Indholdsfortegnelse for JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH 2024 - 116 i Voie Libre international

January, february, march 2024 LONG-STANDING… … New Year resolutions! Our readership keeps expanding and our readers remain faithful. We are honoured but also obliged. Obliged to be ever more inventive, creative and thorough. We take care to apply all three of those qualities to each editorial board meeting, and I may assure you that at all levels of the magazine’s production process, these are our guiding principles. Our modeller-contributors, proof-readers, illustrators, our translator, our graphic designers and our entire commercial team, not forgetting the editorial board, all of us shall keep them firmly in mind. Thank you for your continued support, thank you for your comments, thank you for your active involvement. May our resolutions be lasting, and Happy New Year to all!…

Having been invented to carry the coal that was required for its own operation, the steam locomotive’s history is closely linked to that of mining. The collieries of Nord and Pas-de-Calais operated thousands of kilometres of track and ran many two-, three-, four- or five-axle tank engines. These hundreds of industrial engines, of smaller size and more familiar than those of the mainline networks, were part of Jean-Marie Minot’s daily atmosphere during his childhood. That was enough to generate a lasting passion for colliery locomotives. A passion that is still with him 70 years later and which has led to the publication of this huge compendium of photographs. Over 400 pages, we discover with pleasure the hundreds of photographs brought together in this book. The quality of the paper and…

Spotlight THE MODEL AT A GLANCE Manufacturer: TDR Modèles Adress: www.trainsdereve.com Model: freestyle locotractor in kit form Scale: 1/43.5 (0) Gauge: 16.5mm Lighting: micro-LED Price: 350€ The parcel contains a series of pouches enclosing the various components: the driving mechanism, already assembled, the 3D printed body and chassis parts, machined glazing, cast whitemetal ballast blocks, small screws and electrical equipement. A 3-page set of instructions, suitably detailed and illustrated, makes assembly straightforward. As is the case for all kits, the parts must be degreased thoroughly and any small printing leftovers removed. However, the latter are so cleverly located as to be almost invisible. ASSEMBLY Nothing awkward; once the parts have been gently sanded with a fine or cardboard file, they are offered up, just to make sure everything fits together…

DOSSIER The kit is incredibly simple: a few 3D printed parts, two axles with spoked wheels, to be fitted over an N scale driving chassis with two bogies from the Kato range or a 4-wheeler one produced by Tomytec. Depending on the length of the body, you will choose one or the other. Assembling the model, whose engraving is fairly deep, calls mostly on a few small screws, supplied with the kit. The only parts that need to be glued in place onto the roof of the carriage part are the fuel tank and the exhaust silencer. The kit comes with a sheet of very clear and neatly illustrated instructions. PREPARATION Like all 3D printed models, the parts must be carefully degreased. Brush them under hot water, with a drop…

DISCOVERY Note: Only the stock originally from France is described in this article At the time the LausanneEchallens line was planned, starting in the1860s, all existing railway lines in Switzerland were standard gauge. A cheaper solution had to be found, and one of the first ideas put forward was the Larmanjat system, based on a single guiding rail built along an ordinary road. It was not successful, and it was decided to go for a traditional two-rail railway, built in metre gauge. From Mont-Cenis to Switzerland In the early years of operation, small steam locomotives hauled trains whose speed did not exceed 25km/h. This was very reminiscent of the old French local railways, confirmed by the fact that most of the line’s facilities were from the former Franco-Italian Mont-Cenis summit…

HOW TO This crane, with its somewhat haughty and slightly ridiculous outline, caught my fancy. The model calls mainly on lasercut card. I list the supplies required and include drawings of the various parts. SUPPLIES - 4mm Plastruct U strip. Ref. 90582 - Brass wire: 1.0mm and 0.4mm - Brass tube, inside diam. 1.0mm, outside dim. 2.0mm - Etched riveted strips: Mécanic-Trains/AMF 87. Ref. div 92 - L’Octant brass chain. Ref. A 5627/04 THE CHASSIS THE CAB Note: To fix these parts, I use aerosol adhesive. I spray the glue onto one side of the part, which is then carefully fitted in relation with the aperture. The glued surface is very small but sufficient. ROOF AND JIB ACCESSORIES…

