Indholdsfortegnelse for JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER 2017 - 90 i Voie Libre international

Actually there isn’t that much work required: more realistic buffer beams, a brake lever, glazing in the front and rear windows of the cab and a curtain on one of the sides. Before starting, the cab must be removed. It is clip-fitted to the chassis. A dot of glue sometimes strengthens the clip, so you may need to force slightly – just keep a light touch. In the same way, remove both couplers, which are simply glued onto the buffer beams. THE BRAKE LEVER The lever, made of 0.5mm thick plastic sheet, is 6mm long and 1mm wide. A 0.8mm diameter hole is drilled into one of its ends. Into this hole, fit a 3mm long section of 0.8mm diameter round rod. At the opposite end of the lever, the…

The E1 and E2 tractors, specific to this railway, were built by the Kummer company. E1 was fitted with a motor that drove one single axle, and developed a power of 7.5kW. E2 was fitted with two motors, one per axle, increasing its power to 15kW. Originally, they were fitted with semicircular cabs to fit under the bridge arch. When the railway was modernized, E1 was given a rectangular body designed to carry workers, and E2 got a larger cab. And both engines were fitted with Siemens pantographs.…

The Saône-et-Loire line of the Chemins de Fer Départementaux, 53km long, used to run from Digoin to Étang. Its construction was approved in 1891 and the line opened in 1893, as its main purpose was to serve Gueugnon Forges. The forges dated back to 1724. They produced pig-iron and iron rods for the nail industry. As early as 1900, they began producing tin foil and underwent significant growth when a canal basin was built at Gueugnon, as materials could be shipped in flat-bottomed barges. Railway kills waterway Right from 1893, the railway replaced the canal boats. At Gueugnon, the station was located at the East end of the town, while the forges were at the West end. This meant running right through the town along the streets. Considered hazardous, this…

GOING THE EXTRA MILE The architecture on the Tramways du Loir-et-Cher, and later on the Tramways du Loiret, was unusually elaborate for secondary railways. Besides the care taken when building the small station at Dhuizon, other stations were erected in a neo-Renaissance style. For example the buildings at Couddes, Saint-Romain-sur-Cher, Cellettes or Contres, as well as the splendid station building at Blois-Saint-Lazare on the Loir-et-Cher network. Not forgetting either the very fine Orléans-Saint-Marceau station, which sadly no longer stands. Many topics worthy of a place on your layouts. Voie Libre remains at your service to provide you with drawings and other reliable documentary sources. LOIR-ET CHER AND THE RAILCARS Like other secondary railways, the TLC began losing money hand over hand in the post-WWII years. In April 1927, the département…

MAIN SUPPLIES Tx21 controller Rx41d-22-v5 receiver 70 mAh 3.7 V battery 3.7 V 100 or 500 mAh USB charger Charger output cable Battery connectors Tsugawa TU-Koppel 0-4-0 chassis Alexis Hachette is involved in large scales on 184mm (7 ¼ inch) gauge, but he also enjoys operating a small indoor shelf layout in H0-9. So, naturally, being a techno-fan, he was keen to import the freedom he was familiar with on outdoor railways: total independence vis-à-vis power supply and control of the locomotive. To this end, he investigated miniaturized radio-control systems as well as ultra-compact batteries, which he decided to fit into a steam locomotive body. He opted for a Japanese N scale chassis, a Tsugawa TU-Koppel 0-4-0, with a 3D-printed resin superstructure ordered from Shapeways. The motor runs under a…

MAIN SUPPLIES Evergreen: 1mm thick plastic sheet, flat strips ref. 8108, 8203, I strips ref. 271, 272 Atlas: N scale bogies ref. 22050/22070 (see below) or Peco: bogie ref. GR-104 (but in this case, no need for the separate couplers), couplers ref. GR-102, pockets ref.GR-103 AMF 87: stanchions ref. A195 Brake wheels: Haxo Modèle (ref. 44033, 44047 or 44137) or AMF 87 (ref. A266 or A168) or SMD (ref. 076, 060) Brass strips: tube diam. 1.3 x 0.20mm (L’Octant ref. P1243 or Micro-Modèle), straight wire diam. 0.5 and 0.8mm Paints: various shades to suit your taste, weathering pastels. Build this bogie flat wagon in just a few simple steps. Of course, the list of supplies is indicative only, and you can equally well use parts sourced from another manufacturer. Ah,…

