Welcome to the French Railways Group

[DIW]

Welcome everyone to the French Railways Group within RMweb.

 

It is intended that the Group will provide a focus for modellers of SNCF, its forerunners, the private railways and enthusiasts of the French railways, as well as somewhere for anyone with a passing interest to see what is going on with French projects within the RMweb community.

 

Let's see how the Group evolves!

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[SNCF stephen]

Great idea for a group on French Railways. Thanks for setting this up.

[RedgateModels]

Well, as the owner of a 232 U1 I should join shouldn't I?

[wagonman]

Every time I log in it seems something has changed on RMWeb. Very disorientating for an old codger. Still, this is definitely one of the better changes. Thanks for setting it up

[ozwarrior]

Hi,

French railways aren't my main interest but I'd like to learn more.

I do own a Jouef TGV Duplex! I like those modern looking railcars Jouef do also.

Thanks for having me.

Les

[Oldddudders]

I live in France in lazy retirement, so an interest in the railways would seem natural, but it is in all honesty a bit narrow - and I don't merely mean gauge! Back in the days when steam roamed all over Europe, the pics I saw of French steam left me unmoved by comparison with Germany in particular. In the mid-80s, my then boss always seemed to be in the correspondence columns of the enthusiast press talking of steam performance, Chapelon et al, and I was clearly a disappointment to him!

 

When we moved here in 2004, we quickly realised there was a preserved line nearby, the Transvap http://www.transvap.fr/, and partook of their offer one Sunday, for the Tuffe Apple Fair. A lovely little tank loco with funny coaches, as well as some Billard railcars, made the whole thing seem delightfully rural. More recently I became acquainted with their Picasso railcar, and now I find myself with a model - or two - as well as a couple of the 1930s ABJ units. Quite where these will see service remains to be decided, but a 2011 Challenge diorama might find a home for one. The scene at Bonnetable on Sunday when the town feted the rebuilt station gave me an idea or two.

[DIW]

A lovely little tank loco with funny coaches..................

 

It seems that some of those coaches are expatriated Swiss vehicles - 'Sputnik' guard vans and SBB CFF 'Seetal' type coaches. Yet another French preserved line looking after restored Swiss stock! I'll add it to the list in the Swiss Group.

[L49]

French railways certainly aren't my main modelling interest, but I am a wannabe Parisien modeller, and maybe having this group on here will force me to get my 040TA and 131TB out again and see whether something Petite Ceinture based will get started!

[NGT6 1315]

Completely forgot to sign up thus far (if such a formality should even exist on here - otherwise, just book it as my saying hello ), so I was just intending to correct this oversight.

 

As I guess you'll know, my railway interest is varied and includes various countries, including France. I am still investigating which kinds of stock I might best use for a southwestern French layout which I might build one day, but also remain torn about whether or not I should set this south of the Bordeaux-Toulouse-Mediterranean mainline. If I should, this would limit my choices in rolling stock, which on one hand would be a good thing for my wallet, but also exclude some degree of variety!

 

Cheers everyone...

[Allegheny1600]

Bonjour à tous!

Having in lived in SW France (Lot et Garonne) for several years and having travelled through France many times on & off since 1970, I thought I'd finally add myself on here!

It's often said that one often models that which one knew as a child or young teenager, therefore I should take a greater interest in the SNCF in era 4! I did used to run some French models but they were usually of the 'train set' variety - I've never seriously modelled 'French' but have over the years, collected a series of buildings and road vehicles!

So why do I keep admiring the oh so tempting models that keep coming out?

Ah well, maybe one day I will start!

à plus tard!

John E.

[BB17005]

I returned to the UK in 2010 after living in France for 8 years. I've been interested in all things railways for 50+ years but have flitted in & out of the scene several times.

I model UK OO gauge now but had a French HO layout for about 3 years.upto 2006 . I decided that I had a much better choice of RTR stock moving back to a UK model and built a large 20*10 foot layout in my basement .I will always be a RTR man as far as stock is concerned but enjoy scenery construction.

I had to break up the layout when I moved back to the UK but retained most of the baseboards so have started a more modest 10 ft by 8ft based on the North West but with no particular location in mind !

 

In France I got into rail travel spotting and photography, which was a different ball game since the advent of digital cameras.

Living in Brive in Central West France ,It was easy to reach Toulouse, Bordeaux & Paris and less so Clermont Ferrand and Lyon. I used to make regular trips to these haunts with the mission of recording the last years of the 1950s' & 60s' locos which were rapidly being replaced by the XTer , ZTer and AGC to name but a few !

I got quite a buzz out of seeing 50 to 100 locos in a single day !

 

So I'm in England now , modelling & spotting , I never thought I would get into units ! but you have to make do with what you've got.

