The Broc Branch in Om scale - an ambitious project that stalled for a decade but is now reawakening

[PaulRhB]

The good condition of the trailer part in the pictures would suggest it’s maintained to be portable. Raising the wheels up on blocks to save the tyres, as well as levelling it, also suggest moving it is kept as an option.

I’d guess from the windows it is used as temporary accommodation, or possibly these days a studio/ workspace, from time to time as it’s too nicely appointed for a typical Swiss field barn.
Bees don’t like windows as my local population is proving as I evicted 9 the other day, or one stupid one 9 times! 😆
 

[Mol_PMB]

Here's a 1990s view of the Chocolate Train on the Broc Branch, after the renewal of the overheads in the late 1980s but before the tpf rebranding.
http://www.polier.ch/Fotoarchiv/S/SutterP/01-CH-West/GFM/GFM-15-052.jpg

Look just behind the panoramic coach at the rear of the train, and you can see the beehive/hut on wheels, in the same place as it still is now! But I agree, the wheels may well be a legal thing - capable of movement even if it never moves!

On my model, I've had to bend this section of straight track to fit the room, and the field behind is very compressed.

 

Modelling this train is necessary, and I've got a step closer with an expensive win on eBay today. A Fulgurex MOB brass panoramic coach Bs222, one of those 'must-wins' that come up for sale less than once a decade. Hopefully it will arrive safely next week.

 

Later, the panoramic coach was replaced with one of the panoramic driving trailers, and a specially-liveried loco provided, as seen here in 2013 (my pic in nearly the same place), but that's way after my modelling period:

 

[PaulRhB]

On 01/07/2024 at 15:50, Mol_PMB said:

one of those 'must-wins' that come up for sale less than once a decade.

Yes I always balance that against the bargains. I’ve had a couple of must haves for the RhB Om. Fortunately one was a bargain anyway and the other even starting at a high price, I was prepared to push another £200, no one else bid so although not cheap it wasn’t particularly over expensive either. 

[Mol_PMB]

Some recent purchases have included more old slides and negatives of my prototype, including these:

 

 

The last one shows one of the 8 coaches bought by the GFM in the late 1960s, secondhand from the SBB Brunig line. These replaced most of the GFM's original 4-wheel coaches and three of them are still in service now on retro trains. Having a really good quality photo of one of these has inspired me to start drawing up some etch artwork for these coaches, it's a work in progress but at least I've made a start.
 

 

For the Broc Branch in the 1980s I need two of these; they were used in the rush hours (both work and school) to provide extra capacity behind the single railcar that formed the passenger service for the rest of the day. Photos show them being hauled by a wide variety of railcars and even the 1980s locos. They have been made in H0m as RTR brasss models (mainly for the SBB Brunig modellers) but I've never seen one in Om before.

These GFM coaches were often loaned to the MOB when they were short of rolling stock for special events (e.g. Army or Scout movements) and often appear in photos of the MOB in the 1970s-1990s period.

 

The first three photos all show Te2/2 11 of 1912 which was the shunter at Bulle for over a century and is a must-have for my model. Plans for building that aren't so advanced, but will probably involve another custom etch and some N20 motors.

[Mol_PMB]

I often find it satisfying to make something out of parts not intended for model railways. These little boundary posts for the road are a nice example:

 

They are bamboo skewers from the kitchen, cut off at an angle. Then painted white all over with an angled black band. The 1mm reflective discs are sold for nail art, and having stuck these in place on my posts I have greater respect for the dexterity of people who stick them on their own fingernails!

 

These will be planted each side of the road in due course, like this:

 

[Mol_PMB]

When I first planned this layout over 15 years ago, I had in mind that the basic service on the branch could be operated by one railcar, either on its own or hauling coaches or freight wagons. A shunting loco would be needed at each terminus as well. But I'd expected that there would rarely be two trains on the branch at once, and then only when a special such as the chocolate train was operating.

Today I've been looking at timetables, and discovered that my assumption was wrong. Many thanks to @MikeB for pointing me towards the https://timetableworld.com/ website which has lots of old Swiss timetables for my period of interest.

My model period is 1980-1985, but I've looked at timetables a few years either side of that as well, as it's quite interesting to see how the service evolved. The analysis below focuses on weekdays (M-F) which is when the branch service was more interesting and intense, I've done plots for the weekends as well but not included them here.

 

Colour-coding for the paths is as follows:

Black - 7 days a week

Dark green - Mon-Sat

Light green - Mon-Fri

Red - Mon-Fri, mixed train serving intermediate stations, timings not guaranteed

Orange - Weds only, Chocolate Train

 

Let's start in 1975, at which time the GFM still carried mails and provided first class accommodation. It was before the influx of 'modern' railcars, so the branch would mostly have been operated with railcars dating back to the 1910s.

There are 8 round-trips from Bulle to Broc-Fabrique, note the lunchtime 'peak' service which may represent both workers and schoolchildren going home for lunch.

Additionally there is an unbalanced trip first thing in the morning (perhaps this comes back coupled to the second train at 07:30?).

No trains cross at Broc-Village (the only passing loop), but there are these two trains at Broc-Fabrique at the same time in the early morning.

One evening train only goes as far as Broc-Village, and this is shown as second class only.

The mid-afternoon service is booked as a mixed train on the way out (only). In practice, freight wagons in both directions between Bulle and Broc-Fabrique could be attached to any passenger train, so I think the designated freight path (red) must be intended for serving the intermediate stations and halts. There seems to have been regular traffic to/from the siding at Broc-Village (which would be more easily served by a freight in this direction) and there may have been parcels and other smaller items to unload as well.

 

 

Moving on to 1977, the GFM had just stopped carrying mails and first class. Modern railcars 151 and 152 had just arrived, and would have mostly operated on the 'main line' but may have released one of the 1940s railcars 131-133 for regular services on the Broc branch.

There are still 8 round-trips from Bulle to Broc-Fabrique with a lunchtime 'peak', but some of the timings have changed since 1975.

The unbalanced trip first thing in the morning is still present, as is the evening train to Broc-Village.

In this service, two trains cross at Broc-Village around 13:00.

The mid-afternoon service is still booked as a mixed train on the way out (only).

 

 

Next, 1981, and by this time the GFM had four modern railcars which would have mostly operated on the 'main line' but together with the 1940s railcars would have largely displaced the older railcars from the Broc branch except at peak times.

This weekday timetable is very similar to the 1977 one, just a few tweaks to the timings. The weekend services (not shown) changed a bit.

Passenger trains still cross at Broc-Village in the lunchtime peak.

 

 

1982 was a very important year in the Swiss railway history as the Taktfahrplan (regular interval timetable) was introduced. This led to major changes to train timings and connections across the whole country and beyond.

The GFM's fleet was little changed, but the pattern of service on the Broc Branch changed more significantly.

There are now 11 round-trips from Bulle to Broc-Fabrique, 2 more than in previous years plus the evening service goes all the way rather than terminating at Broc-Village.

The unbalanced trip first thing in the morning is still present.

