Innehållsförteckning för No. 109 från Voie Libre international

Under ref. 02947, Tillig has just released a new version of this charming little 4-wheeler railcar. But this time, fitted with a gasifier, very much in evidence at one end. This railcar was built by Orenstein & Koppel and Gotha in 1939, and was fitted with a gasifier in 1942. Weighing 8.1t, with one single axle driven by a 70hp Daimler Benz motor, it could run at 55 kp/h. It was able to haul a bogie carriage. It ran on the MEG network that was connected with the Strasbourg tram system via Kehl. This railcar has been preserved, without the gasifier unit of course, and is currently being restored. The unit runs smoothly and its speed is realistic. It is fitted with a digital Next 18 NEM 662 socket. Its…

After a few years of slumber, the artisan firm Chivers Finelines is back with a few new references in 00-9. Bogie wagons from the Innisfail Tramway caught our eye. These injected plastic kits are assembled with model cement . Theye are supplied without axles (6 mm wheels) nor couplings. Their relatively gneerous loading gauge means thay can probably be adapted for 12mm gauge. Éric Fresné CHIVERS FINELINES Ref. RC-811 H TYPE OPEN WAGON REF. RC-812 OPEN WAGON WITH CURVED SIDES Price: 10£ https://www.five79.co.uk/ 00-9…

STEAM is an acronym conjured up by the Kato team using the words: Science - Technology – Engineering – Arts - Mathematics. The full name of the range is «Deepening with STEAM». With the concept in place, railway modelling calls on many abilities and opens up a wide range of activities. Among the sets available, I opted for Billy, not because it is an item of motive power, but because it is a card construction project. THE SET The packaging is a fine and brightly coloured cardboard box, containing a series of laser-cut coloured card sheets, a bottle of specific adhesive and a driving mechanism. It is supplied with an illustrated booklet telling a story in which a boy and a fox guide the modeller. Assembling the tractor is simple,…

Like laser-cutting a decade ago, 3D printing has become a must-have for railway modellers, and such prints are now common on many layouts. Whether they are personal creations or specific parts bought from artisans, these parts require some preparation. WHAT KIND OF 3D PRINTING ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? As previously discussed, there are several processes for additive manufacturing – the proper name for 3D printing – fusing, sintering, liquid application… Depending on the system used, the model does not have the same physical qualities and therefore, does not react in the same way when being used. What must be distinguished: Printing by applying fusible material: in wire printing, the machine calls on a wire of material which is melted by a heated nozzle and applied in several layers onto a…

The Billard, Chatenay et Cie company was created in 1920. Specializing at first in making parts for the car industry, it evolved gradually towards building motor trolleys for railway companies such as the P.O, Etat, P.L.M., the Société des Chemins de Fer Economiques, the Belgian State railways, not forgetting colonial railways and the Army. Billard also manufactured platform tractors. In 1928, it was re-named Société des Anciens Etablissements Billard. The former Etat shed located on Rue Robespierre in Tours having become available, Billard moved in there in 1931. After having produced a wide variety of railway equipment ranging from 50cm gauge to standard gauge and having supplied a great many networks, private sidings, factories and quarries, the company went into liquidation in 1965. SocoFER, still located in Tours today, was…

Since 26th July 1889, a metre gauge railway connects the two main villages, Les Ponts-de-Martel and La Sagne, as well as a handful of small hamlets, to the watch-making centre of La Chauxde-Fonds. Unlike the vicinal railways in the neighbouring French part of the Jura, this railway has survived and is about to be modenrized once again. The line At La Chaux-de-Fonds (alt. 994m), the line is adjacent to those of the Chemins de fer du Jura leading to Franches Montagnes and of the CFF to Neuchâtel, Bienne and Le Locle-Besançon. From there, it first runs parallel to the CFF Neuchâtel tracks, then branches off near Le Reymond before reaching the small pass at La Corbatière, the highest point on the line (alt. 1120m). The gradient is at its steepest…

Internet is magical! We met Takeshi on an international platfrom, we exchanged with him and he sent us a series of photographs of his layout, together with a lengthy modelling confession. We summarize his own words here; the account of 5 months in the world of modelling. This layout draws its name from a Hungarian town in a former coal mining district. I lived there for 4 years until 2015. I imagined a railway where trains travelled up and down steep gradients around the mine, adding a castle and and a limestone cave. I opted for the Busch Feldbahn range, as its large power and magnetic adhesion allows it to climb walls and almost run along the ceiling! The trackplan The layout consists of two sub-assemblies: on the surface, an…

