CEFAKI - Belgian Congo "protolance" in HOn30

[marknewton]

As a side project I've been kitbashing some HOn30 locos and cars for a "protolance" interpretation of the Chemin de Fer du Kivu, or CEFAKI, along with a few of the other Belgian Congo lines. CEFAKI was 1067mm gauge, the CF Mayumbe was 610mm, and the CF Matadi - Leopoldville was originally 765mm gauge, so I settled on 9mm or HOn30 as an acceptable compromise. Locos and stock for these lines came from a variety of European and US builders, so I've likewise used a grab-bag of different models as kitbashing fodder. 

 

I've registered to attend next year's Australian Narrow Gauge Modelling convention. That means I now have a deadline to motivate me, as I have been asked to bring along some models for display. So as of tonight I have four freight cars and one passenger car ready for the spray booth. If the weather cooperates and the smoke from the bushfire down the road clears a bit I'll be painting tomorrow. 

 

The passenger car is a simple kitbash of a Liliput Austrian car, which aims to represent the steel bodied cars supplied by Decauville to a number of lines in the Congo. Two of the boxcars are also modified Liliput models, while the other boxcar started out as a kit for an American 3' gauge car. The refrigerator car was also originally an American kit - Precision Scale from memory. 

 

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

Another model for the Congo protolance project is this reworked Liliput Austrian diesel. I’ve hacked it around a bit so it can stand-in for the Alsthom cab units that were exported to a number of African lines. Now that the detailing is finished it’s ready for painting. 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.