No trains cross at Broc-Village.

The mid-afternoon service is still booked as a mixed train on the way out (only).

 

By 1986, there had been some slight adjustments.

The early-morning service is now shown as returning to Bulle in service, so it is no longer unbalanced and this gives a total of 12 round-trips.

Trains crossing at Broc-Village have returned to the timetable, but now in the evening peak.

I think that about this time, the GFM had ceased carrying less-than-wagonload freight, so the designated freight path is no longer shown, it's just booked as a regular passenger train.

Of course, there was still plenty of wagonload freight on the branch (mostly standard gauge wagons on transporters) and this could be attached to any train.

 

 

The final available timetable of interest is 1992, this isn't on the timetable world website but is reproduced in one of my books on the GFM.

There are now 14 round-trips from Bulle to Broc-Fabrique, giving a more even service through the day.

In the evening peak, trains still cross at Broc-Village.

The path for the Chocolate Train is shown in the timetable (orange line) - this was on Wednesdays only.

 

 

 

Now, it will be many years before I actually get to operate a timetable on my model version - there's still a lot more to build. But this exercise has shown me that to operate an accurate service pattern in any of the years presented above, I need two GFM passenger trains, not just one.

 

I suppose I'd better get back to making things rather than research...

[Mol_PMB]

I suppose the next stage of the timetable analysis is to go through all the old photos from this era and try to identify which time train they show. Considering that there's typically a 2-hour service interval, then for those photos taken on sunny days, I think it should be possible to make a reasonable estimate based on the angle of the sun. Then I can start to list the typical composition of each train.

 

Of course, there are some hazards. People are more likely to take photos of the 'interesting' trains than the normal ones, which skews the distribution. And in many cases I don't know the exact year, or day of the week that the photo was taken, so it may not be obvious which timetable I'm trying to match it to.

 

Also, I've found some documentary evidence that some freight photo-charters were run on the GFM in the 1980s and 1990s period, so there's some chance that the most 'interesting' trains appearing in photos are very untypical. I don't have proof of that on the Broc branch, but where exactly the same train is repeatedly photographed at numerous locations on the 5km branch, it's more likely to be a charter than a chase. And pictures like this, one of a sequence from polier.ch showing a mixed train shunting at Broc-Village (a relatively rare occurrence), are highly suspicious. Just look at all those gricers on the left!

I suppose there's nothing to stop me adding a photo-charter to the model's timetable though!

[Mol_PMB]

I've now installed most of the new catenary masts and started trial-fitting some wires. I'll take these off and paint them (except the ends) and then solder them in place.

The (inappropriate) loco has also been used to re-test the track power and seems to run smoothly around the new section now it's ballasted.

The catenary masts look a bit too close together, but on a curve this sharp they can't be any further apart without dewirements becoming a problem.

The wooden block on the left of this photo sits on the rails and defines both the loading gauge and the optimum position for the wires.

Once I've got the catenary finally installed and tested then I can start the scenery on the near side of the road. Without that in place it's very much easier to reach underneath to get to the wiring and the nuts under the catenary masts, which is why I've been waiting.

You can see I've got some of the black and white posts fitted by the roadside now too. There will be another row of them on the near side of the road in due course.

[MikeB]

5 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I suppose the next stage of the timetable analysis is to go through all the old photos from this era and try to identify which time train they show. Considering that there's typically a 2-hour service interval, then for those photos taken on sunny days, I think it should be possible to make a reasonable estimate based on the angle of the sun. Then I can start to list the typical composition of each train.

 

Of course, there are some hazards. People are more likely to take photos of the 'interesting' trains than the normal ones, which skews the distribution. And in many cases I don't know the exact year, or day of the week that the photo was taken, so it may not be obvious which timetable I'm trying to match it to.

 

Also, I've found some documentary evidence that some freight photo-charters were run on the GFM in the 1980s and 1990s period, so there's some chance that the most 'interesting' trains appearing in photos are very untypical. I don't have proof of that on the Broc branch, but where exactly the same train is repeatedly photographed at numerous locations on the 5km branch, it's more likely to be a charter than a chase. And pictures like this, one of a sequence from polier.ch showing a mixed train shunting at Broc-Village (a relatively rare occurrence), are highly suspicious. Just look at all those gricers on the left!

I suppose there's nothing to stop me adding a photo-charter to the model's timetable though!

 

I find reconstructing workings from timetables fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

 

The public timetables are a starting point, but working timetables or graphic timetables are obviously helpful in showing freight or non-revenue workings (eg ecs, light engine or early morning snow clearing runs) that do not feature in the public timetables.

 

The next stage is to match diagrams to services.  This may be simple if a single unit shuttles between A and B, or if two units work alternate services between A and B, but what happens if both end up at A?  Is it first in, first out?  Although today we have regular interval workings and intensive use of motive power, in the past this was less common, especially if drivers had their own loco, or given the limited operating duration for steam (obviously not a problem for Broc).  Also, units may be swapped for some reason.  For example, the MGB Andermatt - Goeschenen shuttle service looks on paper as if two units could work it all day, but I’ve seen a railcar go on shed at Andermatt in late afternoon and be replaced by another unit.  I’m glad I model the RhB as they publish loco diagrams which show that some assumptions are ill-founded.

 

The third factor is that once the motive power is sorted, coaches may follow different patterns.  Despite the fixed formation Alvra rakes on the Chur - St Moritz service, the RhB attaches various extra coaches to certain services to provide extra capacity as needed, something that was common across their system until the Capricorns arrived.

 

As I mentioned in the article on my Lej da Vadret layout in the current Continental Modeller, I want even "might-have-been" layouts to have a history and purpose.  Despite the impossibility of being totally prototypical, especially if modelling a past era, I find having a timetable brings a worthwhile degree of operating realism over trains arriving and departing in a random manner.

 

Edited July 6 by MikeB

[Mol_PMB]

10 hours ago, MikeB said:

 

I find reconstructing workings from timetables fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

 

The public timetables are a starting point, but working timetables or graphic timetables are obviously helpful in showing freight or non-revenue workings (eg ecs, light engine or early morning snow clearing runs) that do not feature in the public timetables.

 

The next stage is to match diagrams to services.  This may be simple if a single unit shuttles between A and B, or if two units work alternate services between A and B, but what happens if both end up at A?  Is it first in, first out?  Although today we have regular interval workings and intensive use of motive power, in the past this was less common, especially if drivers had their own loco, or given the limited operating duration for steam (obviously not a problem for Broc).  Also, units may be swapped for some reason.  For example, the MGB Andermatt - Goeschenen shuttle service looks on paper as if two units could work it all day, but I’ve seen a railcar go on shed at Andermatt in late afternoon and be replaced by another unit.  I’m glad I model the RhB as they publish loco diagrams which show that some assumptions are ill-founded.

 

The third factor is that once the motive power is sorted, coaches may follow different patterns.  Despite the fixed formation Alvra rakes on the Chur - St Moritz service, the RhB attaches various extra coaches to certain services to provide extra capacity as needed, something that was common across their system until the Capricorns arrived.

