Voie Libre international APRIL MAI JUNE 2017 - 89

BEMO : MOB MOTOR UNITS N° 11 AND 20 This is a motor unit model we have been really looking forward to. Built by SIG and Alioth for the electrical part, this 20 class (numbered 7 to 20) was ordered for the extensions of the MOB line from Montbovon to Gstaad then Zweisimmen between 1904 and 1906. Weighing in at 27.6 tons, they delivered 260hp then later 340 after a forced ventilation system was fitted for the motors. The original maximum speed of 45kph was later increased to 50, and these units allowed a full development of this line which then took on a truly regional nature. The second class compartments were even served by a side corridor. Most of these units ended their career in the late 1960s. N° 11…

The atmosphere in the great train hall at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair was the same as the previous year: quiet. That’s not to say that the few new releases we saw weren’t pleasing, quite the contrary, rather that they were a little too tame and somewhat too expected. The trend observed in previous years has been confirmed, artisans no longer attend, while industrial firms tend to play a waiting game. New releases are announced in advance, the manufacturers’ catalogues being published in the weeks leading up to the event. 1/22.5 SCALE, 45MM GAUGE Garden railway enthusiasts, take note, LGBhas produced a new version of the VI K 0-10-0 T locomotive, with a new chassis, a new motor and a new body. For younger people, the brand has also released a wagon…

Dozens of steam, diesel or electric locomotives, of all types and scales, ranging from 1/5 to 1/220, will be heard whistling or honking in the Lille Grand Palais! Narrow gauge will have a strong presence, and this will be the moment to see many of the layouts you have dreamt of: Zafra, Bretzelburg, Vis-en-Artois, Cussec S.A, L’Aubraie, Tussen Klei en Leuzze, Pempoul, La Grotte Champi… Lillewillalsoprovidetheopportunitytodiscovermany layouts new to the exhibition circuit: Mers-les-Bains, Albula, Lebagout, Lewin Leski, Roquaigras-Villon, the Waladhol sauerkraut factory, La Sombre del Volcan, Jura Forest, Porto Flavia, Passion IIm, Zwaaghoek, Roots of Motive Power, Jean-Ville, the brickworks, the Amiens market gardens, Bouillière, Tombroekstraat, the Saf’ate, Vault en Auge foundry, Berland Grizzli River, Akihiro Morohoshi’s micro-layouts or a gathering of Croisées… SITE http://www.trainsmania.com/…

The layout at a glance Scale: 1/43.5 Track: 16.5mm gauge, home-made Control: analogue Dimensions: 80 x 40cm Inspiration: private artisan siding It all started with the launch of the challenge jointly organized by Voie Libre and RAMMA in Sedan no less than… yes, that’s right, six years ago! Stéphane Petit dived in; he created a layout with one single turnout and a sector plate, in an urban environment. Somewhere in the suburbs of a town in Forez, in the French Massif Central, an industrialist has decided to take advantage of the incredible quality of a local spring. All he needs is sugar, lemons and bottles to manufacture the best, the only, the true Laplique Lemonade! The layout Stéphane enjoys creating an atmosphere and on his previous layout (in N scale), he built a line running through extensive scenery.…

The département of Charente-Inférieure (which became Charente-Maritime in 1941) didn’t want to miss out on the Industrial Revolution. As early as 12th April 1877, the local elected assembly brought up the matter of creating a railway line on the island of Ré. The State awarded a concession to the département for the lines of the “first network”, which also included other lines on the continent as well as those on the island of Oléron. The département transferred such rights to the Jeancard group by an agreement signed on 3rd November 1892. On the island, the first passenger train ran on 9th July 1898, and the line was opened to goods traffic on 1st September the same year. INFRASTRUCTURE Built either alongside existing roads or on its own right of way, the Ré…

Born on 25th May 1852 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes), Joseph Alphonse Jeancard showed an early and keen interest in the birth of modern industry, focusing in particular on railways. A graduate of the elite Ecole Polytechnique engineering school in 1872, and of the equally prestigious École des Ponts et Chaussées in 1877, he went into partnership with a fellow Polytechnique graduate, Albert Delaunay, in all his undertakings. Among other projects, they founded the Chemins de fer de Provence and the Compagnie des Charentes. Jeancard cut his teeth on the Chemins de Fer Économiques de l’Ain network, working for 2 years as a fireman, then as a driver. He devoted his life to railways, in continental France as well as in the French colonies, even venturing into the United States. He developed narrow gauge…