Indholdsfortegnelse for OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024 - 119 i Voie Libre international

October, november, december 2024 WHAT COUNTS IS TAKING PART! The title of this piece has something to do with looking back into the driving mirror, following an Olympic summer when everything went peaceful around us, so concentrated were we on contests, results, medals; forgetful of everything else and especially of the world’s problems! With the end of the summer, shows, sharing and new meetings with modellers have resumed. What has also resumed is our favourite hobby, which helps us remain inside our bubble, giving us a break from troubled atmospheres. And I remain convinced that these small pauses, when we can share, exchange, create, are well needed! That is why we suggest you take up a new challenge, together with us and with the organizers of Trains d’ici et d’ailleurs,…

Trains de Rêve has released an attractive wagon consisting of two Feldbahn carrier trucks and a flat deck, fully assembled and painted grey, to be hauled by this supplier’s GRIMIC locotractor. The 3D printed trucks are fitted with pointed axles, the blackened metal wheels being isolated at the hub. The axleboxes feature bronze journals. The models are supplied with Kadee couplings. The deck, consisting of a metal structure and of a wood floor, also 3D printed, measures 120 × 36mm. It can be fitted with 12 stanchions. All the parts are very well detailled and printed; all they require is some light weathering and whichever load you feel like adding. The pair of Feldbahn trucks, assembled, painted and fitted with couplings, sells for €144, the complete wagon for €195. Trains…

The prototype chosen by Maxime Boiteux for this new laser-cut and engraved MDF, card and wood kit is the station building with semi-detached goods shed of Poulangy on the Chemins de fer Nogentais (CFN). The kit is supplied with inside partitions and floors so it can be lit and furnished with visible cameo scenes. The walls of the building feature rendering with brick quoins. The goods shed has a engraved wood gable; the roofs feature mechanical tiles, also engraved. The kit consists of many parts that must be glued and painted. François Fontana H0 BOIS MODÉLISME https://www.boismodelisme.com/product/gare-CFN Price: €74.90…

In the face of growing demand from enthusiasts, Sven Van der Hart, the dynamic manager of Tramfabriek, is now selling Zimo sound decoders loaded with sound tracks suitable for various narrow gauge locomotives. You can fit sound to the Bachmann Baldwin 4-6-0 T and Hunslet Mainline engines, and also to the Small England Peco/Kato locomotives. Besides the freeof-charge and chargeable sound tracks from the Zimo catalogue, Sven also sells projects he has developed and adapted to specific engines and loads these tracks free of charge onto the decoders he supplies. Better still, they can be downloaded for free from his site! You can obtain the files in Zimo. ZPP format. It is then very simple to download a project to a decoder via a black Z21 unit connected to a…

This is a large HO scale layout built on three levels, On the medium level, it depicts an electrified double track and a huge exchange station between standard and metre gauge, a station through which a great many trains run, On the lower level, visitors can observe the fiddleyard, its large network of sidings and the entire technical maintenance area, On the upper level, the metre gauge line winds its way up the mountains, serving a smaller town on the way, The layout is controlled by three operators and is superbly lit, while the photographic backscenes and the care taken with the staging ensure total immersion for the viewers, it’s just like the real thing… thrilling! Every other year, over one weekend, all the aisles, corridors, nooks and crannies are…

BUILDING MY WORD, 100% WOOD! With the same objective of building scale models of rolling stock in service on the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme (CFBS) heritage railway, I undertook in 2016 the construction of the Reseau Breton composite carriage, property of the AMTUIR preservation society, entrusted to the CFBS. The drawing published in Issue 64 of Voie Libre helped me for the basic work. I modified the position of the apertures on the van part of the carriage, as well as the number of windows on one of the carriage’s sides, because ABCDf 12 belongs to a second series: ABCDf 12 to 15, which differs from the ABCDf 1 to 5 series (see Volume 1 of the book «Le Réseau Breton»,p.l86). Having taken measurements on the…

* Translator’s note: the ”Plan Freycinet”, named after the Minister of Public Works, was a large publicly-funded programme for the construction of railways, roads and canals - a kind of pre-Keynesian effort. The standard gauge railway network in DeuxSèvres was built between 1856 and 1887. As was the case elsewhere in France, some areas were overlooked and a handful of market towns did not get their rail connection. THE SECONDARY NETWORK As soon as 1880, in the framework of the “Plan Freycinet”*, the local elected assembly undertook studies to complement the 500 km of “intérêt général” lines already built or undergoing completion, via the construction of some 300 km of “intérêt secondaire” lines (comparable to the “light railways” of the U.K.). After many thrilling administrative procedures and three successive waves…