I hope I can chip into the debates on French railways !

 

Cheers

Ron

Edited August 28, 2012 by BB17005

[SNCF stephen]

I returned to the UK in 2010 after living in France for 8 years. I've been interested in all things railways for 50+ years but have flitted in & out of the scene several times.

I model UK OO gauge now but had a French HO layout for about 3 years.upto 2006 . I decided that I had a much better choice of RTR stock moving back to a UK model and built a large 20*10 foot layout in my basement .I will always be a RTR man as far as stock is concerned but enjoy scenery construction.

I had to break up the layout when I moved back to the UK but retained most of the baseboards so have started a more modest 10 ft by 8ft based on the North West but with no particular location in mind !

 

In France I got into rail travel spotting and photography, which was a different ball game since the advent of digital cameras.

Living in Brive in Central West France ,It was easy to reach Toulouse, Bordeaux & Paris and less so Clermont Ferrand and Lyon. I used to make regular trips to these haunts with the mission of recording the last years of the 1950s' & 60s' locos which were rapidly being replaced by the XTer , ZTer and AGC to name but a few !

I got quite a buzz out of seeing 50 to 100 locos in a single day !

 

So I'm in England now , modelling & spotting , I never thought I would get into units ! but you have to make do with what you've got.

I hope I can chip into the debates on French railways !

 

Cheers

Ron

 

I did enjoy the brief time I spent spotting at Brive last year. The loco hauled services are fantastic, especially the fact that they are not using a DVT so there is a run around operation.

[BB17005]

I did enjoy the brief time I spent spotting at Brive last year. The loco hauled services are fantastic, especially the fact that they are not using a DVT so there is a run around operation.

 

Did you go to the triage ? there's a footbridge where the running lines bear right Northbound and the depot line runs under. Great vantage point for the goods yard.

 

Here's a bit of nostalgia taken from that bridge. X2800 class Autorail 2907 comes up from the stabling point to run into Brive station for an evening service ,most likely for Perigueux in March 2007.

Sadly the class has now been withdrawn but a good number have been preserved.

I did manage to travel on one from Bordeaux to Perigueux just before they were taken off.

 

Edited August 30, 2012 by BB17005

[Pacific231G]

I've been interested in French railways probably since spending a week exploring the country on a France Vacances ticket in the mid 1970s. For a long time my main interest was in Secondaires - especially the roadside metre gauge variety though I never knew them- but thank the gods of railway preservation that the one real survivor of France's "interet local" metre gauge railways the CFBS is so close to us. That did mean that I ignored a lot of what was still around on the main lines but isn't any more such as local goods trains and boat trains on the quayside at Dieppe.

 

I now model EpIII in H0 and H0m and have a small SG terminus- fiddle yard layout Le Goudron-Calandre designed to provide as much shunting as possible with five points in less than five square feet. I'm also building an even smaller (4'x11") H0m layout which might at last provide an outlet for my small collection of metre gauge stock. I've been an SNCF Society member for decades and have written a number of articles about aspects of French railways for the SNCFS Journal and various magazines.

 

Though I've no intention to model them I've long been intrigued by the railway byways of Paris - including the Petite Ceinture that I explored in the late 1980s by train (partly on the footplate of steam loco 230G353) and the sadly lost Gare de la Bastille that I saw fairly recently closed but still intact on my first trip to Paris.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Pacific231G
spelling

[SNCF stephen]

Did you go to the triage ? there's a footbridge where the running lines bear right Northbound and the depot line runs under. Great vantage point for the goods yard.

 

Here's a bit of nostalgia taken from that bridge. X2800 class Autorail 2907 comes up from the stabling point to run into Brive station for an evening service ,most likely for Perigueux in March 2007.

Sadly the class has now been withdrawn but a good number have been preserved.

I did manage to travel on one from Bordeaux to Perigueux just before they were taken off.

 

I am a relative newcomer to the SNCF scene and as such I missed the last days of the X2800s. However, there are a pair stabled at Limoges that I see quite regularly as that is my usual spotting haunt. I didn't have time to get to your spot but next year when I go to the Limousin I will take the train to Brive and have a bit of time there too.

 

My layout is of Eymoutiers which is a small station on the LImoges to Ussel line. I model in N gauge so I have had to be quite innovative in the ways I make rolling stock and buildings but it is a fascinating way to build up knowledge about the area and the railways.

 

Stephen

[BB17005]

Eymoutiers for Lac Vassiviere , I dropped by the station on a day out to the Lake with my brother & wives a few years ago ,sleepy hollow ! but super location.

 

The 2 X2800s at Limoges were servicable in 2010 .They had both run in from Limoges on an excursion (another photo opportunity !)

to "Festirail" Montlucon in June 2010.

