"Les Caves du Roy" Banlieue Est, Beyrouth - Chemin de fer de l'Etat Libanais (C.E.L.)

[Lineas Cubanas]

The small group of houses/flats/apartments that I am modelling on my layout are based on the Ashrafieh neighbourhood in East Beirut. Here's how the area actually looks:

 

 

This painting has been particularly inspirational.....

 

 

However, I am not sure the colours of the buildings in the painting is going to work on my layout......especially as the back scene is particularly dark so I am in the process of changing my mind a lot with the building colours and overpainting previous coats with different colours.....also re arranging the positioning and altering heights to get the overall effect/look of the neighbourhood......

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[Talltim]

A definate follow!

[Mikkel]

4 hours ago, Lineas Cubanas said:

I am in the process of changing my mind a lot with the building colours and overpainting previous coats with different colours

 

I think the buildings painted in weathered beige shades work well, with the dark sky setting them off nicely.

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 08/11/2023 at 15:00, Mikkel said:

 

I think the buildings painted in weathered beige shades work well, with the dark sky setting them off nicely.

 

Yes....thank you, but to be honest those buildings are not really the problem.

 

I started by using the painting above as a guide and the blues and reds just don't seem to work on my layout....

 

Feel like am going round in circles currently trying to get the colours correct!

 

 

[burgundy]

Can I suggest that, even though the brighter colours may be correct, they may need to be scaled down and made more drab so that they do not stand out so much. The real buildings may be in prominent colours, but, if the focus is to be on the railway, the background may need to be more subdued.

I wonder if the same is true of the cloudscape, notwithstanding the symbolism of the gathering clouds?

Best wishes 

Eric

[TrevorP1]

I was about to type pretty much the same as burgundy. I am absolutely no artist but perhaps making the reds and blues a bit paler might help? Red tends to stand out any case, also I believe there is something similar about blue - the reason it is used by the emergency services. Room lighting also has bearing...

 

Of course I could be talking absolute nonsense! 

 

Good luck anyway - watching with interest.

[Mikkel]

I agree.  Blues in particular seem so hard to fit in.

 

Maybe it would also help to use the same base colour across multiple buildings, but tinted lighter and darker from structure to structure, thereby allowing for variation but also creating a whole? As per the photo below, really.

 

On 08/11/2023 at 11:26, Lineas Cubanas said:

The small group of houses/flats/apartments that I am modelling on my layout are based on the Ashrafieh neighbourhood in East Beirut. Here's how the area actually looks:

 

 

 

[Lineas Cubanas]

18 hours ago, burgundy said:

Can I suggest that, even though the brighter colours may be correct, they may need to be scaled down and made more drab so that they do not stand out so much. The real buildings may be in prominent colours, but, if the focus is to be on the railway, the background may need to be more subdued.

I wonder if the same is true of the cloudscape, notwithstanding the symbolism of the gathering clouds?

Best wishes 

Eric

 

17 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

I was about to type pretty much the same as burgundy. I am absolutely no artist but perhaps making the reds and blues a bit paler might help? Red tends to stand out any case, also I believe there is something similar about blue - the reason it is used by the emergency services. Room lighting also has bearing...

 

Of course I could be talking absolute nonsense! 

 

Good luck anyway - watching with interest.

 

Thanks both for the feedback, I appreciate it

 

I will be toning the colours down...just haven't got to the weathering stage yet as still trying to settle on the main colours

 

It's a good point about the backscene.........I don't want it to detract from the modelling/railway........

 

Lance Mindheim always promotes a very plain non descript background and am not sure why I am going against him as I agree 100% with pretty much everything else he says about railway design and modelling! He also states to keep away from the more brilliant colours especially blues on your layout too!

 

I had more of a "cloudscape" on my previous layout too

 

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[Lineas Cubanas]

16 hours ago, Mikkel said:

I agree.  Blues in particular seem so hard to fit in.

 

Maybe it would also help to use the same base colour across multiple buildings, but tinted lighter and darker from structure to structure, thereby allowing for variation but also creating a whole? As per the photo below, really.

 

 

 

Yes, I agree......I have invested in a number of "pinks" to try and create a uniform colour across all the buildings: tinted lighter or darker as you say 

 

 

However, I have come to the following realisations:

 

1) The buildings are not really "pink" but more a faded terracotta so I have been trying to establish a base line colour I am happy with.....

 

2) I don't actually have that many buildings and/or much space on the layout to establish a realistic portrayal of Ashrafieh so I will be reverting to my first rule of modelling (probably adopted from something Lance Mindheim has said already...)

