Paris in HO

[L49]

I'm afraid the layout has been sat in disgrace at the back of the storeroom in the church since St Albans. Once we have finished our Met150 project in time for our open day later in the year, I will get it back out and see what I can do with it. I still think that scenically it is one of the best things I have done in a long time, especially in the space (I hope that doesn't sound too conceited!) But I've never been any good at making things work!

[Horsetan]

.....all Jouef stock ought to be re-chassied! By 10am on Saturday morning, we had no motive power, and we only managed to keep things moving with the help of a BR black J52, and the loan of Pete the Elaner's new Fairburn tank! I managed to beat the Y51700 into some sort of operating condition by about 3pm, but the 040TA and the 040D were less than useless. This in part is down to wheel profile, and I should have known better than to use code 75, but I wanted to go for the finescale and lightly laid look. however another key problem (with the whole fleet) is pickups. They are truly awful! I am going to have to replace the chassis on the Tracteur with a black beetle before it comes out again. I have a nasty feeling I will have to get new frames, rods and valvegear etched for the others, and start from scratch, unless I can dismantle them cleanly and turn the existing wheelsets down on the lathe.....!!

Maybe worth sinking a bit of cash into RP25 or P87 profile wheels from Apogée Vapeur (see separate topic)?

[doctor quinn]

The layout looks fantastic - hope you solve your motive power issues.

 

Nick

[Paul1973]

This is awesome. I can never make a proper choice between a train and a tramway layout. Your Paris layout gives a very attractive example of how to combine different kinds of rail transport. Keep on the good work!

 

Paul

[steve1]

Just found this thread.

 

Very impressive!

 

steve

[Neil]

Likewise; I'm most taken with the layout, looks superb.

[Armchair Modeller]

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24655733

[L49]

I thought it was about time I uploaded some progress shots of the layout. I'm still trying to sort out the operating problems, but in the meantime I have done a little bit of scenic work

 

 

Here is the old goods office building, properly in situ on its cracked concrete base. The sign is copied from one near the entrance to La Villette

 

 

Looking the other way, this is the view of the station from the crossing. I have just had some etches done to replace the silhouette cut canopy valance and balustrade. I'm not going to fit it until I know everything works properly though, otherwise if I need to lift track (which I'm trying to avoid) it will probably get damaged.

 

 

Looking up from the bottom of the dive to Metro level towards the works

 

 

I need to do something to disguise the fiddleyard. Essentially it is only a series of straight sidings which are linked using a loco-lift as a cassette

 

 

It's daft the bits of a layout that I feel proudest of. This is the phone by the LM board at the fiddleyard end of the platform. I scratchbuilt it from odds and ends based on a photo of one near the platform end at Vaugirard.

 

 

Finally, this has to be the least useful limit of shunt board ever... The track is impassible to within 15 feet of it!

 

As always, there is loads more to do, and not a lot of time to do it. I'm applying for domestic planning permission to bring it home from the club (where it lives in the corridor to the kitchen at the moment!), but Susie is none to keen on my suggestion that it can live on the lowest of my new bookshelves behind the sofa in the living room...

 

Can't think why?

[Fat Controller]

That's lovely modelling.. The Petite Ceinture made it onto the French news this week, when a van driver took a bend too fast and ended up going through the wall at the top of a cutting, ending up on the track.

[L49]

That's lovely modelling.. The Petite Ceinture made it onto the French news this week, when a van driver took a bend too fast and ended up going through the wall at the top of a cutting, ending up on the track.

 

Some people will do anything to get pictures of Montrouge!

[Pacific231G]

Some people will do anything to get pictures of Montrouge!

Absolutely brilliant modelling. You've captured the atmosphere of Parisian decay superbly and the little touches like the phone really make it. 

What are the remaining operating problems?

[doctor quinn]

Absolutely awesome modelling, just the sort of finely detailed objet to grace any living room! I hope you get the operating problems sorted.

 

Nick

[L49]

I hate to say it, and it sounds like the workman blaming his tools, but the operating problems are mostly down to the motive power. Older Jouef locos (i.e. the ones which I can actually afford) simply don't run on code 75! I borrowed a more modern 141R last night, and she ran like a dream, but the 040D and 040TAs are just too chunky.

 

I spent a couple of hours on the layout this morning, partly buoyed up by the success of the 141R last night, and found that there were a couple of dodgy connections, and one point which was playing up a little, all of which I managed to fix, and had a Hornby J52 rolling up and down both the high and low level lines at walking pace.

 

I did manage to get some third rail down alongside the Metro lines this afternoon before picking the children up from school, so things are happening again.

 

I'm also considering a lighting rig and proscenium arch along the front of the layout to disguise the fiddle-yard area a bit better from prying eyes.

[Pacific231G]

I hate to say it, and it sounds like the workman blaming his tools, but the operating problems are mostly down to the motive power. Older Jouef locos (i.e. the ones which I can actually afford) simply don't run on code 75! I borrowed a more modern 141R last night, and she ran like a dream, but the 040D and 040TAs are just too chunky.

