Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 99 i Voie Libre international

Our heart sways between both: Should we support traditions, bolster what we are familiar with, observe our achievements and work from familiar bases? A way of reassuring ourselves because we can produce what meets our expectations? Or should we, on the contrary, take bolder steps, dabble with new combinations, new tools, new ways of doing things? Running the risk of producing something sub-standard, less accomplished, but also opening up new prospects and enabling us to imagine even more impressive future creations? Within the Voie Libre editorial team, we support both options! So that we can move forward, renew ourselves, create new things on a solid basis, because tradition and modernity, far from being contradictory, are actually complementary! Enjoy the autumn! Follow us on Keep in touch all the year round…

This announcement came as a big surprise to many, especially as it took place almost simultaneously in the UK and in Japan! PECO is teaming up with Kato to produce steam locomotives in 00-9. With its range of injected plastic carriages and wagons, PECO is already a leading actor of ready-to-run 00-9 products. An engine can only strengthen its position. To complement its Ffestiniog Railway carriage and wagon range, it was quite logical that PECO should opt for the locomotives of this mythical railway. The first quarter of 2021 will therefore witness the release of « Prince » and « Princess », the signature 0-4-0T+T built by George England & Co around 1865. A Fairlie should follow in those models’ footsteps. The partnership with Kato is a pragmatic choice: the…

The fine range of ABE primers supplied in aerosol cans is expanding, this time with a superb rust shade! Ideal for modellers who wish to evoke well-worn stock and peeling paint with bare rusty metal showing through. Like other products in the range, the ABE aerosols contain 150ml of chrome-phosphate paint that, while holding perfectly on plastics, is ideal for metal.…

EXPONG 2O OCTOBER 2019 Let’s start with ExpoNG on 26th October in Swanley near London. This one-day show dedicated to narrow gauge is a great tradition. 15 layouts and some 50 traders’ or societies’ stalls. SAVOIE MODÉLISME, CHAMBÉRY 2 AND 3 NOVEMBER 2019 This will be followed by Savoie Modélisme in Chambéry on 2nd and 3rd November, several “Croisées de l’Etroit” in H0-9 will be gathered there. An ideal moment to meet the participants in this joint project and possibly enquire about your own future participation. Bernard Diot’s railway dioramas in H0-9 will also be on display, as well as a selection of narrow gauge layouts. RAILEXPO, CHARTRES 22, 23 AND 24 NOVEMBER 2019 We shall attend Railexpo on 22nd, 23rd and 24th November. A few fine metre and narrow…

It can be helpful to be aware of a few principles of general ecology before starting on the scenery of a layout. Within a given are of vegetation, one highly visible feature deserves attention. An association of plants comprises four visible strata, of different heights. The moss strata consists of moss and grass up to a maximum height of 10cm. Just above, the herbaceous strata consists of vegetation up to one metre in height. The next is the shrub strata, comprising woody vegetation up to 10 metres high, and finally the tree strata with tall trees. Modelling these various stratas more or less accurately obviously depends on the scale chosen. In H0, the moss and herbaceous stratas are simply evoked by moss and fibres. On the other hand, the structure…

Seven engines of this type were built between 1897 and 1903 by Hohenzollern in Düsseldorf for the Spreewald metre gauge network (in the region of Cottbus), known at the time as the LCK. They ran until 1968/1971, numbered DR 99 5701 to 5707. Each engine weighed 21 tons, developed a power of 107 kW/145hp, and could reach a speed of 35 km/h. With their large air tank located on the right-hand side of the running plate, and their air compressor curiously fitted to the left-hand side of the front of the smokebox, these engines have a very peculiar appearance. In the years 1952/1953, they were fitted with Knorr air brakes to replace the customary Heberlein cable braking system which, unlike what was found on Saxon networks, ran here under the…

This is no exaggeration, as since June, the British manufacturer has released no less than 14 references of wagons, while at least 6 locomotives are expected shortly. The wagons are mainly re-decorations of the Clayton open wagon and box van, in military, civilian, authentic or imaginary liveries. I decided to buy two military wagons (ref. 393-025A and 393-050A). Running qualities are as good as ever and the decoration is impeccable. The box van sells at £ 38.95 £ and the open wagon at £ 27.95, a bit more for the weathered references. And while waiting for the Quarry Hunslet engines, you can already treat yourself to the small slate wagons, sold in sets of three for £ 46.95. Bachmann has also announced new versions of its very fine 4-6-0 T.…

In the days when goods used to be carried at prices that varied according to their value, the Pouey company had specialized in producing personalized tariff directories for its customers. Each volume was accompanied by a general directory of French railway stations, generously illustrated with maps. It is those maps, in their 1933 version, which appear in Clive Lamming’s latest opus. Each map covers every single line, from the trunk routes of the main railway companies to the most obscure local light railway. The maps alone are a treasure trove of information for railway enthusiasts. Each one comes with a short text explaining in general terms the railway features of each department in continental France. A book to be consulted like an atlas. MAPS OF ALL THE LINES AND STATIONS…

