Voie Libre international No. 102

BE CREATIVE! Summer is back. Time for holidays, moments of leisure, the simple pleasures of contemplation. But this is also when the new REE productions hit the market: CFD wagons, to start with, followed by the Billard railcar. Railway vehicles dripping with the atmosphere of rural France, of our familiar countryside… A countryside that conjures up childhood memories and images of yesteryear. All of which we would like to enjoy during these days of freedom. So, how about letting our mind roam? How about setting our imagination free, how about starting the summer with a blank page, where we could draw a piece of our very own scenery, inhabited by the friendly shape and sound of the A 80D railcar? Enjoy the summer, observe reality, imagine, dream, create your little world, design…

H0-12 TILLIG : NA NEW LIVERY FOR THE MEFG RAILCAR This new livery for the Tillig MEG T3 railcar is an advertising version for the Jägermeisster liqueur, orange on a blue and cream background. Jacques Royan TILLIG REF. 2943PRICE OBSERVED: 220€ 00-9/ H0-9 MINITRAINS : TOAST-RACK CARRIAGES MinitrainS has released these delightful bogie toast-rack carriages. Inspired by those illustrated in the Decauville catalogue, they feature four compartments with wooden seats, and two end balconies with brake handles. The step is glued under the floor, it conceals the trellis chassis of the Decauville prototypes. The end bulkheads and the roof are painted black, the seats and the floor brown. A choice can be made between two references with white and red or white and blue tarpaulins. The carriages are fitted to the chassis of the brand’s standard trucks. Their…

JOSWOOD : CONTAINERS FOR YOUR PLATFORMS AND WAGONS They are laser-cut, with ample detail and all they need is to be painted after having been easily assembled with wood glue. Two different types, with or without outside struts, available in two lengths, result in four different containers, enough to generate some diversity. François Fontana JOSWOOD REF. 40178: THREE SMALL ONE WITH PLANKS REF. 40179: TWO LONG ONE WITH PLANKS REF. 40180: TWO SMALL ONES WITH FRAMES REF. 40181: ONE LARGE ONE WITH FRAMES http://www.joswood-gmbh.dePRICE: 9.90€ TAMIYA : ULTRAFAST POLYSTYRENE CEMENT Tamiya has just released a new version of its ultra-fluid cement. Designated «quick setting», it differs from its elder sister by its almost instant setting time. Position the parts to be assembled, let a drop run into the seam. By the time you remove the applicator,…

À TRAVERS LA GIRONDE PAR LES ÉCONOMIQUES [ACROSS GIRONDE ON THE LIGHT RAILWAY] Editions du Cabri have just published a book about the Chemins de fer économiques de Gironde, a standard gauge secondary railway network. The work of two local enthusiasts, this book is amply illustrated and blends local and railway history. Eric Fresné J. PERROTEAU AND P. DURBAIN LES CHEMINS DE FER ÉCONOMIQUES DE GIRONDE PUBLISHED BY ÉDITIONS DU CABRI 256 PAGES, HARDBOUND MANY ILLUSTRATIONS www.cabri.frPRICE: 49€ NARROW GAUGE ALBUM, THE SEQUEL! Continuing his memory work undertaken last year (see VL 97), Michael Whitehouse has re-immersed himself into his father’s archives and come up with a second volume of his retrospective of British heritage railways. As was the case with the first volume, the book is lavishly illustrated. The period covered is logically more…

Broadband internet, connected TV sets and nomad screens are gradually pushing DVDs into the background, alongside the VHS videotapes that are now part of history. Editions du Cabri has seen the writing on the wall, and has launched Locovidéo.tv, the first French railway streaming channel. The principle is simple. Simply open an account and rent, for a period of 21 days, whichever title catches your fancy. The entire video catalogue, past or present, of Editions du Cabri will be gradually placed online, together with features made specially for this new medium. A simple email address is sufficient to open an account, and pay-per-view is via bank card exclusively. Eric Fresné ÉDITIONS DU CABRI https://locovideo.fr PRICE: 4.95 TO 8.95€ PER FILM, OUTSIDE SPECIAL OFFERS…

Mining railway enthusiasts, Rail & Industrie has something for your in its issue 79. Pierre Ombrouck, a former employee of the company, makes a comprehensive presentation of the Berry diesel locomotives. Meanwhile, Louis Caillot has studied how they were used in the bauxite mines of the Var. While attempting to review the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic and of confinement measures on the world of railway preservation, Voie Étroite mentions the project of rebuilding a Decauville KE toastrack carriage in Sweden. When might such a project take shape in France? Schmale Spuren offers ample space in its pages to the FREMO modules. A concept that is growing increasingly popular in Central Europe among 0-16,5 enthusiasts. The Narrow Gauge and Industrial Review, on the other hand, seems to focus on exotic…