 

As I mentioned in the article on my Lej da Vadret layout in the current Continental Modeller, I want even "might-have-been" layouts to have a history and purpose.  Despite the impossibility of being totally prototypical, especially if modelling a past era, I find having a timetable brings a worthwhile degree of operating realism over trains arriving and departing in a random manner.

 

 

Hi Mike,

 

That's really helpful, thank you. I think the chances of me getting any official GFM working timetables or diagrams from the 1980s are slim, but I can try and it may be that GFM Historique hold some old documentation as well as their fine collection of rolling stock. I'm hoping to attend their open weekend in September.

 

Regarding diagrams, I think these may be tricky to infer from the public timetables as you suggest with the MGB shuttles. As well as being the junction between the three GFM lines (Palezieux-Montbovon, Bulle-Broc and Romont-Bulle), Bulle was the headquarters and had the sheds, workshops and stabling sidings immediately adjacent to the station. In my experiences there in the 2000s, they could be pretty slick at railcar swaps or formation changes.

 

An interesting example occurs on several years during the lunchtime peak, for example the 1982 timetable below (it also occurs at the same time of day in 1975, 1986 and 1992).

Train 255, in dark green representing a Monday-Saturday service, arrives at Bulle at 12:37. Train 256, which runs daily, departs back to Broc at 12:41.

Now if that was a single railcar, running on time, and if passenger loadings were sparse, then it would be just possible for one train to form both services. But these are lunchtime peak services which probably have the railcar hauling carriages as well as a heavier passenger loading. In that circumstance it seems more likely that different trains would be used.

I could investigate this further by looking at the timetables on the other lines serving Bulle, and try to work out some diagrams for those too. That would also identify how many railcars were needed in service each day, and hence how these might have been allocated. There were 4 through metre-gauge lines at Bulle but it's not hard to imagine a scenario where all these are occupied at once, as some photos demonstrate (e.g. below, this is 1974). This would especially be the case when the frequent gravel trains were operating on the GFM 'main line' in the 1970s and early 1980s. Also, the branch to Broc diverges from the Montbovon line about 1km out of Bulle, so that creates a capacity constraint on the single line shared by both routes.

Looking in the opposite direction, this picture is a beauty from 1977 showing all three of the 1940s railcars in their original livery and lined up in numerical order. Tractor 11 is on the 4th (shorter) track on the left.

My guess is that 131 and 133 and their matching driving trailers are on the Montbovon-Palezieux 'main line' with one about to depart in each direction, while 132 will then leave for Broc with its train of two hauled coaches.

Modelling one of these railcars is a must, and I'll probably do 133 which was the last to keep this livery (until 1980). I recently enjoyed a trip on the beautifully restored survivor, 131:

 

 

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

I seem to be going down a bit of a rabbit-hole with these timetables, but to a spreadsheet nerd like myself it's quite interesting to work out what sort of service was operated and with what rolling stock. Since I'm modelling the major station at Bulle at one end of my branch, it's useful to understand the services that were running on the GFM 'main line' through Bulle as well as on the Broc branch.

 

I've started with 1975, which is a bit before my modelling period. At this time, the GFM still carried mails and provided first class accommodation.

The timetable shows some services with second class only, which is a useful hint about what type of rolling stock was diagrammed - in 1975 the only GFM railcars with no first class seats were the 1940s trio Be 131-133. They usually worked with driving trailers Bt 261-263 and ADZt 271-273, with first class accommodation available in the latter. Here's a complete rake on the GFM main line:

 

1975 was before the influx of 'modern' railcars; it's true that 141 and 142 were in operation but they were dedicated to the gravel trains and had no passenger facilities, so it was rare for them to appear on passenger trains in the 1970s.

 

So, here's the 1975 weekday public timetable for the GFM 'main line' from Montbovon to Palezieux. Paths with twin lines === are those marked as second class only.

The colours here are my attempt to postulate some diagrams. It's clear that a minimum of 3 sets are required to operate the timetable, though more could have been used.

Two diagrams start at Bulle, the other at Chatel-st-Denis where there was a smaller car shed. The one that starts in Chatel ends up in Bulle at the end of the day, so the diagrams would form a cycle.

 

For those not familiar with the line, Chatel-st-Denis was a terminus so through trains had to reverse there.

At this time, the GFM only had the 3 1940s 'reversible' rakes (i.e. railcars with driving trailers) and any trains formed of older railcars hauling coaches would have had to run round them at the termini including Chatel-st-Denis.

So ideally all three diagrams on the main line would have been operated by the 1940s rakes, but 100% availability couldn't have been guaranteed and there must have been some slick shunting (or short-forming with a single older railcar) if one or more of the 1940s rakes was unavailable. It's hard to envisage one of the 1940s rakes being used on the Broc branch when its reversible capabilities were needed much more on the main line.

 

Based on the provision of second class accommodation only, the brown diagram was almost certainly a 1940s railcar, operating either singly or with just its Bt driving trailer from 0500 until 0800, then picking up its first class ADZt driving trailer during the morning layover at Bulle. The ADZt would then be dropped off again at Bulle around 20:00 before its evening runs as second class only.

 

Now, also shown on the graph above are an indication of the Broc branch train times at Bulle. A red X indicates a Bulle-Broc departure, while a red A indicates a Broc-Bulle arrival.

 

Here's a reminder of the Broc branch timings for 1975:

 

The interesting thing here is that the evening train on the Broc branch is standard class only (which suggests it was diagrammed for a 1940s railcar), and its departure and arrival times would allow that service to be formed by the railcar on the brown main-line diagram. So perhaps this is an example of the main line and branch diagrams being integrated?

 

I think in all the photos I've found of the Broc branch, only one shows a complete 1940s rake, and although it's undated it must be mid-1970s based on various subtle details.

It's also an unusual view, taken from the opposite side of the line from normal. The direction and length of the shadows indicates it must have been taken about 20:00, and the train is shadowed by line of trees behind the photographer while the mountain peaks in the background are still in sunshine:

I therefore think this is the late evening train to Broc-Village, running through from Palezieux. They haven't dropped off the driving trailers at Bulle on this occasion, despite them being empty.

 

Now that I've recognised this possibility of the branch and main-line diagrams being integrated, it looks as if there may be some other similar moves in the timetables for the later years. And in the 1975 graph above it looks like the blue main-line diagram could potentially form the 09:10 departure to Broc and return. This is going to need more investigation!

 

As a post-script, once the new 2-car railcars 151-251 and 152-252 were delivered in 1977, they relieved the shortage of reversible rakes on the main-line service. At the same time, the GFM stopped carrying first class and mails, making the 1940s ADZt driving trailers redundant (they were stored for a few years and later rebuilt to BDt). From 1977 the 131-133 series railcars, running singly, were much more common on the Broc branch.

 

 

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

OK, some more timetable nerding. There are some very nice collections of GFM photos from the late 1970s and early 1980s on Flickr, thanks to Fototak (André Knoerr) and Jean-Henri Manara.

