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Post Info TOPIC: French Light Railway Wagons 1:35


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French Light Railway Wagons 1:35
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As I cannot contribute a great deal to the discussions on artillery, tanks etc. I have taken the liberty showing two more of my French light railway wagons - one finished and one in progress. I hope it will have your interest. I build in 1:35 scale and use standard H0 track to represent the 600 mm. gauge of the prototype.


The Standard Pechot wagon is a resin kit from a French manufacturer. The wagon is being fitted out as a companion to my FT-17 loaded Pechot to make up a salvage train. The wagon is built pretty much out of the box, only adding Romford metal wheels in brass bearings for better running and some smaller details here and there.


The closed wagon is a model of a wagon built in army workshops on redundant Pechot bogies. The French army built improvised wagons on bogies they apparently had too many of. Most of the wagons were built from wood and looked quite primitive. My model is built from balsa and hard wood, plastic card, and brass wire.


This winter I hope to get started on a French Campagne gasoline loco to pull my French rolling stock.


Best regards


Claus, Denmark



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Hero

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Hello Claus


 


  Your models as usual are great, I have a question for you, since you are one of our resident experts in the field of narrow, gauge rolling stock etc., do you have any information on Italian Narrow Gauge, if there was any? Also are you interested in Polish engines, armoured trains, rolling stock etc, of this era, I have quite a few interesting drawings, and photos if you are.


All the Best


Tim R



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Hero

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Hello Claus


  By the way what type of narrow gauge is this, I thought it was German?????


All the Best


Tim R



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Hi Tim
To answer your last question first: Yes it is a German internal combustion (I/C) loco. The maker is Deutz, one of several German manufacturers of I/C locos to the German Feldbahnen. The wagon after the loco is also of the German type (Brigade Wagen). As the soldiers are British the German equipment has clearly been captured. This happened quite often (sometimes it was the Germans that captured allied equipment). As the gauge was 600 mm. on both sides locos and wagons was easily put in use, although locos tended to run out of spare parts rather fast, rendering them useless.


While the allies favoured multi cylinder engines (as on the British Simplex, the US Baldwin and the French Crochat (even using gasoline electric transmission) the Germans used one cylinder engines easily recognizable by the large rotating wheel on each side.


There is an inscription on the side of the loco that should be helpfull in locating the operating area of the loco. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be readable in...


Regards


Claus



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When viewed at maximum intesification it seems to my eyes as if the inscription says 'Argonnenbahn'. While clearly the photo does not portray the Argonnen area (thickly covered in woods and mountanious) I have no doubt that this Deutz loco once served on the extensive German narrow gauge system in the Argonne. Several I/C locos on this system carried quite bold markings both with the system's name 'Argonnen Bahn' (also often named on post card images from the system) and sometimes girl's names as well. This Deutz loco must have served in the Argonne at one time, later being brought to another area - clearly more northernly.


For someone with a further interest in German military narrow gauge railways in WWI I can recommend 'Heeresfeldbahnen der Kaiserzeit' by Rüdiger Fach and Günther Krall. Basically a book of pictures it carries some basic text as well.


Regards


Claus  



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Another follow-up: if you are interested in railways in WW1 in general, what works do you recommend?


 



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/Peter Kempf


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Peter:


It is really hard for me to recommend a single, particular book on military narrow gauge railways from WWI.


 


For an almost complete overview of the major books on the theme I will advise any with interest in the subject to go to my Swedish friend Henrik Laurell’s site


 


http://laurelltrains.se/index.php?chapter=books


 


Some of the books are not available from new any more, but I have succeeded aquiring them all with only modest difficulties through used book shops and sites or from friends looking out for the titles for me.


 


My first book on the subject was ‘Narrow Gauge at War 1’ (bought at Motorbooks in London) and as such stands out as the book that opened my eyes for the subject. Today I would recommend ‘Narrow Gauge at War 2’ as it is somewhat more comprehensive. The subject covered is almost exclusively the British railways with minor references to German and American operations. Tim R: there is a chapter (short) on railways at the Italian front in this book.


 


The books that have had the greatest practical impact on my modelling is with no doubt the two books by Christian Cenac : ‘A voie de 60 sur les fronts francais de la guerre de 14-16’ one version printed in 91 and in 93 – the last being updated with new drawings of both French and American locos and rolling stock. Not much text but almost exclusively drawings in 1:35 of a very high quality.


 


Hope this helps.


 


Claus



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Claus!


Thanks for the link - it was super! Exactly the thing I was looking for. Railways were of course imperative during WW1. You can't understand that war unless you factor that in. I am about to build a Austro-Hungarian Armoured train soon, just to pay tribute to that fact.


Glad to have you on this Forum. We need your special knowledge! 



-- Edited by Peter Kempf at 10:41, 2006-11-16

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