 

"Everything looks right in real life or on the prototype but what's more important is what looks right on your layout"

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[SZ]

9 hours ago, Lineas Cubanas said:

However, I have come to the following realisations:

 

1) The buildings are not really "pink" but more a faded terracotta so I have been trying to establish a base line colour I am happy with.....

 

I would call the pink ones red ochre and the yellow ones ochre, both faded to various tints.

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by SZ

[Lineas Cubanas]

15 hours ago, SZ said:

 

I would call the pink ones red ochre and the yellow ones ochre, both faded to various tints.

 

 

I have decided to give the "Ashrafieh scene" a break for a while.......and as I seem to be having more success with the yellow ochre buildings, have concentrated on the 60s/70s architecture element of Beirut.

 

Please ignore the Cuban Billboard! 

 

[Neil]

It's the backscene that's causing difficulties with the colouring. Looking at the painting that inspired the colours and the photo that accompanies it, the sky is pale, lighter than the buildings, whereas in the model the background is significantly darker than the buildings. I would want the drama to be in the buildings, so would alter the sky but as ever these things are a personal choice and it would be a dreary world if we all thought the same and made the same choices.

[Chen Melling]

Your creativity and work are a continuing inspiration. As a life-long railway enthusiast and armchair modeller I take great interest in the railways of countries neighboring my native Israel. In fact, for the last 15 years I have been living in Nahariya, a mere 11 km south of the Lebanese border at Rosh Hanikra / Ras e-Naqoura, along the same HBT (later NBT) line which you are referring to.

 

It seems you  are quite verse on the subject, but just to get everybody else up to speed, I would recommend browsing through the index of Harakevet magazine, for which almost all issues are available on-line. The older issues had quite a few reports and some pictures related to Lebanese railways in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

http://harakevet.com/

 

Also relevant and helpful are these two books:

Middle East Railways by Hugh Hughes (1982)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Middle-East-Railways-Hugh-Hughes/dp/0950346977

 

Hedjaz Railway Hardcover by R. Tourret (1989)

https://www.amazon.com/Hedjaz-Railway-R-Tourret/dp/0905878051

Now, I know the attached blueprint is not of direct help to your current efforts, but I hope it will raise some general interest in the complex railway history of Beirut. (Source: The Israel Railway Museum, of which I happen to be the manager)

[Chen Melling]

On 04/10/2023 at 06:26, EmuModel said:

Wow, great idea for a layout, will definitely be following this one. I've been researching the nearby DHP-Hejaz narrow gauge railway for years to do an early 1900's era layout/diorama.  

 

If you want, I have in my collection quite a lot of material about the Hijaz Railway and the rest of the 105cm gauge network, including the DHP, and would be happy to share.

[Chen Melling]

On 27/09/2023 at 15:34, Lineas Cubanas said:

 

 

C.E.L Polish SP45 Diesels 

 

 

 

 

Some people seem to think that these Polish locos were actually equivalent to the PKP SU45 type (i.e. Universal rather than Passenger). Mr. Thomas Kautzor also identifies them as such in his Lok Report article in the 10/2016 issue. 
(available for purchase: https://lrplus.lok-report.de/de/profiles/0f415abb7ef4/editions/800389497eee4ecfb95f)

Searching Google for the string "SU45 w Libanie" would return some inspiring images, of which this must be the best:

(source: https://tm-pkw.wixsite.com/tmpkw/orient-ekspres)

[Chen Melling]

On 31/10/2023 at 18:36, Lineas Cubanas said:

 

 

Tripoli: [...]

The station yard contains 40 freight wagons, including 15 derelict covered wagons and 25 tank wagons built in Poland in the 1970s.

 

I think a good starting point for these tank cars would be this Piko model:
https://www.piko.de/DE/index.php/en/piko-latest-news/model-presentations/1089-h0-expert-tank-wagon-zaes-x-pkp-iv-58450.html

(a late 1970s KOLMEX brochure I have states that the Lebanese tank wagons were a lighter version of a PKP type - 16 against 20 ton axle load)

[Chen Melling]

On 27/09/2023 at 15:34, Lineas Cubanas said:

 

 

 

C.E.L Polish SP45 Diesels 

 

 

 

 

Just in case anyone missed it, the Polish diesel is hauling a second-hand German railbus (series 798). Here is a picture of one of these on test in Germany:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Lebanon#/media/File%3A54-12-Schienenbus-Libanon.jpg

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 15/11/2023 at 12:28, Neil said:

It's the backscene that's causing difficulties with the colouring. Looking at the painting that inspired the colours and the photo that accompanies it, the sky is pale, lighter than the buildings, whereas in the model the background is significantly darker than the buildings. I would want the drama to be in the buildings, so would alter the sky but as ever these things are a personal choice and it would be a dreary world if we all thought the same and made the same choices.