 

Let's look at a few examples. Here's a super image on the Broc branch, from Fototak dated 15th February 1979.

This roadside part of the branch is what I've been building recently, and I hope to model this train too. But what time of day should I run it?

The dats was a Thursday. I don't have the 1979 timetable but I do have 1977 and 1981 and they are very similar to each other so it's reasonable to assume that 1979 was too.

The angle of the sun is almost exactly broadside to the train (look how it's picking out bits of the cab front) and using TPE at this location for 15th February it tells me the local time would have been about 13:28 for this sun angle.

In the 1977 timetable, train 261 (Mondays to Fridays only) was due at Epagny (just round the corner) at 13:28. In the 1981 timetable, the same train 261 was due at Epagny at 13:22.

The railcar is hauling a pair of ex-Brunig coaches and a 'fourgon' and there seem to be a good number of passengers on board. In fact the Flickr caption gives the train formation as Be 4/4 133 + Bi 243 + 246 + D2i 421.

So I'm pretty confident this is train 261, one of the lunchtime peak trains.

 

On the same day and from the same photographer, here's another similar train on the branch. The caption notes the train formation as Be 4/4 131 + Bi 246, so a different railcar but one of the same coaches seen in the other train.

From the angle of the shadows, I estimate the time as 11:40. In both the 1977 and 1981 timetables, this would have been train 255, due here at 11:43 or 11:44.

 

Also from Fototak (André Knoerr) but taken a few months later at Bulle, here is Be 4/4 133 and Gbk 635 shunting back onto transporter wagon Ua 994, which is carrying a small standard gauge van. GFM had several of these old vans which were branded 'Service Gare Bulle GFM' and seem to have been frequently used for less-than-wagonload traffic on the Broc branch.

The date is 10th July 1979, a Tuesday.

From the angle of the sun, the time ought to be about 15:00 though it's hard to be precise on this curved track.

The booked path for the afternoon mixed train 358 was due to leave Bulle for Broc at 14:52 in both 1977 and 1981. So this must be train 358.

 

Also from Fototak (André Knoerr) but taken a few months later at Bulle on 3rd November 1979, a Saturday. 133 is destined for Broc (it's just about legible on the side) and is flanked by 151 and 152 which are almost certainly heading for Montbovon (left) and Palezieux (right).

The angle of sun suggests it's about mid-day, which is very plausible in both the 1977 and 1981 timetables.

Train 762 from Palezieux to Montbovon is on the left, calling at Bulle from 12:00 to 12:04.

Train 767 from Montbovon to Palezieux is on the right, which paused at Bulle from 11:55 to 12:22.

In the middle, 133 arrived from Broc with train 255 at 11:53, and would leave for Broc again with train 258 at 12:07.

Because it's a Saturday, there are no strengthening carriages on the Broc branch service, just a single railcar.

 

This is from Jean-Henri Manara, also at Bulle and also in 1979, though the exact date isn't specified. It's one of a sequence of images (if you click on it to go to Flickr you can browse back and forth to see the sequence of events). A rather tatty 131 has just arrived from Broc hauling Gb 655 and a Ua 99x series transporter wagon with a 'Service Gare Bulle GFM' van on it. In the sequence, some shunting ensues and then two 'main line' trains arrive and depart.

Assuming this is summertime, the angle of the sun indicates that it's around 16:00.

In both the 1977 and 1981 timetables, train 263 from Broc is due to arrive at Bulle at 15:52, so that's surely what we see here. Although not specified in the timetable as a 'mixed', it is the return working of the train 358 the outbound mixed.

 

Several moves later in the sequence, 131 has moved to the middle road, the tractor has shunted the wagons out of the way, and 152 and 252 working train 772 from Palezieux to Montbovon (due 16:13) have arrived on the left. Then 261 and 132 arrive from Montbovon with train 775 to Palezieux (due 16:15).

 

This is another 1979 image from my collection, dated 31 August, a Friday:

The angle of the sun indicates a time around 15:00, which is consistent with the booked timings for the afternoon 'mixed'. In this case there is a foreign (possibly SNCF) standard-gauge van as well as the metre gauge van and the 'Service Gare Bulle GFM' van.

 

 

So these photos give me a good indication of what some of the branch trains looked like at the start of my modelling period. Combined with the timetable, they tell me useful stuff like:

• During the lunchtime peak, two different railcars were used on the branch, and there was a variety of train formations.
• The booked mixed train often conveyed a metre-gauge van and a transporter wagon with a 'Service Gare Bulle GFM' van on it. These would have been for traffic other than the chocolate factory. Other vans for the chocolate factory could also be added to the rake.
• The return working of the mixed, train 263, would run mixed as well despite not being identified as such on the timetable.
• In 1979, two-tone green 13x series railcars were common on the Broc branch services.
• There were some quite busy moments at Bulle when a mixed train arrived from Broc and was swiftly shunted out of the way of the 'main line' trains.

 

 

Now, that's saved me from watching paint dry all evening, I'd best go and spray the top-coat on the catenary wires...

 

 

 

 

[MikeB]

Fascinating.  I like your use of photographs to deduce the operating patterns.

 

Looking at the graphic timetables, it makes sense that the evening service to Broc is operated by a unit from the main line diagrams.  Otherwise, the unit stays idle for several hours at Bulle, which may not be a problem in itself but presumably a crew would need to be paid for these hours.  This might be plausible if they were busy with shunting work, but that seems unlikely during the evening.  So it seems likely that with the exception of the unbalanced early journey and the evening return run, two railcars operated, with crews operating early and late shifts, both being on during the lunchtime peak.

 

One problem is that because Bulle is a major station on the system, railcars could come off shed or be swapped at more or less any time, either as scheduled or in response to events.  As you said, when the “blue” working is at Bulle between 0900 and 1100 (approx.) does it just sit here, or does it work the “black” return trip to Broc?

 

What I’ve learnt is that timetables tell us when trains ran (obviously) so we can operate a typical service, but do not inform us directly of what operated the various services.  For that, we need loco and carriage diagrams.  There were a series of books by Xpress called “The District Controller’s View”, or similar, that described operations on various BR lines in the 1950s, and these included timetables as well as loco and carriage diagrams and even staff rotas.  Even then, not everything was consistent but I assume the authors obtained these from the NRM archive at York or specialist societies.  Is there something similar available for Switzerland?  It might be worthwhile asking GFM Historique if they have old working diagrams or other internal documents so you can access anything that might be available when you visit in September.  Even now, the railways produce paper documents – I noticed the RhB “Tagesbogen” for Lanquart on display in a case with a perspex lid on a platform last year, presumably as a reference for staff.  A dream for modellers who want to reproduce actual workings.

 

And yes, research is fascinating and delays modelling progress. Now back to ballasting…
 

Edited July 7 by MikeB

[Mol_PMB]

Another excellent source of photos of the GFM Broc branch on Flickr is Alain Gavillet.

