm x 43.5 = 391.5mm, but let's not split hairs over the shortage of a prototype 8.5mm. The advantage is using a scale that has plenty of volume as far as rolling stock and scenery are concerned, while being able to use N scale chassis for locomotives, diesel engines and wagons. What is more, N scale driving bogies are available at affordable prices. Except in the U.K., there are few ready-to-run models. A good reason for giving free rein to your imagination! Designing a small 40cm gauge scale layout operated with locomotives is not unrealistic; one true life example was Sir Arthur Heywood's 15 inch (381mm)…

What's New H0-9 Schmalspurbedarf is a German retailer who sells Polish wagons from the national PKP network, made by the artisan Mano. The two new releases presented here are an open wagon and a breakdown box van. These very original wagons are 3D printed and fitted with loop couplings. All that remains to be done, following the instructions, is to glue a stovepipe and the steps on the breakdown wagon. The latter is based on a 3Kw prototype. The same retailer has announced snow plough wagons. Note also that he has got Bemo to decorate some Polish versions of the Faur L 45 H diesels. Jacques Royan SCHMALSPURBEDARF FRANK TÜMMELER, HÖNINGER WEG 36, D 50354 HÜRTH, GERMANY WWW.SCHMALSPURBEDARF.DE OPEN WAGON REF. MP WDX 7502 PRICE: €85.71 BREAKDOWN WAGON REF. MP…

Atelier du Tacot has released a 3D printed kit of a Billard T 75 D diesel locomotive. Produced in strict 1/87 scale, it is designed to fit over the small 6.5mm gauge Busch chassis. The kit, sold without a driving mechanism, does however feature a static chassis. Consisting of one single block, it requires some filing off of the printing sprues. Before painting the model, degrease it thoroughly using lukewarm water and soap, then apply a coat of matt primer or acrylic paint. Decoration work will require care, as is the case for all monoblock models. If you do not use 6.5mm gauge track, this model will look great in a static role, inside a shed, loaded onto a flat wagon or a lorry. The gauge is no excuse… François…

SMALL LAYOUT DESIGN HANDBOOK In this 80 page colour album, in Italian 28 x 21cm format, James Hilton describes all the advantages and recipes that will inevitably lead you to installing a micro-layout in your home. His approach is a pragmatic one: he tackles the various approaches one by one, ranking the tasks, and even encourages us to forget pencils and layout planning software and start by thinking and finding the right location in the home. He is also a realist: he draws our attention to lighting, colours, the height of the layout, the choice of a scale. And an artist as well: he offers different viewpoints, sketches, staging outlines, prototype pictures. Last but not least, a modeller: 24 plans, mostly of the shelf layout type, will feed your thinking…

At first, it's just a slightly crazy project! One of those projects one has been dreaming of creating for years, but that are always postponed, for all kinds of incredibly good reasons such as… well, you know, good reasons… you see what I mean, don't you! Going from postponement to postponement, you end up by talking to one mate, then to others. And at long last, you find the solution, the only one, the right one! Seated around a table, one of them says: “Well, let's just do it. You do this, you are in charge of this bit, you of that one, and you, there, as you happen to be free, you can take care of the remainder!” In this way, we re-created the French railway modelling federation (FFMF…

DOSSIERHOWTO At first, we opted for the Billard set, mainly because we had a dimensioned drawing and a rough sketch. When examining the many photos visible online, I realized that the trailers all seemed different. I decided therefore that the trailer would be the symetrical twin of the driving unit. This meant one single drawing… H0-9? As it was a case of modelling 0.75m gauge prototype track, H0-9 was the obvious choice (0.75m ÷ 87 = 8.6 mm, almost exactly 9 mm). A choice helped by the fact that a plenty of spare parts are available in this scale. The original idea consisted in converting the generator van into a driving van, climbing the gradient in simple adhesion, to do away with the constraint of the rack rail. The latter…

«Round about 1938, electric railcars had been introduced to operate the service between Saint-Joachim and SaintNazaire. These machines continued to run throughout the Occupation and one of them almost killed me. It was one morning around Christmas 1942, after I had ended my day's work at Wörms (Editorial note: driving a De Dion JM railcar). I was driving a lorry taking workers from SaintJoachim to Saint-Nazaire. And that morning, at the «four roads» intersection, it was foggy. I approached the railway line. I could see the workers. I was coming in this direction (from Bais island). The railway line ran through the village. Rather like a tramway… There was a gradient at that location, and the train had picked up speed. There were people here and there. My lorry was…

I model in Gn15 scale, the very narrow gauge of 16.5mm in 1/22.5 scale. I do not bother drawing a plan, I simply think ahead about the dimensions, depending on what I have to hand, of the scale and of the realism of the proportions. I dug up a recycled driving mechanism from my scrapbox. It's the driving chassis from the Jouef motor trolley. Rules You have models and kits in your workshop, on your workbench, that you designed, built, modified, decorated… These models deserve to be described, your processes and special tricks explained. Send us a short text, a few high-definition and well-lit photographs, an explanatory or technical drawing. Publishing in the magazine will earn you a free subscription (or extension thereof). Grab your tools! Everything is designed around…

TECHNIQUE Digital covers a very down-to-earth reality: instead of being operated by a voltage regulator, a digitized locomotive is operated by an on-board chip which communicates with a central unit and its controller. The principle was explained in Issue 113 of Voie Libre 113. To communicate, all these appliances use a common language: the binary code. Understanding this code means it can be used to optimize the performance of the engines. GET OUT YOUR MATHS EXERCIZE BOOKS! Binary code is common to all microprocessors. It is based on basic units, the bits, gathered in packets of 8 which form bytes. The bits are numbered from 0 to 7 starting from the right. Each bit, if it is active or inactive, can take two values: 0 or 1. A byte is…