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Overseas railways worth modelling


whart57
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The world is a big place and the world's railways offer a huge variety for railway modellers. Such a huge variety that many interesting possibilities for layouts and other modelling opportunities are unknown to most people. This topic is to promote suggestions. I'm sure we all have more ideas for layouts than years in which to fulfil them, this is a place to share the ideas that we will never get round to fulfilling ourselves. However, given the forum, this topic should be restricted to non-British prototypes.

 

To kick this off, I suggest the narrow gauge steam tram lines of Gelderland (NL)

 

What are they?

 

These were 750mm gauge lines built at the end of the 19th century to open up the "Achterhoek", an area of Gelderland lying East of the river Ijssel between Arnhem and the German border. The lines were built by different companies but they combined after WW1 into the Gelderse Tramwegen Mij. The lines carried both passengers and freight, and towards the end freight was the more important. The last line closed in 1957.

 

Where can I find information?

 

The internet is a good place to start. Google "Doetinchem tram" or "Doesburg tram" and click "images" and a whole number of pictures of the tramways will be found. Then there are books, all in Dutch unfortunately but treat Google Translate as your friend.

 

Stoomtrams in Gelderland - H.G. Hesselink, is a small volume to get you started.

De nadagen van Neerlands Stoom en Motortrams - J, Voerman, has a major chapter on the GTM

De Stoomlocomotieven der Nederlandse Tramwegen - S. Overbosch, provides descriptions and some drawings of the locomotives used

De goederenwagens van de Nederlandse Tramwegen - A. Dijkers, has line drawings of most of the goods vans and wagons as well as sketch maps of the line through the towns of Doesburg and Doetinchem

De rijtuigen van de Nederlandse Stoomtramwegen - A Dijkers, has line drawings of the passenger carriages, including the diesel railcars used in the late 20s and early 30s

 

The Gelderland provincial archive (www.geldersarchief.nl) also has a fair number of documents but I am not sure how useful many are. Quite possibly there are track plans and drawings of buildings, there usually are in provincial archives. Local archives in Doetinchem and Zutphen might have more.

 

Locomotive No 13 "Silvolde" is preserved in the Railway museum in Utrecht

 

Why would I want to?

 

It's a narrow gauge network that offers a variety of train possibilities and more than one engine in steam operation. A famous photograph taken in 1942 shows five steam tram trains lined up ready to leave Doetinchem in quick succession. Tram trains run on reserved tracks, at the side of the road and in the middle of the street in true tram style. Locomotive types include 0-4-0T boxy tram types and both 0-6-0T and 0-8-0T end cab locos - Gelderland is relatively hilly by Dutch standards and there were some stiff climbs. Some internal combustion railcars were used as well.Scenery and architecture are generally pleasing and, for those interested in boats, transhipment of goods from river barge to goods tram was a major part of the business

 

Why wouldn't I want to?

 

There is virtually nothing available either as off the shelf RTR or as kits.

 

Has it been done before?

 

Once or twice.

Edited by whart57
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I would suggest the  760mm lines of Jugoslavia - a narrow gauge system on the grandest scale with a route length exceeding 1500 Km and a class of locomotive (the Class 83 0-8-2) that numbered over 180 members. The scenery was often stupendous, rivaling Switzerland in grandeur. Lines threaded deep gorges and crossed mountain passes by means of rack and hairpin curves. The numerous standard locomotives existed alongside a great variety of ancient oddities as well as railcars and - towards the end - diesel locomotives.

 

Browse these pictures and be amazed http://www.penmorfa.com/JZ/index.htm

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Absolutely the JZ Ng network, but I'd also suggest that the various colonial networks are very much neglected.

 

One I'd think deserves attention is the Argentinian railway system up to the 60s/70s - various gauges from metre to broad with large networks, often built and run along UK practice with many UK built locos and later generations of us or foreign built power.

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I have often thought the line just south of Tarragona in Spain would make an interesting model. It is single track but it handles in interesting variety of trains. Local and regional stoppers to Barcelona, freights, Talgo Tren Hotel and the Euromed high speed train from Barcelona to Valencia all mixing it along a single line. Often the locals are held at passing stations for quite a while in order to ensure the Euromed gets a clear run through. A few years ago a new high speed line bypassing the single track section was opened. As a model it would provide quite a mix of train types and some interesting operation. Some of the line runs along the back of a beach which would make a nice setting for a Euromed train on a single track line.

 

I also like US short lines where pretty much anything can be run.