His photos are undated, but I'm getting pretty good at identifying approximate dates based on rolling stock details and liveries, as well as infrastructure features:

• From 1975, a radio system was introduced which required all driving cabs to be fitted with a distinctive vertical tubular aerial above the roof headlight.
• From 1977, first class was discontinued and the yellow stripes and '1' classifications were painted out fairly swiftly. Mail traffic also ceased so the mail vans of all types were withdrawn from service. The new railcar sets 151-152 were delivered.
• The 1940s railcars and trailers were repainted into the new orange and silver livery in 1978-1981, and freight railcars 141/2 were converted to passenger use and repainted in orange and silver at the same time. New driving trailers 253-256 to go with them were delivered in 1981.
• The big locos GDe4/4 101/2 were delivered in late 1983.
• In 1985, the viaduct over the Sarine was replaced. In the same year, freight handling on the Broc branch was changed from transporter wagons to transporter bogies. This is really the end of my modelling time period as I have the old viaduct and transporter wagons.
• In 1986, the chocolate train became a regular timetabled service, initially formed of an MOB super-panoramic set. I apply Rule 1 to represent this in earlier years (and there were indeed plenty of MOB specials to Broc before 1986, just not regularly timetabled).

 

Let's look at a few of Alain's photos which are probably around 1979, like the ones in the previous post.

 

Railcar 115 descends towards Broc-Fabrique with two SBB Hbils vans on Ua 99x transporter wagons. It's probably early summer judging from the grass and foliage. The sun is head-on indicating a time around 10:00. In 1977 and 1981, there wasn't a passenger service to Broc at this time, so it could be a dedicated freight working which would not appear in the public timetable. Alternatively it could be a year or two later - in 1982 there was a Monday-Friday service (train 250) which arrived at Broc-Fabrique at 09:54.

 

Railcar 131 is ready to depart Broc-Fabrique with an SBB Habils van on two Ua 98x transporter wagons, around 1979. It's probably early summer judging from the grass and foliage, and the shadows indicate that it's around 13:15.

This would be train 261, a Monday-Friday service which left Broc-Fabrique at 13:20 in 1977 and at 13:14 in 1981. It's the return working of one of the lunchtime peak services which would have had carriages attached on the outward journey (train 260). Many photos of Broc-Fabrique in daytime show a couple of spare carriages in one of the sidings, so perhaps they have been dropped off there and the railcar's heading back to Bulle with a freight. I suspect this photo is exactly the same train a few minutes later:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trams-lisbonne/43635384245/in/album-72157630459735870/

 

 

Here's another of Alain's photos showing a mixed train about to leave Broc-Fabrique, also in summer and around 1979:

Railcar 133 is ready to depart Broc-Fabrique with a a 4-wheel coach, an ex-Brunig coach, a fourgon and an SBB Hbis van on a Ua 99x transporter wagon.

This is a rarer example of a train including both coaches and transporter wagons - usually it's a choice between the two.

He seems to have photographed the same train a few minutes later as well, and there are clearly passengers on board:

The shadows indicate that it's around 14:10 which seems odd because train 261 should have departed around 13:20, and the following train 263 would not have been until 15:39.

Perhaps it's 261 running late, and/or my shadow estimates are a bit off.  

 

Moving back to Bulle, the shadows indicate a time of around 16:15 here, again it's probably summer 1979 or 1980:

151 on the right is forming train 775 Montbovon-Palezieux, due at Bulle at 16:15.

132 on the left has train 772 Palezieux-Montbovon which was booked to pause in Bulle from 16:13 to 16:35

133 in the middle looks ready to form the next departure to Broc, train 269 which wasn't due out until 17:17. Its train comprises a 4-wheel van on a Ua 99x-series transporter.

 

 

Finally for now, another of Alain's photos is at the same location but a few years earlier, the 1975-1977 period:

Here we see railcar 121 at Bulle with a train for Broc. It's a bit overcast but I'm pretty sure this is the booked 'mixed' train 358 due to depart at 14:52.

The train is formed of a metre-gauge Gbk van and a 'Service Gare Bulle GFM' van on a Ua 99x series transporter, which seem to be pretty standard for the afternoon 'mixed'. Coupled behind are two more wagons on Ua 99x series transporters. The Hbils van will be destined for the chocolate factory, but the open wagon will probably be left in the siding at Broc-Village to be loaded with logs.

 

So those photos give a better idea of how the chocolate factory freight was handled, and reinforce the view that the railcars and coaches on the branch in this period were predominantly in the old green liveries.

 

 

So far, this research has been focused on the 1977-1981 era, which is the earlier period I'm interested in.

With the Taktfahrplan in 1982, and the introduction of new rolling stock and locos in 1981-1983, there were some significant changes on the Broc branch services. My modelling period extends to 1985 (partly so I can represent both these eras) so I also need to look at the 1982-1985 period photos and timetables. That's the next research focus.  

[Mol_PMB]

I have been making some progress on the layout too. The catenary wires are now finally fitted around the curve at the end of the layout (though there's still a short section missing around the tensioning masts which needs more work). I've also represented the other wires with some fine thread which turns out to be almost invisible in normal viewing against the dark background of the trees. I've tested the track and catenary with several different locos and it was a good excuse to get out MOB 2002 for a run. As you can see I've also cut and fitted the front fascia and the chickenwire which will form the basis of the groundworks for the fields in the foreground.

 

Fedex turned up today with a parcel from Germany containing two Lenz goods vans. These are a massive step forward from the old Lima ones, and there are some nice detail variations for the different nationalities. I chose DB and FS examples, based on photos on the Broc branch. SBB didn't have many of this type of van and I've got a good selection of SBB vehicles already, so I didn't buy the SBB variant. An SNCF van would have been another good alternative but I couldn't find quite the right variant.

 

Here they are posed on a couple of work-in-progress Schnellenkamp transporter wagons. They need a little more detailing and a heavy dose of weathering.

 

Along with my existing models, I now have a total of 5 standard gauge 'brown vans' of various types, which is probably enough. I also have 5 more modern standard gauge sliding-wall vans which are presently silver but also need some serious weathering. Along with an open wagon for the timber and a container flat, I've got a plentiful supply of standard gauge rolling stock but presently a shortage of transporter wagons to put them all on.

 

Here's an image from Fototak on Flickr showing one of these MOB locos with a panoramic train, crossing GFM 131+261. This is actually on MOB rails rather than GFM; there has always been inter-running and sharing of rolling stock between the two lines.

In contrast, here's one of Alain Gavillet's photos on Flickr showing the first regularly timetabled incarnation of the Chocolate Train at Bulle in 1986. Back then it was formed of the Super Panoramic Express set.

 

[7mmin7foot]

MOB 2002 is a superb looking loco, particularly so in the 2nd photo.

The background setting is excellent. A lovely scene 👍

 

Steve

[Mol_PMB]

It's amazing where this hobby takes you. I've ended up researching the Swiss education system to get a better understanding of the schools traffic on the Broc branch, to help me make sense of the various train formations in the photos. 

