Voie Libre international JULY 2015 - 82

This summer issue, to be enjoyed, no doubt, in a cool pine grove or in the shade of deciduous trees, is rich in small layouts. And we wanted everyone to be content: from those keen on historical evocations to more whimsical modellers, not forgetting those interested in specific periods, or those who swear only by letting their imagination roam free. If you are of the one sort or of the other, or maybe a bit of all four, take advantage of the summer break to outline your next layout project on paper! And because it’s summertime, take the opportunity to pick up your tools: Voie Libre helps you discover construction ideas and manufacturing techniques. Voie Libre is one for all and something for everyone. Have a great summer, happy modelling…

LGB : the 0-4-0 T from the Franzburger Kreisbahnen FKB Where does the “Franzburg” 0-4-0 T built by Märklin - LGB at 1/22.5 scale come from? The Franzburger Kreisbahnen was a 67 km metre gauge network, which served the area west and north of Stralsund, an important city of the Baltic Sea. Its name “Kreis Franzburg” came from an administrative district of the former Prussian province of Pomerania. Opened in 1895, this network operated with six locomotives No. 0-4-0 T 1-6, built from 1893 to 1894 by Vulkan in Bredow near Stettin. The end of the network occured early on, in the 1960s. At that time, it had the particularity of running two modern Brissonneau and Lotz railcars of French origin, from the Morbihan Railway, acquired in 1940! At the…

The layout at a glance • Scale: H0m (1/87)• 12mm gauge (meter)• Inspiration: CFD Vivarais• Period: 1970s• Dimensions: 190 x 83 cm• Control: analogue• Type: terminus to balloon loop François Fontana: Hallo Jean Michel, meter gauge railfans are familiar with your interventions on many Internet forums. You always provide constructive advice, and helpful criticism of many modeling efforts. You are also a kind of living memory of H0m scale. Tell us more about your modelling background! Jean Michel Bellières: Well, that’s quite some story! If I had to answer in one sentence, I’d simply say that I was lucky enough to have a father who was a railway enthusiast, and a tramway and secondary railway fan to boot! As far as I can remember, we always had model trains at home. The unusual feature was that besides…

You have now finished building that fine little kit you used to dream of. You have patiently put the driving mechanism together; there is just the right amount of play, neither too little nor too much! Naturally, the chassis will be black. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned, sanded, coated with primer and painted. Yes but… the gear train, the wheels, the motion, the electrical pickups and who knows what else, will all have to be masked, because the kit wasn’t designed to be easily dismantled. And the paint, even applied in the thinnest coat, is always going to create an extra thickness. How about blackening? 1 De-greasing This is the keyword: the parts must be de-greased. Start by washing them thoroughly in warm water, before brushing them carefully, and…

The model is inspired by a vintage postcard and a photograph that appears on page 3 of the Guide touristique du Chemin de fer forestier d’Abreschviller [Visitor’s Guide to the Abreschviller forestry railway, French book]. The photographs are in a small format, but sufficient to get an accurate idea of the prototype. Other vans, of different types, are preserved on the Abreschviller heritage railway. Main supplies • Sculpteo H0e logging set by JP Duval • Micro-Modele - Le Train Magique MU 87/N: 5.2mm diam. wheel, distance between tips 14mm Bar laiton-0.40: 0.4mm diam. brass rod • Evergreen Scale Models* 100 - Strip .010’’ x .020’’ 122 - Strip .020’’ x .040’’ 142 - Strip .040’’ x .040’’ 218 - Round Rod .020’’ 222 - Round Rod .062’’ 262 - Channel .080’’ • Slater’s* 0110…

On the prototype, the couplers are of the “pocket” type. In H0, given their small size, the loop that fits into the pocket is replaced by a small spike which fits into the hole of the coupler. The coupling beams (figure 7) are made out of Evergreen strips: 0.5mm diameter round rod (ref. 218), 1.6mm diameter round rod (ref. 222) and 2mm U shaped strip (ref. 262). Better than a long speech, the drawing shows it all. The U strips overlap the round rods by 4mm, the distance between the tip of the 1.6mm rod and the center of the spike is 2mm; the length of the loop is 3mm. If the van happens to be coupled to an item fitted with a loop coupling (Jouef/Egger Bahn, MinitrainS…), one of…