Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 96 i Voie Libre international

A tiny kit combining two techniques: 3D printing and etched brass. The young and dynamic Italian firm has released an Orenstein & Koppel flat wagon chassis consisting of four 3D printed parts, with two etched brass loop couplings. Two spots of glue are all you need to assemble the kit. The axles, fitted with metal wheels, are supplied. Ideal for creating a specific wagon or having fun with some scratchbuilt whimsical body. JELLY MODELS / www.jellymodels.com  / PRICE: NC…

Among those who knew about the project, few really believed it would happen. Nevertheless, thanks to tireless efforts, Patrick Mourot and the Tacot des Lacs team eventually succeeded: bringing back from Serbia one of the two Péchot-Bourdon locomotives preserved worldwide! Two years of hard work were required to build relations of trust with the Serbian government and railways, with support from the French embassy in Belgrade and from the André Maginot Federation. At the end of October 2018, the engine was shipped to Paris and displayed in the courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides. Throughout its stay in France, and like any cultural item on loan from a foreign government, the engine is subject to a decree from the Ministry of Culture guaranteeing its safe return to Serbia. Following this…

Bolzano (Bozen) is located in the Italian province of Upper-Adige, also known as South Tyrol. Until the end of WW1, this province was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before being awarded to Italy. Nowadays, 75 % of the local inhabitants remain German-speakers, and this is why all the communities have two names. Adhesion, rack and adhesion The need for connecting Bolzano (Bozen) to the Renon plateau was felt very early. A meter gauge electrified line (1500V DC) was built in 1907. Starting from an altitude of 266 m, it first ran through the streets of Bolzano as a tram for ca. 900 m, then over a 4.2km stretch fitted with a Riggenbach type rack system, up to an altitude of 910 m. On this stretch, trains were propelled by three…

We have drawn a secondary terminus station somewhere in central France. The line that connects this small town with the main line junction is only a few kilometers long. A railcar is in charge of a passenger services. Goods, mainly supplies for the local industries and finished products being shipped to outside markets, are handled by the steam locomotive. A SIMPLE TRACKPLAN The line leaves the fiddleyard through a rocky cutting, almost completely concealed by vegetation. A long curved and steeply graded viaduct, running along the hillside, carries the line through a U-turn into the station. Two parallel tracks, one dead-end siding for the railcar and one engine shed siding for the steam locomotive. An ancient traverser is used for shifting the small engine from one track to the other.…

A quick calculation based on the formula R = (Usupply-Uled)/Iled will enable us to work out the resistor R to be used, knowing the amperage Iled required by the diode, the voltage Usupply of the supply and the direct voltage Uled on the diode. For example, 20 mA/1.5V LEDs connected to a 12V supply will require a minimum resistor of 525 ohms: (12 – 1.5)/0.02 = 525.…

Quite simply, this is the earth that the furry creature pushes to the surface and which is known as molehills (see photo below). It consists in the spoils generated by the mole when it digs its tunnels some 10 inches below the surface, just below the roots of grassy vegetation. This material can be used directly for modelling purposes, as it consists essentially of mineral material and of humus that gives it its brown colour. Collecting it couldn’t be more simple. Simply stoop and collect the earth where the mole has left it. Spread it out in the sun to dry it out. You can also place it in a traditional oven at 200°C to accelerate the dessication, but there’s absolutely no need to sterilize it as some modellers seem…

Roco has just released a legendary Austrian narrow gauge diesel locomotive, one that caused many modellers to experience a “narrow gauge epiphany” in the 1970s. This engine is available in two versions. The original one, reviewed here – numbered 2095.04 – reproduces a 1961 locomotive, in its original red and beige livery with aluminium roof, raised plates and signage from Bregenz depot. The second version, in a more recent livery – numbered 2095 010-1 – is red with a white stripe and a dark grey roof, and displays the new ÖBB logo. Naturally, Roco has accurately reproduced the differences between both versions. We have here a very fine and original model indeed, with up-to-date engraving, which sets a new standard when compared to earlier scale models of the same engine.…

Gilbert Gribi is among those modellers whose style is recognizable at first sight. The overall arrangement, the many life-like cameos, the choice of colours, the cleverly combined sources of inspiration, are all clues disseminated throughout his work, clues which invariably lead to the layout’s creator. His world Like all other artists, Gilbert associates images, mixes sources of inspiration and produces layouts that are in line with his imagination. This new opus features a touch of nostalgia, a feeling that is shown in bold letters on the fascia above the layout, as it is precisely called “A touch of nostalgia”. Many details help the sharp eye of the modeller identify Gilbert’s world: his buildings first of all, a clever blend of southern France architecture to which he adds large touches from…

