In my career of N-scale modeller I realised a large number of narrow-gauge models. As Italian narrow gauge is metric these models belonged to the class of Zm models. Since I focussed on Z scale I have been converting a few of these models to Zm scale as well as I started to make new models in Zm.

All these model are meant to run on my own Zm track

Before the end of service of the Sicilian Narrow gauge network, the FS were trying to replace the steam locomotives with diesel locomotives.

The diesel electric RD142 were designed to haul freight trains.

I chose to make this locomotive as I wanted to implement an idea for the motor plant. This locomotive ha a B'B' axle arrangement and I thought I could try to re-gauge a rokuhan shorty to the 4.32 mm (950 mm in 1:1 scale) of my tracks.

The re-gauging operation was successful and easier than I thought. I reused motor and bogies of the shorty with a new 3D printed chassis.

To increase the contact between wheels and rails, I placed four 5x5x1mmˆ3 magnets under the belly of the locomotive.

The magnets are attracted by the steel rails and produce a considerable force, much higher than the weight of the locomotive. In fact the locomotive can run even with the tracks upside-down.

This most beautiful narrow gauge railways runs between the Italian city of Domodossola and the Swiss city of Locarno. Its spectacular aspects are testified by 83 bridges and 34 tunnels in just 52 km of length. It is known with the name Vigezzina in Italy and Centovalli in Switzerland.

The line and the rolling stock is divided between two companies: the Italian Società Subalpina Imprese ferroviarie (SSIF) and the Swiss Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi (FART).

The two ABFe 6/6, later called ABDe 6/6 were manufactured by SWP and TIBB in 1965.

They are made by two bodies sitting on three motorised bogies. the bodies are joined by a 'giostra Urbinati' articulation designed by Officine della Stanga in Padova.

They initially served for FART but were at later stage transferred to SSIF. SSIF also owns three other very similar sets called ABe 6/6.

After 65 years they still perform well even though they have been refurbished few times.

I reproduced the version in the livery of the early years. I find it very elegant.

For making the motor plant I used parts of two Rokuhan shorty motorised chassis. precisely one motor, two idle bogies and a geared bogie.

I designed a chassis in two bodies with a central articulation. The shorty bogies have been re-gauged to fit the 4.3 mm gauge.

The motor body is made 'heavier' by means of a pack of 5x5x1mmˆ3 magnets attached under the belly.

All bogies pick-up power from the track.

Model still misses some details on the roof, but I already tried it on my test track.

The Vigezzina had some level of freight traffic. A variety of box wagons are owned by the two adminsitrations. I chose to make the family F5xx as it has great variability in aspect.

It can have wooden or metallic structure and the livery can be ash-grey, red-freight or even in the blue/white social livery.

These railways formed a sparse network of narrow gauge lines across the southern regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Puglia.

The FCL company no longer exists. The network is now in the hands of two state-owned companies, Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) operates the network linking Bari, Matera and Potenza. Ferrovie della Calabria (FdC) operates the few remaining lines in Calabria.

The railways were qualified as mountain-railways as the had often slopes of 60/1000 and very narrow bends. They are truly spectacular in their lines as well as as their rolling stock.

You can appreciate it in the long Photografic series put together By Wener hardmeier and fiends on drehscheibe-online.de:

[I] Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, Teil 1, Dampfloks (m25B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

[I] Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, Teil 2, Dieselloks und Schneeschleudern (m12B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

[I] Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, Teil 3, die alten Triebwagen (m25B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

[I] Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, Teil 4, Breda-Tw (m39B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

[I] Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, Teil 5, Sinopoli und Cinquefrondi (m26B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

Ferrovie Calabro Lucane FCL, , Teil 6, einige Wagen (m28B) [www.drehscheibe-foren.de]

Initially, a number of steam locomotives were used to take care of all the traffic. But very soon a number of petrol and diesel railcars were procured.

The most notable ones were the M1 class, which due to their diminutive size were called 'emmine' (Italian for 'little Ms').

Several generations of M1 were deployed. These had all A1 wheel arrangement and were as big as a bus.

I reproduced them all in my first N-life as railroad modeller.

In 1937, the FCL ordered to the Piaggio factory in Pontedera (the same that after the war would have produced the Vespa) 10 railcar of the type M1c8x.