For a start, the Swiss school holidays are rather different to those in the UK - as well as the expected summer holidays there is a long break in the autumn (perhaps harking back to harvest time?) and shorter breaks around Christmas and Easter, as well as a couple of other bank holidays. Here's the dates for the present academic year; they would be similar historically although those linked to religious festivals may move a bit:

• Autumn break 16 September – 27 October 2023
• Christmas break 25 December 2023 – 5 January 2024
• Carnival/sport break 12–16 February 2024
• Spring break 29 March – 12 April 2024
• Ascension break 9–10 May 2024
• Summer break 1 July – 21 August 2024

Now, the scenery on my layout sets the date in late May, so the kids would be at school. But when looking at old photos, if they're taken during the school holidays they would probably not have the extra carriages seen in term-time. That helps me to understand the different train formations appearing in photos of what is apparently the same train service.

 

Next, the Swiss school day is quite different to what we're used to here. They start early and finish late, but have a two-hour lunch break. The schools don't provide lunch, so many kids go home for lunch, hence the lunchtime peak service on the branch. These days, there is better provision of lunch clubs for the kids of working parents, but in my 1980s modelling period they mostly went home. On Wednesdays, they schools have a half-day so the kids go home at lunchtime and stay there. 

 

Broc has a primary school, immediately adjacent to Broc-Village station, which catered for kids from Broc and the surrounding villages. The nearest secondary school was in Bulle, more recently a new secondary school has been developed in La Tour-de-Treme just on the Broc side of Bulle. So the Broc branch timetable provided for several significant flows of schoolkids, in both directions, in the mornings, lunchtime and evenings. But not in school holidays or Wednesday afternoons!

 

Looking again at the branch timetable for 1981 as a good example, the secondary school students living in Broc would have taken the train around 0735 into Bulle, then home on the train at 12:05 for lunch. Heading back into Bulle at 1315, they would have returned home on the train at 17:20. 

 

In the reverse direction, primary school kids from Epagny would have been on the train about 07:20, returning for lunch at 11:40, and back from Broc on the 12:40 train. Primary schools had a shorter day and they may have gone home on the 15:40 train.

 

 

Of course, it wasn't just the kids commuting by train, and there would have been people living in Broc with jobs in Bulle, and people living in Bulle with jobs at the chocolate factory. But in my experience of the GFM/tpf services the schoolkids were in the majority - recently I travelled on the 0722 from Albeuve (0711 from Montbovon to Bulle) which was a 4-car set and by the time it reached the school on the outskirts of Bulle it was full and standing with schoolchildren. I think many of the adults drive to work but that isn't an option for the kids. Back in the 1960s/1970s circumstances were different and on the Broc branch the 'Train d'ouvriers' (workers train) was an important concept and even had a few unadvertised halts on road crossings to pick up passengers.

 

So this helps me to understand what the train formations would have looked like for those trains where there aren't lots of photos. 

The train leaving Broc-Fabrique at 0735 would have been packed full of secondary schoolchildren leaving Broc-Village, and would probably be carrying a fair number of commuters to jobs in Bulle too. It's the only suitably-timed train in the morning. This train would surely have been strengthened with several coaches, and it's quite possible that it was double-headed with the railcars off the two earlier services to Broc. 

 

All this is a bit of a diversion from the model-making, but helps me to understand what rolling stock I need to build and how I should operate it. I feel I'm close to being able to write a working timetable with train formations for the 1977-1981 'green' period shown in the last few posts on this thread. 

 

The next challenge is making sense of the 1982-1985 'orange' period. Watch this space for all sorts of odd formations like this one photographed by Johannes Smit on Flickr:.

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

After lots of work on infrastructure, scenery and research recently, I decided to get back to some rolling stock modelling today, and will hopefully continue tomorrow.

 

I've been working on a pair of short transporter wagons, Ua 953 and Ua 954. They had a complex history.

Here are the prototypes in photos from the polier.ch website, Ua 954 in use and Ua 953 after withdrawal, stacked on top of some other longer transporters.

 

These transporter wagons were built by Both & Tillman in 1911 for the Geneva tramways CGTE, and fitted with handbrakes only. They seem to have been a fairly standard product from Both & Tillman and were sold to many metre-gauge lines in Switzerland and Germany. Schnellenkamp makes an Om gauge model of this prototype, to a scale length of 7.47m. The CGTE versions were apparently only 7.2m long originally, but it's a fairly small discrepancy and the prototypes may have varied. When built in 1911 they could carry most types of 4-wheel standard gauge wagons, as seen here with the out-of-the-box Schnellenkamp model carrying my old GFM internal user van dating back to that period and still in use in the 1980s!

 

Four of the CGTE transporters were were bought by the GFM in 1960, and fitted with vacuum brakes. On such a short, low wagon, it was quite a challenge to fit in all the brake gear. The GFM quickly found that they were too short for many of the wagons in use in the 1960s, and in 1962 all four were lengthened to 10m by grafting a section into the middle and reinforcing the solebar channels. This made them much more useful.

 

Between 1968 and 1973, the GFM bought 12 larger transporters, Ua 981-4 which were 10m long and Ua 991-8 which were 15.56m long. These largely met the need for carrying large 4-wheel standard gauge wagons.

However, there was now a requirement to carry heavy bogie wagons, which needed to be carried on two short transporters. So in 1974 the old Ua 953 and 954 were shortened again, almost back to their original length. It's these two that I'm modelling at present. Fortunately the Schnellenkamp model is close enough to my desired length to avoid the need for a 'cut-and-shut' on these two wagons (I do plan to stretch two more of the Schnellenkamp models for Ua 951 and 952 later).

 

Here's a view of the as-supplied model in the foreground, and the two modified versions in the background. I'm not quite finished yet but I've done most of the brake gear which is the trickiest bit:

 

Here's a top view of one wagon and a bottom view of the other. I'm only aiming for a representation of the brake gear rather than perfection, partly because it will mostly be hidden under a standard gauge wagon, and partly because I don't actually have much info on what it looked like. I've tried to infer it from what I can see in the photos. I tried to retain some of the floor for strength although it probably wasn't there in reality.

 

The brake cylinders and reservoirs are very nicely 3D printed and came from FK3D here:

https://fk3d.co.uk/products/gresley-coach-vacuum-brake-cylinder-set-x2-lner-o-gauge-7mm-scale

Paul, the proprietor, very kindly did me some custom brake cylinders at 80% full size so that I could replicate the two different sizes on the prototype* . I've also used some of the parts in ways that probably weren't intended, but I think it's worked out well and the parts were very easy to modify. More details yet to add include the vacuum brake plumbing, the load changeover valves, and the wheel chocks. Then a coat of paint and I've got some custom decals ready.

 

* These wagons have a 3-position manual brake force load valve. I think that when the transporter is empty, then just the small brake cylinder is active. When it's loaded with an empty standard gauge wagon, then just the large cylinder is active. When loaded with a loaded standard gauge wagon, then both cylinders are active.