0 - Layout Actually, this is the group’s latest layout only in terms of the date at which it was revealed to the public; we know that the next opus is already on the drawingboard. Boidon-Cuncou was built some time ago, but completion had proved elusive. So the four mates decided to modify it and make it operational. The basic feature was this impressive turnout that connected two loops, but operations were complex, electrification tricky to fine-tune, and in summary, the layout was unconvincing. It was agreed that it should be left aside while waiting for better days. This happened in 2023. A new idea: adding two extensions, making the layout more consistent and increasing its fun potential, and switching from analogue wiring to more simple digital wiring, this was…

What’s New Schmalspurbedarf, a German retailer, sells the new releases from the Polish artisan Mano. Here are four new wagons, three of which are from the Kruszwica sugar mill: the small open wagons, the bogie open wagon with a brakeman’s seat and the bogie box van. The fourth one is a PKP bogie van, the type of vehicle that used to be included in both passenger and goods trains. On this model, buyers will need to fit the stovepipe and the steps. All the wagons feature metal axles with blackened wheels and etched loop couplings. Jacques Royan H0-9 SCHMALSPURBEDARF WWW.SCHMALSPURBEDARF.DE PRICE: TWO 4-WHEELER OPEN WAGONS: €75 BOGIE WAGONS: €75…

Jean-Paul Guimbert, the creator of Régions & Compagnies, has launched a new range: Le Décor Vivant («Live Scenery»). Many references are already available, all of them cameo scenes to give life to our layouts. A signalman moving a turnout lever, a station tractor loading and unloading a trailer from a UFR carrier wagon, a small lorry moving around a station yard, two railwaymen turning an engine on a turntable… We selected a very typical French secondary railway scene: the driver and station attendant filling up the tank of the evening railcar; the figure works the hand pump. The 3D figure is hollow and an elastic wire acts as elbows and knees. It is set in motion by a micro driving mechanism located under the baseboard and operated by a simple…

Anounced by Bachmann in early 2019, the Baguley-Drewry 009 diesel tractors have been available for ca. 140€ from retailers since May These small and quite simple machines logically complement the range of four-wheeler wagons they used to haul on the military premises of the Royal Naval Armement Depots (RNAD), and later on many heritage railways. SET UP YOUR DECODERS ALL METAL Straight out of the box, the model is surprisingly heavy and cold to the touch. The body and chassis consist of a single metal casting. The engraving of this fairly simple model is very sharp. The volumes and details are accurate and only require the fitting of a few add-on parts. The engine features loop couplings fitted to a NEM 651 pocket. The loop runs through the coupling blocks.…

HOW TO SOMETHING EXTRA! Operating a layout in digital mode brings many benefits. Although some models in 009 are sold pre-fitted for a decoder, it is not always easy to incorporate one when this is not foreseen by the manufacturer. The MinitrainS Decauville 0-6-0 T is a case in point, However, when I dismantled mine to give it a personal touch (see VL 93), fitting a decoder seemed possible. So, when Éric Fresné asked me to digitize his own engine, I agreed at once. CHOOSING THE DECODER Given the small size of 009 locomotives, an N scale decoder is required. For his Decauville, Éric opted for the ZIMO MX616 model, one of the smallest in the range. Compact decoders are also available from ESU; the Lokpilot Micro V5 could be…

LAYOUTPROJECT Let’s retain the salient features of the real facilities: the two parallel over-bridges, the turning triangle in the middle of the crossroads and its unusual trackplan, the use of the ex-État turntable for shunting wagons, via the engine shed, towards the factory, crossing a street on the way. Uchrony with noodles If all this is to be retained, eras will have to overlap! Depending on your favourite one, the pasta factory could be operational earlier, between the Wars, or the TDS network could have survived post-WWII. As we are here in Voie Libre, let’s feel free to dream! The picture is redesigned: the ”dead straight/dead flat” station is twisted into a fine curved shape, meaning the bridges, the track leading to the pasta factory and the turntable can all…

This article could have been titled, kitchen-wise, “How to cook something out of leftovers?”. An old Peco chassis in 0-16.5, offcuts of samba wood planks and strips, and we are getting started on a construction project! The techniques used can be applied to 0-16.5, HO-9, and all other scales. WHiCH WAGON TO BUiLD? Peat quarries are a topic that is largely ignored in railway modelling, whereas the range of real narrow gauge railways and rolling stock used to carry peat is mind-boggling. I therefore suggest we build mostly out of wood, a project inspired by the stock that was used in the past by the Erie Peat Company in Canada. This type of wagon was tipped lengthways, so the door was located at one end. I opted for 1/35 scale…

A small engine has just been released in the Atelier du Tacot 009 range. It’s far from being dropdead gorgeous, but it’s cracking all the same! A small Plymouth, with a coreless motor, a belt primary drive, a gear cascade driving both axles, a 3D printed body and etched parts, will be available for Railexpo. Pascal Boivin quotes a price of ca. €150. The prototypes used to run on the plant network of the Santerre central sugar mill at Dompierre, and also at Goussainville; they had been supplied in the framework of the Marshall Plan. François Fontana ATELIER DU TACOT HTTPS://ATELIERDUTACOT.FR/ PRICE: €150 009…

