First World War Centenary - The Railway Operating Division

[locomotiveman1994]

Hey,
Quick question... Have you considert including an narrow gauge "trench railway"?
They where used to get supplies quickly to, and wounded quickly out of, the battlefield.
You could use Kevin Martins NG stock and track for that...

[sem34090]

I fully intend for Narrow Gauge to feature as it was very much a part of the Western Front railway scene.

[karma99]

Somewhere I have a model of a WW1-era 20hp narrow gauge Simplex petrol engine I started back in 2015 (on Nov 11th!). I never got around to setting up the blueprint, scripting it or adding audio but the plan was to make it fully drivable with correct operation of clutch, gears, etc.
It might only do 10mph but the idea was to tie your fingers in knots as you drove it, double de-clutching all the way

[locomotiveman1994]

Somewhere I have a model of a WW1-era 20hp narrow gauge Simplex petrol engine I started back in 2015 (on Nov 11th!). I never got around to setting up the blueprint, scripting it or adding audio but the plan was to make it fully drivable with correct operation of clutch, gears, etc.
It might only do 10mph but the idea was to tie your fingers in knots as you drove it, double de-clutching all the way

What are you waiting for, then? Start digging that thing out!
I love your work. It keeps getting better and better every time!
And, wandering a little off topic, occasional excursion into more "modern" traction from you would be appreciated. Not only by me, I think.

[sem34090]

Peter -

If you are able to do anything with that, for us or otherwise, then that would be absolutely marvellous! One problem currently is authentic narrow gauge stock. Would the availability of a suitable route help you to get it done?

[karma99]

Peter -

If you are able to do anything with that, for us or otherwise, then that would be absolutely marvellous! One problem currently is authentic narrow gauge stock. Would the availability of a suitable route help you to get it done?

Having the ability to time travel or clone myself would be more helpful
I'll see what I can do.

[sem34090]

That would be very kind.

[locomotiveman1994]

Behold! News from the western front!

Being Belgian, this project immediately gained my attention and I decided to join the 'team'. The result: Plenty of period maps of the route being found in the SNCB archives in Brussels! So route building will commence any moment now.

But wait! There's more!

I'm delighted to announce that Pierre Gauriat (http://ajrailsim.free.fr/) will be making, or rather has made, period rolling stock and scenery.
Included will be:

• French engine '5300' of the P.O. railway,

  

  flat wagons of the same company with military load,
  some closed wagons from the P.O.

  

  Belgian 6 wheel coaches 'GC'

  

Note that pictures are WIP

And there is still more!

Matthias from 3DZug will kindly provide the most important piece of stock: Le wagon de Compiège CIWL teak dining carriage N°2419 D, the one, in wich the armistice was singed.
The model will be the one from his 'Orient Express' pack (available here: https://www.3dzug.de/product_info.php?i ... press.html) But without interrior.

Stay tuned to hear the latest news from the front!

[gptech]

That's splendid news loco, nice to see the impetus being kept up, and even growing!

[locomotiveman1994]

Indeed Gary!
And I hope that there will be more to come. Unfotunaly, we still need someone to make the belgian signals.

[sem34090]

If not then I think the French ones will have to do. On the list of things we need to try and make somehow are:

Period Belgian Civillians
Period British & Commonwealth Troops
Period French & Belgian Troops
Period British Military equipment.
WDLR Locomotives
WDLR Wagons
Buildings for the ROD workshops at Hazebrouck (I need to find more about these)
Appropriate tents
Belgian Signals
Dean Goods ROD reskin (If DT don't include one in their forthcoming model)
ROD 2-8-0 Reskin (for the old RSC model, even though Kris Wilson is working on a new one it would be good to have the old one included as more people are likely to own it and it is cheaper to buy. Preferably the reskin would have dynamic numbering, but this may not be possible)
Reworked Ambulance Train Reskin
NER T2 (Q6) ROD reskin to represent older NER 0-8-0s sent to the front.
LNWR G2 ROD reskin

Any help with these would be very much appreciated. It's not the end of the world if they can't be done, but the route would be all the better if they can be done.

This page could be useful for information about the area we're intending to recreate around Hazebrouck:
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battlef ... ont-borre/

[locomotiveman1994]

Speaking of, I forgot to list the scenery made by Pierre Gauriat

Included will be:

• Mack AC
  Matil TAR
  Renault EG15 with trailer
  french Renault FT17 and british Mark V tanks
  cars genre 'taxi de la Marne'

He also plans on making a Caudron and a Spad plane.

Hope I haven't forgotten anything this time!

[sem34090]

I too forgot to mention those, especially the tanks!

[sem34090]

A note regarding the reskins mentioned earlier - It is intended that only very few payware locos will be required to run the main scenarios included in the route.

Scenarios are intended to tell a story, but I shall say nothing further for now.

[locomotiveman1994]

Gentleman,
The Ministry of War has provided me with the first pictures of the progress of our troops on the front.

To avoid enemy espionage, I do not know, and wouldn't bee allowed to tell, where this exactly is, but be sure we're heading the right way!