 

 

This behemoth is their intended load:

The combined bogie wagon and pair of transporters is by far the largest item of rolling stock on the layout, and will define the required clearances in many areas. Just taking it for a photo has highlighted a clearance problem with some of the telegraph wires attached to the catenary masts, which I will need to resolve. Fortunately the underclearances to the new brake gear seem fine, and there is enough clearance for the bogies to rotate on a 1m radius curve without fouling either the brake gear or the wheels of the standard gauge wagon. Everything's close though and I've had to increase the back-to-backs of the standard gauge wheelsets a little. It is possible to see some of the new brake gear under the standard gauge bogies, so I hope my work was worth it!

 

This photo from Alain Gavillet on Flickr shows what I'm aiming for (though these aren't actually the same pair of transporter wagons). I think my RTR standard gauge wagon needs some heavy weathering and perhaps some better lettering and yellow stripe.

 

In reality, all the smaller GFM transporter wagons were coupled with a spacer bar rather than directly to other rolling stock. Only the largest ones, Ua 991-8, were designed to couple directly.

However, coupling bars are going to be a faff on my layout, in miniature they're difficult to couple and uncouple especially under catenary. So while I'll have a couple of transporter wagons with prototypical coupling bars, I'm trying to avoid them where possible. Because the bogie wagon doesn't overhang the outer ends of the transporters, I've decided to fit Kadees so that I can couple directly and automatically.

 

Hopefully more progress to follow tomorrow.

Mol

[Mol_PMB]

An update on the transporter wagons.

 

The two short ones, Ua 953 and Ua 954, are now physically complete, painted and lettered, but await weathering and final assembly:

 

Encouraged by the success of those two, and with not much else to do for a long weekend, I decided to bite the bullet and 'stretch' the other two, Ua 951 and Ua 952.

The first stage was to remove the detail from the solebars, which I did in the milling machine:

 

Then I cut them in half with a piercing saw:

 

And trued up the ends in the mill:

 

I cut some 8mm x 3mm brass bar to length and milled all its faces to get 7.5mm x 2.5mm. Stacking the four together I reduced the height of the end portions by about 1.8mm top and bottom:

 

Then the trickiest bit, I thinned down the ends to 1.1mm (I've actually only done one of these so far, will do the rest later):

 

That then provides the new piece to splice in between the frame halves:

 

There will be a little fettling to make these a good fit, and then I intend to drill and tap some holes and bolt them in place. I'll probably solder a crossmember between the two brass parts for added strength, then separate and clean the parts and bolt them back together with some glue in the joint.

 

Then I'll have to repeat all the same brake gear and detailing jobs that I've already done for the short pair! And hopefully will end up with something like this:

 

Which I could load like this:

 

But probably not like this, my (not yet built) model of Te2/2 11 needs to be in service!

[Mol_PMB]

A bit more progress today, not as much as I'd hoped as domestic and gardening chores took precendence.

 

Anyway, I've now got both of the stretched transporters to this stage: extension pieces made and fettled, holes drilled tapped and countesunk, and trial-assembled.

I retro-fitted the (unmodified) bogies to check that it would still go round a 1000mm radius curve, and all is good. It's quite a strong construction, even before adding a central cross-member and gluing the joints in addition to the 10BA bolts:

 

In principle, these stretched 10m transporters could carry standard gauge wagons with an 8m wheelbase, like this:

 

However, this gives very long overhangs. The only photos I've found of such long 4-wheel wagons on 10m transporters date from the early 1970s, prior to the delivery of the 15m transporter wagons Ua 991-998 in 1972/3. Once those were available, they were always preferred for carrying long wheelbase 4-wheel wagons. So this combination isn't really suitable for my 1980s modelling period. A much more appropriate load would be a short goods van, like the internal user vehicle seen here (see also the previous post for a prototype photo of this combination):

I have a few short vans like this, which have the advantage that they are less than 10m long and therefore there isn't any overhang giving more options for couplings. In reality, all the smaller GFM transporter wagons were coupled with a spacer bar rather than directly to other rolling stock. However, coupling bars are going to be a faff on my layout, in miniature they're difficult to couple and uncouple especially under catenary. So while I'll have a couple of transporter wagons with prototypical coupling bars, I'm trying to avoid them where possible. If these 10m transporters carry vehicles less than 10m long, I can fit Kadees to them so that I can couple directly and automatically. I'll certainly do that for one of this pair.

There are of course a fair number of UIC standard wagon types where the length over buffers is exactly 10m. Frustratingly the new Lenz vans I've bought, which ought to be exactly 10m long, are marginally over scale length. They would need to be coupled with spacer bars, or placed on one of the 15m transporters (models yet to be built). I do think I need one 10m transporter with spacer bars, but I may scratchbuild another of a different type to fill that niche.

 

 

EDIT: Here's a comparison of the various transporters for the Broc Branch. Not all complete!

 

At the bottom, Ua 953 and Ua 954, based on the Schnellenkamp Both & Tillman type, length unchanged (7.5m) but modified and detailed. This pair will be dedicated to carrying the big bogie van, and are fitted with Kadees at the outer ends.

 

Then Ua 961 and Ua 962, based on the Henke kit, which comes with all this detailing. Whilst not quite identical to any of the GFM vehicles, I decided that they could be made into a good representation of Ua 961 and Ua 962 with some fairly minor modifications. The models are a scale 8.6m long. I made these 10 years ago. Neither have Kadees and will be used with spacer bars. One is set up to carry standard gauge vehicles with a 5.7m wheelbase, while the other is set to carry those with a 5.0m wheelbase.

 

Then Ua 951 and Ua 952, stretched 10.0m versions of the Schnellenkamp Both & Tillman type. Current thinking is that one of these will be set up to carry standard gauge vehicles with a 6.1m wheelbase, while the other is set to carry those with a 5.0m wheelbase. However, the Schnellenkamp kits have magnetic wheel chocks which can be adjusted to suit different wheelbases. I'm thinking that both will have Kadees both ends.

 

Then at the top is a project I started over a decade ago, to build four of the big 15m transporters Ua 991 to Ua 998. Only one got to this early stage of assembly but I have the equivalent parts for four of them. Once I've finished the current batch of shorter transporters, I really ought to revisit these and see what else I need to do to finish them. There's definitely a lot of running gear and brake gear needed.

 

 

Edited July 20 by Mol_PMB

[Mol_PMB]

Modelling progress this morning has been hampered by the discovery of a rich vein of old photos online, which need to be downloaded and sorted into my reference folders.

Those tagged GFM are here, but I'm also searching for Bulle, Broc etc and finding more.

https://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/main/galleryview/qsr=gfm

 

As well as rolling stock and stations, I am delighted to have found a photo of the road bridge between Epagny and Les Marches. This pair of bridges are the next bit of the layout I need to build, and while the railway bridge survived until recent years, the old road bridge was demolished and the road realigned further away. I had deduced it was a girder bridge from the remains of the abutments, but this cropped bit of an aerial photo gives me some more clues about what I need to model:

The level crossing at the bottom of this image is this one:

 

 

This is how the railway bridge was in 2011, with just a small footbridge on the left where the former road bridge was:

 

[Mol_PMB]

Having discovered those 'new' photos this morning, I now have a livery dilemma. Do I partially repaint the transporters I've nearly finished, or leave them as they are? Hmmm.

