Gordonwis

July 2015: I had created various wagons (posed on our then-nascent French club layout): a simple 'RhB container well wagon' conversion using a cheap old fashioned Roco standard N well wagon a tanker wagon (Roco original, with American small bogies for 'miniaturisation effect' again) Two bogie flats: shortened standard N gauge flats (one Fleischmann, one Minitrix) with 'miniature' bogies replacing the 'standard gauge' originals. a Usego Haik (usual Roco conversion on US bogies) A Co-op container (paper sides pritt sticked on to a standard German 1:160 post container a diesel shunter (Fleischmann 3 axle industrial shunter repainted RhB orange)

June 2015: The Allegra at various points on the layout

I assume by southern Beaujolais, you mean the area close to Tarare / Amplepuis. If so then I'm not surprised as the that is the Lyon - Roanne line traversed by Lyon - Bordeaux RTGs, one of the most steeply graded in France (the legendary Rampe des Sauvages )

By March 2015 I had repainted a Kato 644 into Co-op livery ( easiest to do with a quick spray of white) and created some scratchbuilt /conversion wagons and then the Allegra appeared in June 2015

Having bought some HOm, but not really having the space for a BEMO Swiss ng layout and being an N gauge specialist since 1971 I started working with the Kato 'Glacier Express series' (later morphed into 'Kato Rhaetische Bahn Series') the moment it became available. I created a layout as a redundancy project back in 2013, initially with the idea that it could be a dual purpose layout which could be operated in one session as SBB, in another session as RhB. I think I was the first UK modeller to make a complete layout for the then new Kato stuff but would be happy to be proven inaccurate... In the end I decided that I wanted to hone the layout to be pure RhB and pure 'Nm9'. In fact the term Nm9 was not invented when Paspels featured in Continental Modeller circa 2017, so I dubbed it Nn! The layout has seen everything from the basic Kato starter set rolling stock, through my kitbash creations to the latest available Kato, artisan and other products, and my Nm9 collection now covers about 70% of RhB stock types! Here it is back in February 2015, with my mate Paul J's early Ge4/4II scratchbuild with my bashed Roco Valser van on American wagon bogies to achieve the 'miniaturised' effect of what is meant to be metre gauge on standard 9mm gauge, and my early cut and shut of a Lima 1st generation standard gauge SBB EW on Kato GEX bogies

Are these for sale? The web site only shows BR Totems

The 'usual caveat' applies to the title! 'World's most Spectacular' and other such phrases are always subjective and challengeable. For example I travelled up Ecuador's equivalent line - the Nariz del Diablo on the top of a steam loco tender...

Looks good. The windscreen wipers look a bit heavy

Perhaps you aren't aware of MAFEN products. They do mostly N scale which is why I know the brand, but they are a Catalan company so do HO RENFE overhead: https://shop.model-fab.com/en/46-renfe Gordon

The RENFE EMUs were known as 'Metallico' and me and my brother always called 440s 'Stags Metallico' due to the livery resembling the colours of Mansfield Town (nickname the Stags) where we grew up. We also are both familiar with Salou, home town of a well known Spanish railway enthusiast and photographer who is a friend of the family.

The Fleischmann wagons would be too bulky to represent ferry wagons anyway IMO - I used to have the Arnold stromeyer but have never seen any real life evidence!

Yes undoubtedly the 3D print is much better, but it's no good. For a green with red end version, ironically the vent/number of windows is correct, but the cab end face is wrong (needs to be the older cab with access door) plus as you say it needs a traditional folded door. Indeed, now the o.l.d. print satisfied my requirement for a rebuilt 'S-Bahn 540' type BDt I will now be using various parts that I was previously kitbashing to create other things. I have in various stages of chopping and conversions and mix and matching: three Arnold RBe4/4 body carcasses (from the German spare parts suppliers), the Shapeways BDt, loads of spare Lima EWIs

You should find more than enough short Swiss style stock to match a green Ge4/4I. Try Contikits: www.contikits.com/European HOE.htm The trouble is they have a HOe RhB Crocodile which you will probably want...(much more quirky and 'likeable' than a Ge4/4I!)

