Indholdsfortegnelse for OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2017 - 91 i Voie Libre international

After having applied for permission to the Catalan government in 1917, the Mataro to Argentona tram limited company was created in 1926. The line, which connected Mataro, on the Mediterranean coast 30km north of Barcelona, to the town of Argentona, was opened on 27 May 1928. Originally, the line started from the RENFE station square in Mataro. This starting point was then moved to the city centre. The tram ran without interruption throughout the Spanish civil war. A small tramway The meter gauge track was 5.8km (3,6 miles) long, featured 32 kg/m flat-bottomed rail and an overhead wire supplied with 600V DC current. Three motor units, nos 1, 2 and 3, built by Lladro el Cunat-Valencia in 1928, were in service at the start of operations. Given the large numbers…

The challenge consists in building a layout, featuring at least one turnout, on a standard A3, A4 or A5 format, depending on the track gauge chosen. This is perfectly feasible. Far from a simple animated diorama, and with some sharp thinking, a proper fun-packed layout can be built on such a tiny surface. Building micro-layouts provides scope for exploring different worlds, using new techniques, it’s a break from our everyday modelling work. In the forthcoming issues of Voie Libre, we shall review the layouts displayed in Sedan. This small project, built in A4 format, with two turnouts, a turntable and one concealed siding, offers plenty of scope for shunting and some pleasant operating sessions. The scenery consists of a rocky peninsula overlooked by a cliff. The train runs round it…

The layout: a simple oval of track, fitted onto a rotating baseboard, displays two sides: the outside and the inside of the cellar. For one weekend every year, the shed, which usually houses two steam locomotives, a small crocodile electric engine, a set of historic carriages and a few wagons, becomes a modelling show for many enthusiasts who take advantage of the opportunity. Some 15 layouts are on display, and the event, originally centered on railway preservation, has become a focal point for the modelling community. Perfect organization, a warm welcome, the opportunity to enjoy local specialities based on pork meat, plenty of steam and a strong fragrance of burnt coal, all contribute to making this into a unique event. We strongly recommend a visit! Hush we musn’t disturb the…

And for the last 17 years, enthusiasts from all over Europe have been gathering annually on the railway to share their passion and run their models on this exceptionally large garden layout. This year, the gathering took place during the warm and sunny weekend of 24 and 25 June 2017. This is how 70 enthusiasts got together over two days: Belgians, Catalonians, Dutch, Swiss and of course French garden railway fans swapped experiences and had great fun running their splendid models. WHERE TO FIND THEM Le Jardin des Trains ardéchois 07130 Soyons 04 75 60 96 58 www.jardin-des-trains.com…

LIST OF SUPPLIES Jouef : Decauville toastrack carriage (ref. V40), second hand. Evergreen (from Micro-Modèle): V-groove ref. 2060, 060’’ Spacing (1.5mm) / 020’’ Thick (0.5mm). V-groove ref. 2080, 080’’ Spacing (2mm) / 020’’ Thick (0.5mm). Rod ref. 218, (diam. 0.5mm). Strips ref. 100 (0.25 x 0.5mm). Strips ref. 101 (0.25 x 0.76mm). Strips ref. 102 (0.25 x 1mm). Strips ref. 123 (0.5 x 1.5mm). Square strip ref. 142 (1 x 1mm). Round. ref. 222 (diam. 1.5mm). Angle ref. 292 (2mm). Plastruct (Ebay retailers) : Styrene angle ref. 90501 (1.2mm). In the 1980s, I discovered two photos of the Decauville open wagon in the book “Indochine” by Charles Daney. Ever since then, I have wanted to build this wagon, without being prepared to sacrifice a Jouef Decauville toastrack carriage. Finally, I…

THE MODELLERS Peter Smith and his mate John Smith are fine modellers. Both are secondary railway fanatics, and like to make such railways known. They are also francophiles and enjoy combining their various passions. So yes, Mers-les-Bains is the most British of French layouts, or possibly the opposite! François Fontana: Hello Peter, hello John, where exactly is Mers-les-Bains? Peter & John: Mers is in France, on the coast of Picardy, just opposite Le Tréport. In actual fact, Mers-les-Bains was never served by a meter gauge railway, it could (and can) only be reached on the standard gauge. But as we had decided to model a line on the coast of Picardy, and that we love the “Bains de Mer” railway*, we imagined this small additional terminus. It’s not prototypical, but…

When the aim is to create a series of models using the casting technique, there are three main stages: creating the master models, making the moulds and casting the parts. A new and far more affordable medium, which eases the making of the moulds, has just become available on the market. This is good news indeed, and should contribute to make the technique more approachable. The project described here consists in making a series of small open wagons. Let’s take a look at the main phases. The master model I decided to make an open wagon. Its shape is quite basic: two identical curved ends and two perfectly symmetrical sides. My master model is therefore a half-wagon: one end and one side, together with one chassis solebar. The medium I…

Traffic from Strömmingby isn’t very busy, so there’s no need to build a fiddleyard packed full with storage tracks. I have planned for just two, one for trains leaving the layout and the second for trains coming from it. The fiddleyard baseboard is a rectangle measuring 34 x 13cm, cut out of one of the corners of the layout baseboard. It rests on the layout benchwork, like the remainder of the baseboard, which ensures that the join between both baseboards is on the same level. Movement of the fiddleyard is via a slide connection comprising two parallel slide rods. A VERY SIMPLE FIDDLEYARD The horizontal guides of the slide are 4mm diameter threaded rods, screwed into the layout benchwork on one side, and into a supporting girder glued under the…