Three good friends in the south of France, near Toulouse, are carrying on the grand traditions of modeling in our favorite scale with an Oregon, USA woodland lumber theme. They have built a modular railroad, which they display at model railroad shows.

West coast lumber railroading is almost unheard of in France, which means that they have to do more of their research on the Internet and with books and magazines. They have asked for help and information from modelers in the USA and can be contacted through their web site at: http://www.woodpecker2ft.net/info2.html

Their modular railroad shown above is 38' by 14' and composed of individual modules 55" long by 19" deep. They set it up at shows on tables. And when tables are not available, on the ground. It is clear from the following photos that 7/8n2 sparks quite and interest when they set up their modules at a show.

They design and build their own engines and cars. They use ramin wood, weathered with a wire brush and produce their own metal parts on a lathe or milling machine. When they need a large number of parts, they make them with an automatic machine tool for wheels, water jet cutting for journal sliders and brake wheels, and even lost wax casting. The following photos speak for themselves. They call themselves the "Woodpeckers" and have promised more articles on building their individual engines and cars.

Editor