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Another ex-Geldersche Tramwegen locomotive formerly at Utrecht and now at Valkenburg is Henschel 6848/1904, originally Stoomtram Vrijland Zuitphen-Emmerik ZE7 (as restored), which became GTM 607 "VRIJLAND" when the line was taken over.

 

Here it is in earlier days at Utrecht - I think a visit to Valkenburg beckons!

 

post-10122-0-50323200-1502919632_thumb.jpg

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Yes, thank you DM. I was aware that the Valkenburg where the museum is is in a different province to the better-known Valkenburg (where we were scheduled to overnight on my first foreign trip - a coach journey to the Tirol - but were switched to Maastricht instead). As my interest is more prototype than model, I might try to find a different weekend. Sorry!

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Actually Eddie, recently that loco has been in the workshop at the museum with the intent to look if it can be re-gauged and restored to service, so it may not be on display when you come round. As underneath it's a simple 0-4-0 with outer frames, conversion is relatively simple. But the entire overhaul required to bring it back to life and most of all the associated cost is expected to be a major obstacle in getting approval for this project.

 

Probably easier to get steaming again than this one

 

post-14223-0-18968700-1502956342.jpg

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Of course there is a natural tendency towards places or railway/tramway systems where we have some degree of familiarity - either having visited or been inspired by books or articles.

 

Taking a step back from the specifics of the Dutch systems (for which references to available literature are much appreciated), but keeping the focus on the kind of operations Holman Stephens might have overseen, had he been born elsewhere, I would recommend "Bygone Light Railways of Europe" (Laursen, Oakwood, 1973) as a more general source of inspiration for Western Europe in general.

 

Also worth finding is anything by WJK (Keith) Davies, whose books and magazine articles tend to be populated with good photos and scale drawings. Davies was one of the original joint editors of the formative series of Continental Railway Journal in the 1960s, concentrating on light railway systems at a time when most enthusiasts were intent on tracking down working steam exclusively, and went on to write a number of books and articles in Continental Modeller.

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What are they?

 

South Atlantic Whaling station narrow gauge lines. Very few used Steam power on rails, but you could imagine the network at one of the larger stations being served by a small Steam loco (Jouef or Roco HOe).

 

 

 

Where can I find information?

 

http://www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk/11cwhaling.html ,including the intriguingly titled "Staten Island Seal Catching Boat Tramway".

 

 

Why would I want to?

 

It's make a nice little minimum space layout, and offer new modelling opportunities on a different theme. The trick would be to imply what was happening, without resorting to modelling the entire process (unless it was justified for educational reasons...)

 

 

Why wouldn't I want to?

 

It can be a bit of a Taboo subject, possibly playing on the theory that some degrees of art ought to be controversial. And I wouldn't like to be the parent explaining to their kids "And this layout carries Stone.... this carries Cheese.... and this carries the recently culled carcass of a majestic marine mammal...

 

 

Has it been done before?

 

Well, has it...?

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NORMANDY BRANCH LINES.

The popular scene for British modellers was always the traditional GWR branch line. Just heading across the channel you could find an equally attractive scene for branch lines: http://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=76745%5Battachment=837403:IMG_0976.JPG%5D

The best place for modelling information for these lines is here:http://roland.arzul.pagesperso-orange.fr/

Edited by Northroader
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South America has/had some amazing railways - like the Central Railway of Peru climbing over the Andes on a series of spindly viaducts and zigzags, for example

 

On another continent, Eritrea has another very interesting system with some very photogenic locations..

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Many branch lines on the continent stayed open for freight until well into the diesel era.The Dutch Rail Magazine carried an in depth article on the line to the Zuyder Zee port of Lemmer. In its last days this was operated by the Bo shutters of the 200 class - available from Roco I believe. Another possibility is the line to Wageningen which was operated using 2400 class Bo-Bo types, also available RTR. Also the 600 class - aka the BR 08 shunter.

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South America has/had some amazing railways - like the Central Railway of Peru climbing over the Andes on a series of spindly viaducts and zigzags, for example

 

There is a 3mm scale layout based on a Chilean Andes railway. All Garratts and Mallets and the builder doesn't need to bother with modelling vegetation

Edited by whart57
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Has it been done before?

 

Well, has it...?

Yes. Nofraric (a French trio) did an o9 microlayout based on a fictional whaling station on Kerguelen.

 

http://fr.1001mags.com/images/couv/V/VoieLibre/58/34969-VoieLibre-58-Page-007.jpg

 

I've found it quite an interesting little layout, given my o9 modelling - loads of character. I'm not sure I'd be quite so cartoonish with the whales and penguins if it was mine (for a Sudanese 18" project I drew up and 3d printed the correct species of tortoise for the area). But I suppose it gets around the gruesome nature of it a little.