Regarding pantographs - generally the rear pantograph is the one used under normal running conditions (worldwide) and this applies on the RhB. However there are exceptions - on French railways (SNCF), the forward pantograph is raised if the vehicle next to the loco is an oil tank wagon or open air car carrier (reduced spark risk). There are also some multi system locos where there there might be one ac and one dc pantograph (on on certain standard gauge Swiss locos where one of the two pantographs has a pan suited for German overhead (Swiss overhead has a much reduced 'zig zag' to other European railways).

Ho hum... Two of the new release of Kato Re6/6 now on DM toys. Regular readers will know that as an old stager, the RRP of the latest stuff makes me gulp...DMT price of Euro170 seems high as pictures suggest not a great deal had changed in the actual body detail. So now the obvious questions: apart from the obvious (up to date numbering, aircon representation, front grab handle) what are the improvements over the latter day issues of the original Hobbytrain version? Given I already have 5 of the older versions I daren't spend money on one of these as the also due KISS/MUTZ EMUs will cost a bomb as well. I'm even less likely to spend any money on the re-released RIC coaches - at an even more 'gulp' price - euro 152 for three coaches that are not a brand new model.

o.l.d. modeles - a relatively recent French artisan with whom I have been corresponding since he started creating some interesting 3D loco and unit models, originally SNCF. Some items are curiously odd scale and size - wise, others are spot on so, take care when looking to purchase. He (now they, since there is more than one person involved) has branched out from SNCF, and has produced some SBB stuff, including the much discussed BDt driving trailers. I bought one 'blind' as there was no picture on the website. I was initially super pleased as the cab end is a good representation of the rebuilt Dts. Unfortunately this did not last as I discovered that as others have done before, they have made a mistake and produced a mishmash of EWI and EWII. This is presumably due to using outdated drawings. As such although the cab is brilliant, the sides are inaccurate. It has the vent in the cantrail above one window and a small vestibule window so is presumably intended to be an EWII. However these two features do not go together. A rebuilt EWI BDt has a different window arrangement, no vent and retains a passenger type folding door near the cab. A rebuilt EWII BDt has the vent but only six passenger windows not seven, plus a driver's cab door on the 'right hand' side when the cab is running forwards. Neither EWI nor EWII rebuilds have the old style luggage compartment doors. The grey one is as received. The colour one is my first draft paint job. I have covered the incorrect window but I have not attempted to alter the luggage compartment doors

Yes, I bought two of these about 2 years ago. (this is indeed the 'Shapeways 3D' in the first para of my initial post) The cab shape is wrong (issue with the windows), and I had a warning from Shapeways when I ordered the first one that it 'might not be up to the correct standard - do you want to buy anyway? '

Unfortunately those ModellBahn Decals Re6/6 transfers are not much use for Re620. Only the shield would be usable. The name and numbers are no good for the Cargo livery. To create a town shield it is cheaper and easier to print one off a computer on thin paper and glue stick it on to the model!

Switzerland is notorious for not having many artisan producers. I have tried over many years to find additional bits and bobs for Swiss N without success. 'superdetailing' parts seems to be a thing that is quite well established in model railways in the UK, France and Germany but not Switzerland. It seems that Swiss small scale modellers are generally happy with 'off the shelf'. I wonder if there are any of the earlier issues of Hobbytrain Cargo Re6/6 knocking about? refs 10165 and 10166. I managed to pick up a s/h one at a UK show a few years ago but it was the version with the wrong number / name combination (so that one needs modification anyway! - and is one example of not being able to find the artisanal products to carry out the modification. So I think the answer is no apart from the separate discussion about Modellbahn decals de

That is absolutely correct. He did some bespoke RhB stuff for me a few years ago.

Alasehir in Turkey on Google street view... some of the locos in this line may have hauled or been photographed by me in the 1980s. https://goo.gl/maps/2a4iAHvCe1vwKy3k7

It's a date!. I'm slightly surprised to see that the Gueret line still runs!

Now that's a place to live Joe. Lucky you... Gordon

Yes, Ligne de Tonkin. This is because the line was part of a grandiose 'railwaymania' plan for a railway to link Paris to the Far East ie Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam)

It's not quite as simple as that. There were already railways in the area before it was ceded from France to Germany, but in the early 20th century the A-L network was expanded under German administration and right hand running is the norm. However some lines were built as l/h, modified under German adminstration to r/h. The French considered converting it all back to l/h on return of the territory to France but decided against it