A diary of Tramway Demiel

mikeyh wrote:

Here's the successful results of a project I started a couple of weeks ago; I've never been impressed with the LGB smoke generators, nor the amount of smoke shown in pictures of live steamers unless, like Brians, they are taken when there is snow on the ground. I bought a smoke machine (machine a fumee) from french ebay ( a company called 'multi discount', yes a french firm) for 29 euros, its a 700 watt output ,which is normally about 90 euros, they are 'seconds' in as much as the paint finish is blemished, but the works are guaranteed. Anyway I connected a length of plumbing copper pipe to the nozzle and a length of housepipe, buried it under the track with a small brass nozzle at the end. Its remotely controlled and here (at last you say) are the results;



I think its impressive.

Mikey

Looks like your sapeurs pompiers now have a raison d'etre.

Monsieur Benet has a new way of checking on his various enterprises! (see 'Miscellaneous models; Trains and boats and...?)



Mikey

It appears Monsieur Benet has an acquaintance named Bleriot.

Finished fencing the extension to the railway area this morning. We've now got room for the private line to the chateau, the landing strip, and the circus (all ongoing projects)





Mikey

Great stuff Mikey. How long does it take to build one of your marvellous buildings ?

I ve been building my line for 6 years and have n't got round to one yet.


David

Depending on how much detail I want to put in, about a day. The quickest way is using the concrete blocks with a plastic or wooden roof and the window frames stuck on.. Its a sneaky trick but the more buildings you have on your layout the better the illusion. With just a couple of buildings people tend to pick out the faults easier and quicker! I haven,t got the patience to build the detail into wagons and coaches like you do David!

Mikey

Looking very good Mikey, I am always amassed at how well all your trees are growing, mind you you have planted quite a few there.

What happened/is happening to the ash ballast Mikey?

Is it a success or not?

Everywhere I look now in books and old photos (studying history of tramways around here) the ballast is right up to rail height and looks....like ash!

Also... An ongoing discussion over railcars in 1910.

I can't remember if we discussed this finitely but, I have now found conclusively that petrol railcars existed as early as 1905 and certainly 2 were used on the Tramway du Trianon near Rouen in 1907.

They were built by Turgan and Foy.

This is the only known picture of one.

Turgan and Foy

Carl thats a terrific find! I've got back to 1913 but they were only on-trial prototypes.
Re the ash; yes a total success! Even after a long continuous downpour the ash stayed in place. I think the key is to have a good substructure (if you look at earlier 'Demiel ' pictures you can see that the track was laid on white calcaire chippings.) The places where the track has been extended was only track on an ash base and this had to be topped up. I've transferred a load of ash to a container at the side of the line so its a ten mitue job to top up where needed . i just shovel it on and brush it along the sleepers. as i say all the newer pictures still show the original ash. The wheels just cut through it as well so thats another benefit. I havent put any around the points for fear of clogging them up.

Mikey

Mikey - as I have said before, it does help to know what search terms to use when looking for stuff. I tried our friends at Delcampe for the word Turgan, and voila:

well done Clive for improving Carls already brilliant find!! I will start the model this afternoon (if England play as badly as they did in the last game!)

Mikey

Mikey, just to let you know there are others on the Delcampe site - I didn't want to bore people with endless postcard images. Just hit the 'Cartes Postales' button and search using the terms 'Automotrice' and 'vapeur' and you get a few very nice pics of a 'Robatel et Buffaud' type - so ugly, it's beautiful!

A brilliant find Clive, should make an interesting model Mikey

Ah......That picture is a Turgan steam railmotor. Very nice but...
We are really after some pics of the Turgan et Le Foy 'Automotrice Petrole'.

However there is reference here to the steam railmotors being converted to petrol.....so....just a bit of imagination required as to what it would look like without the steam plant.

That's a fantastic machine anyway and begs to be modelled. Half a coach and half an engine.

Goods train successfully negotiating the radius 1 curve (after grinding off middle wheel flanges);



mikey

Nice picture again.

I was looking again at the overview photo on the previous page, and it occurred to me that maybe the chateau might excavate its own small 'lac' (fed by the river, naturally) for to indulge the Benets in their fishing interests. In doing so, a small submersible pump might then be able to push water down to the opposite end of the river, thus creating the illusion of a river flowing into it?

Just a suggestion, you understand Mikey!

Watch out !!!!

There are POSTCARDS on that site.

Quote :

However there is reference here to the steam railmotors being converted to petrol.....so....just a bit of imagination required as to what it would look like without the steam plant

Like the idea Clive. we were going to have an 'ornamental' lake in front of the chateau but i like the idea of a natural lake surrounded by trees. dont think the pump is a goer because if i pumped the water into the othe end of the river it couldnt get back into the lake. cant join them because of the difference in height of the ground.

mikey

pjti wrote:

Watch out !!!!

There are POSTCARDS on that site.

Quote :

However there is reference here to the steam railmotors being converted to petrol.....so....just a bit of imagination required as to what it would look like without the steam plant

My local line! The Montelimar - Dieulefit tramway, known locally as "Le Picadon" (The local cheese) passed by my house and metre guage sleepers were found in the cellar. Jean-Yves does not have one on his web page but I have seen (but do not have) post cards showing the petrol railcar.

This is in a locally published book showing one at Montelimar but there is a better one at Dieulefit. I will keep looking. Apologies for not rotating it.

Peter

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Monsieur Benet (still learning to fly) takes the opportunity to check up on his workers!!;





Mikey

Look out for low flying objects, is the pompier on standby?

Had a great day today! no work just playing trains all day (and i dont care who knows it!)





and then a slow goods arrived at the papermill;





Lots of sunshine. a little warm breeze. a large pastis, what else could a man want (dont answer that. not in front of the wife~!)

Mikey

Mikey, what is the embankment made of on the last picture. I would like to emulate that on my layout.

Tx for the excellent pictures.


David

A sub-base of stone chippings, covered with wood ash. its an ongoing project that appears to be truly successful. the ash doesnt get washed away (after its set itself), and the wheels cut through it with no problem. just shovelled on and then brushed with a 1 3/4 inch brush.

mikey

mikeyh wrote:

Had a great day today! no work just playing trains all day (and i dont care who knows it!)

Mikey

Must have been bloody HOT though - We had to go to the lake at Saint Mathieu to keep cool

BTW Great pics and I've started saving our wood ash too!

Yes it was 33 degrees today but for the first time there was a warm breeze and no humidity. At one point i left the train going round the track while i did a couple of lengths in the pool!!

Mikey