The layout measurements are 1 x 0.70m. Small, for sure, but still fairly bulky in a 650 square foot flat, or if the layout has to be moved. I wanted to be able to store it in my 21 square foot “workshop”, which is simply the cubbyhole, generously assigned to me by my girlfriend! I also wanted the layout to fit comfortably into the boot of my car. To take these constraints into account, I opted to make the scenic divider removable and designed the layout so that it can be folded down its middle (figure 1). I also favoured lightweight benchwork for easier handling. Each module has a caisson-type structure (figure 2). The “floor” of the layout determines the sea level. On top of this are a frame and…

ENGINE SHED FESTIVAL AT HOCHDORF 2 AND 3 SEPTEMBER 2nd and 3rd September 2017 will be open days at Hochdorf engine shed, near Lucerne in Switzerland. Steam and electric trains will be running on the standard gauge, while modellers will be providing a show in the shed. A dozen layouts are expected, from all over Europe, and it will be a pleasure to see the small 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 T engines running Not to be missed! RAMMA AT SEDAN 14 AND 15 OCTOBER We will be attending the RAMMA gathering in Sedan. As is customary at this event, there will be artisans, tradesmen, but above all, layouts! More than 80 are expected this year, and it is likely that many will be narrow-gauge themed. Don’t forget either that besides having…

It was indeed a great success and a great attraction. The many beaming faces told the story. The public and the exhibitors were happy and so were we. We, the teams of the LR Presse group, because we had all worked hard and were thrilled to see the show turn out so well. I shall refrain from serving the same old story about how subjective a choice the journalist has to make, when having to report in a given number of words, due to space constraints… Judging by the number and quality of the layouts on display, a fully comprehensive feature would have required an entire issue of the magazine. So yes, we had to be selective. And what follows is just a glimpse of what could be seen in…

1 Cut off the N scale coupler. 2 Then, glue a sheet of plastic to the bogie. 3 Once the adhesive has set, glue the Peco coupler ref. GR101 or GR102 underneath, if you have found some. These aren’t necessarily the ideal bogies, but they work perfectly. 4 Out of 1mm thick plastic sheet, cut a 20 x 80mm rectangle. 5 Engrave the planks every 2 or 3mm on the upper side. Use a special knife for laminated materials (of the Olfa P 450 type), or the back of the blade of your favourite hobby knife, or a small flat screwdriver, with the blade filed down. 6 Once the engraving has been done, give the sheet a light sanding with grain 80 or 120 sandpaper, to simulate the wood veins.…

To start: Transfer the drawing of the parts (see central folder) onto 1mm thick plastic sheet. With a dry or engraving point, scribe the plank seams. 1 Cut out the parts. For the purpose of photography, I built two trailers, so there are two sets of parts. 2 The body sides are glued against the chassis. 31.5mm wide strips of 0.5mm thick plastic sheet are glued to the angles. Two other strips of identical dimensions are glued one-third of the way down the body sides. 4 Glue the two bulkheads as well as the three intermediary frames. 5 Observing the elevation drawing, represent the three hinges of the rear drop-leaf, using 1.5mm thick plastic sheet (1.5 x 10mm) as well as the central seam of the tarpaulin (1.5 x 22mm).…

The Sologne region, well known for the Le Blanc to Argent line that ran through it from North to South, was also served by other meter gauge railways: the Tramways du Loiret, and the Tramways du Loir-et-Cher. We shall focus on this second company, taking a closer look at Dhuizon station, whose architecture was unique on the system. It was located on the line from Blois to Lamotte-Beuvron. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The first two lines allocated to the Compagnie des Tramways du Loir-et-Cher in 1886 connected Blois to Lamotte-Beuvron and to Ouzouer-le-Marché. They opened in September and November 1888, respectively. The operator was the same as that of the Tramways de la Sarthe system, so the motive power and rolling stock were identical. Orders were assigned to builders depending on the…