 

The vast majority of photos showing the smaller transporter wagons are in black and white; good colour images are much scarcer. They were painted grey, but the shade of grey seems to have varied and/or faded significantly.

 

This photo, dated 1979 at the start of my modelling period, is one of the best colour photos of Ua 951-954. The main frame is a faded, weathered light grey, but the brake changeover valve panel has been freshly painted in grey (with a red valve handle). Nominally it's probably the same grey paint but unweathered. The ends of the frame are pale cream-coloured and I think this is faded yellow rather than faded white?

 

This photo dated 1971 shows part of one of the Ua 951-954 batch on the extreme right (beyond Ua 962). Both have brake changeover valve panels in grey, and a hint of yellowish ends.

 

This photo from the early 1970s shows the whole wagon apparently grey apart from the lettering:

 

Now, the distinctly inconsistent one in my collection of photos was this picture dated 1976, with one of these transporters half-buried in snow but clearly having the whole of the brake changeover valve panels in bright red. This is also shows the pale-coloured ends quite well.

 

I'd decided to paint brake changeover valve panels in grey (with a red valve handle) as shown in the first photo, because it was the colour photo closest in date to my modelling period. Perhaps they went through a red phase earlier?

 

But now, I've found this photo (this is just a crop of the relevant bit):

It is dated August 1980, within my modelling period. It shows the two short transporters Ua 953 and Ua 954, not used for a bogie wagon but instead each individually carrying an oil tank wagon. And both their brake changeover valve panels are entirely red. So I think I need to repaint and re-letter those panels, at least on the two short transporters! I'm also having second thoughts about whether I've done the right thing in painting the ends pale yellow, when perhaps they should be closer to white. At least I haven't started the weathering process yet...

 

There are some other things this 'new' photo of Bulle tells me:

• These two shortened transporters could still be seen carrying short 4-wheel wagons.
• Oil tanks are a plausible load, though probably not to Broc. These may be going the other way towards Chatel-St-Denis.
• My planned representation of Bulle has the baseboard front running along the road here, so the siding with the transporters on will be on the model, but the siding in the foreground won't be (there just isn't space, I need all those 4 tracks behind the shed and the platform canopy will be up against the wall). Therefore I am going to be missing out on modelling the allotments.
• I'll need to take some inspiration from @40 058 and make some brightly-coloured 1980s cars! I'm hopeless at identifying cars - I wonder whether any of these are available in a scale close to 1:45?

Here's another view of Bulle, this time in 1979, from Jean-Henri Manara on Flickr, showing similar oil tanks wagons on the standard gauge side:

Fortunately, none of the O gauge tank wagon models quite match, otherwise I'd be struggling to resist something entirely unnecessary for the Broc Branch:

https://www.spurnull-magazin.de/tag/kesselwagen/

 

[40 058]

Love that aerial view of the yard area! 
 

1:45 scale is an odd size, obviously you’ve got 1:43 which is fairly close and for European vehicles you’d be spoiled for choice! I know Dinky and a few other brands from years ago did some of their vehicles in approx 1:48ish, but they would be older toy based models and of vehicles that would be a bit older by your chosen model.

 

It’s hard to see properly on my screen, but the copper colour car in the front row looks like a Citroen CX, possibly a Simca 1300/1500 behind it. A blue Simca 1100 behind that, what looks like a Talbot/Chrysler Alpine behind that. 
Further back, the yellow saloon looks like a Ford Taunus TC2 (Cortina mk4!), silver car possibly an Opel Manta? Not quite sure on the other two though.

Most, if not all of those above are available in 1:43…

[Mol_PMB]

8 hours ago, 40 058 said:

Love that aerial view of the yard area! 
 

1:45 scale is an odd size, obviously you’ve got 1:43 which is fairly close and for European vehicles you’d be spoiled for choice! I know Dinky and a few other brands from years ago did some of their vehicles in approx 1:48ish, but they would be older toy based models and of vehicles that would be a bit older by your chosen model.

 

It’s hard to see properly on my screen, but the copper colour car in the front row looks like a Citroen CX, possibly a Simca 1300/1500 behind it. A blue Simca 1100 behind that, what looks like a Talbot/Chrysler Alpine behind that. 
Further back, the yellow saloon looks like a Ford Taunus TC2 (Cortina mk4!), silver car possibly an Opel Manta? Not quite sure on the other two though.

Most, if not all of those above are available in 1:43…

Many thanks, that’s a great help!

I also really liked this view when I saw it, it’s the same view that someone in my layout room will have of Bulle station and yard (when I finish building this bit.) 

 

The road in the foreground led to the train and bus depot and workshops, I think it was a private road owned by the GFM and the cars pictured probably belonged to GFM staff - especially those parked on the goods loading platform. A few vehicles parked there on my model would definitely add to the atmosphere. 

 

It’s part of a larger photo, and I’ll post a link to the whole thing when I’m in front of a proper computer again. 

European O scale is usually 1:45 and that’s the scale I’m using, though I do have a couple of items in 1:43 which don’t look out of place. For the road vehicles, 1:43 will be fine. there are some roadside stretches of the branch where I can pose a few more cars. 
 

I’ll have a google for those models you have identified - thanks again!

 

cheers

Mol

 

 

Edit: links to relevant images, which can be downloaded in high quality for those interested...

This is the 1980 photo that I cropped the view from: https://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/catalog/ETHBIB.Bildarchiv/r/17085/viewmode=infoview

 

This view of the yard from the other side is a bit earlier, 1972, cropped from this image: https://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/catalog/ETHBIB.Bildarchiv/r/17069/viewmode=infoview

 

This is a 1980s view from ground level, showing the steep grassy bank that is between the road and the allotments, but is almost invisible on the original aerial shot owing to the angle it's taken from: https://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/catalog/ETHBIB.Bildarchiv/r/926086/viewmode=infoview

 

And finally, a reminder of the trackplan (lower levels) of the layout, with Bulle station in blue, bottom left:

Edited July 22 by Mol_PMB

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It looks a fantastic layout! In a large scale it’ll really be an impressive model.

I didn’t realise European O was actually 1:45 scale though, I just thought it’d be the same as UK at 1:43.

 

For the road vehicles, look on eBay for a seller: 1.43man https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/jumajo143nan

or

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/rabbitcollection2
 

Both based in Europe and have absolutely loads of suitable cars, vans and trucks at pretty good prices. Usually you’ll find a premium version of a particular vehicle with a brand like IXO or PremiumX, but these sellers carry loads of the partwork collection versions produced for magazine collections etc. they’re the same base models as the premium versions but often have simpler paint jobs or a bit less detail. Keeps the price down abut means you can strip them and customise them without spending loads on expensive base models!

For European vehicles, you’ll be pretty well catered for - French cars and trucks in particular are very well catered for.