 

 

This is a great event if it's still running. It's held at the Preserved half-roundhouse at Montlucon. There are several excursions which run in plus a couple of steam shuttles during the day.

 

Here are a few more from 2010

http://s288.photobuc...tval/Montlucon/

Here's a link toi the Festirail site for those interested

http://www.festirail-montlucon.com/

 

Note for Stephen : Mikadotrains do an N scale X73500 which is probably standard fayre through Eymoutiers these days.I'm not familiar with the brand myself.. It looks as though they are working on an X2200 an autorail class which I know a few are allocated to Limoges, not sure if they run on the Ussel line though EDIT I've now found a photo of one on the web at St Leonard de Noblat which is a couple of stations up !.

Regards

Ron , BB17005

Edited August 31, 2012 by BB17005

[SNCF stephen]

Thanks for the information on the Mikadotrains models. I have one of the examples that I have just put a sound module inside (see the post in the forum). They are fantastic models but not cheap. I also have a number of other kits/kit bashes/scratchbuilds on the go at the moment which is interesting.

 

The festival at Mountlucon takes place every year with the x2800's making a return trip from Limoges with their trailer. A number of other excursions make the trip to the town but I did not realise there was a preserved roundhouse there. I might try and persuade the wife that it would make a fun day out on our annual French trip next year.

[Gordonwis]

 

Note for Stephen : Mikadotrains do an N scale X73500

 

I have one but now I also have two Arnold versions. Although the MIkadotrains looked brilliant on its own, it is somewhat different to the Arnold . I think the cheaper Arnold model (so I probably won't be able to recoup my spend on the Mikadotrains version...) is more accurate but it has faults.

[SNCF stephen]

I have one but now I also have two Arnold versions. Although the MIkadotrains looked brilliant on its own, it is somewhat different to the Arnold . I think the cheaper Arnold model (so I probably won't be able to recoup my spend on the Mikadotrains version...) is more accurate but it has faults.

 

I agree that the Arnold version looks slightly better but the Mikadotrain model is still pretty good.

 

I am also looking forward to getting their recently released X2200 when they do a TER livery (which they have tentatively told me that they will do if this batch sells well...).

[w124bob]

Please tell me the forth coming Jouef x21/2200 are going to be rubbish! I've a real desire to do a little terminus with one of these and a BB66000 I picked up a few years ago.I must have french blood in me as went through 6 Citroen Dyanes in the 80's.Plus I need somewhere to display a few HO Citroens I've picked up over the years!

[General-Torvek]

Hello All,

 

I have a secondary interest in French Railways to my main modelling project ( N Gauge British). Now that my N Gauge layout is finished, I am interested to learn more about French railways as this will definitely be my next layout project. I have purchased a couple of bits in HO including a HO Piko SNCF/Fret liveried Class 66000.

 

I also have some French loco's in N Gauge as well!

 

I look forward to sharing my future developments with you all,

 

Kind Regards

Dave

[SNCF stephen]

Hi Dave, 

 

A belated welcome to this area of the forum. Do keep us updated with the progress of your layout. I would love to hear about your n gauge loco collection. 

 

Are you a member of the SNCF Society? If not then it is great value and a great resource for modellers. Here is their web site:

http://www.sncfsociety.org.uk/Site/Welcome.html

 

All the best

 

Stephen

[Oldddudders]

Please tell me the forth coming Jouef x21/2200 are going to be rubbish!

Well - maybe! The September issue of RMF seems to show very nicely styled units in both red/white and blue/white, and matching remorques. Max speed on DC under test was 80 smph, and the mechanism is quiet. There may be an issue with the circuit board when using DCC, though, causing it to shut down the lights on the decoder (21 pin) they used . Jouef seems to be aware, so the mag says, and offers a replacement vehicle if this arises. While the remorque has full seating and interior detail, the powered unit has nothing to hide the fact that it is an 8-wheel drive locomotive. I have to say this is a bit of a disappointment, given that both Mistral and LS Models managed to hide the motor in their (4-wheel drive) Picassos, and Rail 87 have managed to disguise it pretty well in their much smaller recent X5500/5800 autorails. You pays yer money etc!

[kintbury jon]

Isn't the X2100/X2200 just the old Lima tooling?  I have a couple of Lima ones.  They appear to have the same motor as fitted to the Lima class 20.

[Oldddudders]

Isn't the X2100/X2200 just the old Lima tooling?  I have a couple of Lima ones.  They appear to have the same motor as fitted to the Lima class 20.

The bodies are quoted as being the Lima much upgraded over time by Jouef. The powered chassis uses a 5-pole can motor, twin flywheels and gear towers. One wheel on each bogie has a traction tyre. The wheel standards will pass through Code 75 track.