Innholdsfortegnelse for JANUARY 2016 - 84 i Voie Libre international

If, like Laurent Séveno, you are keen on having steam locomotives, but are reluctant to fabricate a complete motion and valve gear, aproned engines are made for you! This type of locomotive was extensively used on lines built along the roadside. The aprons protected the motion from grit and prevented it from alarming cattle and horses. Laurent built his engine using the body of a Jouef “Boer” 0-6-0 T, cut down and glued back together. The major advantage of this engine is naturally that its motion is completely invisible. For his own, Laurent simply made use of a 6-wheeler Tillig diesel locomotive. The body was removed from the chassis and replaced by the tram engine superstructure.…

Following on from the DFB 0-8-0 Ts, German WW1locomotives, MinitrainS has now released Baldwin 2-6-2 tank engines, the locomotives of the American expeditionary force. Known as “Prairies” because of their axle arrangement, they have a very distinctive appearance. They are long, low, with very small wheels, a large space between boiler and chassis, water tanks that are offset towards the front, a very recognizable cab shape and hoods over the front spectacles… The MinitrainS model is highly evocative of the prototype and four references are already available: 1071 (grey, with open cab and military markings), 1072 (grey, with stretched cab and no markings), 1073 (black, with short cab and no markings) and 1074 (black, with stretched cab and no markings). At first glance When opening the familiar flat black glazed…

The purpose of ARFUPE ( Association pour la Restauration du Fort d’Uxegney et de la Place d’Epinal : Association for the Restoration of Uxegney Fort and Epinal Stronghold) is to study and preserve the fortifications built from 1874 to 1914 according to the Séré de Rivières system in Eastern France. The first task, a colossal one, consisted for its members in restoring and opening to the public the forts of Uxegney and Bois l’Abbé. Prompted by Pascal Durand, a fan of 60cm gauge military railways, ARFUPE also decided to re-lay a stretch of the former strategic railway which used to serve the Épinal stronghold. A project that is moving forwards swiftly and which can be followed on the Voie Libre forum. ARFUPE Rue des…

The layout at a glance • Dimensions: 3 sheets of A4 paper plus the fiddleyard • Height of the track above the floor: 120cm • Scale: American 0 (1/48) • Gauge: 9mm (0n18) • Operation: digital with sound François Fontana: Hallo Jack, a cable-way, a turntable, wagons that travel through the air, a gherkin canning plant! Did you pull all these ideas from your own hat or did you call on some real sources? Jack Trèves: Hallo François. Yes, these ideas did pop out from my hat, but are based all the same on true sources. To the best of my knowledge, nowhere do all such features come together. However, each element taken separately used indeed to exist in real life. The cableway was inspired by the one used by the “Michigan-California Lumber Co.” forestry…

Spelt in capitals, this name is actually an acronym: COFERNA for Constructions ferroviaires et navales de l’Ouest [“West Country Railway and Navy Construction”]. The knowledge we have of this company is somewhat fragmentary. Originally, it had a different name, the Société parisienne de Matériel roulant [“Parisian Company for Rolling Stock”] (S.P.M.R.). Created in the mid-1920s, it specialized in building locotractors for gauges ranging from 40 centimeters to standard gauge. While the head office was in Paris, the works were in Maizières-les-Metz, in Eastern France. To be perfectly honest, the engines produced were far from drop-dead gorgeous. Boxy, high above the ground, they are recognizable at first glance because of the incredibly high number of ventilation louvers displayed all over the bonnets. In…

Since the 1970s and the first experiments of the French Federation of Railway Modelling (FFMF), the principle of the modular layout is well established. The “Croisées” are no exception. Each module features two standard interfaces (figure 2). Provided the handful of imposed dimensions is observed, together with the track gauge (9mm), these interfaces ensure that one module can be mated with any other. Between the interfaces, our purpose was to give participants as much freedom as possible. The length, and even the width, of the modules were entirely up to them, just like the scale, which could range from 1/76 to 1/87. The modules could be adapted to personal projects. On the other hand, a modular layout, often linear, can be restrictive in terms of operating potential. It was to…