Having visited the area, the first impression that comes to mind is one of significant flatness! The station is located on the outskirts of the village, close to the salt pans, and the very distinctive church steeple looms over the countryside. It is very tempting to bring together all these impressions into one layout. So here is a compact project, simply designed for running pleasing short trains: a locomotive and three or four wagons, a railcar and its trailer. The trackplan is simple also: an oval with a loop siding on the front of the layout and another, used as a fiddleyard, along the backscene. The layout features an internal fiddleyard that is concealed by the village houses. On the right-hand side, the track enters the station by wending its…

Before starting on this project, make sure you have the very latest version of this locomotive. Obviously, the running qualities of earlier versions was erratic, which is not the case for this one. What’s more, this version features complete and accurately-made motion. 1 I wanted to repaint the motor casing in black, as well as the gear casing which carries the brake shoes. If you aren’t interested, you can move straight to the dismantling phase! This is straightforward and quick, the instruction leaflet will be helpful. The various modifications I carried out were a function of the spare parts I happened to have in my scrapbox: whistle, water tank taps, rear lamp brackets, smokebox handwheel, handrail knobs, lifting points, valve... If I had been braver, I would have also replaced…

On the left hand side of the layout, just outside the workshop, a short length of track can be seen, laid directly on the ground. A few industrial trucks are displayed on it. A notice informs visitors that this is: Stock used for building the Draversaz dam. The construction site of this dam, and its related industrial railway, go all the way back to the very first GEMME Voie Libre challenge. This micro-layout, built in a format of 42 x 56cm, featured no fewer than 3 levels served by a lift located inside the fiddleyard and was reviewed in Issue 5 of Voie Libre – there’s old-time stuff for you!…

Secondary standard gauge lines were the playground for tiny tank locomotives, small diesel engines and short trains of four-wheeler carriages and wagons. IN N SCALE In this scale, there isn’t much in terms of typically French stock, so modellers will have to opt for German 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 tank engines. Roco, Trix, Fleishmann all have attractive and smooth-running models in their ranges. The British market also has some fine-looking tank engines: the Dapol Terrier 0-6-0, or the small Graham Farish Jinty 0-6-0. This brand also has a Class 08 diesel engine with side-rods, identical to one that used to run on the Mamers - Saint-Calais line in Western France. Fans of French diesels can find conversion-kit bodies to be fitted to industrial chassis in various artisan ranges. On the carriage…

There are two categories of light on our layouts. One is fully part of the scenery. It lights our houses, brings the alleyways to life... Then there is the overall lighting of our diorama, the “sun” of our miniature world. LIGHTING THE SCENERY Without aiming for comprehensiveness, modellers can call on two main types of light sources for the various elements making up the scenery on their layouts: micro-bulbs (of the grain of rice type for par example), and light-emitting diodes (standard LEDs, SMD LEDs will not be dealt with here). MINIATURES BULBS/MICRO-BULBS The bulbs I used require a voltage of 12V. They are often found in the lighting kits offered by industrial manufacturers. They can be connected to the electrical supply of an out-of-order portable computer, for example. These…

This line was part of a 366km long network conceded in 1897, then in 1913, to the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l’Etat, which created an affiliate to operate the system: the Compagnie des Tramways de la Vendée. The network was subsequently leased to the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Départementaux in 1938. All services ended in 1950. L’ÎLE-D’OLONNE Among all the station buildings that have been preserved, L’Île-d’Olonne was chosen because it remains in perfect condition; only the tracks are missing! Let’s take a look round this attractive little building. The structure is T-shaped: a waiting room and an office with a semi-detached goods shed. This leads to having two levels: the goods shed has a small raised platform on the track side and one end, on the…

For the “Liberated Regions” layout, which I started building a few months ago, I decided to favour several approaches at the design stage. First of all, by using new technologies, such as laser-cutting (see VL 94), to the extent that they could make the job easier while saving time for other work. I also attempted to use the largest amount possible of recycled and recyclable materials, with a double objective: saving money and trying to become a more “eco-responsible” modeller. This is why I opted for cardboard and kraft paper for making the relief of the layout. Packaging and envelopes are an endless and free supply. Furthermore, the waste generated finds its way naturally into the yellow dustbin! Naturally, I did have to buy some supplies, such as the paper…