 

Thanks for your input

 

I agree.....I have a come to a similar conclusion: I need to match the buildings to the darker backscene, not use the colours from a painting that has a pale and light background!

 

I am going to see how things progress and end up, then make a final decision on whether the backscene works or not.

 

This is where I am currently.....before weathering of the coloured buildings

 

 

 

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 19/11/2023 at 08:56, Chen Melling said:

Your creativity and work are a continuing inspiration. As a life-long railway enthusiast and armchair modeller I take great interest in the railways of countries neighboring my native Israel. In fact, for the last 15 years I have been living in Nahariya, a mere 11 km south of the Lebanese border at Rosh Hanikra / Ras e-Naqoura, along the same HBT (later NBT) line which you are referring to.

 

Thank you for your kind words and compliments.

 

It's nice to hear for someone in the area who is more familiar with the scenery, buildings and atmosphere that I am hoping to model. I hope you are staying safe.

 

Please feel free to post feedback on the overall look of the layout if you feel something is not quite right etc

 

On 19/11/2023 at 08:56, Chen Melling said:

It seems you  are quite verse on the subject, but just to get everybody else up to speed, I would recommend browsing through the index of Harakevet magazine, for which almost all issues are available on-line. The older issues had quite a few reports and some pictures related to Lebanese railways in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

http://harakevet.com/

 

Yes, I was in contact Dr Walter Rothschild who was extremely helpful......Here, is some information on state of the CEL in 1983 at the height of the Civil War from the Harakevet Magazine:

 

 

On 19/11/2023 at 08:56, Chen Melling said:

Also relevant and helpful are these two books:

Middle East Railways by Hugh Hughes (1982)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Middle-East-Railways-Hugh-Hughes/dp/0950346977

 

Hedjaz Railway Hardcover by R. Tourret (1989)

https://www.amazon.com/Hedjaz-Railway-R-Tourret/dp/0905878051

 

Now, I know the attached blueprint is not of direct help to your current efforts, but I hope it will raise some general interest in the complex railway history of Beirut. (Source: The Israel Railway Museum, of which I happen to be the manager)

 

Is the blueprint the NBT Yard at Furn El Chebbak?

 

 

Photo: Borre Ludvigsen

 

I would be interested in seeing a track plan of this area especially if it shows local industries?

As initially I considered modelling this area but lacked any definitive knowledge so focused on Dora in East Beirut for my layout.

 

I did contact someone in Lebanon who was part of the Train/Train Lebanon Group:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Trainsoflebanon

 

who was hoping to get his hands on some track plans of Furn El Chebbak but said they were scarce and difficult to come by as the records of the railway had been largely destroyed during the Civil War....

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 19/11/2023 at 09:26, Chen Melling said:

 

Some people seem to think that these Polish locos were actually equivalent to the PKP SU45 type (i.e. Universal rather than Passenger). Mr. Thomas Kautzor also identifies them as such in his Lok Report article in the 10/2016 issue. 
(available for purchase: https://lrplus.lok-report.de/de/profiles/0f415abb7ef4/editions/800389497eee4ecfb95f)

Searching Google for the string "SU45 w Libanie" would return some inspiring images, of which this must be the best:

(source: https://tm-pkw.wixsite.com/tmpkw/orient-ekspres)

 

Yes, I believe the photo above is Byblos on the NBT Line from Beirut to Tripoli

 

 

Piko do provide a number of models in HO scale of SP45s and SU45s.

 

Currently, I am looking for the Era IV one with the corrugated sides that was produced in 2018 which is proving difficult to locate.......

 

 

I may have to consider more recent versions that are more readily available such as this version which is Era V

 

 

As a serious question, does anyone know what the actual difference between the Era IV and V models would be? are they negligible? purely cosmetic? apart from the yellow front which I can obviously paint?

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 19/11/2023 at 09:35, Chen Melling said:

 

I think a good starting point for these tank cars would be this Piko model:
https://www.piko.de/DE/index.php/en/piko-latest-news/model-presentations/1089-h0-expert-tank-wagon-zaes-x-pkp-iv-58450.html

(a late 1970s KOLMEX brochure I have states that the Lebanese tank wagons were a lighter version of a PKP type - 16 against 20 ton axle load)

 

That's good to know as I came to the same conclusion and have already purchased two.