This fine small format book, hardbound under a blue cover and illustrated with diagrams, has been self-published by the Italian author Mauro Bottegal. If you are convinced, like many, that narrow gauge was massively employed in France during WWI, Mauro Bottegal will prove you wrong; and this is some discovery! His book reviews, over 216 pages, all the railway installations built by both belligerent alliances all along their front lines. However, he does not include the front lines in French territory, as this was an impossible task for him. He describes all the portable systems used, generously illustrated by track-laying and turnout diagrams. He then reviews all the rolling stock employed, country by country. The opportunity to discover some gems! There are a few monochrome illustrations, but printed too small…

Having been present since the XVIIth century in the “Colony of Senegal”, France, prompted by Faidherbe and later by Galliéni, undertook from 1880 the conquest of territories located on both sides of the Senegal and Niger rivers, as well as the connection with the southern Algerian desert. This conquest put an end to a series of kingdoms and empires that had extended all over West Africa since the Middle Ages. Having become a colony under the name of “French Sudan”, these territories were administered by France until 1960 before becoming what is today Mali.…

Breaking with its tradition of producing models having mainly run on the American continent, Bachmann has released the 2-6-2 T engines built by Baldwin for the Pershing expeditionary corps, most of which were shipped to France. The models, displayed this summer, seem to be faithful to the prototype. The driving mechanism, with its simplified motion, did however raise a few eyebrows. We contacted Bachmann about this. We were informed that the driving mechanism of an H0 0-6-0 T had been used, with the big head of the driving rod transferred to the third axle. The model is available in DCC sound version only and calls upon the HiFi technologies developed by Train Control System. Besides the sounds of the engine itself, we were promised a depot atmosphere and even sounds…

Once the United Kingdom will have effectively left the European Union, there will be inevitable consequences on our cross-Channel way of buying. According to the French Ministry of Finance, ordering via internet will remain possible, but European law applicable to consumer protection (withdrawal, refunding…) shall no longer apply to such purchases. British law shall prevail. In a similar way, the fact that the UK will have left the customs union means that customs duties shall reappear, in the order of 20% on all purchases exceeding 150 euros.…

Issue N°119 of the Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review provides the opportunity for faithful readers of Voie Libre to re-discover a layout we had reviewed in our own Issue N° 70. Ten years later, the charm of Peter Kazer’s rendition of the Ravenglass & Eksdale Railway has not waned. And for those keen on simple working methods, take a look at the rail bender described on page 310… Rail et Industrie dedicates its main dossier to the very heavy duty standard gauge track of the Marcinelle blast furnace. Narrow gauge fans will probably prefer José Banaudo’s article about the Romanian BoBo engines used on the Chemins de fer de Provence (CP). In Issue 395 of Chemins de Fer Régionaux et Tramways, José Banaudo (again!) provides a very comprehensive…

In his customary and favourite A4 format, Peter Smith has produced a book describing 26 railway buildings. He based his research on a few drawings, some photographs – often period postcards –, as well as some on-site measurements. The text is printed in two languages, French and English. In addition to elevations of the building facades, the book also contains a few photographs. A good source of inspiration when planning to make buildings for a model layout. A SELECTION OF BUILDINGS FROM FRENCH NARROW GAUGE RAILWAYS PETER SMITH Available from Amazon PRICE: 19,95€…

• “La mission du Génie au Soudan” [The Engineers mission to the Sudan] in Revue du Génie Militaire, 1893. • Anonyme, Les Chemins de fer au Sénégal au Niger [Railways of Senegal and Niger], Germain & Grassin, Angers, 1896. • Raymond Godfernaux, Les chemins de fer coloniaux français [French colonial railways], Dunod, 1911. • Le Miroir, the fully illustrated, 11th April 1920. • Journal officiel du Haut Sénégal-Niger [Official Journal of the Upper-Senegal-Niger], 1923. • Albert Londres, Terre d’ébène [Land of Ebony], Albin Michel, 1929.…

The small bulk carrier is being loaded. The large blocks of white ore, carried by the conveyor belt, drop into the holds. It was Sunday evening at the Junglinster show in Luxembourg, and the event was drawing to a close. Pitt, the local master of ceremonies, came round to see us. We were displaying a layout: Riffelalp 2222. We, meaning François, François, François and Matthieu; the only one, according to the other three, to have an alien first name. Pitt had a simple question for us: – What will you be showing next year? – A super layout! was the unanimous answer. But for the time being, it’s still a secret... The idea had been mentioned a few years earlier while having a round of drinks. It then popped up…