The R.O.D. in France

[1ngram]

I've fancied building a smallish R.O.D. mini-layout for a while now, ever since getting a hold of the wonderful book on it by Aves with all those super photos of locos, stock and locations. In 00 its now possible to put three or four realistic locos in France in 1917/18, especially with the arrival of the Robinson 2-8-0 but even in H0 (which is what I model in) there are a couple of French locos of the period aviable from such as Jouef and Lilliput as well as a Robinson in kit form from Branchlines - still being made for the Aussie market, they say.

 

But what about stock? Yes, there were UK coal wagons a-plenty in France, and specialist wagons for carrying tanks plus the standard van but the bulk of the stock seems to have been French, both coach and wagon. So what is available in H0 to represent French stock of the WW1 period? I'm told Jouef used to produce a range of pre SNCF 4 wheel coaches and wagons but what is currently (or recently) available that was around on French rails at that period?

[Joseph_Pestell]

The Jouef 4-wheelers were Etat. So wrong part of the country.

 

One of the French artisans (can't remember which) does do some suitable Nord bogie coaches but these might be too mainline if you wish to build a micro-layout.

[asmay2002]

Another RTR HO loco coming soon suitable for the ROD would be the Eureka models D50 2-8-0 (a small number of which were diverted to the ROD).

[1ngram]

That's about £450 ! Phew!

[Andy Hayter]

Wagons - Fleischmann have produced/are producing a number of wagons "TP" bogie mineral, bogie flat, bogie stake wagons - all of which would be right for an ROD layout apart from the Epoch III markings (SNCF rather than Nord or Est)

Similarly Makette are bringing out TP bogie tank wagons and some as Nord - but I fear probably post war markings. He has one on the books marked USA and I suspect that would be right period.

Trains Rousseau also did a range of TP wagons and some in the right Epoch - but that was in the 80's - although you can sometimes find them on Ebay.

I have a feeling that duirng the ROD period the wagons would have had military rather than railway company markings, so even these may not be right.

 

The "problem" with TP wagons is that they were introduced quite late in WW1 and therefore would limit your operations to 1917/18. But they were brought to France in enormous numbers, so there is an excuse to have quite a few of them.