Quelque Part en France 
Simon Newitt Nm gauge 2mm scale
The layout was originally built by Rodger Main and was called the The Salt Marsh. This was an accurate representation of part of a French metre gauge line, the Tramways de la Vendee, which ran down the west coast of France until the 1950’s. It was based on the Musee de la Petite Gare at Ile d’Olonne in the Vendee region, this was a station belonging to Tramways de la Vendee.
The layout is now owned by Simon Newitt and has been moved several hundred kilometres inland to somewhere in central France, rebuilt and renamed. The backscene on this layout is a modified photograph taken from our Dutch Barge on the Canal du Nivernais, near a village called Cravant, in Burgundy. Notice the vineyards on the hills in the background. The local wines (Vin Regionaux) are excellent! This layout is being used as a scenic test bed for my next Nm exhibition layout, Chatel sur Yonne. This will be based in the Yonne valley in Burgundy, our favourite part of France, with lovely scenery, great wines and wonderful canals to cruise.
Scenery, Buildings and Track
The scenery, buildings and road vehicles are all N Gauge scale but the track is Z Gauge (N Scale narrow gauge). This allows a relatively accurate representation of the once extensive French Metre Gauge secondary railway system.
Rolling Stock
Railcars (Autorails), diesels (Locotracteurs), coaches (Voiture Voyages) and wagons (Wagons Marchandises) are all to N Gauge Scale but running on Marklin Z Gauge chassis. The original German outline Z Gauge bodies are removed and replaced either by resin castings made in France or scratchbuilt bodies.
