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Musing over La Meuse...

James Hilton

Entry posted by James Hilton

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Where to go after building a pair of Worsley Works scratch aid kits?

 

I was looking for a natural progression, but also a nice kit of an attractive prototype...

I wanted to find something that used a proprietary N gauge chassis but perhaps needed valve gear...

I stumbled upon the Neil Sayer La Meuse quite by accident. It ticked all the boxes, exquisite design, clean etches, based on the GF 08 chassis, quite complicated valve gear, and available direct from Neil with a chassis as well.

 

So back in early May a rather rash purchase was made...

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The kit is based upon a 600mm gauge prototype built in 1938 by the Belgium firm 'La Meuse' for 'Maizy' sugar refinery in France but ended up at the 'Tramway de Pithiviers a Toury'. There is a history and some photos on the International Steam website.

 

So back to the kit... it arrived, beautifully packaged, and opened to find clean white metal boiler casting, lost wax brass castings for the chimney, dome and sundries, clean nickel silver etches and wire. Instructions on a CD too, with clear photos and assembly notes, along with a brief history of the prototype (more perhaps on that another day).

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A start was made on the chassis, that folded up nicely, and then on to the cylinders...

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...but then two things happened. One my G scale Romanian Lxd2 kit arrived, and second, my son was born! Suffice to say working in G scale, in styrene was easier to fit around a new born baby so the Neil Sayer kit went in the drawer.

 

Until this week...

 

With the Faur Lxd2 finished, I just dug out the box to have a look. Before I knew it out had come the soldering iron and I finished soldering on the laminations on the cylinders and attached them to the chassis... Still a long way to go, more chassis detail bits to add before the instructions lead me onto the valve gear.

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So first impressions, this is a well designed kit with good instructions that is fitting together very well indeed.

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The real question you'll all have, is where am I going next!? Regular readers of my external blog will have seen sketches and scribbles for a number of 009 layout schemes, to keep me content over winter when I can't run the garden railway as easily.

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  • RMweb Gold
bcnPete
  • RMweb Gold

Good to see you back posting again James.

 

I'll have to refresh myself on your external blog again but keep us posted on this as it looks a nice project...

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James Hilton

Thanks Pete - yes I've found myself a little distant from the mainstream core of Railway Modelling in the UK, and hence distant from the forum. It's lovely to hear from old faces when I do post stuff over here though...

 

Wait until you see the mammoth blog post I've got planned to document the build of the Faur Lxd2 in G-scale!

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  • RMweb Gold
46444
  • RMweb Gold

Hi James,

 

Brilliant stuff. I've seen this elsewhere along with the other build you mention.

 

I think people are in for a treat when you post the building of the Faur!

 

I look forward to it and also progress on this build too.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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James Hilton

Mark good to hear from you - I'd spotted you over on NGRM too... Yes working in such different scales and interest areas might seem strange to some, but to me it's incredibly refreshing.

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devondynosoar118

Modelling is modelling in my book, regardless of scale and subject. Stuff of this quality needs to be shared, thanks for posting again, I always follow your posts.

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Jon020

Hi James, as Pete said; great to see you posting back on here... on the workbench blogs.... and what a lovely little kit. I think the G scale stuff is lovely... one day maybe! ;-)

Jon

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