A graduate of the Ponts et Chaussées civil engineering school, Georges Mangin wasn’t only fond of trains, he was also a great fan of civil engineering works and of concrete… In late 1918, Engineers Lieutenant Mangin joined the Naval Artillery School located in Brest. The camera that he had kept by his side throughout WWI was still with him. And he took advantage of leave periods to indulge in a bit of sightseeing. Don’t be mistaken: his purpose was by no means to photograph elderly Breton women and their lace headdresses, or fishing harbours! No, he went to the Côtesdu-Nord. He must have been aware of the work carried out by his fellow-graduate Harel de la Nöe, which was described in the technical magazines he use to read regularly. He…

When the U.S. Army joined the Allies in WW1, it expanded from 100,000 to more than one million men and graduated from the boy-scout hat to the steel helmet in just a few months. On taking over parts of the French front, it faced the same logistical problems as all the belligerents. And its answer was the same: 60cm gauge track bore the brunt of the work. Of course, neither the British nor the French could spare equipment for their new ally. The U.S.A. therefore ordered narrow gauge locomotives of its own. The market was awarded to the Baldwin Locomotive Works, which already supplied the Allies. The company offered the US Government to build its 10-12 1/4D type. This engine was perfectly identical to the 10-12D 2-6-0 tank engines already…

For the construction article dealing with the Voies Ferrées du Dauphiné locotractor, in this same issue, all I had available was a photograph by Jean-Louis Rochaix, taken from a front three-quarters angle. There was no obvious way of measuring dimensions on it straightforwardly. On the other hand, it was possible for me to measure proportions. To do so required delving into my memories and courses dealing with descriptive perspective. Those proportions, combined with the two dimensions I knew, meant that I could develop a reasonably accurate drawing. I used CAD software, but a good old sheet of tracing paper placed on a photograph will produce exactly the same result! Naturally, this method will not result in a perfectly accurate drawing, only an approach of reality. But it’s still thrilling to…

Jack builds his track himself, how can one proceed differently when weird interlacing and strange gauges are required? He draws his plans on computer and prints out full-size templates. He then glues the copper-clad epoxy sleepers and solders Micro Engineering code 70 rails to them. The only remaining task consists in cutting the copper sheet across the middle of the sleepers to isolate electrically each rail. Work becomes a little more complex where dual-gauge turnouts are encountered as well as on the very fine third rail cross-over! The point blades are operated by Tortoise motors, whose bipolar switches feed the turnout frogs.…

Narrow Planet isn’t a newcomer to the world of railway modelling. Enthusiasts are familiar with their custom etched plate service. Some time ago, the production of rolling stock in 1/76 and 1/19 scales was added. These products were innovative from the outset. A Narrow Planet kit usually consists of a commercial driving chassis, to which a 3D printed body shell is fitted. Etched detailing parts complete the model. The technologies used make it economical to produce very limited runs at affordable prices. They are also well suited to resuming production if demand is sufficient. This was the case for some models which were sold out before even being delivered! Narrow Planet recently took over the production and distribution of the Meridian range of plastic kits. The “Pershing” series of military…

The layout at a glance: • Scale: H0 • Gauge: 12mm • Supply: analogue • L-shaped looped layout with fiddleyard • Period: 1930’s • Dimensions: 500 x 120 x 60cm Laurent Sévéno was born on the Rhuys peninsula, next to the Golfe du Morbihan. A childhood spent on the shores of the “little sea” and close to the former Port-Navalo meter gauge line undoubtedly explains his two passions: traditional boats and secondary railways, preferably both from Brittany! Despite having already built an extensive H0 layout round a room in the 1980s, inspired by the Réseau Breton, Laurent considers himself as a beginner. A beginner, however, who was bold enough to tackle the construction of a large 12mm gauge H0 layout which doesn’t feature a single off-the-shelf building and where the trains are very largely scratchbuilt. A…

