Saint-Désert

Transcription

Welcome to Aiguillages, today we're hosted by an individual, Régis Déroussin, who makes us discover his outstanding model layout: Saint-Désert station. Let's situate the scene first: We're in Régis Déroussins's house basement, and as you probably now, a house basement allows one to store various things rather than to built a railroad layout. Well, at Régis', both functions are coexisting. He made a chipboard casing to install his layout there, while secondarily releasing several square metres back into storage, by arranging closets and shelves above and under the tracks. Additional surprise: behind the scenes. Completely invisible from the public part, they can be accessed by cleverly fitted out openings in one of the casing's partitions. The different wagons that we're going to watch operate in a moment are patiently waiting until they're called to come on stage. First, this 230A is the head of a passengers/freight mixed train, typical of the line represented here, or rather the lines, as Régis Déroussin's layout was inspired by a section of the former Châlon-sur-Saône/Mâcon line via Cluny. A line separated in 2 tracks, one leading to Châlon and the other to Montchanin. Before embarking on the model construction, Régis spent a year searching archives, questioning contemporary witnesses, and searching on the Internet for literature a real historian work. I've been living in Saint-Désert for more than 30 years now, and the station and the Châlon/Cluny line always seemed nice to me. I've always practiced scale modeling, I already had a HOrnby train when I was a kid, then I made my first model when I was in Châlon-sur-Saône, followed by a second here, then a third that was recently removed, those were "spaghetti" railroad network from the 1980's, and here I modified this kind of network to get something more realistic, with Saint-Désert station on one side, the junction to Montchanin, and Crainseny viaduct. Crainseny viaduct is about to be crossed by the 230A. The main part of the visible Saint-Désert model was built by Régis, with a rather exceptional attention to detail and realism. Everything regarding wire transmission, signalling, leopolder bells, etc, was home made, wooden fences that we can see as well, tarpaulins on freights too, etc. Cars are registered in reference to craftspeople of the village, the plumber, the carpenter, the butcher. As well as the coalman and the wine merchant, who even raised his wine cart, pulled by a horse, to the platform level, to put the barrels on it more easily. The model can be exploited through analog or digital transmission, Régis owning both kinds of locomotives. The bachstage area, hidden to the public, are thus invisible to the one running the railroad model: to get the train carriage out of the garage, we need to listen carefully. I simply have a reed switch activating little buzzers, and according to their sound, I know where my trains are located, it allows me to put them away and to get them out without having access to the backstage area and while avoiding the use of cameras and TV. The reed switch is a commonly used system in railway model to detect trains when they're passing certain points. Little magnets are placed under the motors: When passing reed switches, their magnetic field triggers switch machines or signalling elements. On Régis layout, an acoustic signal is emitted. One only has to count the "beeps" to know where the train to yard is located. 1, 2. On 3, the train is put away. Régis is taking a ADN railcar from his hidden backstage. This name comes from its maker: Northern France Steel factory. Those railcars are recognizable among all the others with their typical triangular shape. They crossed and stopped at Saint-Désert station during about 10 years, since 1946. The layout isn't very large: 4m long and 2.30m wide, against the walls. Régis spent 4 years building it, including 1 year of research and 3 years of creation. After his "spaghetti" layouts phase, those modules on which model makers were gathering as many things as posible through the 1970s and 1980s, and as many trains as possible in the smallest space, he wished to get back to basics, to give priority to realism and to the atmosphere of a particular time: Era III, that of the electrification of the Imperial Line. The division of time in railroad eras is due to MOROP, the European Union of Railway Model making and of Railroad Friends. A european federation whose headquarter is based in Swiss and whose first vocation is scales standardization: gauge, couplings, and other elements used in railway model making. Era III extended from 1945 to 1970, it's steam decline era, for the benefit of diesel and electric tractions. This Billard railcar replaced ADN railcars between 1951 and 1953, while the electrification of the imperial line in 15 000 Volts direct current was in progress in Burgundy. since the PLM line, Paris Lyon Marseille, was followed by Napoleon III in 1862, it was called the "Imperial line/main road". At that time, it took a bit more than 8h to reach the Mediterranean from Paris. The electrification of the line saved 1 hour. The Imperial line, from Era III, is the topic Régis chose for his next railway model. A model that I hope I will be able to let you know more about in a few years, probably in Aiguillages. Meanwhile, let's continue to enjoy this one and its rustic atmosphere, and let's fast forward a bit. During the 1960's, until 1968, the closing date of the passengers line, a Picasso railcar was serving the station. Whistle signal from the stationmaster, blown horn from the train driver: Here he is, leaving Saint-Désert towards Etiveau, then towards Montchanin. Crossing Crainseny viaduct, an infrastructure containing 16 arches for 246m long and 23m high. It's occupying the available space, opposite the station. Then, the railcar is traveling through a tunnel, dug under Culles rocks, that Régis tried to copy including the finest details, the slightest cracks. Leaving this same tunnel, here is a train that Régis would call "non-compliant", Indeed, this locomotive and its wagons never operated on this line. But it's also important to enjoy oneself! Without forgetting attention to detail that allows a feeling of total realism. Here, for example, you can see the bicycle that one of the railroaders placed on top of the coal pile, probably being the fastest means of transport for him to go home after work. Crossing Crainseny viaduct for a last time, the train is entering Saint-Désert station for the last time. This station still existes, but became private property, and is now crossed by pedestrians and cyclists only, the rails having been removed from the line, that is now a greenway. Next week in Aiguillages, we'll ride between Ambert and La Chaise-Dieu, first following Agrivap panoramic railcar, then meeting another association in La Chaise-Dieu station: Le Haut-Forez tourist railway. Meanwhile, let's stay in touch: you can subscribe to Aiguillage newletter at www.aiguillages.eu, you can also subscribe to its Youtube channel if you don't want to miss any episodes, and don't forget to like and share its facebook fan page.