Following on from its successful cooperation with Peco on the Small England 0-4-0 T+T engines, Kato Japan has just launched a new range of track for H0-9/00-9. Kato is not a newcomer to the field of scale track. Their Unitrack ranges in H0 and above all in N are very popular with enthusiasts all over the world. The new narrow gauge track calls on the same design, featuring sleepers integrated into a sole. The sole is cast in grey plastic, while the sleepers are of a medium brown shade. Their size and spacing are similar to those of the Peco Setrack range, and call on the same type of rail. The rail joiners and their large plastic shoes ensure a firm assembly between the track sections, even on mobile track.…

What’s New Following the sudden passing of Andreas Schönfeld, the creator of the new MinitrainS firm, time seemed to stand still. Today, his widow, Ursula, assisted by the small company team, has decided to carry on with the adventure. To continue in the spirit Andreas had conjured up. With the first emergency behind the team - resupplying the existing range - the question arose of finalizing the project relating to the pretty MEG engine, as Andreas had named it. A small 0-4-0 tank engine with stretched water tanks, based on the Mittelbadische Eisenbahnen AG class of locomotives. This pleasing engine, which also hauled the Strasbourg tramways, is accompanied by a mixed consist designed around Heeresfeldbahn trucks. No date has been given, but the design and industrialization work is ongoing, and…

0m LAYOUT Layout plan Let’ take a step back in time: at the Passions Ferroviaires show, which is held bang in the middle of the Kaeserberg model railway (open to the public), I got to chat with Marc Antiglio, who got this grand project off the ground. For convenience’’ sake, and also to tease me a tad, Marc led me up to his large study, installed one floor above in the same building. And all of a sudden, looking right, I found myself immersed in superb mountain scenery, on a hillside, watching trains move through a typical RhB station - the Rhaetian Railway that serves the Swiss canton of Grisons. The layout I had before my eyes was in 0 scale, 22 mm gauge. It represents a station with a…

PROJECT DETAILED PLANS Plan of the layout The ancient buildings of the company are located next to warehouses worthy of the London docks - we deserve nothing less! The name of the layout could be «RNAD Limehouse», totally imaginary but combining an old riverisde industrial area and an ordnance depot. We opted for Pecotrack with its small radius turnouts. One run-round loop, a few headshunts corresponding to various areas of activity and a turntable provide scope for shunting wagons on a compact L-shaped surface of 70 × 75cm. You can figure out a card game to operate the railway; just make sure you do not mix raw materials, otherwise the whole facility might explode! As far as road vehicles are concerned, there are treasures in the large Oxford Diecast range.…

CENTRAL FOLDER One of the lines operated by the Compagnie Générate des Voies Ferrées d’Intérêt Local (CGL) wound its way gently from Anvin to Calais, in the département of Pas-de-Calais. In this article, we will forget about time and take a look at the area as it was when the last trains used to run. And we shall focus especially on the carriages and vans. IN BONNINGUES STATION The time is 1951 and we stand in Bonningues station, more accurately Bonningues-les-Ardres. This small town, on the banks of the Hem river that used to work a water mill, displays roofs covered in red and orange Flemish tiles that turn flame-like at sunrise and sunset. The overall atmosphere is somewhat subdued, as the autumn mist has trouble lifting. The station master…

As you may recall, Sweetheaven is the 009 layout built by Frederic Mazza, which evokes the small harbour where Popeye, Olive, Brutus and their merry gang live, as seen through the cartoons as well as through Robert Altman’s him «Popeye». The scenery of the him was entirely built in a creek, Anchor Bay, in Malta. This is the village modelled by Fred on his layout. Starting from a few screen captures, some photographs found here and there online, he succeeded in recreating his own Anchor Bay, but above all, he built a railway line through it! The first step consisted in drawing the trackplan and installing the most typical village houses on the hillside, modifying them slightly while preserving their general appearance to make them recognizable at first glance. Naturally,…

SCENERY FOAM MADE EASY Redesigning the trackplan on Quittancourt meant replacing or creating various parts of the scenery, with relief sections in each case. I had to build a bridge to cross a gulley just before the entrance to the left-hand hddleyard, as well as some relief to close off the scenery on the right-hand side. This provided plenty of opportunities to learn how to use the Sculpture Block material. THE ABUTMENTS OF THE BRIDGE AT BOIS-LA-FORGE Because of the change in the trackplan, I had to replace the small bridge described in Issue 101 of Voie Libre, located at the exit from the curve leading to one of the three fiddleyards. The new bridge is longer and higher. So I decided to have it supported by two masonry abutments.…