This morning I went down to the station to take some long planned train photos, to be posted in the French Railways forum, but also to take a look at an SNCF building in the old goods/freight yard. This building is in good condition other than the graffiti and appears to be used as a mess room from time to time - there are tables and chairs and a galley kitchen with microwave. Security appears to be good even though the building is at the far end of the old yard, away from the station building
I have been discussing my idea with the authorities and they have indicated that an 0 gauge track does not fit in with the Regional Natural Park rules. Not even if I renovate a dilapidated cabin, rebuild stone walls and plant an orchard, all of which would be acceptable.
So it's back to the drawing board.
I suppose this blog is going to be dormant for a while until I can come up with a new plan.
The past week has seen glorious weather so the focus has not been on searching out potential land sites. However, we did do a couple of walks and on one of them we found a small property that has been turned into what the French would term a "recreational plot" with shelter/cabin, mown grass and stone lined borders. It was easy to imagine an 0 gauge track winding its way around the plot.
The way forward may be a bit tricky, though, as the area is a Regional Park with lots of "interdites" (
The first is of an enclosed field which was once a vineyard, the vines having been cleared.
The second shows a more mature enclosure with several pine trees:
Either type of land "would do", the one providing much needed shade during summer, the other allowing for a clean canvas approach with the possibility of planting fruit trees (almond, peach and apricot).
Went for an afternoon stroll through the anticipated area where land can be purchased. Plenty of options are likely to arise, but being France no-one is actively advertising land for sale. Lots vary enormously, from cultivated vineyards and olive groves to derelict former agricultural land. Stone walls are in various stages of decay unless there is active agriculture, while the land itself is either cleared or wild scrub.
The planning rules are quite strict as this is a protected area wit
I spent a good part of today at Guildex, Telford, a superb exhibition dedicated to 0 Gauge. I received lots of good information and many answers to my newcomer's questions. 0 Gauge has an interesting following with the usual demographics (i.e. we're mostly retired) but the variety of offerings is quite amazing, particularly if you are up to building kits, etc.
Of particular interest were:
Connoisseur Models (Jim McGeown) from whom I purchased an LMS Jinty kit (as well as the extras nee
A bit more on transition curves. The wikipedia page has a very useful animated GIF:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_transition_curve#/media/File:CornuSprialAnimation.gif
If you imagine two such curves connected back to back then the result would be a sweeping "S" curve, just like the real railway! Without going into the math (I was never very good at calculus) it would appear that it is possible to work backwards from previously defined minimum radii, even drawing the curves by han
Sorry to plagiarize Star Trek a bit, but I have been thinking about the great outdoors and how the potential for a layout changes from the inevitable indoor designs that are constrained by walls, etc.
The first thought that came to mind was "transition curves". So I looked up the definitions and formulae and realized that there is real potential for designing the graceful sweep of curves that follow the topography and have strong prototypical feel. There is nothing worse, in my opinion tha
With two other projects on the go it may seem I am spreading my wings too wide. However, I have given this a lot of thought and, as explained elsewhere, there are good reasons for me to step up to 0 Gauge and eventually leave 00 Gauge behind. First, I have come to appreciate the larger gauge (over 00 and H0 Gauges) in recent years and have been educating myself on what is available to buy, to make, etc. A surprisingly good selection, it turns out! Second, my finger joints are getting on a