The product • Scale: H0 (1/87) • Driving mechanism: 12V • Magnorail (English website) https://www.magnorail.com/site/en/ • Available in France from Maketis: http://www.maketis.com/fr/ • Starter set: €94.50 The idea is seductive: animating streets, roads, paths or, why not, canals or the surface of large stretches of water using a chain drive fitted with magnets, which move an object carried on a ferrous baseplate. The basic kit The Dutch manufacturer produces a basic kit costing less than 100 euros, enough to create a loop of ca. 150cm. The box contains sprues of injected plastic parts that comprise two types of chain links, and the slides which assembled using clips. A 12V motor with a significant gearing ratio provides slow movement. A tower of powerful magnets, as well as three ferrous baseplates for vehicles are also supplied, together…

Necessary supplies • Code 75 rail • 0,8mm brass wire • 2x4 and 4x4mm wood strips • rivet-head nails from L’Octant, ref. POINTE TF • Model Mates grey primer MM49102 • Model Mates rust-coloured acrylic paint • Patine rouille claire Modelmates réf. MM49204 This is a frequent question on the Voie Libre forum. Can buffer stops, so common on standard gauge, be found on meter or narrow gauge railways? To my great shame, I gave a negative answer, having never really noticed such items on the documents I handle. Actually, even though they are not that frequent, they can be found in a number of locations. On the Chemins de fer des Côtesdu-Nord, at Pithiviers sugar mill, on the railways of fortified cities in Eastern France… Fortunately, once such buffer stop has been preserved by the ARFUPE…

Built on the basis of former steam locomotives chassis, these four locotractors undeniably had a very distinctive “look”. I used an excellent photograph taken by Jean-Louis Rochaix as a starting point. It shows engine nº 13 shunting at Jarrie. My purpose was an easy construction project, calling on plastic sheet and a few standard detailing parts. As I didn’t have a drawing of the engine, I had to make one up using a three-quarter front photograph. My kingdom for a plan! Despite searching through my documentation and exploring specialized magazines, I never succeeded in finding a plan of these fabulous engines! Fortunately for me, an immersion in Patrice Bouillin and Henri Boyer’s book “Les voies ferrées du Dauphiné” did provide me with a few essential elements for drawing up a…

With Jean-Louis Rochaix as a guide, let’s continue discovering the meter gauge lines that branch off the broad gauge Douro valley line. The Tua line After staying with some friends at Regua for a restful night, Senor Suarez boards his train to Spain and calls at Tua, the junction for the line of the same name. It was built in several stages. The first section, from Tua to Mirandela, 54,7km long, wound its way along the bottom of the Tua river gorge. Trains ran between those two towns as early as 29 September 1887. The line was then extended over 12,5km, reaching Romeu on 2 August 1905, after having crossed a deep valley over an impressive stone and steel viaduct. The line reached Macedo de Cavaleiros, some 15km further North,…

The model at a glance • COFERNA Diesel Locomotive • ENG-006 • Price ca. £40.00 • Distributed by Narrow Planet: www.narrowplanet.co.uk james@narrowplanet.co.uk • Roco H0e locotractor • Ref. 33208 • Price €85.00 James Hilton is now selling, under his EuroNG brand, a small kit of a COFERNA locotractor in 00-9. It is distributed by Narrow Planet. We are getting accustomed to multimedia models which call on photo-etching, 3D printing and an off-the-shelf driving mechanism. This model is no exception. The result is a kit that is simple to build, highly evocative of the prototype and fairly affordable, as it is priced at €140.00, donor chassis included. Some preparatory work Simple assembly doesn’t mean you have no work to do. 3D printed parts seldom display a perfectly neat surface. By alternating coats of primer and sanding, using fine grain…