Hello All,
I am a new member to the Group. By way of introduction, I am a Texan, 72 years old, a retired Physician/Medical Illustrator. I have been a railway enthusiast, since early childhood, with interests in both railway history and modelling. Early on, such interests centered on the two Standard Gauge railways which I was fortunate to ride in my youth, the Texas and New Orleans ( T&NO ) and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas ( MKT ), later, I developed interests in the "Pre-Grouping" Standard Gauge railways in the U.K., particularly the Midland and LSWR, which I modelled in 7mm. Scale for several years. I must confess that my primary interests in Narrow Gauge have centered more on "Three Foot Gauge", rather than "Metre Gauge", and over the years I have collected information and modelled Mexican and Central American Narrow Gauge, before finally being smitten by Irish Three Foot Gauge Railways, which have occupied most of my efforts for the past decade or more. I am currently "working" on both a 7mm. and 10mm. Scale example of an Isle of Man 2-4-0T ( "working" being a "relative" term, as some of my projects seem to "progress" in a "Geologic" timeframe! ). My interests in Metre Gauge center almost entirely on the CFD Vivarais ( Reseau du Vivarais ), as I have long wished to build examples of Vivarais locomotives and rolling stock, a desire kindled in childhood, when I received a Christmas copy of "Railways of the World", which prominently featured a Vivarais SLM Mallet and a string of Lorraine-Dietrich Coaches. I hope to build 10mm. Scale examples of Vivarais locomotives and rolling stock, and I am very keen to collect the information, photographs and drawings requisite to such a project. I am most interested in the time period from 1900 through WWII, and need information on the varieties and changes in configurations, liveries, lettering, etc. which occurred during that timeframe.Aside from the Internet, my two resources on the Vivarais are the two English titles written by John Organ. I have experienced difficulty locating French titles or retail sources for such items -- this is likely due to the fact that I can neither read nor write French ( there are some who maintain that we Texans likewise do not read or write English particularly well, either! ) Any suggestions or recommendations for such publications or sources will be most appreciated.
I should like, very much, to converse withGroup members who share similar interests in the Vivarais, and in model construction. Likewise, should any members share any interests in Irish, Mexican, or Central American Narrow Gauge, I will be most happy to share such information, as I have been fortunate, over the decades, to accumulate a decent reference collection on those topics.
I appreciate admission to the Group, and look forward to interacting with the Members.
Best regards,
John A. Craig
Austin, Texas