You are not dreaming! This is indeed an 0-16.5 Magic Train set! For ca. 150 €, it contains an oval of track and a Christmas train you can install around the tree (even though this is more the time to be hoovering up the needles), And the transformer is supplied! The excellent driving mechanism of the attractive Stainz engine, smooth and silent, will ensure hours of trouble-free running, that should help inoculate children with the railways modelling virus. However, keep your dreams in check… We are not talking here of a comeback of the range, there is no sign of this set being followed by other references. The motion of the Stainz incomplete the ecccentrics and the Stephenson valve gear slide are missing -, which is hardly surprising at such…

Tillig has released two versions of the 4-wheeler carriages built by Linke Hoffmann Breslau in 1897, and of the 1897 Werdau composite/brake van. These units were originally built for the Spreewaldbahn. Regarding the carriages, do not look for brake shoes, they were unfitted, unlike the composite where you will have to fit the brake shoes. Jacques Royan H0-12 /H0-9 TILLIG REF. CARRIAGES 13907 AND 13908 VAN 13956 PRICE OBSERVED: 40 €…

Plan of the layout The layout is most certainly located in the northern United States, bang in the middle of a major mountain range. The period must be shortly after the Depression or towards the end of WWII. The time of the year must be late summer, when the lower sun stretches the shadows on trees that are turning redorange. What is certain is that this layout reflects Bernard Fabron’s soul, his desire to travel, to escape, to discover. What is also sure is that he generously invites us to share his dreams and his equally great modelling abilities! François Fontana: Bernard, what does America mean to you? Bernard Fabron: A change of scenery. A place where, as a European, I can feel that everything seems possible, where my wildest…

CENTRAL FOLDER Travelling north from Le Blanc to Argent, one encountered Azé calling point, Subtray halt, the calling points of Sainte-Thérèse, BonneauHabilly, Juscop, Terre-Neuve and La Gauterie in Berry. In Sologne, Les Quatre Roues, Faubourg d’Orléans, Les Loges and L’Etang des Bordes. The only level crossings to include a waiting room were Subtray, Juscop, Les Quatre Roues and Faubourg d’Orléans. SUBTRAY HALT Located between the station of Mézières-en-Brenne and the Sainte-Thérèse calling point, Subtray featured a ground floor wing, with a double French window on the track side. Being located in Berry, the door quoins and lintel were made of limestone. The waiting room was heated by a stove with a chimney flue in the gable on the Argent side. The name of the halt was located above the door…

New and tasty Rules You have models and kits in your workshop, on your workbench, that you designed, built, modified, decorated… These models deserve to be described, your processes and special tricks explained. Send us a short text, a few high-definition and well-lit photographs, an explanatory or technical drawing. Publishing in the magazine will earn you a free subscription (or extension thereof). Grab your tools! The upper level of the tramway was cut off and the remaining part of the body grafted to the chassis of a Lima van from which only the axleboxes were retained. The roof remains removable, so that a few figures can be installed inside. I also had a Tenshodo Spud driving bogie in store. With side-aprons added, it provided a perfect base for a steam…

HOW TO SUPPLIES - Civil defence Land Rover: Oxford Diecast Rèf: 76LRC006 - Kato chassis Ref. 11-110 - Set of bi-colour LEDs and resistors Lapierre-Modèlisme In the past, this question simply did not arise, with the former Kato chassis fitted with large motors. Nowadays, it does, with the new reference 11-110. The small coreless motor is concealed under a housing and the electrical pick-ups are invisible! This article shows you, step-by-step, how to proceed… let’s get down to work! LIGHTING AND FINISHING TOUCHES I am going to use this small chassis to create a motor-trolley on a Land Rover basis. It is now time to fit the car lights. I bought some mini-LEDs and 560 ohms ressitors from Lapierre-Modèlisme. The salesperson kindly explained that I could not go wrong, which…

