Voie Libre international JULY 2014 - 78

This summer issue is resolutely European! Because we wanted you to feel a long way from home! Because we wanted this issue to prompt you to play truant! So, through our usual topics, we take you on a trip around European narrow gauge railways: Poland, Germany, England, Wales and France. Whatever the gauge, from 60cm to meter gauge, with many other gauges in between, narrow gauge railways are an endless source of fun. We have also focused on the latest modelling news and in particular on the eagerly awaited release of a DFB 0-8-0 in H0 scale – also a European engine! A signature locomotive on secondary, industrial or heritage railways, we welcome its reproduction by the Minitrains company. And as we are now in the holiday period, we also have a piece…

Liliput: a Mariazell van and a postal van The Mariazell D 6301 six-wheeler van, period III, in maroon, is a fine new release from Liliput in H09. The quality of the engraving and of the markings is excellent. Fitted with a radial central axle, it can handle 25cm radius curves. The postal van had already been released in green livery (see Voie Libre n° 75), it is now available in maroon for period IV, numbered F8502. JACQUES ROYAN Liliput 1/87 9mm gauge track Van ref. 344401 Postal van ref. 344407 Price observed: from 55.73€ each Liliput : new decorations There’s plenty of news from Liliput, with the company re-releasing many wagons in new liveries, an opportunity for modellers to purchase original items. The engraving is generally a bit dated, but the birdcage lookouts are superb. Here are ÖBB G 10253 van…

A sign of the times and probably of the evolution of public transport, Chemins de Fer Régionaux et Tramways dedicates more and more of its content to modern networks. If you are looking for reliable information about a topic, take a look at the magazine. The June issue of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette carries a surprise, with an article about a layout using Brunel track. Note also a come-back of Bernard Junk and Jack Trèves’ Zafra layout, as well as a piece about wireless control applied to small indoor scales. On the contrary, Issue 98 of the Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review dedicates a lot of coverage to large scales, but always indoors. An opportunity to re-discover the splendid models built more than 30 years…

The layout at a glance • Scale: 1/43.5• Gauge: 16.5 mm• Control: digital• Inspiration: freestyle• Dimensions :3.35 x 0.95 m Éric Fresné: Martin Coombs, railway modelling is almost genetic for a Brit… Martin Coombs: hereditary, at any rate! With a father and an uncle who are both railfans, it was almost unavoidable that I should fall in at the deep end. Most of my childhood holidays were spent visiting the “great little trains of Wales”. Since then, I have spent a lot of time working out how to transpose them in the modelling field. EF: When you aren’t attending shows, how is your layout set up? MC: Permanently, in my garage. I have taken it over completely and the car has been exiled outside. This leaves me enough space to set up the layout,…

ll the versions indicated in the catalogue are not yet available for sale. And at the time of going to print, the only sets available were those consisting of a locomotive and four wagons, in grey military livery with black lining or in green livery with red chassis. I tested the locomotive in normal operating conditions on an enthusiast’s layout. Appearance The locomotive has a fine appearance, the proportions are correct and the overall shape is prototypical. This engine isn’t in 1/87 scale, it’s actually closer to British 00 than to Continental H0. In view of the small dimensions of the prototype, this doesn’t create a loading gauge problem with other items of stock in H09. The model is made out of injected plastic, with a few etched brass add-on parts. The motion…

In the early XXth century, the Prussian and Bavarian army engineers were already quite familiar with 60cm gauge railways. The track and the rolling stock had been put fully through their paces. And the “Zwillinge” engines, those curious 0-6-0Ts of industrial origin, coupled in pairs back to back, had proved their efficiency during military maneuvers. On the battlefields, during the conquest of Namibia, however, they soon appeared less convincing. Even fitted with tenders, they lacked range and endurance. Several builders then dispatched to Africa a series of locomotives, all of which were treated as prototypes to be tested by the military. Subjected to rigorous trials, they led to the definition of a sort of ideal engine, according to the principles of the German army engineer corps… A huge series Out of these…