Criel Plarge

H0, French, 6 by 1 foot

Passenger    Micheline railcar    Mixed    Picasso Railcar

Steam Railcar    Goods    The station    Panoramas

Creil Plarge is the northern terminus of the Société Anonyme Des Chemins de fer d’Interet General de Vallee de l’ Yeres (Yeres Valley Light Railway). The CFVY was built from Creil Plarge on the Cote d’Albatre (Alabaster Coast) between Le Tréport and Dieppe to Fourcarmont, till 1938 a junction with a meter gauge line with a triangular junction with the coastal railway at Touffreville-sur-Eu. The CFVY was built to develop the Valley and is standard gauge to allow through trains to Criel Plage to help it develop as a as a holiday resort. The CFVY opened in 1906, went bankrupt in 1931, was hand to the Department who arranged the Chemins de fer du Nord (who ran the coastal line) to take over, in 1938 the Nord became part of the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français. The 1950s and early 1960s were a boom time for the CFVY. Passenger services were replaced by bus in 1968 and goods services withdrawn in 1973.
The layout is set in the prosperous 1950s and early 1960s when the line was served by a frequent train service and there was a switch from steam to diesel operation. Unmodelled steep grades mean all trains are short. The triangular junction allows trains from Dieppe to Le Tréport to travel via Criel Plarge. The crack service is the Cote d’Albatre express from Paris to Criel in the morning and return in the in the evening. The Cote d’Albatre is usually a Micheline Railcar due to the need to reverse on route and light loadings. Local passenger services run to/from Dieppe and le Tréport. Mixed trains run to and from Fourcarmont. Freight trains run from to Dieppe & Eu. Goods traffic is general, limestone, flints from the beach, small timber [pulp & firewood] and some round timber.
In practise, the Valley has developed without the help of a railway. The Coastal railway from Dieppe to Le Tréport existed, losing its passenger service in 1938 and closed to freight in 1973. The route is now partly used as a footpath.

I hope this layout shows small layouts can be of interest to the public and operator.

The passenger arrives
Note the forgon a combined break and parcels van is at the front of the train as was the norm after the 1920s on the continent

The passenger stops close to the station building to let the punters off

It back up and runs round

The forgon is moved to the front of the train

The correctly marshalled passenger train departs


The Micheline railcar arrives

Stops by the station to let the punters out
The Micheline look like if things go wrong the driver can eject.

Micheline railcar departs


The mixed arrives

Pulls up to the buffers

The backs up so it can run round

Running round

Picking up out bound van at the Goods Shed

Leaving them on the loop

Move the inbound vans from the back of the mixed to the Goods Shed

Remarshalling the train move the passenger coach

Remarshalling the train making sure the forgon is at the front

The mixed departs


The Picasso Railcar arrive

Stops by the station building

And departs


The steam rail car arrives

This class ran on the Eu-Dieppe line

Stops by the buffers

It shunts into the siding

This is let the mixed use the platform

The steam railcar moves back to the platform

The steam railcar departs

The goods train arrives
There was a small quarry at le Mont Joli Bois on the western side of the valley.
I've assumed the railways arrival lead to the quarry being developed and served by a private siding.
Hence the limestone/chalk traffic.

The loco runs round and leaves for the quarry with empty wagons

The forgon is left by the platform

The loco returns with full wagons

The loco shunts the forgon onto the goods



The goods is correctly marshalled and departs



Station Building note the adverts

Goods Shed

Loading Dock


Panoramas of the layout