The 'ç' in the name means that the railcars were equipped with a cog wheel for the Straub-type rack rail.

Piaggio was the Italian licensee of the Budd stainless-steel bodywork patent.

The Budd construction allowed lighter vehicles, which of course helped in the steep slopes of the FCL network.

Like the previous two generations of emmine, the plant was the same, mono-directional construction, 29 sitting places, diesel engine with mechanical transmission to the front wheel. More a bus on wheels than the contemporary German 'schienenbus'.

More information on this railcar can be found on scalaenne.wordpress.com

I think I made a model pretty accurately resembling the reality.

Single 3D print of shell, including all details, and chassis.

All (1,2) is painted with Vallejo aluminum, which gives me more the appearance of the corrugated stainless steel, than colors labelled as 'stainless steel'.

The railcar is minuscule and to achieve decent contact with the rail, six disc magnets are embedded in the bottom of the chassis (3)

The chassis (4) is 3D printed in 1 piece and includes two wheelset derived from Fox-valley wheelsets. The axle has been shortened and on the power axle a M0.2 pinion has been set. The wheelsets are mounted to have an isostatic pose.

The motor is equipped with a M0.2 worm and glued in a tight fitting niche.

I did not cut the motor excess electric wire, as at later stage I intend to mount a decoder.

Driving performance is not bad considering that there is no rubber tire.

As the name says this is a railway that goes around the Etna volcano.

It is highly spectacular as it traverses some beautiful volcanic fields

In 1956 the Officina Ranieri in Rome supplied two automotics of this type to the Circum Etnea Railway. They were probably extremely similar to the only railcar with bogies supplied to the Rimini-Novafeltria railway. This railcar joined the 'sisters' on the FCE at the close of the Rimini-Novafeltria.

I discovered these railcars via Hansjürg Rohrer's photo site and liked them a lot. So I decided to reproduce it.

Which is not easy given the lack of drawings. However, thanks to a couple of photos in a favorable perspective and the help of Salvatore Spinelli, who kindly provided me with the dimensions of the railcar, I was able to reconstruct the model.

I immediately printed and painted it in revell moss green and vallejo white.

I like it very much and hope to be able to power it soon.

Sardinia has still today a very sizeable network of metre gauge railway, despite the fact that many lines have been closed.

A few railway companies had concessions in different parts of the island. Ferrovie Meridionali Sarde (FMS) in the south west, Ferrovie Complementari Sarde (FCS) in the south east and Ferrovie Settentrionali Sarde (SFS) in the north, later named Strade Ferrate Sarde (SFS).

The decline of rail transport since WW2 caused the closure of several lines and the consolidation of all companies under the Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti (ARST) company.

The Locomotiva Diesel Elettrica (Lde) series 500 and 600 are the longest serving diesel engines in Italy.

They were built in 20 units by Breda and TIBB in 1959. From that year they have been serving on the network of FCS (15 units series 600) and SFS (5 units series 500). The only difference between the two series is the brake system, Westinghouse in the 600 and Hardy in the 500.

Today the remaining units still pull the touristic train 'Trenino Verde'

The CAD model (1) is made of 4 parts:

• Shell

• Chassis

• 2 bogies

The model has been 3D printed in resin (2)

And (3) painted in today's colors of 'trenino verde'.

These coaches were built in the 30s by the company Casaralta for the Ferrovia Circumvesuviana of Naples and were bought by FCS in the early 70s.

Originally for the standard gauge, they had the bogies rebuilt for the metric gauge.

The CAD model (1) is made of 4 parts:

• Shell

• Chassis

• 2 bogies

Wheelsets are also 3D printed in a single piece. They have a hollow shaft in which a 0.3 mm steel rod is inserted, allowing the wheelset to free roll around it.

Once painted in the grigio-nebbia and blu -orientale livery, two coaches can form with the Lde600 the well known 'trenino verde'.

This electric railway connects the own station of Genova Piazza Manin to the own station of Casella in 25 km. The railway is characterised by the fact that has a true 1m gauge (Italian metric gauge is 950mm) and that it is a mountain railroad, even though it starts 1km from the sea.

It has a very tortuous and, at places steep, path.

Nowadays the railway not only maintains its value as commuter line , but also has become an attraction for railway tourism.