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Yes. Nofraric (a French trio) did an o9 microlayout based on a fictional whaling station on Kerguelen.http://fr.1001mags.com/images/couv/V/VoieLibre/58/34969-VoieLibre-58-Page-007.jpg

I've found it quite an interesting little layout, given my o9 modelling - loads of character. I'm not sure I'd be quite so cartoonish with the whales and penguins if it was mine (for a Sudanese 18" project I drew up and 3d printed the correct species of tortoise for the area). But I suppose it gets around the gruesome nature of it a little.

I stand corrected, even if it does look like its been done in a "Wallace & Gromit" style. It'd certainty qualify for the unusual foreign layout category at Warley.

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Just to give my nationalistic suggestion: Austria, Waldbahn Steinhaus - Rettenegg. For those who are fit in German: see at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feistritzwaldbahn

This was a 600mm narrow gauge railway, erected by the landowner between 1902 and 1917 to get wood out of his forests. It was connected to the Suedbahn (Mainline Vienna to Italy) at the station of Steinhaus very close to the Semmering pass. There were facilities to re-load the timber to normal gauge trucks. It had a rather short life, as it stopped being used a short time after the second world war in 1958. It starts at 838m and ends at 862m above seal level, but it had a pass in the middle which is 1298m above sea level. Both sides of this pass saw an inclined plane type wagon lift - means the locomotives stayed either on the Steinhaus or on the Rettenegg side.

 

Could be an interesting feature, if somebody makes a model then he has to find a cheap source for spruces, firs and similar trees as this is in the Styrian woodlands....

 

Vecchio

Edited by Vecchio
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Time to throw another in the mix

 

Many will be aware of the Maeklong Railway in Thailand where market traders have to collapse their stalls to allow the eight trains a day to pass on the last mile to the Maeklong terminus. Someone has even made an HO model of it with collapsing stalls. However the railway has a longer history than as a 21st century tourist attraction, and some stuff is still around to form the basis of a layout.

 

The Maeklong railway is actually two railways - the Thachin Railway from Bangkok to Mahachai and the Maeklong Railway from Ban Laem (on the opposite bank of the river from Mahachai) to Maeklong. The companies merged sometime early in the 20th century and were nationalised after WW2. Like the rest of the Thai railways they are meter gauge.

 

In the early years the railway was operated by two classes of small tank locos built by Krauss, examples of both still survive as static displays.

 

post-14223-0-29016900-1503133372_thumb.jpg

 

The 0-4-2T were originally for the Thachin Railway

 

post-14223-0-11811600-1503133437_thumb.jpg

 

and the 2-4-0T were originally for the line to Maeklong though they were apparently all used on both lines and similar (or even the same) locos appeared on the Pak Nam railway East of Bangkok. (The TRC loco is now repainted and on display in Pak Nam)

 

Drawings of both were in Continental Modeller a few years ago

 

As for passenger stock, we might have to guess. Something like this 4-wheel coach now in use as a children's library won't be too far out

 

post-14223-0-47224900-1503133684_thumb.jpg

 

And for goods stock, this old van receiving a bit of TLC at Mahachai works is probably an old Thachin Railway original

 

post-14223-0-11335500-1503133924_thumb.jpg

 

This might be a suitable layout for doing in S-scale (1:64) on 16.5mm gauge track. I'm not an expert in HO ready to run but I'd guess there are suitable small tanks with the right wheel base to form the basis of the loco types

 

 

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I might suggest some of the French local electrified lines(metre gauge often), some very remote, certainly not urban.

I am planning a model of part of the CF de Camargue, which was electrified early in 20th century, but only survived up to late 50s. I only came across it by a chance conversation with Giles Barnabe, who mentioned the system was metre gauge. I had seen some embankments from part of the route, but assumed they were standard gauge. As they were elecrified they are different to what many think of as a French metre gauge line. I now have a lot of information, including a very thorough article published a few years ago, in French, and have scoured the internet for any information and photos I can find. The main station at Arles actually still exists, as does much of the workshop , now used as some type of council depot I think. The one piece of info I can not find is the colour used to paint locos and stock. I have not come across any colour photos.

Many of these lightweight electrified lines are possibly considerd tramways by some modellers, but are just as much railways, and should not be ignored by railway modellers. A few tantalising old photos wet the appetite, but finding detailed information, in particular scale drawings, can be difficult. If buildings and infrasture still exist Google map can help a lot.

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The minor conversion required - putting higher tender rails on and filling the tender with wood logs - shouldn't be that difficult. Not that those locos ever ran on the Maeklong lines.

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