Built by StEG in 1902 under number U 25 for the Bregenzerwaldbahn, it is produced here in Steyrtalbahn version, Garsten shed, with an overhaul date of 27/04/66, meaning Era III/IV, These engines generate 165 kW power and can reach 35 km/h in service. This locomotive is currently based in Bezau, on the tourist stretch of its original line. H0-9 Liliput has been producing versions of its well-known U class for many years, but these models do feature a few mistakes… Signature locomotives, they would deserve to be brought up to date by Bachmann/Liliput! In addition to a body whose engraving is obsolete and not always accurate, depending on the versions, the front and rear lamps are not prototypical. Dolischo had produced some proper lamps and supplied two turbodynamos, required on…

Would you rather take the dog out or collect potatoes? With Merten ref, 0212589, it’s time to take Fido for a walkie! Four figures in contemporary clothing are walking four dogs. Each pet must find its master! H0 In the Preiser range, ref, 10605 is more joboriented, six figures in working clothes, in the 1930 to 1950 clothing style, are harvesting potatoes. The attitudes are perfect, the paint is neatly applied, you have everything here for vivid life-like scenes. François Fontana…

0n-30 LAYOUT While Gary Beatty doesn’t have much space for his layout, he has ample imagination, to which he adds plenty of humour. So, naturally, he found a whole lot of ways to get round the constraints. This is how Puerto Borracho was born, and he tells us the story. Gary Beatty: Half-way down the Baja peninsula in Mexico - Lower-California, you come across a small creek, off the Sea of Cortez. This is where Agapo Mescalito decided in 1941 to build his first tequila distillery. This lonely plant soon became a village. Before long, a wharf was built on the rocky seafront, and the area quickly became known as Puerto Borracho or “Drunken Harbour”, The raw material required for distiling tequila are piñas, the heart of the agaves, but…

Plan of the layout Along line snakes along the shores of a lake. It serves a handful of communities, but essentially various companies. The trains ship out the raw materials and provide a daily passenger service. The period is the mid-1930’s, before the upheavals of WWII. Steam reigns almost supreme, even though a Galopin’ Goose travels regularly along the line. François Fontana: Gèrard, Frèdèric, what is America for you? Gèrard Sabadello: It’s 0n30, just for kicks. For the impression of freedom it generates, for the lack of constraints. And on French shows, there are far fewer specialists of American history than of French railways, meaning there is less chance of bumping into the chap who-knew-it-well and tells you that you-got-it-all-wrong;-))). Frèdèric Mottet: What is America? Wow, grab your pen, you…

Ah, the exquisite pleasure of cruising the high seas, the wind and its iodine-laden fragrances, the flight of puffins, the vast horizons and ever-changing light on the crest of the waves, the blazing sunsets…! One can easily wax lyrical. Let’s return to more trivial matters. Nevertheless, it must be said that what is sorely lacking on-board a ship are trains. We are not talking here about ferries, where wagons are parked like any other vehicle, reducing them to the indignity of simple steel boxes. To make up for this shortage, Voie Libre offers you the best of both worlds: a cruise ship with trains. Because although such vessels are a fine sight, they are also very large. Walking the decks from bows to stern is tiring. That is why, to…

British sovereignty over New Zealand was proclaimed in 1840. At the time, the country was peopled by many Maori villages and a few Europeans (massively British), mainly installed in North Island. The economic potential was promising, natural resources appeared limitless. One of these resources was Agathis Australis, better known under its Maori name of kauri tree. This is a conifer of the Araucariaceae family, with small persistent leaves, and very tall straight trunks that can reach a height of 50 metres and a diameter of several metres at the foot. Its wood was quickly found to be of very high quality ideal for naval construction or luxury furnishing. This was enough to generate a real craze among colonists, who saw the tree as a source of income. However, the trees…

NOTA One basic rule must always be kept in mind when dealing with live steam scale models: the water molecules cannot be scaled down, nor for that matter the physical and, thermodynamic phenomena. Therefore, strict scale modelling must be adapted if the end-product is to work properly! Gèrard has been a volunteer on the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme (CFBS) heritage railway for many years, and he is fond of model trains in 1/22.5 scale running on 45mm gauge track. He owns an ACO Corpet-Louvet 2-6-0 T, regrets not having the Buffaud-Robatel 0-6-2 T from the same supplier, and cut his teeth in live steam with a Pinguely 0-6-0 T using parts from the Regner range, and a Rèseau Breton 2-4-0 T produced in kit form by…