Voie Libre international JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH 2018 No. 92

TILLIG : A 2-10-2 T FROM THE HARZ RAILWAY This time, Tillig has decided to reproduce one of the three prototypes of those mythical engines from the Harz meter gauge railway, in former East Germany. They have opted for N° 99 222, the only surviving locomotive from the series of three built for the Thuringia railway by BMAG Schwarzkopf in 1930. Both its sister-engines were sent to Norway in 1942, and never returned (223 was scrapped in 1947, and 221 in 1953). This locomotive ran on the Eisfeld – Schönbrunn line, before being transferred in 1967 to the Harz system. At Wernigerode works, it had to be fitted with vacuum brakes in addition to air brakes to be able to run on the network. Designed on the basis of the Saxon 2-10-2 T…

Actually, talking of industrial production, there hadn’t been any since Jouef’s Decauville 0-4-0 T back in…1966! In the meantime, and fortunately for us, a few fine models were released, but all in kit form. Via Voie Libre, MinitrainS had launched a wide-ranging poll to find out which model we would prefer, the Schneider LG or the Decauville Progrès. Rather unexpectedly, the results had shown that the diesel engine was an obvious favourite. However, Andreas Schönfeld, who runs MinitrainS, was fond of steam and of diesel, so he decided to produce both! Announced in January 2017 in Nuremberg, these models are are now available. Let’s review them with a critical, but quite admiring eye. AT FIRST SIGHT The shapes are right, the proportions are perfect, the liveries are well chosen, the builders’ plates carefully…

Twenty-six participants! And twenty-seven layouts, as one of the participants had built a two-part contribution. All this to say that the latest challenge jointly organized by LR Presse and the RAMMA club in Sedan was a great success with modellers. At the end of the show, we asked each participant about his or her motivations and invited them to describe their small imaginary world. Once the answers came in, we realized that beyond sharing a moment with other modellers, beyond mediating between modellers and visitors, taking part in a challenge also opens onto a different kind of modelling, onto a type of creativity that is seldom expressed. So, let’s give the floor to the creators, let’s listen to them presenting their layouts and let’s step with them into these whimsical…

A“convention” is a large annual event, based on volunteers, which enables narrow gauge railfans to get together and better enjoy their hobby. It takes place over 4 days: from Wednesday to Saturday. A BUSY PROGRAMME The convention features: an exhibition with many supplier’s booths. Club and private layouts. Conferences (known as “clinics”) dealing with a very wide variety of topics. A competition of models, dioramas or modules, which often reveals true masterpieces. As well as visits to private layouts located close to the “convention” site.Railway preservation societies also attend, and special trains are organized on local narrow gauge railways. Museums offer special discounts. This year, the “convention” took place in Denver, Colorado, an area where historically, 3 foot gauge track was widespread. Four major sites still exist around Denver: - The Colorado…

• Build rocky relief out of resin. • Rivers, rapids, falls… Water is everywhere. How to model it. • How to maintain and clean track on your layout and your models’ wheels. • The Colorado & Southern, inspiration for the modeller. • History of the K-36 locomotive class of the Denver & Rio Grande Western. • Restoring Colorado & Southern caboose N°1008. • How to model a mine accurately. • How to light a layout. • Building a trestle: prototype and model. • A beginners’ guide for 0n2 modelling (60cm or 2 foot gauge track). • Methods for building turnouts. It’s impossible to follow all the “clinics”, and an ability to understand American is strongly recommended. But many participants provide very detailed slides during their presentations, and this makes them easier to follow. In the case of modelling conferences, the trickiest part…

This article explains how I scratchbuilt my own railcar out of plastic sheet. The body is cut out of 1mm thick sheet. It consists of 7 different parts: the front panel, the two small sides which correspond to the driving cab, the two folding doors, and the two long sides which, having curved at the back, meet to form the rear panel. 1 The body is assembled around the ceiling (called “upper part”), also cut out of 1mm thick plastic sheet. The folding doors are glued inside the body panels with an overlap of 1mm. The door measures 18mm. Inside the passenger compartment, glue a strip of plastic, 4mm wide, and 9mm from the bottom. It will support the body on the chassis. 2 Once they have been curved, the two sides…