Interesting item on eBay Germany for those that like things French

Found this from a linked auction at another forum.

http://cgi.ebay.de/1-Highlight-auf-jeder-LGB-Sattellkw-fuer-d-Schiene_W0QQitemZ260507111815QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen?hash=item3ca76f1187

Feel free to discuss.....

Interesting.....

I think it's meant to be a model of this machine.

Yes, offhand, I cannot remember any articulated Michelin busses for the narrow gauges.

(Next will come the 238 posts to this thread that will prove me wrong!)

well there wont be any posts from me! (unfortunately Carls picture isnt opening)

Its an ugly brute isnt it?

mikey

Your right as far as I know Garrett.

Most of the 'Michlines' were standard gauge although there are the celebrated metre gauge ones in Madagascar which I believe are still in service.

FCE Madagscar

And a white one, ex Madagascar that appeared on CFBS festival of steam about 10 years ago.

Micheline CFBS

Does anyone know where this is now (Madagascar) or where it is kept in France?
I can't find anything conclusive on the web.

As a matter of fact there's an intersting link about the some french narrow gauge in China (nice one with pictures) :

http://www.chinasteam.co.uk/trains/china262.htm

And a well there's a talk about one tried on the line from Nice to Dignes, but it said they were use in the french colony.

http://ardecherail.blogspot.com/2009/09/une-micheline-roule-sur-le-rail.html

Now i've seen Carls picture I stand by my original statement! It seems to have a lot more 'decorative' features than other Michelins.

mikey

Some pictures.

Thanks Laurent. My question answered. That second link about the Vivarais says that the white Madagascar ZM 514 belongs to and is stored at the Michelin museum

It also says that 2 others still exist in Madagascar, ZM 516 and ZM 517.

The first link in your post about the Yunnan train museum shows a 'Bugatti' type 22 Michelin similar I believe to the one on display at the French National Rail Museum in Mulhouse.

Bugatti Micheline.

BTW Notice how illogical French grammar is.

Michelin (tyre company) is masculine but la 'Micheline' as in railcar is feminine, however the French word for a railcar is un 'autorail' which is masculine.
And to add of course...la locomotive but le train.

No wonder I still buy two of everything.....'le ou la...?'......ohhh.....'deux.....'

I remembered the one from Madagascar, from a book by Charles S. Small, I have here at the house. Unarticulated (the bus, not me) is how I remember it and the pix you have show the same. So yes, probably not to many of the narrower gauge.

I love the color photo above with the "make my car sporty" 1980s "Michelin" window shades. So very retro!

Carl Hibbs wrote:

BTW Notice how illogical French grammar is.

Michelin (tyre company) is masculine but la 'Micheline' as in railcar is feminine, however the French word for a railcar is un 'autorail' which is masculine.
And to add of course...la locomotive but le train.

No wonder I still buy two of everything.....'le ou la...?'......ohhh.....'deux.....'

German has some interesting grammar as well. For example, the word for girl, "Maedchen" is neuter. A Frau is feminine, but a Fraeulein is neuter. An automobile can be masculine (der Wagen) or neuter (das Auto). Go figure.

We English speakers solved this a long time ago by chucking the whole gender thing. Gotta love the Indonesians as well- they got rid of gender, conjugations, and tenses (it's all in the context).

BTW, I'm convinced there are many native French speakers who are challenged by French grammar. Why else would they all own a copy of Bescherelle's La Conjugaison 12000 Verbes?

Do I smell a drift coming on?

I just came across this. Somebody actually wrote a song about autorails and michelines.
http://lyrics.dainutekstai.lt/527898/alain-souchon-lautorail.htm

Also found this photo - is the cupola where the driver sits?
" border="0" alt=""/>

Interesting pic of a Bugatti Micheline.

I wish they would get one out of a museim and give it a run. The cupola is indeed where the driver sits.
The most celebrated railcars were the 'Picasso' the (originally) Renault built x3800 series.
They were nicknamed Picasso because of the curved cupola which gave it a lopsided looking eye like one of Picasso's 'pictures'.



You would have thought that with the driver positioned on top the lower front part would be a nice place for passengers.....err no, a V12 diesel engine sits there.