 

I spent a couple of hours on the layout this morning, partly buoyed up by the success of the 141R last night, and found that there were a couple of dodgy connections, and one point which was playing up a little, all of which I managed to fix, and had a Hornby J52 rolling up and down both the high and low level lines at walking pace.

 

I did manage to get some third rail down alongside the Metro lines this afternoon before picking the children up from school, so things are happening again.

 

I'm also considering a lighting rig and proscenium arch along the front of the layout to disguise the fiddle-yard area a bit better from prying eyes.

The 040TA does have rather deep flanges. I've got a couple of them and they run OK on my Peco code 100 layout but nothing like my Roco 63000s which though fairly old run extremely smoothly - as in they make less noise than the wagons they're pulling. 

I know someone who's succesfully turned down the wheels on an 040TA (very carefully with a file and the job powered the loco itself- scary!) but I've not yet bitten that particular bullet with mine. Isn't your 040D one of the Piko ones?

[Horsetan]

I must remember to stock up on Gauloises .....

Edited December 14, 2013 by Horsetan

[141 C 78]

Hallo,

 

A very similar project is being completed, also in H0, and is visible on the LR Presse forum, under "Loco-Revue". The name of the thread is "Pas de boucle sur la Ceinture" (a play on words as "boucle" means "buckle" but also "a looped layout", and "ceinture" is "belt", of course). It is set in the 1980s.

 

And yet another is at initial planning stage under the thread "Projet dans l'esprit PC"

 

Not forgetting Taniera's very promising Ceinture-inspired layout being built in far-away Tahiti! ("Réseau ambiance Ceinture en H0") 

 

141 C 78

[L49]

I thought I'd give the layout topic a little bump, as it has been a long time since any work has been recorded. However, I thought the new vehicle I have been building might be of interest.

 

 

Have a look at the full thread in the kitbuiding and scratchbuiding section

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/125057-sprague-motrice-heading-for-the-scrapyard/

 

Edit: PS, before anybody says... I know I haven't done the door rubbers yet. I'm getting myself psyched up for them, 'cos I think they're going to be a pain!

Edited August 4, 2017 by L49

[kirtleypete]

I'm really enjoying this, keep up the good work,

 

Peter

[L49]

Ok, Having spent a bit of time working on the Sprague Motrice, I thought it might be worth putting a few new photos of the layout up on RMweb. I have to admit that very little has been done scenically since the last set of photos were posted, in fact, living as it now does in my study, Sidi has had a few knocks which I need to deal with before it goes out to the Kempston show in November, including re-roofing the flats which hide the fiddle yard as someone (probably me!) put a cup of tea down on them at some point, so they now have a mug ring on the roof!

 

Therefore all the phots can really show is some new motive power which has arrived over the last couple of months.

 

 

The 050TB is the Fleischmann model, brought from ebay and SNCF-fed. This included reprofiling and re-skinning the cab roof, and trying out a 3d printed smokebox door. The latter was not entirely successful, but now I have got more used to the printer, I think I can get a better result. I have the artwork done to have the SNCF roundel etched, but I haven't got around to filling up the rest of the sheet and sending it off yet!

 

Here she is sitting in the headshunt, viewed from the street. The other thing which is on the etch sheet is a new set of railings to replace the card ones which were cut on the silhouette, and haven't stood the test of time very well!

 

 

Now a couple of views from the roof of the flats, firstly running light on the main line, then seen hauling the match wagon and the Sprague car, on it's first move not under finger power!

 

 

 

The other new addition, also from Ebay is the 141P. This is way too big for the layout, but she was a bargain, and a gorgeous prototype, so I couldn't resist. 

 

These are just a few views of the gorgeous beast around the platform end. As bought, someone had tried a repaint, possibly with a 3" decorating brush, which had given her quite a texture! It took quite a few attacks of model strip to get it all off, then she was resprayed into plain black. This is as far as the repaint has got so far. Number plates for all the fleet are on the same etch as the railings and the SNCF roundels, so I really ought to get the bl**dy thing sent off!

 

 

 

 

Finally, moving closer to completion, is the Sprague Motrice. All the underfloor bits were 3d printed, and it runs quite smoothly. The roof is plasticard with microstrip for the ribbing. Since these were taken this evening, I have painted the roof, so it no longer stands out quite so much.

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this little update, and I will post more as the work progresses.

 

Bonne Nuit!

 

Charlie

 

[Barry Ten]

Very atmospheric and inspiring, thanks for continuing the updates. I'm sure we've all done that cup of tea thing at some point.

[simon b]

Any updates on this project? 

[SECR 235class]

At the moment, not really, Its currently Sitting in a room at the moment. Though it did go out to the Spa Valley Model Railway Exhibition and was in the Down Platform Building at Eridge.

The Only Other thing that has been done to Sidi is the re-soldering of some electrical joints and general improvements to the electrics which now means it works more reliably.