kirtleypete Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 I can't believe how long it is since I posted about Mers les Bains! The reason for this post is that the layout has been refurbished ready to take it to Trainsmania at Lille at the end of April, so here are a few more pictures: It will be interesting to see what the French make of it. If anyone is interested in French narrow gauge, I have just published the second edition of 'Narrow gauge on the Cote du Nord' which is available on Amazon along with all my other French narrow gauge books. I've just finished a couple of new four wheeled coaches; I'll see if I can get a picture of them taken tomorrow. That will be about all the rolling stock we've got room for. Peter 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted April 2, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 2, 2017 I think they will love it Peter. Unfortunately I won't be able to get north that weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 I don't think they'll have seen anything else quite like it Andy, so it will be interesting. Pempoul is there as well so we're flying the flag for the UK!Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianp Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Fantastic. I am visiting the Trainsmania exhibition on the Saturday so I shall say hello. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 Good - look forward to seeing you, and having a visitor we can understand! Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 (edited) This is the new rolling stock, two coaches and a Fourgon. The two coaches are based on preserved vehicles, but customised to suit the Cote de Picardy railway of course. The red coach would have been painted in a much more drab livery by 1952, but since when did reality get in the way of a nice model?! After looking at these pictures I'm going to redo the planking on the end balconies using stripwood. Peter Edited April 3, 2017 by kirtleypete 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 It's amazing how looking at a picture can show you what's wrong with a model, but looking at the actual vehicle it looks OK! I've replaced the printed paper planking on the balconies with real stripwood, and done the same on the steps. It will need a little weathering, but it looks far better so I went back to some of the old stock and did the same to that. Peter 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted April 3, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 3, 2017 Having spent many childhood holidays in the CdN plus a whole school term, I shall have to look out your Amazon book. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 I hope you enjoy it, Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 Happy to discover your layout in the Lille show Peter! Jacky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Great - looking forward to meeting you there Jacky, Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 Well, I think I've remembered everything - we're all packed up ready for the trip to Lille. The floor plan arrived yesterday; we're right by the entrance so we'll be the first layout people see when they come in....that means we've got to be ready at opening time, no period of grace like the ones at the far side! What is a bit worrying is that no where on the plan are there any toilets....as we're open from 10am to 7pm on Saturday I think we're going to need some. I'll post some pictures when I get back on Tuesday. Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 What is a bit worrying is that no where on the plan are there any toilets....as we're open from 10am to 7pm on Saturday I think we're going to need some. I'll post some pictures when I get back on Tuesday. Peter Ahhh! The bouquet of a bucket! - and we can do without pictures of that, thank you very much! Have a safe trip and enjoy yourselves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 (edited) Back safely from Trainsmania, which was brilliant but exhausting. It was held in the 'Grand Palais' in Lille, and if you're picturing something like Versailles think again! It looks better on the inside! The show was a one-off celebrating the 80th birthday of Loco Review magazine and LR Presse put on a cracking good exhibition. We found getting to Lille was easy, but when we went to book into the hotel and park the van we found that all the car parks in Lille are underground and are designed for cars...our van wouldn't fit in any of them! After driving round for two hours on Thursday afternoon in rush hour traffic we went back to the exhibition and left it there....on Sunday night we parked it in a bus lane outside the hotel and hoped for the best...fortunately we got away with it. This is the exhibition hall; we were right by the main entrance. There was loads of room, but it was needed because Saturday in particular was incredibly busy. We operated for nine hours solid on Saturday, from 10 to 7, which was a bit testing, and then at the end Voie Libre wanted to photograph the layout for the magazine and we had to look all cheerful and full of energy as we had our pictures taken. We picked up invitations to Nancy, Boulogne and Montelimar shows which was nice so we'll be taking our bit of France back home again. Peter Edited May 2, 2017 by kirtleypete 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted May 2, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 2, 2017 Back safely from Trainsmania, which was brilliant but exhausting. It was held in the 'Grand Palais' in Lille, and if you're picturing something like Versailles think again! It looks better on the inside! The show was a one-off celebrating the 80th birthday of Loco Review magazine and LR Presse put on a cracking good exhibition. We found getting to Lille was easy, but when we went to book into the hotel and park the van we found that all the car parks in Lille are underground and are designed for cars...our van wouldn't fit in any of them! After driving round for two hours on Thursday afternoon in rush hour traffic we went back to the exhibition and left it there....on Sunday night we parked it in a bus lane outside the hotel and hoped for the best...fortunately we got away with it. This is the exhibition hall; we were right by the main entrance. There was loads of room, but it was needed because Saturday in particular was incredibly busy. We operated for nine hours solid on Saturday, from 10 to 7, which was a bit testing, and then at the end Voie Libre wanted to photograph the layout for the magazine and we had to look all cheerful and full of energy as we had our pictures taken. We picked up invitations to Nancy, Boulogne and Montelimar shows which was nice so we'll be taking our bit of France back home again. Peter Montelimar, a bit of a trek! Beware that many French shows don't pay expenses. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 If they don't pay expences we're not going! Transmania were great, they gave us cash on Sunday afternoon, in fact they tried to give me more than I'd asked for. Peter 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted May 2, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 2, 2017 Hope to see you in Montelimar. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 It's not until May 2018, but we'll be there. Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rue_d_etropal Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Montelimar is at least in the southern sunshine. May should be just about OK temperature wise. I had also heard that about expnses, but had no problem at RAMMA when I was exhibiting a couple of years ago. I did notice that a lot of layouts did not have anything running later in the day, and I was the only one actually with a train running(on auto shuttle) in my area, but that did not seem to matter. Unless you actually want to work hard, it does pay to have something you can just switch on and leave running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 The French seem to have a much more laid back attitude to operating; we take the view that people have paid to come and be entertained. Lille was pretty good in that respect; we did wonder if LR Presse had laid down some conditions. Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) The French seem to have a much more laid back attitude to operating; we take the view that people have paid to come and be entertained. Lille was pretty good in that respect; we did wonder if LR Presse had laid down some conditions. Peter Hi Peter It was good to see you and of course Mers les Bains (which did look great) on Friday and Saturday. I don't know how much time you both had (was it just the two of you?) to see the rest of the show but it was about the best I've been to in France and Loco-Revue clearly pulled out all the stops for their 80th anniversary. Operation has always seemed less of a priority at French shows and I think their approach tends to be more a landscape (or village or townscape) with trains running through it than trains operating in a landscape. From what I saw on Friday, on most layouts trains did simply run through the various scenes and it was only on Mers les Bains, Pempoul, Olivier and Gaelle Taniou's latest industrial layout and one of the N gauge layouts in the AFAN are that I saw much actual shunting going on. I've operated various layouts at French shows over the years where visitors have been rather intrigued by this strange British habit though I think that may be starting to change. Edited May 3, 2017 by Pacific231G 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtleypete Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 I think you're right; things do normally go quiet operationally between noon and two o'clock! There were just John and I, it keeps the costs down and stops us wandering around the show spending money. I'm glad you enjoyed the layout, it was a really enjoyable show to do. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted May 4, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 4, 2017 I think you're right; things do normally go quiet operationally between noon and two o'clock! Especially in France where meal times and lunch in particular are virtually a religion. Many smaller shops still shut every lunchtime. I have seen traders shut up shop at an exhibition for the standard 2 hour lunch! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted May 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 23, 2017 Seems like they did love it. A half page in Loco Revue as part of the exhibition report plus the promise of an article in Voie Libre, Well done you. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted May 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 23, 2017 I've been to an exhibition in France that shut for 2 hours at mid day for lunch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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