 

They are sitting on my workbench waiting for the Xmas Holidays when I hope to address my rolling stock......

 

On 19/11/2023 at 09:44, Chen Melling said:

 

Just in case anyone missed it, the Polish diesel is hauling a second-hand German railbus (series 798). Here is a picture of one of these on test in Germany:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Lebanon#/media/File%3A54-12-Schienenbus-Libanon.jpg

 

Again, I have purchased the following:

 

 

They just need to go into the "shops" and come out like this:

 

 

Photo: Borre Ludvigsen

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Lineas Cubanas

[Chen Melling]

48 minutes ago, Lineas Cubanas said:

 

 

Is the blueprint the NBT Yard at Furn El Chebbak?

 

 

Photo: Borre L

 

I would be interested in seeing a track plan of this area especially if it shows local industries?

As initially I considered modelling this area but lacked any definitive knowledge so focused on Dora in East Beirut for my layout.

 

I did contact someone in Lebanon who was part of the Train/Train Lebanon Group:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Trainsoflebanon

 

who was hoping to get his hands on some track plans of Furn El Chebbak but said they were scarce and difficult to come by as the records of the railway had been largely destroyed during the Civil War....

 

 

I'm afraid I've never been to Lebanon, so cannot comment from first-hand knowledge, however I really liked the photos of your work so far which seems to capture the air of destruction and dereliction so common in Beirut since the 1970s.

 

The blueprint is indeed of the main junction near Furn e-Chebbak, but it seems it did not upload so well (is it legible on anyone's screen?).

 

I will be happy to send the file to anyone who so wishes. It is dated 25.05.1944 and it seems that back then the standard gauge only served military installations. 

However, I just searched the Web site of the American University of Beirut and found two detailed 1960s maps which seem to show not only main lines and branches but also most/all sidings:

 

1968: https://lib-webarchive.aub.edu.lb/BorreLudvigsen/https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/910/912/maps/beirut/

 

1961:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lineas Cubanas]

On 20/11/2023 at 13:25, Chen Melling said:

 

I'm afraid I've never been to Lebanon, so cannot comment from first-hand knowledge, however I really liked the photos of your work so far which seems to capture the air of destruction and dereliction so common in Beirut since the 1970s.

 

Thanks, am heading in the right direction which is good to know......

 

On 20/11/2023 at 13:25, Chen Melling said:

The blueprint is indeed of the main junction near Furn e-Chebbak, but it seems it did not upload so well (is it legible on anyone's screen?).

 

Not really, as I cannot seem to enlarge it enough to see any detail

 

On 20/11/2023 at 13:25, Chen Melling said:

 

I will be happy to send the file to anyone who so wishes. It is dated 25.05.1944 and it seems that back then the standard gauge only served military installations. 

However, I just searched the Web site of the American University of Beirut and found two detailed 1960s maps which seem to show not only main lines and branches but also most/all sidings:

 

1968: https://lib-webarchive.aub.edu.lb/BorreLudvigsen/https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/910/912/maps/beirut/

 

 

Thanks for this link as it has also allowed me to re discover Borre Ludvigsen "The Railways in Lebanon" site.

 

His original site had disappeared from the internet some time ago and has obviously been uploaded to the archives of AUB.

 

For anyone interested in the Railways of Lebanon, both standard gauge and narrow gauge, it contains the most comprehensive coverage including maps, info and photos. Some key pages below:

 

Home Page

https://lib-webarchive.aub.edu.lb/BorreLudvigsen/https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/385/railways/index.html

 

Rolling Stock 

https://lib-webarchive.aub.edu.lb/BorreLudvigsen/https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/385/railways/stock/index.html

 

Branches

https://lib-webarchive.aub.edu.lb/BorreLudvigsen/https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/385/railways/branches/index.html

[298]

On 15/11/2023 at 12:16, Lineas Cubanas said:

Please ignore the Cuban Billboard! 

 

I'll have it...

[Lineas Cubanas]

3 hours ago, 298 said:

 

I'll have it...

 

Hahaha.....am afraid it's already gone to the Great Billboard in the sky......namely covered with a suitable Lebanese advertisement

 

I may have another Cuban one that you can have if needed? And also have some vehicles : namely the horse and cab in the photo above posted November 14 and some 1950s vehicles.....

 

I am not sure what I have left.....let me know if you are looking for anything specific