Four versions of the MOB motor units 7 to 20 are now available in Digital Sound, in addition to the simple analogue versions. Here are two versions: ref. 1383 304, CFZe 4/4 nº1004, in light grey and white, prior to 1956, and ref. 1383 392, the X 22 unit in oxyde red, service version from 1956 to the late 1960s. These models, reviewed previously, are still as finely engraved and feature elegant original liveries that differ from the earlier versions. The added bonus is now the sound function with an ESU LokSound V5 Next 18 NEM 662 decoder, producing good quality and varied sounds. These units run beautifully, and they have reversible lighting: three white lights at the front and one at the rear. Jacques Royan BEMO PRICE OBSERVED: ANALOGUE…

This tractor was built to modernize one of the narrow gauge lines that surrounded Vienna. Sadly, it arrived too late and was unable to slow down the closure processs. Now preserved, it hauls the BBÖ tourist trains. The Halling model, while it features the Wienerwald Railway livery, is actually an adaptation of another reference from the same manufacturer. The running qualities are in line with the brand’s high standards. Franç (based on Halling documentation) HALLING MODELLE REF. 207002 PRICE: 249€ H0-9…

AT LE CENDRE (PUY-DE-DÔME, NEAR CLERMONTFERRAND, FRANCE) 30TH APRIL – 1ST MAY TRAINS D’ICI ET D’AILLEURS A delightful exhibition with always plentiful and sometimes whimsical displays. The many US-inspired layouts, often in narrow gauge, are well worth discovering. A change of air and plenty of fun. GRANGES-PACCOT CANTON OF FRIBOURG IN SWITZERLAND 30TH APRIL – 1ST MAY PASSIONS FERROVIAIRES AU KAESERBERG In the wide spaces of the Kaeserberg layout in Switzerland, open to the public, discover the creations of many modellers in standard and narrow gauge.…

The model is beautiful! This has become customar y nowadays: contemporary technologiesleadtoperfectly accurate reproductions, very fine detailing and breath-taking liveries. My two locomotives, Princess and Prince, were delivered a tad roughly in their very simple Styrofoam packing and cardboard box. I say «a tad roughly» because this is the only reservation I have, the cabs having become separated from the remainder of the locomotive. Nothing really serious, of course, I click-fitted the structures back in place, plugged in the blower pipe and fitted the safety valve assembly, a beautiful part by the way! It is to be hoped that the next series will be more carefully packaged. AT FIRST SIGHT Princess and Prince are mythical locomotives for narrow gauge fans, being the two very first engines to have been built…

The Kadee coupler comprises a jaw-type hook, fitted in the middle with a curved shank that flattens out just above the track. This shank, when it is located above a magnet, or an electro-magnetic decoupler, concealed under the track, swivels and opens the jaw of the coupler, freeing the wagons. By moving the train slightly, both couplers find themselves in an open position allowing wagons to be shunted backwards without being coupled. Coupling on a curve is not possible with this system and wherever possible, it is recommended to have a straight stretch of track, ca. 10cm long, on either side of the magnets. My narrow gauge tracks in 0 scale are home-laid, they are not always perfect and are not dead straight like high-speed lines (this give charm to…

When I decided to delve into the narrow gauge adventure, I opted for the Roco set (blame it on François Fontana, see Voie Libre N° 90). For just under 130€, it features: a steam locomotive, or a diesel tractor. Four to six wagons, depending on whether they are 4-wheeler or bogie wagons. A regulator and an oval of track. When you know that the regulator alone is priced at almost 80€, this is not a bad deal. And in fact, such is the case. However, there is one item that might risk remaining in the box: the oval of track that manufacturers have been supplying in starter sets since the Dark Ages of modelling, as it were. Once the excitement of unpacking has receded, watching the trains run round soon…

During a summer meeting at Les Sables-d’Olonne, Bernard helped me discover the railway heritage of this fine part of Vendée. We saw what was left of the metre gauge railways, the former COFERNA works, we inspected the route of the tramway that ran along the city walls… But what surprised me most and by far were those short-lived industrial lines that crossed the dune ridge to reach the wilder shores of the ocean. These 60cm gauge railways were what I wanted to bring back to life through this project. THE MAGIC OF MODELLING Short-lived is indeed the word: the first line lasted just 5 months in the spring of 1911, the second one had a longer and hence more checquered life between 1926 and 1961. The project below suggests an…

Still inspired by the MRL depot at Vienne-le-Château, near Suippes, I deal in this second instalment with fuel supplies for my locomotives. The photograph shows a coal stage as large as the water tower. It consists of a border made of briquettes that hold in place a comfortable reserve of mixed coal and briquettes. I modelled it using laser-cut card and real coal. As for the petrol-driven tractors, and due to a lack of documentation, I imagined a very basic installation consisting of a Japy pump – made out of polystyrene – and 200 litre drums. And to finish off the work on my depot, I took particular care with the ground. The ground of an active steam depot is quite something! What with coal, oil, water, ash and clinker,…

