SNCF Society Winter Rendezvous

[SNCF stephen]

On Saturday I made the 3 hour journey down to Lenham in Kent to help run Kintbury Jon's layout at the SNCF Society's annual Winter Rendezvous. It was an early start but was rewarded by a day of operating a really interesting and reliable layout as well as being able to talk to fellow enthusiasts. I took some photographs over the course of the day but unfortunately I did not get a copy of the programme so I am not sure what some of the layouts where, if you know then please do chip in and I will add a caption. 

 

Firstly here is a picture of Kintbury Jon's layout:

 

And here are some of the rest:

The above two are from Tim Hill's excellent mini layout "La Planche sur Mer" which is taken out on the road to promote the Society. Having seen it three times now I have been impressed with its development over time and the eye for detail. My suggestion this year was that the market needed a miniature version of him displaying the layout (perhaps a T gauge layout within a layout...). 

Gouttieres layout by Keith Harcourt and Mark Jury. This layout, as I recall featured an automated railcar running on some intricate Z gauge track. I was very impressed by the craftsmanship that had gone into this layout. 

Givry Chambertin by the Wimbledon Model Railway club (the AGC was by Paul Jobber as I recall).

Mers Les Bain, 1/32 scale by John Smith and Peter Smith

SNCF Modules (modular baseboards built by members to a common standard).

 

A huge thanks to Nedrahn for the helpful comments below that have now been incorporated into the post. 

[Nedrahn]

Photos 2 and 3 are La Planche sur Mer by, as you say, Tim Hills.

Photo 4 is a good question, because the programme shows the Italian Railway Soc and Euro Night Rail Group in that spot on the stage, with Gouttieres/St Eloy les Mines alongside at a right angle. I think this is indeed the Gouttieres layout by Keith Harcourt and Mark Jury, which was presumably moved into the central position on the stage after the programme had gone to press. It consisted of two joined scenic sections of single track, including a station and a display about a viaduct.

Photo 5 is, I think, Givry Chambertin by Gordon Wisemann and Paul Jobber. I believe Photo 6 is the non-scenic part of the same layout. I could be wrong, but that certainly looks like an N Gauge coupling in the right foreground.

Photos 7 and 8 are Mers Les Bains, 1/32 scale by John Smith and Peter Smith.

Photo 9 is, again according to the programme and my memory, SNCF Modules (modular baseboards built by members to a common standard).


It was a good day for railway shows - Canterbury in the morning and lunchtime, and then a quick drive to Lenham. My only regret was a Br80 0-6-0T that I didn't buy. Once I'd decided to have it, it had been sold and was happily chugging round the Modules layout! I was also very tempted by some of the French locos being sold by Tim Hills, but I'd already bought a couple of locos at Canterbury, don't have a French layout and for once suffered from an outbreak of sensible judgement. Even so, I still wish I'd bought...

[kintbury jon]

It certainly was a good day. The layout had its first outing and I hope I will get the opportunity to display it again. Many thanks again for your help Stephen.

[bluedepot]

nice pictures

 

cheers for posting

 

 

tim

[shanks522]

My Dad and I popped down for a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed the layouts on display, heres a couple of pics i took. 

 

 

 

 

Graham.

 

 

 

[Gordonwis]

.

 

Givry Chambertin N gauge is indeed by Gordon Wiseman and Paul Jobber. All the stock seen in the freight yard in the first picture is mine!

 

Givry-Chambertin replaces Givry-Vignoux, a layout that I built from 1987 and which represented the SNCF Society on several occasion, including Souffelweyersheim near Strasbourg (1991). Latterly it was on permament loan to Wimbledon MRC.

 

The AGC on the fiddle yard at the 'Lyon' end of the layout is a (extremely complex and detailed) NIckel silver kit produced by Gil Farfarnoux and put togethre by Paul J.

[kirtleypete]

I've only just come across this - thanks for posting the pictures of Mers les Bains chaps. It's looking a lot more finished now, which it needs to be....Southwold show ls looming!

Peter