Bemo has produced a new version of the RhB self-propelled van De 2/2 151 built by SIG and Alioth in 1909. It is supplied in its 1962 to 1980 livery (its body was completely metallized that year), with a wooden body, painted in oxyde red. An overhaul date is indicated: 26th August 1974. The model is neatly reproduced, with an uncommon double bow pantograph. Running qualities are as good as ever, especially with the ESU decoder factory-fitted to this reference. The lighting is reversible: three white LED lamps at the front and one white one at the rear right-hand side, as specified by Swiss regulations. The model is fitted with a digital Next 18 NEM 662 socket. Jacques Royan BEMO REF. 1377 125 RECOMMENDED PRICE: CA. 620€. H0-12…

The second run of the first series of CFD wagons in H0-12/H0-9 provided an opportunity for REE to correct a « youthful mistake» on these very attractive models, the very first items of metre gauge stock ever produced by an industrial manufacturer. These small wagons are now supplied with two pairs of loop couplings. The first, which was already found on the first run, locates the coupling level with the buffer beam. On the other hand, the design of the metal loop has been modified and allows the wagons to be coupled «flat» without one of the loops raisng and interfering with the coupling process. In this configuration, the REE models are compatible with the historic Gécomodel and Mougel productions. The second pair of couplings are below the level of…

50 ANNIVERSARY OF THE P’TIT TRAIN DE LA HAUTE-SOMME It should have taken place in 2021, it will be 2022 instead. The APPEVA association celebrates the half-century of the start of tourist operations on the Dompierre sugar mill line during the Ascension weekend ( 26th-29th May). Visitors will enjoy a cast of heavily sugar-beet leaning trains. The Chemin de fer de la Vallée de l’Ouche will attend with its Couillet 0-6-0 T. The other guest, the Pithiviers transport museum, will bring the La Meuse 2-6-0 T. An opportunity to see both engines run together, for the first time since they jointly operated at the Maizy sugar mill seven decades ago. Goods and passenger trains are planned. The museum will host a modelling exhibition and associations’ stands. Trains will run from…

Philippe Floquet enjoys welcoming modellers and showing them round his world. I write «showing» on purpose as it is necessary, when descending into the basement, to forget everything else, to act as if entering a theatre, to shrink yourself down to 1/43.5 scale and to be prepared to face a large chunk of local and railway history, even if… But steady here. Philippe, a keen photographer, a lover of fine mechanics, a highly experienced modeller, has dedicated the past 20 years to designing, building, polishing off his personal universe. His work is so thorough that even the most critical eye will have trouble spotting the slightest inconsistency. And yet, despite being truer than the real thing, Tanargue is nevertheless a pure work of fiction. After having made a U-turn, the…

Weathering, an exercize that is often repelling and likely to discourage modellers, is not actually all that difficult. People fear failure or a lack of inspiration; but let us take heart, very pleasing weathering jobs can be accomplished in a few steps. I opted for a box van with a tarred canvas roof. To avoid any risk of unsightly marks during the weatehring process, I wore protective gloves. TARRED CANVAS ON THE ROOF 1 Remove the wagon’s axles to avoid them getting in the way during the weathering process. Open up a paper tissue from a box and not from a packet (the sheets are thinner); a private label brand will be quite sufficient. Cut out a rectangle slightly larger than the size of the roof. 2 Blend a small…

Better known on modelling shows for his Swiss stations in H012, Jean-Pierre Muratore built this American layout to display the rolling stock he had collected over the years. The theme selected, inspired by one of Dominique Aumenier’s layouts, was a short line serving a mine in the Rocky Mountains. Faced with track and wiring problems, the builder got bored with the layout and wanted to get rid of it. I took it over, without the rolling stock and the fiddleyard. It was renovated and modified over the two months before the Chambéry exhibition in October 2021. Amongst the Rocky Mountain peaks This layout, displayed in a showcase, is designed for exhibitions. Looped, it lets viewers watch the trains go round. Shunting is possible, the mine is served from the station…

During one of my visits to Jacques Denis, in the course of which he told me anecdotes about the narrow gauge railways that ran through the Olonne dune forest, which he had been familiar with during his youth, I saw on the kitchen table a copy of an issue of Voie Libre he had just bought. The cover picture was a fine shot of a Billard railcar. That was when his wife Jocelyne said to me : «I lived in there!» What do you mean, «in there?» I asked her. And Jocelyne told me the story… After WWII, there was a very serious housing shortage. «My father, she said, bought from a scrap merchant the body of a Micheline from the Vendée secondary railway, which had just been closed. He…